Offroad-Express

Reason I ask is,I have seen on other forums guys have used GU axles and diffs when upgrading there GQ Safaris/Patrols.When would these guys go down this path?
cheerz

GQ CV’s can’t handle decent amounts of horsepower, particularly when used with a front locker., or when the front wheels are loaded up (like reversing up a slope, wheels at full lock etc). The bell on the GQ CV’s usually implode, or the stars bust out…..either way, they don’t like a flogging.

The GU CV’s are about 20% larger diameter than the GQ ones, but the axles are the same dia. So using a GU front diff allows you to use the front locker at the same time as the throttle and in the most part will handle the abuse. When something does break, it is typically the axle which is harder to get at and replace anyway. Replacement parts are significantly more expensive, a 2nd hand GU front diff (complete, hub to hub) will set you back atleast $2k.

GQ CV’s can’t handle decent amounts of horsepower

Still stronger than all the factory toyota ones out there

GQ CV's are strong enough for a club truck, we have been running a 350 Chev in out safari for about 3 years and havent broken a CV yet, it is starting to click though so it may be time for replacement soon.

It is the use of a locker in conjunction with horsepower that breaks them.

We don't have any lockers in our race truck for that very reason and we won't run a front locker, until we can afford a GU diff to go with it....it already busts free-wheeling hubs and Cv's as it is.

Driving style will always come into play aswell, we have just got our front locker going so ill watch out. Lucky i have about 8 spare sitting in my workshop.

Roger with his 383 and 37's always useto break CV's untill he fitted rockcrawler gears, the better gear ratios seem to have prevented him breaking them as he hasnt slowed down.

Mitch do most of the NZ winch GQ's run the GU front end?
You dont run a rear locker either?

Other than the GU trucks, Sam has a GU front in his 70 series, Steve McConnell has one in his Disco, Craig Mulholland has GU diffs front and rear on his 40 series and the rebuilt Shermin (GQ) also has one.

The only time we tend to break CV’s, is when the front gets a bit of air and touch down with the wheels stilling spinning, and also when reversing up on high traction surfaces with the wheels turned to lock. Hubs just break when they feel like it.

We run standard LSD in the rear. Comes down to dollars. When a locked diff isn’t engaged, its totally open right. So most have their’s disengaged and when it comes time to need it, it is too late and you’re usually stuck….whereas the LSD is always working and giving you traction. The rear suspension flexes very well to maintain contact with the ground. The bottoms of the coils are captured and the tops can drop an extra 2” on the coil locator cones. Extended length of the rear shocks are almost 800mm.

I always assumed all the winch trucks run lockers, I might give the LSD a go after ive broken the factory rear locker and see what i prefer, i have one of them lieing around in the shed to.

We use to break hubs too so we replaced them with straight drive flanges as it doesnt do heaps of ks on the road.

I think most other winch trucks do run lockers, but that’s another $2.5k we would have to find.

We used to run the factory locker in the old truck, but got sick of fixing it. Was slow to engage / disengage, but that is easily fixed now with air operation instead of vacuum. Engagement on the teeth was only by about 4mm, so they would eventually shear where they engaged. The spiders would weld themselves together too on the cross-pins.

Have had a good run out of factory Nissan hubs. We carry the straight drive flanges as spares and did the Kiwi on them after breaking the original ones at the Prologue.

thats to much torque thats doin that mitch goes good that green beast man.........

and whats the tare of that truck bud

Truck weighs 1550kg on the front axle and 1050kg on the rear.

Is your truck fairly stripped?

Colin Brewer reckons his weighed about 1850kg with him in it, im hoping to get mine under 2 tonne but i think i will have to do a bit more trimming.

Those weights are as it went over the scales during scrutineering at the Kiwi, so was race ready with both of us inside it, full tank of gas, all spares etc.

Truck is totally gutted. Inside has 6 point rollcage (38mm dia), two fibreglass seats, two batteries, dash with nothing in it but the heater, and a sun visor for the driver. Fibreglass bonnet, carbon fibre / Kevlar guards, original outer door skins, internal door skins have been riddled with 100mm dia hole-saw, Lexan rear window. Engine bay is stripped, no battery boxes, no relay box, didn’t even put the brake vacuum canister back in it.

