Thread: Swapping diff side gears from 24spline to 10spline

Originally Posted by Scouse

I'm tempted by the strength alone of a locker diff being 4 pin.

I'm not keen on having a locker though - I know it makes life easier but that takes all the fun out of it .

Another option may be to grind the axle housing and fit a P38 diff??? Of course that means you'll need to convert to 24 spline.

Originally Posted by Scouse

I'm tempted by the strength alone of a locker diff being 4 pin.

I'm not keen on having a locker though - I know it makes life easier but that takes all the fun out of it .

No fun in breaking the weak little shaft for the diff pinions, and all of the collateral damage that results.

Lockers are worth it just for the strength in the 4 pinion design IMHO.

I used tru-tracs in my disco to get away from this problem. I could have fitted lockers but didn't need any better than tru-tracs as I have a rangie for hard stuff.

Yep like john said the lockers are the go just for the strength in the carrier i have the 10 spline locker in the rear and dont have it plumbed up and now i dont bust rear diffs tho ive twisted a few axles never snaped one tho as i know the limit i can push the std axles

Originally Posted by lokka

i know the limit i can push the std axles

Drivein out the drive, with anything bigger/more aggressive than a 31" AT

Originally Posted by Scouse

It looks like I've lost another 10spline diff in my '87 RR on the weekend.
I should have another spare diff which I can use (just need to dig it out)but I have several 24spline diffs from late D1s.

I would like to convert my diffs to 24spline jobbies but I don't have the axles & hubs yet. In the meantime I would like to convert one to a 10spline as a back up diff.

Is it possible to change over the side gears in the later diffs to fit the early 10spline type?
Or am I just making life hard for myself?

Over to the diff gurus........

Scott , I have a whole rear Diffs Housing from a Disco1 sitting in Garage , if you can swap the who housing over , you're more than welcome to have it

I'm pretty sure there are variations in the bearings from early to late 10 spline diffs, not just from 10 spline to 24, so possibly a later 10 spline carrier might be compatible with 24 spline bits or vice-versa. I had my locker rebuilt (paid someone to do it- big mistake) after the crown wheel bolts came loose with ugly results, had a diff in the shed, both 10 spline but the bearings and housings were different, different O.D. and thickness in the carrier bearings if I remember correctly.

Originally Posted by Disco_owner

Scott , I have a whole rear Diffs Housing from a Disco1 sitting in Garage , if you can swap the who housing over , you're more than welcome to have it

Thanks Khos.
I assume by housing you're referring to the axle casing itself (that the diff assy fits into). The housing isn't the problem in the changeover to 24spline, it's the stub axles, hubs & axles themselves that I need to convert over.
Thanks all the same though .

I can get a new ARB locker through work at a fairly decent price so I'll probably go that way if I save my pennies.

Originally Posted by POD

I'm pretty sure there are variations in the bearings from early to late 10 spline diffs, not just from 10 spline to 24, so possibly a later 10 spline carrier might be compatible with 24 spline bits or vice-versa. I had my locker rebuilt (paid someone to do it- big mistake) after the crown wheel bolts came loose with ugly results, had a diff in the shed, both 10 spline but the bearings and housings were different, different O.D. and thickness in the carrier bearings if I remember correctly.

The early diffs with whitworth threads on the adjusting nuts are not compatible.

The 24 spline diffs have larger bore bearings, but AFAIK the OD of the bearings is compatible with the metric 10 spline diffs.