Thread: diff upgrade options

Originally Posted by c.h.i.e.f

On further investigation front sals diffs look like they do not have removable balls no good

Thats the 101 sals, correct. How about the Shorland armoured car Sals from ol' blighty? Or a custom job?
Being tube rather than a casting, welding new flanges on a Sals would be easier than the rover front too i'd have thought.

Originally Posted by isuzutoo-eh

Thats the 101 sals, correct. How about the Shorland armoured car Sals from ol' blighty? Or a custom job?
Being tube rather than a casting, welding new flanges on a Sals would be easier than the rover front too i'd have thought.

Yes you are correct - all front sals EXCEPT the FC101 had bolt-on swivels.

However the rover housing is made from pressed steel, not cast.

I'm not familiar with the shorland type diff ! would you have a photo ? And yes the sals having tube style design it would make it more easy and accurate to machine...im not sure if the tubes on salisbury diffs are screwed in or pressed in or how hard they are to remove ?

Originally Posted by c.h.i.e.f

I'm not familiar with the shorland type diff ! would you have a photo ? And yes the sals having tube style design it would make it more easy and accurate to machine...im not sure if the tubes on salisbury diffs are screwed in or pressed in or how hard they are to remove ?

From the little I know, these are the armoured Defender 110's that were used in Northern Ireland during the conflicts with the IRA. Because of the weight of armour, Land Rover fitted Salisbury front diffs as a direct replacement for the Rover front diff.

Sals are a variation of the Dana 60 built by Dana Salisbury in the UK. With Dana 60's the tubes are a shrink fit into the diff casting then the tubes are plug welded through the holes in the casting. I haven't taken enough interest in Sals, but mine seem not to have been plug welded - but then I need to clear away some mud and crud and have a proper look to be sure.

If welded like the 60's the weld is very hard, making them difficult to drill out. Once that is done the tubes can be pulled out, similar to removing any other shrink/press fitted parts of similar diameter, which any competent fitter should be capable of doing - scrap steel, welder, jack and oxy torch are your friends.

Thanks John for clearing that up..
As for the sals I am planning on leaving rear in and converting over to the dana60 internals one day which I think sounds like a good idea but the front concerns me so depends how hard one of these shorland front sals are to find if not I'll be keeping the rover front until it breaks which will give me time to figure out a plan... I have looked at other front diffs such as Dana44 etc etc and don't really know if it's a step forward or a step back!!

Originally Posted by Bush65

...

I haven't taken enough interest in Sals, but mine seem not to have been plug welded - but then I need to clear away some mud and crud and have a proper look to be sure.

...

Sals are also plug welded

Originally Posted by c.h.i.e.f

Thanks John for clearing that up..
As for the sals I am planning on leaving rear in and converting over to the dana60 internals one day which I think sounds like a good idea but the front concerns me so depends how hard one of these shorland front sals are to find if not I'll be keeping the rover front until it breaks which will give me time to figure out a plan... I have looked at other front diffs such as Dana44 etc etc and don't really know if it's a step forward or a step back!!

It is quite easy to have a rear sals (or a Dana60) turned into a front. Buds Customs has been mentioned already in this thread. He would be able to do the work for you. I believe Popemobile was also having front sals housings made from rears.

thanks isuzurover...

i did remember seeing a thread on here somewhere with pics of i would say "popemobile's" rear sals to front sals conversion i cannot seem to find it again i am concerned about hub and swivel arrangement they have used on this because all this seems alot of work when standard nissan axles are to large to fit through standard landrover balls..

how are you finding your front setup isuzurover?

Originally Posted by Benny_IIA

I just skimmed throught the thread sorry if it has been posted before.

But why not just put complete gq front diff in radius arms and all?

They just about slide straight in, the nissan and rover panhard can even been sleeved together.

Then just a put a set of heat treated garner cv's or his new long field conversion for nissans.

would be an easy and strong front end.

The GQ is a fairly simple conversion worthy of consideration, but ...

1. With Nissan radius arms, the bushes are widely spaced, which adversely affects articulation. Radius arm brackets can be grafted on from a rover diff so that rover radius arms can be used.

2. Suspension up-travel on the RH side suffers because the Nissan housing hits the bump stop part way up the pumpkin for the diff. Those with Isuzu engines (like the original poster) have aready lost some up-travel because the front bump stop mounts are extended from the factory.

3. Stock Nissan cv's are no stronger than rover. Yes you can replace these with upgraded cv's and get similar strength to upgraded rover cv's. The only option for larger cv's are later cruisers e.g. 80 and 105 series, or the even harder to use 101 fronts.