Made friends with the young bloke that runs the CNC plasma table at the local steel supply yard and got some brackets but for the Patrol diff swap. I’m mid-way through it as we speak. I know people have run Patrol diffs under TJ’s in the past but there’s not much info on them, let alone a write up that I could find. I’ll take pics as I go and try and make the process for my build clear.
First up, strip the housing. Cut-off wheels on the 5” make life easier but stripping brackets off diffs sucks no matter how you do it. I use a combo of grinding discs and flap discs to get the housing smooth after most of the cutting’s done. I shaved her
Weld on the control arm brackets/mounts. I’m going a 3-link w/ panhard in the front for less bind:
I’ve finished of the diff panhard bracket. It was a bit tight actually. You’ll see above I made a high steer knuckle – had a spare 60 series Cruiser pitman arm laying around that I welded to the knuckle and braced it. It’ll let me run the drag link higher which means I can run the panhard higher for a flatter angle (less lateral pull when flexing) and higher roll steer for more stability at speed. It also allowed me to run a hydro assist ram to the old steering arm.
Ghetto high steer knuckle was pre-heated to 200C then burned in hot with the mig an inch at a time, allowing some time to cool between passes so it didn’t warp, then a slow air cool. No warping, no cracks and I have full confidence in its strength:
Tapped steering box for ram assist:
That’s where I’m at at the moment. Still to do:
• Front diff shock mounts and swaybar mounts;
• Fit front locker, new bearings in front diff centre, rebuild swivel hubs and wheel bearings and put back together;
• Rear diff strip down and weld CA brackets on;
• Control arm brackets welded to the chassis;
• Make high pinion rear diff with shimmed LSD and new bearings;
• Fit NP231 gears to the crawl box;
• Make new cross member for dual transfers;
• Bolt dual transfer cases up and route cable shifters;
• Make custom front and rear shaft… DC 1310’s at the transfer case end and graft GQ shaft’s on midway for the GQ uni and flange to suit the diff flanges;
• Custom fuel tank or dented factory tank for 2-3” rear stretch;
• Re-route exhaust;
• Fit rear RS9000XL’s – not sure about outboarding or through the tub floor??; then
• Drive the piss out of it.
Anyway, lots to do. Builds like this can easily take longer than you expect and you tend to hit the wall when it’s only half done. I’m posting this in the hopes that you bastards will hold me accountable to getting her done in a timely manner. Feel free to rag on my ghetto high steer or offer any insight along the way. Appreciate it!
Josh
