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Changing from sierra to freelander diff
Julian B - 3/6/13 at 02:33 PM

Hi All

Has anyone any experience from changing from a sierra LSD to a freelander LSD? I need longer legs on my car and this looks like it might be a solution.

Thanks


fesycresy - 3/6/13 at 03:04 PM

Freelander is an open diff, so you'd need a Quaife or similar LSD.

You'd need new custom drive shafts or sleeve and join Sierra to Freelander - I'd go custom.

What diff are you running? Could you get away with a 3.38 which would be a lot cheaper than a Freelander conversion.

A 3.14 would be cheaper too if you add it all up.


Julian B - 3/6/13 at 03:19 PM

A 3.14 would be great but where do you get one for less than the price or an arm?


adithorp - 3/6/13 at 03:28 PM

The bearings/balls on the tri-lobe Seirra shaft are the same size as the Freelander so you can just swap the Freelander inner CV-joint outer body for the Sierra one.

The problem is that the Seirra joints are spring loaded and the 2 acting against each other centralise the shaft; The Freelander one is a floating. Put the 2 together and the Sierra joint pushes the shaft fully towards the diff. This causes knocking in the freelander end (as it's at the bottom of its slots) and wear in the Sierra end (as it's almost out of it's slots). You can get around this by shortening the existing spring in the sierra joint by 1 coil and adding a second spring behind the tri-lobe. That then makes the Sierra one self center. Mine have done 5 years like that. I'll post pictures later.

The cut and uncut springs...


The exploded view including the new spring...


New spring was made simply by wrapping some welding rod around the shaft to form a spring. I was dubius it'd last but it's proved me wrong.

[Edited on 3/6/13 by adithorp]


Bluemoon - 3/6/13 at 03:39 PM

http://www.racelineonline.co.uk/products/part_section.asp?SectionID=86&CategoryID=6

Change crown and pinion?? Maybe to expensive??


Tris - 3/6/13 at 06:16 PM

Ive done exactly the same as adithorpe - infact ive got most of the parts in my garage to do this swap (prop,drive shafts,diff etc) that i must get round to selling.

Send us a U2u if your interested.


Julian B - 3/6/13 at 07:05 PM

Guys

That's fantastic info. I think if i was at the build it up stage or Uhum just post SVA then i might go the freelander route. As raceline are just up the road from where i work i might pop in and see if they can do a deal for their 3.14:1 pinion and crown wheel .....

Thanks for all the info