what measurements do i need (and what are they) to order a pair of 30 spline alloy axleshafts from dutchman for a rover rear end? dutchman will make a pair of double-splined shafts for $395. cheaper than GBRs $700!

couldnt find a J truck rear 60 cheap and would have to dump a ton of money into it to make it worthwile in the rover, so looking at this option.

also, GBR sells the 30 spline detroit conversion kit for $200, is there anywhere cheaper? (id love to buy it from somewhere else)

is a stock 3.54 ring and pinion set strong enough to last? i see no need to regear right now (besides, it costs tons of $$$) and im just wondering what the life expectancy of a set is.

thanks

Talk to Sam (again) and look into buying direct from Maxi (or is it Jack Mac?)....They have a 30 spline kit that would rock (and one helluva lot cheaper than GBR).

And yes the 3.54 gear-set would (IMO) hold up fine.

--D

thanks doug all i have to do now is wait for sam to get online :D

in the setup mentioned above (detroit, alloy 30 spline shafts, stock 3.54s) what do you think would break first? how much would it take to break it? im betting on the pinion shaft, bet i want to hear what you have to offer.

Depends on what hp your gonna' end up with. But if your sticking with the 3.5 for a while or even a mild 350 your gonna' be fine IMO.

Problem is the front. I would bet you would eventually strip the front ring-gear first. You'd have to be REALLY hammering it to shear the pinion.

The nice thing about the maxie's is that they twist at the spline, but typically won't break. If your running 35's, mild HP, gearing under 100:1, I betcha' you would never worry about the rear again. SG Greg's got the Summers Bro's 30 spline rears with 4:70's and I've seen that boy HAMMER it with a pumped 300hp (his claim) rover lump.

Of course he's still stripping front R&P's and loosing CV's left and right...But you know about the Rover fronts anyway....The rear is fine...I wouldn't have any issue running a 38.5 SX with alloy 30 spline rears. Don't get me started on the front though! I would run a reverse cut gear up front for sure though.

--D

dont get me started on the front either! when the front gets upgraded no way in hell is it going to stay rover. D44 redrilled to rover bolt battern is what i think it will be.

9V,
GBR has the 30 spline axles on sale on the D90 soure for $599 with the flanges.
You figure $200 for flanges and you might as well not waste your time with $400 for shafts from Dutchman and then trying to source the flanges.
The SG 30 spline and GBR 30 spline both use the RD76 ARB locker.
FYI I have a toy 3rd member that I plugged one of my SG axles into to check the fit. It was real tight and I actually used a rubber mallet to get the axle in but it did fit. I'm not sure the axles splines are the right angle but it seems it would work.

When I had a Detroit rear (before it grenaded from a rear halfshaft failure), I called Bill at GBR about the side gear conversion. He did not have any of the gears in stock and was not planning on carrying them. I think it is a waste anyway. If you are planning on buying a Detroit (new), then converting it, it would cost less to by an RD76 (30 spline ARB), and you would have a selectable locker.

As far as the Dutchman axles go, I agree with Shane - by the time you get the axles and have some custom driveflanges made (cuz you don't want to patronize GBR) you will have probably exceeded the cost of the 30 splines/with flanges that GBR sells (not so expensive after all:flipoff2: ).

Another thing to consider is the oil seal on the axle. Will dutchman make the axle to order with an oilseal raised surface? If not, you will be running "wet" rear hubs. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but you have to upgrade the rear hub seals to the double lip variety to prevent water ingress, which would go straight to the center diff fluid without an inner axle seal.

As much as people try to "avoid" using GBR, he provides a valuable service to us here in the states. He will usually give you trade in value for your old stuff (OEM or Aftermarket). He has been known to "warranty" some drivetrain components when they fail (any other Rover specific vendors do that?). And he is a wealth of info about all things drivetrain related (and somewhat so for suspension).

Anyway, hope some of that helps with your decision,

Billster

Oops, forgot to mention that if you go with the 30 spline axles, you will have to bore out your stub axles to fit the new axles. You can run the axles without boring out the stub axles, but you will have to take the flange off the axle, then disassemble the whole hub to get the diff splined end (which is thicker than the stub axle hole) into the axle housing. Then replace the stub axle (which will fit over the drive flange end of the bare 30 spline axle), and put all the hub together. Way to much work in my opinion if you ever broke an axle or needed to pull the 3rd member. If you bore out the stub axles, then 5 bolts will get you the axle in and out. It took about 20 thousands (and a friend in a local 4x4 club with an extensive machine shop in his garage) to fit the big end of the axles through the stub axle.

Billster

thanks guys. i will have to look into getting them on sale from GBR, that isnt a bad price.

i want to run the detroit mostly because i have it already (10 spline) and loved the way it worked. if i can buy a $200 conversion kit for it then i am lightyears ahead of buying a new $650 ARB and then a compressor for it.

i am well aware of the need to bore out the spindles, and will have a local machine shop do it.

i am also looking at the SG 30 spliners, they look nice and they claim they are "4340 300M heat treated" but that doesnt seem right to me? also they want $100each for the flanges so...

thanks again

Jac mac 30 spline axles for rear inc flanges $ 660.00 Aust
Regards
Michael.

Originally posted by Michael Rangie
Jac mac 30 spline axles for rear inc flanges $ 660.00 Aust
Regards
Michael.

sweet! any idea on how much shipping to the east coast of the USA would be?

See 9V...I told you.

Hook up with the Aussi boy's and you'll be set. They've got the shieat, and are whiling to help out. Not to mention you can order directly from Mr. Mac. anyway.

Figuring a 2:1 conversion (haven't checked lately) your only $330...Figure $150 or so shipping and there you go.

I'm not trying to under-cut GBR btw. He does provide a very useful purpose in the US Rover community, and that's a BIG bonus. However, on this site we look for the deals. The best deals that only extensive research will provide. Most of the Rover folks I?ve been involved with will go to GBR to avoid having to do the hours of footwork required to find the cool stuff?Time is money after all.

I've saved over $2K in parts during my build up because of the resources this site provides.

yeah great price, imagine how great it would be if there was an aussie coming to the US on vacation in the next few weeks :D

talk to moser about you axle shafts thay make axles with the flange on them like full float dana 60 shafts they can drill your rover pattern on these for around $300 complete.

however i think you need abs spindles and hubs to clear these flanges cause non abs stick out more

if you are going to chevy motor ( i think i read that in another post) i would still look around for another rear axle. what tranny are you planning to run

sticking with the ZF for now.