Thread: GEARING

Originally Posted by banjo

Well now that the car is going good & karen wants to use it all the time i better start thinking of changing the gearing,i was just going to get one of those highway tranfer cases but at about a grand thats out..
But what about changing the diff ratios i have the sals rear & rover front .
would this be a cheaper way of doing it or is there another way.
i cant use a overdrive as the PTO is on the back of the transfercase for the winch..
Any ideas ,thoughts about it would be great..

I think the hwy transfer case would be the best and probably cheapest option. assuming you want to do some offroading, if not just remove the front prop shaft and fit a 3.4 stage one sals diff.

Whats wrong with the blue motor? these will sit smoothly on 4k+ all day (sucking down heaps of fuel though) it might pay to check the bell housing / mtr / gearbox alignment. If it's out just a bit you'll get vibration and harshness at higher revs. Also check the gearbox to rear diff for parralellness, The rear prop could be at a funny angle due to the holden mounts been the wrong height. Check this by looking through the hand crank start hole in the front bumper - if the holden harmonic balancer center point doesn't line up with this - this could also be the cause of the holden hwy woes. You could have a crappy conversion... I did, a CRS kit - good blokes but they know **** all about 4x4's. I had all of the above problems. Also fit hub locks to the front, because if the rear angle is out, the front diff angle will be heaps worse.
cheers Simon

Cheapest option = ear plugs

Next cheapest option = IIA rear axle and rover 3.54s (with strength issues as mentioned)

3rd cheapest option = a pair of stage 1 axles (if you can find some)

4th cheapest option = a 2nd hand overdrive (but you would need a very light right foot)

5th cheapest option = High ratio t-case.

6th cheapest option - a set of 33" or 35" tyres (may not be legal...) - could be cheaper if you can get some 2nd hand. May need a guard chop to fit. The added advantage is it will improve offroad ability.

Other options (like a disco / p38 axle swap) are only viable if you are good at fabricating and have lots of time - however such options will also require engineering to stay legal, and I doubt they will be cheaper than any of the above unless someone gives the axles to you.