26 replies to this topic

[Heath]

Anyone have experience converting a diff to full floater? With or without camber adjustment. 

 

You can buy some fairly cost-effective 9" setups that are complete from the States (like a full housing with hubs and axles for a fraction over $1,000USD), but the dollar is damn weak at the moment which is discouraging and obviously they don't have BW78's because they don't exist over there.

 

Wouldn't rule out making a lot of the bits myself if I had access to drawings, but couldn't make the drive plates, axles of possibly the cover plates.

 

MSF Racing Components sell a kit and I'm sure it's damn good but it ain't cheap... axles don't seem to be included lol

http://www.msfracing...loatinghubkits/

 

Is it likely that you could use an OEM brake with an internal drum-style parking brake with a full floater kit? I haven't really seen how much space you'd have for the mechanism.

[yel327]

Just use a landcruiser rear diff, already full floater, disk brake and some wiked ratio options :-p

 

You'll break those pretty easily Bomber. They used to grenade easily in FJ40's with SBC's. Nissan diffs are the go especially the big H260 out of MK-GU utes, but they aren't full floaters.

[Heath]

http://www.speedwaym...r-End,6587.html

Only a grand Aussie, give or take ?

Could also look around on ebay for ex speedway or nascar second hand stuff too perhaps for bits? Cambered stuff will be more pricey of course, but more standard full floater stuff is out there.

 

No 4.5" P.C.D. - what the heck? Price is certainly attractive.

 

I guess the main discouraging thing for the price of a 9" is setting up a centre. I'm only looking at new prices ATM though.

[UCgazman]

You'll break those pretty easily Bomber. They used to grenade easily in FJ40's with SBC's. Nissan diffs are the go especially the big H260 out of MK-GU utes, but they aren't full floaters.

 

I'd go the H233 Patrol diff, it takes the same gears as the H260 and is a fair bit lighter. Also easy to get in lsd...

[arrimar]

RaceProducts.net
They seem to be popular suppliers to Group Nc and Touring Car Masters

[yel327]

I'd go the H233 Patrol diff, it takes the same gears as the H260 and is a fair bit lighter. Also easy to get in lsd...

 

Agree, and easy to find in GQ and GU front and rear axles.

[Bigfella237]

~ Wouldn't rule out making a lot of the bits myself if I had access to drawings, but couldn't make the drive plates, axles of possibly the cover plates. ~

 

Having already nutted-out most of the details in CAD I reckon I could make my own too with the exception of cutting the splines into the drive plate, but I guess you could get that done elsewhere?

 

Although machining it up by hand on a lathe would take ages, and I'd hate to know what the chrome-moly bar stock would cost, but it should be doable.

 

I already had the thought about using some 4WD components but the hubs would be useless if you want to have a 'normal' wheel centre bore, so you'd need to make new hubs & drive plates, then you'd need custom axles so the only thing you'd end up using was the spindle and wheel bearings but the spindle is too long and the bearings around the wrong way anyway (because the weight is now on the smaller outside bearing), so in the end it's hardly worth trying to adapt something.

[ozyozyozy]

The big question of it all is what do you want from your car?
Are you a drag racer? Track turner? Or Performance street?
Do you need a handbrake to meet either road rules or race class rules?
This all dictates what you prob should be buying.
There are a huge range of choices out there, most of them will do the same job.
It's when you want more out of it which cost and particular companies to use become a factor.

I have a mcdonalds bros floater kit, has worked fine, had my housing modified and fitted with there kit. Only issue I have had is, when using a full spool it wears the splines in the drive flanges over time, but wasn't expensive to replace.

My personal experience I HIGHLY recommend fitting some sort of floating hub setup if running big tyres or like to drive your car hard.

[madtoranajzedded]

Arrimar is on it .they have the drum brake kits with floater.

 

or   Pro 9  they have the brake packages that incorporate the park brake into the disc with floater setup oem style calipers etc

Edited by madtoranajzedded, 23 July 2015 - 10:36 PM.

[rodomo]

When talking diffs, 4x4 V car, remember every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Consider what a 4x4 diff does and wheel/tyre size.

[Heath]

The big question of it all is what do you want from your car?
Are you a drag racer? Track turner? Or Performance street?
Do you need a handbrake to meet either road rules or race class rules?

Performance street car, I want to engineer it about as well as I can... within a somewhat reasonable budget etc.
 
I want a handbrake for practicality and honestly am not sure I need any more exotic rear brake solution than what I have currently, which is just standard Commodore. I want to run big tyres and steer it hard. Full floating seems like an intelligent option.
 
These are certainly not as cheap as those from the states, but look like a suitable product in other respects.
http://www.raceprodu...d-instructions/

Edited by Heath, 23 July 2015 - 11:16 PM.

[Bigfella237]

I wish I had that much info before I started to CAD a floater assy, my model was based off this...

 

 Street-Floater-Diagram.gif   51.8K   4 downloads

 

You just reminded me of another project I've been wanting to do in CAD, a dual-purpose handbrake that can change from mechanical (cable) to hydraulic with the flick of a lever or similar.

 

[76lxhatch]

they don't have BW78's because they don't exist over there

Late-ish model Camaro, they call it a 9 bolt. Probably still won't find much though.

[ozyozyozy]

Like ls1 hatch said handbrake can be do e by a separate cable caliper.
There are a couple of companies doing floater kits to suit handbrakes, I know race products have done them, BAER in the US have a comet kit, harrop have done them in the past, not sure about now, I would avoid them if you can anyway.
You will pay more ofcourse for a kit with handbrake setup.

With floaters have to also consider your brake caliper mounts have to be remade to suit, maybe depends on kit little maching in disc may be required.
It's all costly but I know a very nice VK that went side on into a tyre barrier coz an axle broke.
Repairable but not pretty

[Heath]

Yeah well I'll be doing all of the brake mounting myself - what I was wondering about is whether you still have clearance to run a drum style handbrake and stuff? Or whether there's gear in the way.

I definitely wasn't intending to BUY a brake kit.

[ozyozyozy]

Race products have done floaters to suit drum brakes, I'm sure they wer doing a kit for group nc cars and others that specify drums for class rules

[ls2lxhatch]

Race products also have a couple of brake options using the banksia park brake from a VT-VZ Commodore.

 

 

http://www.raceprodu...reet-brake-kit/

 

http://www.raceprodu...AKE-KIT-004.jpg

 

 

 

 

and one using a Ford caliper with park brake

 

http://www.raceprodu...reet-brake-kit/

 

Edited by ls2lxhatch, 26 July 2015 - 01:48 AM.

[Heath]

Yeah just spoke to Race Products and they said that the Commodore 'banksia park brake' from earlier models (VN, VR etc.) will not clear even the steel hub kit.

 

Their later model Commodore one seems a good solution if you want a big rotor on the back, but the moment I'm paying people to make things for my car, the cost gets ridiculous. Just buying the floater kit from them seems a lot.

Edited by Heath, 27 July 2015 - 10:15 AM.

[arrimar]

Does putting a grub screw into your bearing retainer give you some of the aspects you want without spending up?