Shaving the bottom of a Salisbury?

[noogie]

Hi all

My car is in the process of getting a Salisbury transplant.
I'm ditching the Cr@ppy p38 for something that's tough & reliable.

I know I will be sacrificing clearance for reliability.
I'm ok with that.
Just wondering how easy it is to shave the bottom of a sals.
I've been told you can gain at least half an inch in clearance.

I will be changing tyres to 255/75/r16 as they are a 33.5 inch Tyre.

Thanks

[Benz]

Jimbo110's budget Salisbury shave........ (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/90-110-130-defender-county/68612-jimbo110s-budget-salisbury-shave.html#post865480)

[101 Ron]

Easy.....just attack it with a grinder to get 1/2 inch clearence and a better shape.
Any more than that will require more work.
Recommend a after market diff cover if you want to stop the oil leaks after grinding it.
ARB are currently making a good one.

[ugu80]

:o
I'm ditching the Cr@ppy p38 for something that's tough & reliable.

That's no way to talk about Ron!

[blitz]

can I make a suggestion first!

Be completely honest with your self will doing all that work really mean the difference between getting to where you want to go or getting stuck because one little area can be made a 1/2" higher?

Not trying to dissuade you from doing it but unless you have been out and hung up because of it then I really cant see the point. a deefa it a bloody formidable 4wd that given other mods make it even better - winch, lockers etc. I spent several years in the NT off road in the early 80's - i.e. no road shooting buffaloe, horses and donkeys in a series III tray back with a sals in it and never got hung up to the point where I was stuck. This was in some of the roughest and isolated places that most people only see in movies, genuine hundreds of k's from the nearest homestead and having to be completely self sufficient - no radio no GPS no EPIRB, a hand winch long handled shovel and some rope was all we had in regard to recovery equipment.

My point being unless you are in a comp where you have to go over a specific course in a specific manner then there is always a different angle to aproach something.

P.S. agree totally with the Sals transplant though

[rick130]

As Ron said, it's easy.

I took 3/4" off without compromising anything, other than needing an aftermarket cover to stop the weeping and relocated the bottom bolt.
This happened way back in '06 and the 130 is used hard, usually tareing out at over 3000kg and driven hard over indifferent roads.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/30332-salisbury-brazilian.html

Unfortunately most of the pics have been lost as my image hoster went belly up, and one thing I didn't do that Jimbo did in his thread was weld the drain plug in, I just used high strength loctite, screwed it in tight and ground away :D

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

[Wortho]

Not 255/75/16 it's 255/85/16 that's 33.5in

[wmd]

Go for it , it's the best way to get more diff clearance with out fitting bigger tires .
If you already have the tools it's a cheep mod .
1/2 inch off the diff is the same as fitting inch bigger tires .

I ground mine so it has almost the same clearance as my front with a diff guard on .

And yes it will make a difference it will slide a lot better when stuck in ruts instead of gouging out the ground .

Cheers WMD

[noogie]

can I make a suggestion first!

Be completely honest with your self will doing all that work really mean the difference between getting to where you want to go or getting stuck because one little area can be made a 1/2" higher?

Not trying to dissuade you from doing it but unless you have been out and hung up because of it then I really cant see the point. a deefa it a bloody formidable 4wd that given other mods make it even better - winch, lockers etc. I spent several years in the NT off road in the early 80's - i.e. no road shooting buffaloe, horses and donkeys in a series III tray back with a sals in it and never got hung up to the point where I was stuck. This was in some of the roughest and isolated places that most people only see in movies, genuine hundreds of k's from the nearest homestead and having to be completely self sufficient - no radio no GPS no EPIRB, a hand winch long handled shovel and some rope was all we had in regard to recovery equipment.

My point being unless you are in a comp where you have to go over a specific course in a specific manner then there is always a different angle to aproach something.

P.S. agree totally with the Sals transplant though

Sounds like some seriously awesome driving.
You do make a valid point.
I figure if it isn't rocket science & easy enough I may as well give it a go and grab whatever clearance I can.

