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replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:25 pm
by plugspanner
just been wondering over the last week or so after breaking both drive shaft and axle housing.
could you not make a front one from a rear axle?
yes it would need cutting about and modding but surly not beyond a competent engineers skills.
that should be unbreakable in normal off road use.
I may well get a spare rear one and see what needs doing, any thoughts?

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:38 pm
by twiss
Problem would be sorting out all the mounts for the rear axle to connect up to the IFS
I think its lots of work as you'd probably have to dump the wishbones and fit some kind of 3/4 link setup

Not too sure though tbh

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:40 pm
by twiss
.... and as if the diff is offset it would be on the wrong side... unless you turned the axle upside down and im not sure how well that would work!!!

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 5:25 pm
by ScottieJ
You can get steel diff housings out of derv vits etc.I've also heard about people making hybrid shafts out of shafts from other ifs jap 4x4s...shogun rings a bell???

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 6:29 pm
by andyrew
Could one not be made from an sj front axle housing?

I know people do sami axles onto vit.

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:06 pm
by plugspanner
I have just read this post about a conversion of a sj axle:-
http://bbs.zuwharrie.com/content?topic=100689.20
surly this is very similar to doing a vitara one?
also some useful other 'how to' mods on making the ally front diff housing a lot stronger.

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:35 pm
by ROBBIE

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 9:56 am
by plugspanner
I now have a steel front axle case and the chap who is fitting in the diff took it away last night so hopefully when the one now fitted breaks I can just swop over the whole assy and not have to worry about it again!
just the cv's.

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 2:48 pm
by Pico42
You can fit off-the-shelf IFS Hilux CVS shafts with the right adapters...
Like this:
Image

Into a Toyota free-wheel hub.
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Using this kit
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... And dry assembled
Image

It is wider than standard - needs Hagen widening mod or extended a-arms (which more people seem to be doing to get the spring mount right on bigger lifts).

The guy in the US who first did this is running something like 37's on his IFS tracker.

Re: replacement vitara front axle

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2014 5:09 pm
by plugspanner
looks expensive though, I have already been 2 x the budget already!!!!!!!!!!!!!