96XJ Built in NZ

[Leonmac]

Hi guys, I'm going to bring my XJ build over here as well as on CF so here's the basic lay out of what I'm planning. I have a 96XJ with 180,000 KM on the clock The paint isn't flash but the rest is real good, NO RUST and the 4.0L HO engine runs real sweet. I'm going to Swap out the Axles for Pajero Rear with a factory electric Locker and 5.29 gears. The front is looking like the same rear axle but converted to a front using HiLux hubs and Knuckles and the pumpkin on the left side. It will have 3-4" of lift and I'm still looking at what I'm going to do as far as the suspension set up will be. I'm tossing up whether to stick with leafs in the rear or us the entire Pajero coil rear end (your thoughts welcome). I have fitted TJ flares and trimmed the fenders already, I have 36" TSL SX tyres and will use sort some wheels soon. I have some Photos that I will try to Load but so far have not had much luck with Loading to thread's yet it let me load the same Photos to My Album so Go figure. anyway lets see how it goes. Cheers Leon.

[4.3LXJ]

Leon, have you considered the Land Cruiser front end? It would be real easy to swap the knuckles around on it. I have done it on the Toyota 8". They have 6 on 5.5" bolt spacing. Not sure on the Pajero.

[Leonmac]

Hi Steve, Not really, mainly because I have access to plenty of Hilux stuff and I don't have to pay for it. If I have to pay I would go for Nissan mainly because over hear the Nissan stuff is cheaper to get, Toyota gear fetch's top prices here in NZ and I'm a Nissan guy as you probably have already guessed.

[4.3LXJ]

LOL OK. Just thinking out loud. The Toyota stuff is much more available here. Does the HiLux knuckles come off a straight axle?

[Leonmac]

Yes, they off the beam axle Lux's or Surf's we had a lot of them here, A lot of my mates run Hilux's or buggies with Lux diffs so they have collected lots of bits over the years and Pajero's are even cheaper and easy to come by they all run the 6 lug Jap pattern so wich ever you use its the same lug pattern, makes it easy and we all have wheels lying around. My main issue at the moment is getting the Bloomin photos to load onto my thread. I have gone to Photobucket and have some pics there now, but i'm buggered if I get get them to come here. HELP!! cheers Leon

[4.3LXJ]

That sounds doable then. If you are set up properly beforehand, you can make lots stuff like that. I made 44 fronts for CJ before that became the rage.

[Leonmac]

Steve, You are obviously very Knowledgable and Interested so I will give you the whole senario, My plan is to take the Pajero Housing and chop it to give me a Left hand pumpkin, using your jig idea I will then setup and weld the Hilux Swivel ball ends onto it so as to give a final width 4" wider than the stock D30 and set the caster angle to give the correct pinion angle. Thats the straight foward part, now what I want to do for CVs and axle's is a little more out there so bare with me. Because the Hilux is narrower than what I want I can't use the axles also they would need to be resplined to suit the Pajero side gears, so my plan is to use Nissan (Had to get Nissan in somewhere) axles and CVs They are longer so I can get the length I need and they are thicker so Stronger Iwill then spline them to fit the Side gears. At the hub end I will custom make a fixed hub to suit and I will have to do some Machining inside the hub to suit bearings etc, If it all works and it is still just plans< I should have an almost indestructable front end. Wish me Luck. Cheers Leon.

[Leonmac]

[4.3LXJ]

All the luck in the world Leon. Those Hilux ball ends are closed, not open like a D30?

[Leonmac]

I think I may have just cracked it I will sort out some pics and try to do it properly, Yeah Steve, so are the Nissan the issue will be if I can fit the Nissan CV inside the Hilux knuckle as I said its a plan still have to do some calcs on it, Looks Like I got the photo bucket thing sorted so will see if I can bring this build thread to life with some pictures. Cheers Leon. Hey what Time is it where you are, its 9:00am here and as you can tell I'm flat out at work LOL.

[Leonmac]

This is my 96XJ before I started any work.


Then it was into the shed for the first of many mods, Fit the TJ flares

The fronst were the first to be done COS they were the easy one to start with

Once they were on I moved to the rears, did the trim and fitted the flares

This is it sitting with the 36" TSLs and a 3" lift

[Leonmac]

That didn't come out quite how I planned, But I will get it right eventually Cheers Leon.

[cantab27]

its GREEN.....................................

[4.3LXJ]

Leon, the reason I asked about the knuckles is that I think the hardest thing you will have to sort out is the outer part of the axle and what universal joint to use. I don't know specifically about the Nissan stuff, but most of the CV joints are on the stub axles and the inner axle is splined at both ends. Once you get that outer axle figured out, then you can have a rear axle turned down and splined on the outer end. The CVs can be mounted with a good dead blow hammer then, or knocked off if need be for replacement. Closed knuckle, like the Land Cruiser and early Toy pickups are a little easier to deal with and in my opinion better for mud since you can seal up that area.

[Leonmac]

Hi Steve, The Nissan and Hilux CVs are virtualy the same, the big difference is size/strenght, the Nissan is a little bigger diameter and the stub shaft and axle shaft are also fater. The big issue is whether the Nissan CV can fit inside the Knuckle, it will be the KingPin bearings that may foul the CV if this is the case I may use the toyota CV and just respline the Nissan axle both ends to suit, This is all theory at this point, Until I get home and get all the bits laid out and test fitted I won't know for sure. The other thing is the suspension?? Some thing I have seen on here and at CF is a few guys going the leaf way on the front!!! and Holy Cr**p it seems to work well and Cheap to do. It goes against everything I've believed for the last 20yrs about suspension but you can't deny its simple and cheap. something to think about ??? cheers Leon. PS I just don't think I could actualy bring myself to do it, ???