[noogie]

Easy.....just attack it with a grinder to get 1/2 inch clearence and a better shape.
Any more than that will require more work.
Recommend a after market diff cover if you want to stop the oil leaks after grinding it.
ARB are currently making a good one.

Yes I will be wacking an Arb cover on it as the original is pretty weak.

[noogie]

As Ron said, it's easy.

I took 3/4" off without compromising anything, other than needing an aftermarket cover to stop the weeping and relocated the bottom bolt.
This happened way back in '06 and the 130 is used hard, usually tareing out at over 3000kg and driven hard over indifferent roads.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/30332-salisbury-brazilian.html

Unfortunately most of the pics have been lost as my image hoster went belly up, and one thing I didn't do that Jimbo did in his thread was weld the drain plug in, I just used high strength loctite, screwed it in tight and ground away :D

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/

The bit I don't understand is, doesn't the Arb cover fit straight into existing holes?

[rick130]

The bit I don't understand is, doesn't the Arb cover fit straight into existing holes?

Yes, as does any cover designed for the Dana 60 like my Rockcrusher one, but I cut the bottom of my housing up to and into the bottom (cover) bolt hole so I relocated the bolt, it couldn't be used.

It's all explained in the thread I linked to.

[goingbush]

Fancy a 1" GC improvement without butchering the crown wheel, This kit might give your Sals similar clearance to your front diff.

link to Dana 60 Shave Kit (http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Dana-60-Shave-Kit_p_1848.html)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/830.jpg

[wmd]

Fancy a 1" GC improvement without butchering the crown wheel, This kit might give your Sals similar clearance to your front diff.

link to Dana 60 Shave Kit (http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Dana-60-Shave-Kit_p_1848.html)


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/830.jpg

is that a weld in section in photo?

[blitz]

Sounds like some seriously awesome driving.
You do make a valid point.
I figure if it isn't rocket science & easy enough I may as well give it a go and grab whatever clearance I can.

It was and I didn't realise that at the time - lots of it is still able to be accessed (stations, so permission required) but a large chunk were I 'played' the most is now restricted access as it have been bought by multi national gold mining consortiums.

I have lockers, winch, lifted, bigger tyres etc etc now and I can say I wouldn't have it any other way, but to be honest the series IIA shorty and the tray back series III apart from bone jarringly horrid suspension went every where we pointed them and they out drove the toyotas of the time to the point were we used to tell them to head for the gun shots as that is were we would be. I guess part of that was we were young and totally confident that we were immortal.

I do agree that the lump on the bottom of the Sals is a pain in the butt and it can be shaved off quite successfully and it will make an imporvement if you are dragging it through rutts

[rick130]

is that a weld in section in photo?

Yep.

For my money that's for track/play only vehicles, I wouldn't actually go that far for a touring/work vehicle.

[goingbush]

Yep.

For my money that's for track/play only vehicles, I wouldn't actually go that far for a touring/work vehicle.

Could Not agree more.

For Touring / Work the unmodified Salisbury is the bees knees. Other than taking the 1/2" off with a grinder & fitting an ARB cover !!

The Modded cover & Bottom patch is for those that poo hoo the Sals saying they need the GC, Dozer Blade indeed !!

I'd be more worried about bending a track rod than getting stuck on the Salisbury. In 35ish yrs of 4X4ing Ive only ever needed jacking off a stuck Sals once but have bent a number of track rods.

[Sitec]

Don't touch it! They work well and rely on the axle casing for strength! Why cut about what works. Have had Salisbury Axles on most of my vehicles due to torque and never had a grounding problem. Fit it, use it and see how you go. I bet within a month you've forgotten about that half inch!

[djam1]

Been belting Salisbury equipped Land Rovers around the NT and NW WA for over 20 years and never found this to be a problem.
Not saying it isnt in some areas like Victoria but I think if you live in Victoria a Salisbury with 1/2 inch less clearance is the least of your problems

[isuzutoo-eh]

It can be problem on the rocky sandstone tracks around here, more so in the areas of soft soil where many overused tracks are frequented by large tyred fourbies forming ruts.

