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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - What Aussie Diff to use

To the Aussie V8'rs out there, what do you recommend I fit under the car at the rear? I am planning on running a 3.5 litre with 4bbl Edelbrock carby and Dellow 5 speed steel Celica. Intend to fit 15 inch rims and probably 225x60 rubber (flared rear arches). Would like to keep the original MGA banjo hubs (4 stud) and brakes (converted from MGA twincam). Is there someone who you could recommend (preferably in Queensland)? and what ratio? Someone told me to use SD1 or Volvo but need advice
regards
mark
Mark Mathiesen

Hi Mark,
I used a Nissan R31 (Pintara/Skyline) diff housing in my factory V8. The converter who did mine offered me the choice of a disc rear end or staying with the standard drums. I went for the discs which meant I had to get an enginner's cerificate. It works well. The diff centre (3.08:1) is a Commodore VR-V6 fitted with LSD. The beauty of this conversion is that the wheel stud pattern is the same as MG. Also with the Commodore centre, you have a variety of ratio's to choose from.
Regards
Tony
Tony

Tony, Sydney
Who did the diff conversion for you and can you give an indication of costs, if OK.

Regards
Tony Z
Tony

Tony, so am I to understand you used a Pintara rear axle case (cut down in length?) with a commodore diff (what was involved doing this fit?) and what axles did you use (were they cut down pintara and do you mean the pintara has MGB 4 stud PCD?)? I have a fully functioning VS commodore rear end in my garage so I am interested in how you did this swap. Could you let me know the converter's name so I could discuss the required actions with him and get mine done up here in Brisbane
regards
mark
Mark Mathiesen

Mark / Tony (Penrith) My diff conversion was done by Trans Diff Sales at Greenacre in Sydney. I dealt with a bloke called Glenn who seemed to know his stuff. (He races a Holden Ute at the Drags.) His phone number is 1300 723433. He was the only person I could find in Sydney who was prepared to go outside the Torana/Falcon/Rice Burner square and tackle an MG. My car was converted on a "drive in drive out" basis and cost around $3400. This includes making up the BTR M78 diff conversion, fitting a 28 spline LSD, R31 Pintara / Skyline disc brakes, modifying the handbrake and tail shaft and of course fitting. A standard conversion (DIY fitting) is around $2000 and includes a shortened Pintara/Skyline housing, Commodore diff, shortened Pintara axles and what ever drum brakes you want to use. Discs cost extra. We did have some issues regarding the angle of the diff housing vis a vis the gearbox. This was solved by using wedges between the springs and the diff brackets. The Nissan pitch centre diameter is the same as four stud MG. I am happy with the conversion and the disc brakes work well with a firm pedal. Hope this helps. Tony
Tony

Tony, why did they use the commodore diff rather than the Nissan diff? I would expect a Skyline to have LSD already but I don't know much about them.
David Witham

David,
The Skyline diff suffered quality problems and was quite noisy. Nissan Aust spent a fortune on warranty claims on these when the Skylines / Pintaras were in local production. The Commodore diff is basically stronger and there is a bigger choice of ratios.
Tony
PS The Oz Skyline isn't the same as the Japanese "Godzilla" all wheel drive / twin turbo version. It is a much more prosaic conveyance.
Tony

This thread was discussed between 16/07/2007 and 19/07/2007

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