KE30 4wd Conversion

[bluethunder_69]

got a ke30 sitting round and the brother has bought a 4runner and got me to thinking

how easy would it be to get a hilux/surf/4runner and put all the 4wd gear into the rolla? wouldn't be professional job by any means as would only be for off roading and not road driven.

i was thinking get the leaf sprung models and just weld the leafs onto the rolla frame

i dont see the diffs being a problem but more the engine/gearbox/transfer case and mounting them. would a 3y go into a rolla without much trouble? as they look very similar or what other engine options would i have?

[oldcorollas]

might be much easier to attach the KE30 body to the hilux frame....

[bluethunder_69]

might be much easier to attach the KE30 body to the hilux frame....

i thought to that one aswell. how easy would that be to do?
i dont know alot about the hilux's and such but i thought they were a unibody?

[thechuckster]

nope - cabin on rails

[bluethunder_69]

so is all engine and drive line components attached to that? and can basically drop the rolla onto the frame?

[BradW]

Maybe a suzuki sierra chassis, driveline, etc might be closer to the dimensions of the KE30. There is a pic of a KE35 4wd floating around on the net somewhere and I think that was on a suzuki chassis.

[MOOKIE]

simple way.
get the body of the rolla minus drivetrain and the rolling 4 runner chassis.
sit the rolla body on the 4x4 drivetrain and weld it to the frame via correct mounts.

there is a good chance the chassis will need the middle cut out and the two ends welded together to make the wheels sit in the guards.

by no means cheap but the approach and departure angles will be fantastic

[gianttomato]

Read this thread.

Get back to us when you're done.

[bluethunder_69]

gianttomato- cheers was a good read but not the 4wd direction i was headed in. did help with ideas a bit tho.

mookie- ive had this idea and like it alot seems to be the simplest most practical and easiest way to do the job

i was reading bubsies hilux mod page and seen how easy the whole chassis is to modify.

im now thinking ill make leaf mounts and weld them onto the rolla chassis with proper bracing. then chop out all the rolla cross members for engine and gear box and put in the hilux ones. does this seem like a worse idea?

does anyone know the width(outside to outside) of the leaf setup front and back on about an 84 hilux? i find that out and i can see if just welding the leafs in is practical otherwise it might be hilux chassis in under the rolla body

[oldcorollas]

corolla doesn't have a seperate chassis tho.. so the cross-members unbolt.

although it is just like any other conversion, best to see if engine and gearbox fit first, then look at the axle width of hilux vs corolla...

if you want to put the front part of the 4WD in, you will need to make space fro transfer case (maybe?) as well as chopping out chassi srails at fron tof car...

and.. chances are it will never be registerable.
if it is just for a paddock basher and some fun, may as well . if it is for a road going car.. hilux chassis with corolla body is abotu the only way to do it.

have a look at the front end of th ehilux vs the corolla... and take some pics to put up

[bluethunder_69]

lol its still registered

axle width isnt a problem more leaf spring width

yeh prob need to cut out floor or mod it for the gearbox and transfer case

i think def will be easier to drop the rolla body onto a modified hilux chassis then i can cut and chop anything i want outta the rolla seeing as it wont really be structual anymore

now thinking i will just do that. i can then re register it as a re bodied vehicle or just drive it like that till i get pulled over and questioned about it lol

[oldcorollas]

no i meant "legal", as in if you crash it, you won't get arse-reamed for having a highly modified and non-approved vehicle...


axle width might be a problem if the wheels stick out 6 inches...

how abotu you go and talk to your local RTA and one of their approved gingerbeers and report back
it might be easy to do the rebody thing, but dropping 4wd into KE30 body will cause.. issues....

[bluethunder_69]

was never originally gonna be road registered. was just something i wanna do cos i have the car and also never seen it before. not particularly something i wanna spend alot of money on the ss torana seems to take all of that. this is more of a fun project to go bush bashing in. but if legally registering wont be a huge hassle i might go that way

but its definitely getting done thats a promise

[oldcorollas]

but its definitely getting done thats a promise

quoted for later.

go and take some pictures of the front end setup of both KE30 and the holux and post them up here. then we can discuss more

[Cuzzo]

haha cheap build? ok........................