Isuzu MU Solid Axle Swap... the end is nigh :)

[SupraLux]

Well, the rumours are true... I drove the MU home the other night. There has been a huge amount of finishing off work done in the last few weeks, and not much of it documented... sorry, I know a lot of you live for stories of welding and grinding

The last few things have been finished... the crossmember is finally in... no more G-clamps holding the truck together... 16mm holes through 26mm of steel plate upside down with a stuffed drill that either stalls or runs at 12,000RPM... now THERES a story in itself...

The shocks are fitted in the front with some basic towers that may or may not hold up to abuse... I have some hoops to go in if they don't:


Steering modified AGAIN... measure twice cut three times is my new motto... The arm now looks like a limp thingy... but its nearly right... could have got away with a flat arm in retrospect...


The front driveshaft is in... had to shorten it by about 25mm (15mm for the adaptor... it was within 10mm of perfect overall, straight from a Hilux)


And the finished product... not quite ready for cert, but close enough for me to want to go play in it:

[mike]

Good to see it on the road Steve. Got your txts but ran out of credit to reply.

You may want to extend that towball down if your planning on towing with it

When your finished there you can come round and finish the LR if you want.

Mike

[LT1-62]

Looks awesome Steve, looks more level now too, did you end up lowering and/or raising the rear? Taken it for a play yet?

[SupraLux]

Cheers Mike, just what I need... more work I'm happy to help with it if you want tho... No worries on the TXT - my phone dissapeared that day as well so I wouldn't have got the reply.

Matt, no I haven't really had a chance to go play in it yet... been doing the family thing with in-laws but they are gone now so tomorrow I'm going to play in the afternoon to find out what needs tweaking before I take it to see the Cert man on Monday. I'll bowl around to your place after that and look at what needs doing before you bowl down to see him yourself... I think the clutch slave cylinder plunger from your truck is sitting at my shed, but never found your dipstick... hmmm...

I raised the back end with rotated spring perches that are approx 15mm higher that normal and 50mm longer than stock shackles... thats made it virtually level... its looking good.

My overall impression is that for approx 12" of lift, its pretty stable and still can get off its ass and pass trucks and stuff at 100-120km/h. Might not bother with a repower because it just seems to go bloody well... never expected it to be this grunty on 36's.

Steve

[NJV6]

120km'h on Simex's.... "This is your captain speaking - Please be seated for take off!"

Looks brilliant Steve, Well balanced too now. Well Done

[Conan]

bet the MU didnt see that coming when you first got it..

yeeeeeaahh... looks mean steve

[Pajfan]

Lucky enough to sit shot gun today.
Now I know how Sir Ed felt at the top of Everest
Steve, she is a beast!!
Two big thumbs up from me.
Wish my camera had been charged to get some shots but Ric got some video.
Go the Mu!
Tony

[mumad]

Hey steve, so how much is it gonna cost me to get mine done like that????

[SupraLux]

Yup, went for a play... up the ashley river with a few friends just for a quiet 4WD to see what would break... nothing did! :O

...although I lost the front left indicator... dammit... MU indicators are expensive... that'll teach me to tyrap them on the front then drive through bonnet-height scrub...

The crossmember is still causing grief... the torsion applied to the gearbox when in 4WD is causing the sticky-outy-bit with the front drive flange to hit the crossmember... I've already trimmed the cooling fins to avoid it but I need to trim some more... the banging when it hit it is quite unnerving... having said that it was a great excuse to just do most of the day in 2WD... which it did quite nicely. Amazing what good tread and the ability to keep a 4 on the floor can do...

Mumad... I keep tallying up the costs and coming up with a bigger number each time. If you really want to do it then give me a call at home tomorrow during the day if you can, or evening - 03 314 7227 - and we can discuss it at length but the time and parts costs just might put you off Are you thinking of 1UZing as well... I see Yarno has lined one up for his... (for those not on the Club Isuzu Forum, there's a guy in Oz with a similar MU to mine with a similar SAS... he's fitting up a 1UZ at the mo)

Conan... the MU never saw it coming... but you now can't help but see the MU coming... its now nearly as high as your Surf... did you get your tyres yet?

Oh, and yes I do believe someone took video of me getting the MU into the one and only tricky predicament I managed to find in the whole day... thought I might have been going to flop it on its side into a deep hole full of water Funny how when it looked like I was going to eb able to drive out of it rather than be towed the camera got put away... so don't believe anyone if they tell you I got stuck

Right... This ones all but done... I'm looking for a new project ... ideas???

Steve

[hiriklux]

hilux??????

[SupraLux]

Yours, you mean?

Nah, been there done that... something cool... something interesting... something no-one would ever expect...

How about a Yugo body on a rangie chassis?

Steve

[hiriklux]

how about mr beans mini on acid??????

[Conan]

Conan... the MU never saw it coming... but you now can't help but see the MU coming... its now nearly as high as your Surf... did you get your tyres yet?

hhah yeah i got tyres......... look pretty narley sitting in the corner of my room ,
rims are gonna be a week or so , maybe sooner if the other half has her way...

[penetrator]

Hey Steve new toy looks awesome mate - my mate has a MU too and was interested in what sort of price range and time it would take to do that conversion. Look forward to seeing some good muddy pics of it!!

[mumad]

HEHE have thought about it a bit lately as i am going to do alot to the back end soon, but i think i would go coil front and rear, in which case i would buy a 96 onward model and then the back is already half done!! So for the next few years untill we go over seas i'll be happy with my tuck as it will be when its finished, then when we come back who knows!!! maybe prado axles front and rear and a nice v8 that purs like our new kitten!!!!!

[SupraLux]

Well, for those asking a ballpark figure will be between $4k and $5k including all the bits and pieces needed... I would do it certified out the door so you could drive it home... for your peace of mind and mine. You really need to discuss it with me first tho. I figure I could recreate this on another truck in 3-4 weeks if pushed now I know where I'm going and don't have to re-create the wheel. Give me a shout at home on 03 314 7227 or on 021 637 600

As for 96-on being coils... mines 96. I think Wizards were coil 96 on, but MUs didn't get coils till 98 or 99... the gen 3 MU. All the 96-on MU got was a modern dash (worlds better than the 95). Coils in the front is doable, but I don't know if I would want to do someone elses in coils before doing one of my own (anyone got a spare MU or Wizard I can borrow? ).

The rear coils in a Wizard don't hardly move at all... so getting a coily one to start with is a waste of time... It would have to come out and be replaced anyway - and lifted

The only thing it really needs now is a couple of good steering dampers... the thing has really bad head-shake on rough terrain. Oh, and some bump stops so I can really launch it at the rough stuff... and a bit more clearance between the crossmember and the T/C...

Steve

[mumad]

That figure sound pretty good considering all the work the photos have showen!!

Like i said, i'll wait till i come back from overseas and then see what i can find!! Might just get a jeep wrangler and do the mods to it since its all there and they have plenty of power!!