But the PTO winch and bar work isn’t light, plus the roll hoop for ORANZ and the tube tray deck and all the fabrication work for the twin shocks etc.

No offense to Colin, but I very much doubt anyone can get a Nissan GQ under 2T. Although I was aware of Colin’s “chrome moly” bar work actually being exhaust tubing filled with Selley’s space invader, so who knows. As an example, the rebuilt Shermin which used nothing but chrome moly for the cage, tray deck and winch bar tipped the scales at over 2.6T. Darren Bell's Rangie with carbon fibre / kevlar EVERYTHING weighs 1875kg.

I thought 1850 was a bit on the light side considering Simon Guys is 2400, mine will be gutterd much the same as your and have carbon/kevlar bonnet guards etc, half a dash, maybe half doors, but my exo and other bar work will weigh a bit.

Although I was aware of Colin’s “chrome moly” bar work actually being exhaust tubing filled with Selley’s space invader

Which barwork are you refering to? The tray/rollbar or the bullbar? I have the tray on the back of mine and isnt exhaust tube.

Was the brush bars he had going from bullbar back towards the doors. We got a good look at them at one Denny's where he ripped them off on the Neasville loop (I think?) and Kym Bolton subsequently damaged his truck trying to avoid them later on in the day.

Oh, forgot to add....don't bother with the carbon fibre bonnet or guards, just stick with fibreglass. Is alot cheaper and easier to repair when you damage them...and you will damage them.

Hi GQTROL.So are you saying that a locked GQ rear diff is OK?Just the GU front diff/CVs is/are superior,(If fitted with lockers)this I now understand.20% gruntier is alot.Wonder how much heavier a GU diff is compered to a GQ,kilo wise?

Is alot cheaper and easier to repair when you damage them...and you will damage them.

Ill look into it, I have moulds for the bonnet and the left guard so hopefully they wont cost too much to replace, We are getting about 5 bonnets made up soon so if anyone wants one let me know the more there is the cheaper it will become.

And the F/Glass gaurds,are the an exact factory mould,or can one order them with larger wheel arch,for a GQ?Like ,say like a GU arch.

My dads patrol used to break GQ cv's all the time (350 chev and 35's) but since the GU axle went in, none have been broken. Doddzee, how much for one of them bonnets?

The one i have has the guard flared out to fit 37' tyres.

If i get time i may make a mould for the right guard before i break the fibreglass one i already have.

3rnzir,
Yup, locked GQ rear is fine. You would be doing well to break those axles (but it can be done!)

Yup, GU CV's are bigger and handle more abuse, particularly when locker is used. GU diff is physically alot bigger than GQ, with bigger diff head, longer tubes and axles (but same dia as GQ), bigger dia and thicker brake rotors, and of course is about 40-50mm wider overall. But wouldn't know the weight difference sorry.

If anyone knows of a GU front diff for sale, please let me know.

doddzee, if you make the right hand guard, I might be interested in buying a set . Need something to give the old man for his birthday

how much for one of them bonnets?

Not sure i know you can buy them for $400 from a fibreglass place up north, These should be a fair bit cheaper though, Ill let you know some prices when we are looking at getting them made up.

Turoa,
Steve Whitton at 4WD Fibreglass in Hamilton has both guards and bonnet available if you get stuck

cool

OK,so does that then mean,a GU front diff/axel,transfered into a GQ X/case,is strong enough?
Does that make sense?

Guess what I meant was,a GQ X/fercase can easely accomadate a GU front diff/axel upgrade?

Dodzee,may be into a set of F/Glass gaurds for a GQ moulded for 35s...

3rnzir wrote:Guess what I meant was,a GQ X/fercase can easely accomadate a GU front diff/axel upgrade?

If you have the complete housing, apparently it bolts in. You may want to have the caster corrected while you're there though.

Guess what I meant was,a GQ X/fercase can easely accomadate a GU front diff/axel upgrade?

If you can get the GU steering box and linkages, it is a straight bolt in, no other modifications necessary. If you can't get a GU steering box (and therefore linkages), a bit more effort is required.

The rest of the drivetrain is identical between GQ/GU.