Old school Front 5 stud conversion & Brake upgrade... MUST SEE

[rsdeo]

Okay to help you guys out, here are some more hubs that should fit.

(MS65 hub and MA6x hub will give you the same final offset, the hubs below will add positive offset) I have all these hubs in 5x114.3 for testing purposes.

Nisaan Z31. Three versions available.
4x114.3, disc mounts to the rear of the hub. Offset change?
5x114.3, disc mounts to the rear of the hub. Offset change +8mm.
5x114.3, disc mounts over the front of the hub. Offset change depends on the disc face thickness, usually +7 to +10mm.

Mitsubishi Starion.
4x114.3, disc mounts to the rear of the hub. No offset change.
5x114.3, disc mounts over the front of the hub. Offset change depends on the disc face thickness, usually +7 to +10mm.

Then here is what I tried just for the hell of it.

I took the following disc from a 2WD Ford Ranger pick up truck.



Bolt pattern is 5x114.3, with the same bearings as MS65 and MA6x.

A little machinig and here you go.



Disc will now be mounted over the face of the hub. Offset really changes it is something like -20mm compared to the MS65 and MA6x hubs. After adding the disc -10 to -13mm. I have thought of making a custom bolt on disc hat 20 to 40mm thick in order to add offset to clear thick calipers and easier wheel applications (an adapter that will mount a disc). Or to add an adapter and slip a really tall disc over top of it all.

[thechuckster]

wow.. am impressed you can type so neatly given how goddam cold it is in Burlington (Ontario)! Zero degrees in a 25kph south-westerly breeze is not my idea of great weather for going to the wreckers...

anyway, your 2WD Ford Ranger - is or was that a re-badged mazda ute? petrol or diesel 2WD or 4WD ute? Or were they 6 & 8cyl F150's and F350s? google searching is confusing me as both turn up as 'Rangers'.

The year and engine type/size of your Ranger donor would be much helpful.

fwiw: the only ford i found useful was a 1972 Falcon - but i never thought to give the ford courier (mazda bravo) utes a look.

Also - how common are/were the 5-stud Starions? Were they a US only item or also delivered to Europe (i know they weren't an Oz-delivered item)?

cheers and ta,
Charles.

[rsdeo]

wow.. am impressed you can type so neatly given how goddam cold it is in Burlington (Ontario)! Zero degrees in a 25kph south-westerly breeze is not my idea of great weather for going to the wreckers...

anyway, your 2WD Ford Ranger - is or was that a re-badged mazda ute? petrol or diesel 2WD or 4WD ute? Or were they 6 & 8cyl F150's and F350s? google searching is confusing me as both turn up as 'Rangers'.

The year and engine type/size of your Ranger donor would be much helpful.

fwiw: the only ford i found useful was a 1972 Falcon - but i never thought to give the ford courier (mazda bravo) utes a look.

Also - how common are/were the 5-stud Starions? Were they a US only item or also delivered to Europe (i know they weren't an Oz-delivered item)?

cheers and ta,
Charles.

I try to be concise. It is winter here you know. We are actually having an extrmely mild winter this year. Usually it is around -20 C. right now with a bitterly cold wind and lots of snow. We have no snow, it melts right away. So much for buying that ski pass for Blue Mountain in Collingwood Ontario. Too icy for me.

One good thing about it being just about freezing and no snow is that the wreckers are not muddy and everything is clear. Just dress right.

The whole world including Australia and Canada did get the Z31 model Nissan, but not the wide body Starion (5 bolt). Australia and Canada did not get it. You can order parts (everything from rims, engines, diffs to hubs) from this site which covers most US and Canadian wreckers. Yes, most do ship. I have ordered a few parts myself if the wrecker was too far away.

Rangers are small pickups, F series are full size and have larger hubs and bearings. The Ranger disc is sweet because you could get them for free once someone has worn the disc out. The hub part should be fine, just replace the races/bearings and machine the disc off as I did. I used a new one because they are so cheap new.

I think that some Mazda pickups are the same Ranger pickups. You could cross reference part numbers from both Mazda and Ford pickups on the following US site. I think both '90s 4 and 6 cylinder 2WD trucks use the same front brakes. Diesel was not available in North America.

Sometimes it is better to think outside of the box.
Good luck.

[rsdeo]

Two more things I should mention is different hubs may use the same bearings, but there could be different specs on the bearing seperation. Shims may be needed. Z31 and Starion hubs bolt up with no modifications or shimming required.

Mitsubishi Starions were also available as Dodge Conquests in the US only.

[Squid]

OK I know a few people have posted that they have changed the diff, with the primary reason being the rear brakes. My question is, if I use the hopper stopper rear brake kit http://www.hoppers.com.au/universal.pdf would I need to change the diff to handle 1ggte power? The engineer I talked to said he doesn't think so as the diff from the ra23 is often used in high powered rolla's. Is this true?

[YLD-16L]

would I need to change the diff to handle 1ggte power? The engineer I talked to said he doesn't think so as the diff from the ra23 is often used in high powered rolla's. Is this true?

When my rolla ran an RA23 diff with the 4AGTE in front of it it broke 3 axles and twisted one. They had an average lifespan of 2 hours One set snapped at the drags in Sydney(they lasted one run, luckily the car was towed up ), the other 2 broke on the street.

NB. At that point it was running a locked centre Now it runs a sturdy bommadore setup with LSD and billet axles (lockers are teh ghey if you need to drive the thing around a lot).

I would go the trusty hilux diff in your RA23 (get the correct width and then all you will need is the mounts modified).

Weak drivelines inhibit your fun Don't hold back

[Norbie]

would I need to change the diff to handle 1ggte power? The engineer I talked to said he doesn't think so as the diff from the ra23 is often used in high powered rolla's. Is this true?

A T series diff can't handle much power at all with any sort of reliability. And no they're not used in high powered rolla's, unless your engineer's definition of "high powered" is replacing a 3K with a 5K.

[RAd28]

i'd say go easy on the T series... they're not ALL that bad... i've been relying on the stock diff behind my stock 1G now for over 5 months... granted i've had to swap axles 'cause of bearings (had a spare axle, easier then chaging bearings) but the center i'm using lived behind Kirk's 1G for around 2 years apparantly... and it's still going strong... neither of us drive like gran ma's either...

that said i do have a G series almost ready to go in anyway better safe then sorry