so i measured from the front of the bellhousing to the front of the crossmember on the r151. it's about 40.5". then i measured the current w56, from the front of the bellhousing back along the frame. 40.5" puts me at the back face of the torsion bar mounts. oh so close.

the next thing i measured was where the current crossmember sits. on the w56, center of the t-case mounting bolts is about 28". on the r151, that is within an inch of the mounting holes on the forward crawl box. sweet, that means i can at least cut up the stock crossmember to a lesser extent.

driveshafts: i'm sending all my ds's to tom woods, and he's gonna lengthen the front, and combine the rear 2-piece to make a 1-piece. sweet. i think the hardest part will be finding something to ship these in

and a bit of progress last night. i got a bunch of stuff, including the last of the drain plugs, the speed sensor, my short-shifter bolts, and my 10x1.25 repair tap.

pics:

all the parts



and the short shifter assembled. this kit takes about half the throw out of the lever, giving me a lot of clearance to add the triple sticks just below.

 

tapped out that problem hole. i took another bolt to check the thread fit, and i could feed it in by hand. sweet



everyone who works on these trucks should invest in at least a few metric taps (8x1.25, 10x1.25, etc) for doing all this stuff

 

took out the drive shafts yesterday

top to bottom:
-front
-rear; trans side
-rear; diff side
(forward is left for all of them)


and the flanges

front flanges, all 60mm x 60mm


rear flanges, 60mm x 60mm, 60 x 60, 60 x 68


front gone



rear gone



just a few bolts and nuts...



and all packed up, ready to get modified

 

What are those shafts going to cost? Shipping?

 

This thing is now going to take on Anti-Zombie Personnel Mines without damage!!! SERIOUSLY, gonna be beef! HAHA.

 

-dunno
-dunno

i'm going to ship them out this week (today or tomorrow) and give him the measurements when i get the trans in
eh, maybe. it has to make it over paved road first...


this swap couldn't have come at a worse time. i've got so much other stuff going on in my life (lots of major changes about to happen). can't wait for this to be done...

 

Ian, I would seriously look for a local drive-shaft shop to do those shafts, there are plenty reputable places around, and i can almost guarantee it will be much quicker and cheaper... not to mention you are going with a serious modification to the drivetrain, if there is any issue at all (angle of diff to trans, balance, anything) you have a local shop to go beat on...just sayin. I don't want to see you get a headache, and as you know any modification that seems easy may have its issues.My rear shaft(all new end to end custom length) $275 to give you an idea. Any shop can make them.

EDIT:
sorry , i didn't realize you asked for some help finding a shop. I used A-1 in Baltimore, but they have other locations, nearest to you is Landover,MD.
http://www.a1driveshaft.com/contactus.html I think they had my shaft done in a day. You could contact iron Pig Offroad in Fredericksburg, VA for a recommended shop in your area.

 

thanks. i sent them an email. their "dc" location is fairly close, and easy enough to get to. i know that iron pig sends their ds work to tom wood's, but i can give them another call later.

 

just got off the phone with the only two shops that are "close" by. the first one looks like about 500 for both shafts, and the second didn't give me a quote, but both said they'd need to see the current shafts to give a good estimate.

 

I had the same issue, and i was told because they are metric. Ya know...we build enough crap in China, you think we would have switched by now!
Anyhow, mine was $275 for one, so 5 bills for two seems about right or even a good price.

Oh now that i think of it, i think mine took two days because he had to order the Toyota style ends that mount to the flange(4 fine thread bolts) but they just pull them from the warehouse, so he had them finished the next day or so IIRC.

 

dropped off the drive shafts to have them inspected/lengthened/balanced at a local shop. hooray for not having to pay shipping

also, my triple-stick setup should be close to shipping out. i should have the trans bolted up this weekend, which would be soooo nice

 

Can't wait to get your feedback on the trans, etc. Gonna be STOUT, Ian, don't downplay that bulletproof trans, ya heah? hahaha. JK, but you KWIMean... You'll be a crawlin through RC like a champ in no time... AND You have a killer camper! haha.

Congratz on getting this all wrapped up so quickly.... and thanks for posting up all the 'ins and outs' and 'what-to-do's' and 'don't's' list..../ ... What's needed, etc. I've got a line on one of those Trans'..... but he wont be back from overseas for weeks. Still, worth the wait on even a maybe, ya know?

 

mark, this has been anything but "quick". the truck's been sitting in the driveway for more than 3 weeks now. my engine rebuild took less time. it's the shipping that's killing me. order a part, wait a week-n-a-half, break a part, wait another week-n-a-half. grr.

it's all coming together, and i should be able to bolt it up this weekend, so (fingers crossed) i'm nearing the end.

 

mount:
the rear mount that is on the trans already currently serves 2 functions: 1) it's a good handle for lifting the trans, and 2) it's a 3/8" spacer for the rear disconnect. the rear disconnect will not sit nice and flush against the t-case, so it needs to be set out a bit. also, the marlin speed sensor will not fit on the current location with the rear mount in the way, so i'm going to see if the one from the w56 fits. my plan for mounting the trans is to use the rear mount and modify it to fit in the curent location.

now to get to work...

 

Couldn't you clearance the marlin mount. Looks like the FROR mount and they use the speed sensor.

 

i could, but it'll take a while. i'm not to mounting it yet, but when i do, i'll need to modify the entire mount anyway.

fror's mount looks the same, but it's not shown with using the marlin sensor, just the cable drive



for now though, my task is to remove and replace the trannies this weekend. once that's done, i can measure for the driveshafts and figure out the mounts.

 

Yep, the 'wait' sucketh! lol.... I've had 2 periods of waiting that were THE WORST POSSIBLE TIMING IN HISTORY!!!!! haha. Then again.... Had you not found that SICK trans/t-case.... well, you'd not be waiting at all, right? All gonna be worth it, especially on multiple grade expedition type trips, or even all weekend to RC trips, etc. LOVE the idea.... I've been looking for a while... Just not luck thus far .

Be safe/careful on the trans swap portion.... Wish ya the best

 

I forgot you have an electronic sensor not cable.

 

tranny swap in 6 hours? done.

first pics, then video and exlination





























clutch forks. they look identical, but the ball-pivots are different sizes. the w56 is too small to fit in the r151. you could swap the balls around to make it work, but if you already have the r151 fork, just use that. also, the fork boot (not shown) fits both forks and bellhousings equally.



both speed sensors are interchangeable



for now i have both 4wd switches in the holes. anyone know the pitch? i want to get something to plug the front one



w56 reverse switch installed on the r151. no issues.

 

So how'd you get the speed sensor fitted? Clearance the mount?