Originally Posted by
newhue
Yes it drops straight in. You will need to lengthen your drive shaft to do so. I paid around $180 from Hardy Spicer to have it done.
I don't know how often a Sal breaks, there have been a few pictures posted up here usually on heavily laden Defenders, and seem to be 110's. All with no or little history attached. I have seen maybe 3 to 5 picks.
Pat believes us keyboard jocks are wasting our time by swapping out a P38.
However from my observation from warranty claims on the P38 within the Tdci build run, there has been significantly more issues with them then posted Sals breaking. Some unlucky people have had 5 P38's replaced under warranty. My drive line banged 2 to 3 times with every gear change, it has no bangs with the Sals. LR were not interested in fixing the bangs and said that is normal.
From my reading the P38's issue is pinion length, and it's relation to movement on it;s short bearing mounts, in relation to heavy loads or towing. The movement flogs the gears and bearing out and it all fails. Perhaps pre Tdci have better build quality, but if you are going remote, with family, or work, than the piece of mind knowing a late build P38 is no longer under the truck is worth the conversion. $2500 to rebuild a Sals is expansive, but not as expansive as a ruined holiday.
I too have been spooked by the broken Sals pics, wondering if I had gone backwards. But the shear volume of Sals that have been sold over the years, to my mind, occasionally one has to to break from fatigue and abuse.