19 replies to this topic

[davelh]

Obviously buying a second hand diff opens you up to the unknown. I bought my 9 inch housing second hand, the guy said he had been running it in an LX for years.
It is kind of bugging me though, the wheel is sitting towards the back of the arch.
My question - would I be able to pull it forward with adjustable trailing arms? Currently running stock (boxed lower) arms.
Cheers
Dave

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[Bigfella237]

A few provisoes:

 

You would need to check that the coil spring won't get too far out of square (if the conversion is at fault then the spring saddles may be in the wrong place on the diff as well); and

 

Make sure the shock absorbers still clear everything and the check the angles where they mount top and bottom (too much angle and you may chew out bushes or bind the shock); and

 

You would need to shorten both the upper AND lower trailing arms or your pinion angle will be too steep; and

 

You need to make sure you have enough 'slip' in the tailshaft yoke where it enters the gearbox (you may need to have the tailshaft shortened)?

 

The flexible brake hose shouldn't be too much of a problem but the handbrake cables may need some work (unsure what brakes you're running)?

 

First thing to do is measure the wheelbase (both sides) and see how far out it is! Or find someone who knows what they're doing with a 4-wheel alignment machine.

Edited by Bigfella237, 17 September 2022 - 09:04 PM.

[davelh]

Theory time.
I have a feeling this may have come out of a UC converted to LX. I have learned that LH/LX diffs are interchangeable but throws it out of centre in the wheel arch.
So, I am thinking of doing the adjustable top and bottoms arms.
Shoukd i be goimg for Altra 9 or MacDonald Bros?

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[rodomo]

Whatever you do just make sure your tail shaft doesn't bottom out on your extension housing.

[RoyalPlum76SS]

Theory time.
I have a feeling this may have come out of a UC converted to LX. I have learned that LH/LX diffs are interchangeable but throws it out of centre in the wheel arch.
So, I am thinking of doing the adjustable top and bottoms arms.
Should i be going for Altra 9 or MacDonald Bros?
 

 

LH and LX diffs are same same, no throwing anything off centre interchanging them at all.

 

A UC diff (or conversion) wont directly fit into any LH/X as the top mounted ears sit at a different angle to the other 2 models.

 

It sounds more like the mounts/bracketry used in the fabrication of the 9" were somewhat longer than standard (??) or the jig used was out of whack.

 

Mac bros, Altra9 or have a look at United speed shop adjustables are all good ones to go with.

[davelh]

Looks like United Speed have sold their suspension to Magnum.

What do people think of each of these?

[Shiney005]

The mounting position for the bottom trailing arm moved forward about an inch in '77. Definitely A9X and UC are like this. Not sure about lesser LX models.

 

 Trailing arm mount A9X.png   815.5K   4 downloads

[davelh]

That would probably be it then!!

Thanks!

[Maximart2]

I would agree that the UC and Lx have a different bottom mounting arm hole position. In the 80's, (showing my age again!) I bought a Chassis kit from Rod Hadfield for a UC hatch. The bottom hole was out by about 1 inch. Simple to weld it up and redrill the kit mounting hole. Rod said he had never had one fit wrong, but he also admitted that he had not fitted one to a UC before, just assumed they were the same. as LX! 

[UCSLE]

I was about to buy some weld on diff mounts for My UC , luckily i saw this thread .

 

The diff mounts are not the same but the places selling the mounts state they fit LH-UC

 

Crawling under the cars here 2 LHs and 2 LXs and 1 UC , the mounts on the UC are further around on the Diff and more forward on the chassis like Lauries picture 

but on all the others the same

[UCSLE]

Its a bit dark but the square is against the diff tube on the LH 

 

LH

 LH.JPG   82.04K   6 downloads

 UC

 uc.JPG   68.97K   5 downloads

[RoyalPlum76SS]

It is handy for people to know that the lower trailing arm mounting position on the chassis is different on the UC than LH or LX, however, it doesn't explains the OP's issue of the rear wheel sitting more towards the rear of the wheel arch. That's the opposite of the effect a more forward chassis mounting position would have on the diff i.e. it would bring the wheel closer to the front of the rear wheel arch.

Thanks UCSLE for the pics, they clearly show the difference between models. But is that just a result of the lower trailing arms being 1" more forward on the UC or are the mounts of the diff actually 'clocked' differently on the axle tubes as well, more than they are on LH/X?

[Shiney005]

Were there any Banjo UC Torana's built?

[UCSLE]

The mounts for the diff are different not just clocked differently.

The spacing between the shock mount and lower control arm bolt is about 104mm on the UC and about 82mm on the LH

 

Having the wrong mounts would put the shocky out of place

 

The Op may have UC mounts on his LH ?

 

I'm guessing that if Dave uses adjustable arms it may fix the wheel arch problem but cause a problem with the shockys ? 

 

Never heard about a banjo in a UC 

[Shiney005]

Are the compliance plates still on the LX's Troy?  Are they later than July 1977?  I would like to get an idea of the date when they changed.

[UCSLE]

One has compliance plates 6/76 the other does not (they got stolen )

 

I'm thinking its just a Salisbury -  banjo thing , the top ears on the Salisbury look to be further forward so the bottom arms are moved to match

[yel327]

Were there any Banjo UC Torana's built?

 

No but its easy to do despite there really being no point. Either use a HQ-HZ 6cyl sedan/wagon/statesman diff and shorten it welding on Torana our mounts or cutting the top mounts off the HQ-HZ diff and welding on in the same place.

 

I reckon if you go and measure a HQ-HZ banjo against a salisbury you might find the same LCA mount changes - I don't have a banjo here or a passenger Salisbury to measure.

Edited by yel327, 14 September 2025 - 11:55 AM.

[claysummers]

Why not use an LH banjo Byron? Anyway why bother, centre availability?


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[yel327]

Why not use an LH banjo Byron? Anyway why bother, centre availability?


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Second part of the first paragraph covers that but as you appear to need UC lower arm mounts you have to change those anyway, so to me it’s 50/50 whether you do that to an LH-LX housing where you need top and bottom mounts, or use a HQ-HZ one where you have to shorten it and add the UC lower arm mounts.

Edited by yel327, 14 September 2025 - 02:14 PM.

[claysummers]

I missed the bit where you said there being no point. Borgy the world…..,


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