A half inch made with a shave is as good as an inch larger tyre diameter. Just like the difference a few psi can make when traction is hard to find.

For those who don't like bright red advertisements on their diff, there are other options too, such as the Great Lakes Offroad cover I have, which certainly makes up for any apparent loss of strength imparted via angle grinder:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members-rides/112756-lucas-refrigerator-gets-warm-there-6.html#post1590644

[101 Ron]

Been belting Salisbury equipped Land Rovers around the NT and NW WA for over 20 years and never found this to be a problem.
Not saying it isnt in some areas like Victoria but I think if you live in Victoria a Salisbury with 1/2 inch less clearance is the least of your problems

I live in area with with deep washed out rutts in the tracks with rocks etc mixed in.
A grind on the bottom of the diff doesnt lose strenght.
I did 1/2 inch grind on both front and rear diffs on my 101 landy and still have a protected diff drain plug.
Dont knock it unless you have tried it.
I is quick and easy to do for a 1/2 inch improvement.
Any more than 1/2 inch will require some extra work.
That 1/2 inch doesnt sound like much, but the shape of the bottom of the diff is greatly improved and will tend slide along if it touches the ground rather that plough in.
I recommend the after market covers as the sals can be alittle bit leaky at the best of times in this area.
After market covers, especially the ARB are designed with diff shaves in mind and a drain plug is fitted in the bottom of the cover to drain the oil if you want to go futher than a 3/4 inch shave and weld the standard drain plug.
The ARB cover will improve greatly diff housing strenght.
Dana 60 diff housings do not have a protrusion hanging down like the sals, so a bit of a grind gets the housing to similar shape as the Dana 60 which the Sals is a copy of.
It is worth while........you never know until you do it.

[goingbush]

... I think if you live in Victoria .... less clearance is the least of your problems

Indeed !! , can't wait to get out of the place !!

[goingbush]

...

For those who don't like bright red advertisements on their diff, there are other options too, such as the Great Lakes Offroad cover I have, which certainly makes up for any apparent loss of strength imparted via angle grinder:
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members-rides/112756-lucas-refrigerator-gets-warm-there-6.html#post1590644

A can of Matt Black spray paint fixed up that Bright Red "look at me" diff cover & shiny ARB Logo

[isuzurover]

FWIW:
On my IIA - which is an offroad toy - I shaved the sals similar to Rick130. Prior to that I had lost count of the number of times I had been hung up on the sals on rutted hill climbs (even on 33's) - mainly in QLD/NSW. Shaving made a huge difference.

On the 110 (tourer) I have not shaved the sals (beyond minor smoothing underneath) and not felt the need. There are times when it has acted as a plough, but usually in soft sand/mud, and has not stopped me. However I also run 33's on the 110. If I was running 31-32" tyres I think it would have annoyed me more.

IMHO it depends on the use of the vehicle and the terrain.

Also - the ARB cover seems to be about the most expensive option of them all!!!

[101 Ron]

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/789.jpg

ARB cover is thick and strong with 2 cross bracing webs in it.
It has a drain plug built into the cover and a oil level dip stick with magnetic tip to pick up any crunchie bits in the oil.
The dip stick has different markings for rolled diffs.
The out side dimensions of the ARB cover are no bigger than a stock cover .

[101 Ron]

ARB cover fitted without any shave.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/788.jpg

[101 Ron]

Taken tonight.
Pictures do not show the difference very well.
1/2 was gained in clearence and the shape of the housing much improved.
All with a simple grind.
I could go much further and still not lose any strenght, but I wanted the drain plug protected.
As standard the drain plug is surrounded by alot of metal which is not needed.
Front diff.
(oil leak is from changing the engine oil filter)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/782.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/783.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/784.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/785.jpg

[101 Ron]

Rear diff.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/04/781.jpg
I currently have 11.5 inches of clearence under my diffs running 35 inch tyres which measure 880mm dia in the real world.

Using a after market diff cover prevents any peeling back of the cover when sliding over things.

I could get a bit more if I wanted more by grinding flush with the drain plug and/or using a different type of drain plug, or seal it up and use the covers drain plug.