Rock Lobster or other reduced ratio boxes

Right, a Mate has just stuck a set of 31x10.5x15's on his sports track and it looks HUGE !!!

So much so .. I want a set... but given the 215rx15's are pushing teh standard gearing to the limit, and I really donot have the time to source and build a TX box, what is the easiest option .... Im happy to part with money if it gets me to my goal

Can they be bought ? how easy is it to sourse the bits and getone built / build it yoruself ?

Ive seem Martin's How to guide and I dont have the time or space to attempt anything like that.

A Bolt on ... away you go solution is I guess what im looking for ..

Anyone ?

Rs manafacturing does a full bolt on sj kit or you can get some trial jimny gears put into your t box. Thus keeping orginal speedo drive and props etc. And not fitting an old sj box.

Let me know how you get on cos I am looking todo the same very soon.


Baz

I was not personally happy with the special Low Ratio Jimny gearset fitted to my Jimny

I believe mine had had a chain replaced (by changing the transfer box) before I got it and I had to do the same shortly after I got it. The chain slipped badly. The Special Low Ratio Jimny gearset people suggest you should fit a new chain at the time of putting the new gears in but at over £300 this makes it a very expensive option.

A Rocklobster is quite cheap and easy to make, you need to get hold of two transfer boxes, one from a 413 and one from a 410. The 410 ones are getting rarer and more expensive. Then for about £100 you can get the gears cut and swapped.

Rebuilding the transfer box is quite easy despite the apparent long list of steps in my guide.

If you then fit a commercial adaptor kit (Off-Road Armory or -Rob Storr) it becomes a pretty much bolt on solution.

Martin

i went down the rob storr route and cant fault it. refurbed box with machined gears, not cut / shut. new bearings too
i paid extra to get the full bucket style fitting kit, totally solid bit of kit, could probs jack the car up off the tbox now. i also bought some poly bushes as the standard ones are a nightmare to work with. seriously the best money i've spent on the car.

that looks like a serious piece of kit the plate it is mounted on... think you could easy jack the car on it. bet you cant wait to get out there and try it.

Wow .... Gimmi gimmi gimmi ......

Can I ask how much ?

I tried to email Rob but the mail bounced.
Im out of teh country at present, but will certainly try and chase him up when I return

Don't e-mail Rob he never replies he is a top guy with the
best product's about, But , He is hard to get hold of!!

I installed mine back in may, it works really well for the trials as you can slowly creep round the gates. I opted for the the 4:1 ratio which suits the 30” tyres. Any lower than 4.1 ratio will be a problem in reverse when trying to get out of sticky situations.
Rob has a new email address which I will try and spell out without putting it on the forum
Rob DOT storr AT tesco DOT net (hopefully people can understand that) – he does get back to you but using his mobile may be quicker, his mobile is on his website I think.
if people want to know the price of this kit then I don’t mind putting it on here but I better check with martin first - let us know boss

the cradle is solid all the way round except for a small hole in the bottom for the drain plug.

I don't mind people posting about other kit, feel free (and if you see the things I do stock cheaper elsewhere please let me know as well!!)

Martin

Ok martin well hopefully this information will help other make their decisions.
Back in may this whole kit cost about £600 if I remember correctly. Of course this price may have gone up or down as that was a while ago now so best to check. I also bought some poly bushes as the standard jimny ones are a nuisance.

The lobster box was about 300ish which included a 4:1 ratio, new bearings and seals also. I had to ship down a donor 413 box which I picked up on ebay for about £50.
The fitting kit was also nearly 300 quid which included the HD bucket (pictured) with all adaptors and speedo kit.
I know its quite a lot of money but I’m not really up to the job of making my own so instead I cheated and got a complete bolt on kit. Its not that much more than buying 2 x Tboxs at £50 each then £100ish for someone to cut and shut the gears. Rob did say that theres approx 100 quids worth of new bearings go into his box’s ?? never had it open so I cant confirm this.
The only problem we had was that the SJ transfer box lever wouldn’t line up with the jimny tunnel hole so we had to put some heat on it and bend it to shape. Fortunately I have access to oxy acetylene kit so this was easy enough to modify.

Ive had 2 Rob Storr boxes and fitting kits lol, I had a 4:1 fitted to my new Jimny a few years ago and now i have a 6:1 in my current jimny, which is too low for my 205/16's, i might go up to 235/85/16's (which is what were on the donor car when i bought it, but i didnt fancy cutting out the arches on my new shell so much, floorpan and under headlights need cutting out and new steel welding in)It'd go anywhere with 235/85/16's! Get a lobster box and a locker in the rear axle and it'll be fantastic.
Robs kit is worth the wait ~(and sometimes the mither as he's hard to get hold of!)nicely made, fits perfect, engineering is lovely. I have his panhards, steering bars, rear disc kit, t case with t brake and fitting kit and wheel spacers.


Gary

"i love his panhards" ohh err
funny you should mention lockers i'm looking at putting a kam locker in mine this year if funds allow, a mate has a rear locker and it makes a hell of a difference
have you got a locker ? which one and what do you think