gareth12
Hey all. Wondering how strong these rear ends are?
Im dropping an LS1 into a 240, i had planned to run the Aussie Locker LSD for a Dana 30 and an otherwise stock diff.
Motor will have some work done to it and theres a good chance of some occasional street radials and drag launches.
Will it cop it?
Thanks!
Samman88
Do you plan on running an auto?
Angus242164
I doubt it'll last long, I destroyed a 760 diff (1031) with a B230ET running about 12psi through an auto.
The weakest link is the tiny roll pin that holds the cross shaft in place, under heavy loads the pin shears off and the cross shaft moves out of the housing. Depending on the ratio and therefore the thickness of the crown wheel, the shaft either can't move out completely but chews the teeth off the pinion gear, or can move right out and catch on the housing, blowing the whole centre apart.
I have heard a story about a 164 doing burnouts that shot the shaft out of the cover, and put a dent in the fuel tank.
A certain high powered redblock 240 in NSW went through about half a dozen welded Dana 30's before being converted to a Borg Warner rear axle, and has been trouble free since.
gareth12
Samman88;73574 wroteDo you plan on running an auto?
Yup, auto, small stall converter
Spac
They're pretty good, but not indestructible.
As Angus notes, the cross pin is the weak point. Old Mazda diffs have the same weakness - welding the pin into the hemisphere makes them much more reliable. I assume this would work with a Dana/Volvo diff too.
If you lock the diff, the axles seem to become the weakest link, but they're quite strong: a stockish LS won't break them easily/regularly - at least not with any tyres that fit in stock wheel tubs.
Philia_Bear
Pull diff out... mig centre, reinstall.... Avoid driving in parking lots
LS with Auto should not kill the axles easily
gareth12
I was thinking of avoiding the CIG locker, thought
https://www.torqmasters.com/aussie_locker_xd_13027_dana_30 looks like good bang for buck, but that still uses the cross pin.
I have a hilux diff thats the same width but it all starts getting complicated with brakes/handbrake/stud pattern
Angus242164
It's worth noting that the 240's diffs are actually popular with early Holden folks because they're the same stud pattern and width, but much stronger than the Holden banjo diffs, and have disc brakes, so it's not uncommon to see them in things like EH's.
Perhaps fit the locker and see how it goes, if driven lightly it will be fine, if driven hard, I don't think it'll last too long.
I've fitted a Powertrax locker to a 1031 rear end from a 700 series, not too hard to install, I haven't fitted the rear end to the car yet so can't comment on performance.
carnut1100
Truetrac from Summit?
No cross pin...
gareth12
carnut1100;73622 wroteTruetrac from Summit?
No cross pin...
Thats worth considering.
Would be interested to hear from people who have had failures and what failed. The axels look strong and if i can eliminate the pin that just leaves crownwheel and pinion really but they are only 7"
Spac
gareth12;73605 wroteI was thinking of avoiding the CIG locker, thought
https://www.torqmasters.com/aussie_locker_xd_13027_dana_30 looks like good bang for buck, but that still uses the cross pin.
I have a hilux diff thats the same width but it all starts getting complicated with brakes/handbrake/stud pattern
The pin itself isn't particularly weak. The problem is how the pin is secured into the diff. For the sake of ~$400 (assuming the quoted price is in US$), I'd give it a shot. But I'd also weld the pin into the diff once it was assembled (probably two healthy tacks on either end).
The Dana 30 is comparable to a Hilux diff in strength. I can only see a narrow range of possibilities where it would be worth the effort to convert - and they mostly relate to "I already own a Hilux diff that's the correct width, with the ratio I want, and I want the 5x114 stud pattern"...
Slowbrick
Paul hasnt broken his diff yet with the True Trac in it and it sees quite a bit of abuse. You should be fine.
Anthony
It all comes down to use vs abuse.
If you feed in the torque it should last well enough, but if you expect it to handle the full twist of a 6L V8 at 1500 rpm, its an unreasonable expectation of the Dana mechanical design spec'd for a 4-6 cyl motor.
Vee_Que
I've had an aussi locka in my 740t with 4.1 diff ratio and a 3k stall making around 140rwks for over 60,000kms, had more trouble with keeping autos together, never had an issue with my diff. I drive the car hard and do use good tyres so I don't get much in the way of wheelspin in the dry, I tow cars with it , I go to the drags and do passes.
The locker is a tad noisy at carpark speed and with crap tyres does not unlock, but its tolerable, and I hate running crap tyres anyway.
Try yours and see how it goes, if the car has had an easy life. It will most likely last longer than your power level will.
Angus242164
I also chose to stick with the Dana 30 in my 700 and like Alex, I don't expect to have issues with it, but there is a difference between cars like Alex's and mine with turbo 4's, compared with V8's. The torque curve is very different, V8's have a lot more torque low in the rev range and taking off hard with a V8 is going to put a lot more load on the diff than doing the same thing with a turbo 4.
A bit of a generalization, but it's the sudden application of torque that busts things, the peak HP doesn't matter much.
Vee_Que
Ls motors aren't known for thier low down torque either... But there is someone who has the jig to fit an 8.8" diff in..
gareth12
Thanks guys, sounds like it might be worth a punt with an aussie locker or true trac. Or even weld it and see how readily it breaks and do it right second time. Most of the time it will be street driven but ill probably chase 300+ kw atw and also have a direct port nos kit here im itching to use.... maybe 3k stall so im guessing the launch will hit pretty hard, but yeah, LS dont make peak torque until 4500-5000.
As most of us know these things can snowball fast, before i know it there will be a 9", ford stud pattern conversion and some rx7/skyline brakes up front
Whats the 8.8 diff out of that you are referring to ? Guessing that jig could really be used on any diff, i have a 31 spline 9" f truck housing and axels here too but its probably overkill and adds a lot of weight.
Vee_Que
Look up @SirNemesis
Angus242164
Sure, but I'm talking in very general terms, my 5.0 VT will drive over speed humps at carpark speeds in second gear at ~900rpm with no throttle, none of my four cylinder Volvo's can do that.
gareth12
I picked up a ford explorer 8.8 diff today from the wrecking yeard, only got 160k on it, and i snuk the other short axle in so im ready to get the welder/grinder out!
Before i make a jig i dont suppose anybody has one handy that i could borrow or even rent? Cheers
