Hardened Half Shafts & CV's - do they exist?

today I built the internal part of the cage for my Jimny and tomorrow I was going to start fitting the Toyota 80 series axles.

However, while I was looking at it, I thought of a fairly simple modification which would achieve as much articulation as I need, keeping the existing axles.

It set me wondering if anyone makes uprated shafts for Jimny's? Obviously you can buy ARB lockers which will strengthen the diff. Or is it just that the existing shafts are strong enough for the biggest tyres people generally fit?

If I keep the axles, then 33" tyres would seem a reasonable size. Are the existing shafts strong enough for that?

I have a business contact who is about to commence making Land Rover shafts for us in 300M Steel. If they don't exist, and they are necessary, I'll get them to make me some!

Si

d&g do them www.dgtuning.com/

Almost £1000 for the pair mind! and thats before shipping............

Banding CV's is pretty easy - you just make the band out of something like EN24 and shrink fit it to the bell.

£1000 isn't unrealistic. To make a shaft out of 300M costs about £150 - so you are looking at £600 plus another £100 or so for the banding. 30% profit is fairly reasonable.

It makes my £500 for a pair of FJ80 axles Inc lockers seem quite good value though. I'll still have to spend about the same again on Longfield shafts & CVs for them though.

I'll draw a diagram of how to improve the articulation in the week in case anyone else wants to do it. It's known as a Cross-linked axle where you remove the front bushes from the trailing arms then connect the ends with a bar pivoted at the centre of the axle via elastomer bushes. This gives the same axle roll but frees up the articulation significantly. You can also use it for castor correction by moving the pivot point down.

Si

I can't the sense in going to 80 series diff for only 33's, cus a jimny on 30's is going to have the same diff clearance right?? What is your need for heaps of flex to?

As for axles and CV's "jimny bits" are in the process of developing some at the moment. If you feel the jimny diff won't hold the 33's, you could all ways brace the diffs with a ORA diff stuff, is the jimny for comps or what??

ORA recon they will have some cv's on the market next year hopefully, but thats waiting.
Also heard that 80series cv's are a little weak too, i know the weight of a jimny will aid this but something to look into.
70 series seem to be stronger, which is what i am in the process of fitting to run 33's on mine too.

I would stick to your original plan of using the Toyota axles and Longfield shafts and cv's.

My reason for this is that Jimny axles have a number of weaknesses/downfalls.

The first being the swivel seal. If you submurge the swivels under muddy gloopy water, such as on most winch challenges these days, the Jimny swivel seals don't seal. After all, they are just circular bits of rubber that drag across a ball - rusty or nice and painted. They keep dust out and splashes of water but that's it. You'd have to re-built your front hubs after every event.

Do Toyota swivel seals work like Landrovers or are they like Suzuki's? I've never looked at them.

Secondly, Jimny axle casings have been known to bend without too much effort. I think you could manage that on an event without too much trouble! You can truss them but that only gets you round this problem.

Thirdly, even with spacers, Jimny's don't fit in the ruts of a Landrover or Toyota etc. So you end up with one wheel in a rut and the other out. In thick gloop this means you cut your own way through with one wheel - dragging through under winching perhaps, rather than following the cut out ruts made by others before you.

This is something you have commented to me about seperately, in particular in respect of this crew on the last Challenger Round at E.Grinstead.



You can see how by them being in the ruts made by others they have been able to follow through under winching but are still pushing some gloop along in front of them.

Fourth, The rear wheel bearings are pressed on the shafts and are a pain in the back side to change. This would not be too much of an issue if they were sealed, but they are not. So the watery gloop as in the picture above would be allowed right into the bearing past the dust seal. Is this better on the Toyota axles? I prefer the Landrover design.

Lastly, you will have to purchase ARB's, hardened rear shafts and a compressor for Jimny axles and your Toyota axles have them already built in. You need better front shafts and CV's no matter which axle you use but you don't need to add to the expense of the other bits needed to bring the Jimny ones up to scratch.

Why are you looking at only 33" tyres though, when other competitors will be digging 35"+ deep ruts for you to have to follow in?

The smaller Jimny diffs giving more ground clearance is the only plus side to them that I can see.

Just my thoughts.

Kirkynut (Rob)