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Disco axles help

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axle disco
3K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  AdamSanta85 
#1 · (Edited)
So I picked up an automatic 1995 D1 donor to swap the axles from into my 1991 Defender 200TDI.

I am about halfway into getting the Disco rear axle off and am having second thoughts (also that rear ball joint looks like a real nightmare to get at with the fuel tank in the way, my side tank truck was way easier)...

1. I just noticed the diff flange is different. Disco is 3 bolt, my Defender is 4 bolt. So much for a quick bolt on affair. I can swap this to a 4 bolt flange?

2. Disco has 2 brake pipes that go to the rear calipers, Defender has 1. What do I do here? Convert the Disco axle to a single feed pipe or convert the Defender to a dual?

Any other surprises I should look for?

It looks like the brackets my rear step bumper are tied into are going to have to be cut off to install a rear sway bar. Also my exhaust might have to be reworked as well?

Is this really worth it? I am having second thoughts now that I have a Disco in pieces in my driveway. The Disco axles are rather rusty. I guess I can clean them up and paint them with POR 51. My Defender axles are nice and clean painted black. Originally I went into this thinking, great, ill have disc brakes, option to run alloy wheels, and I can add a rear sway bar. Now I am like, wtf am I doing on my money and day off?

Help.
 
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#6 ·
Don't worry we finished the swap for you, as for the axle it's literally 12 bolts and a brake line to pull it... for the wish bone pull the nut 3/4 out and go for a quick drive and it will pop out. You only need to pull the nut on the axle housing.
 
#7 ·
I did the same swap. Removed the axles, undid all the bolts on the back of the diff, swapped the diff into the Disco axle, installed new axles & hooked the driveline back up. So you're essentially using the old diff & everything else is D1.
 
#8 · (Edited)
What is the point of the swap? The later axles are not as well designed as the earlier ones. Parts availability is better though.

To answer questions.

1) Yes, swap flanges. You should probably check and adjust bearing preload at that time.

2) Switch to a single line. Disco has two due to ABS.

The radius arm mounts will be wrong, so you will need to keep the Disco radius arms, which will reduce articulation substantially.
 
#12 · (Edited)
That was the plan.The goal was to make the truck handle better (Sway bars) and brake better then what I currently have. The rear axle is nearly out, just have to go get another sawz-all blade to finish cutting the ball joint.

I don't even know what to do now. I thought I was doing the smart thing by picking up this truck and putting newer parts on mine. My old axles need new wheel bearings, the swivels are leaking. I figured I would do the axle swap now before spending the money on that. Now I feel like I tossed $800 in the toilet and want to call a wrecker to come get it so I can get my Defender out of my garage. I should have just bought the R380 stumpy to replace my worn LT77 output shaft, sold the Boosts in my basement, and called it a day.

I don't really care about strength or getting the most articulation possible. If this is the same axle arm setup the stock NAS trucks have it will be plenty strong for me. I drive my truck around town and on the beach. Subaru Foresters do fine.

Anyone want some Discovery parts before it goes in the garbage?


 
#11 ·
The problem is people do not understand that they are not necessarily an "upgrade".

- The stock rear 24 spline halfshafts are the same diameter (and strength) as the stock 10 spline halfshafts. In order to get any stronger, you need an aftermarket diff and shafts, which can be done for either axle casing at the same cost.

- The hub bearings are closer together giving a weaker support. The problems with hub bearings loosening and drive flange bolts loosening only happens with the later axles.

- The front 24/32 spline halfshafts are smaller and weaker than the earlier 10/23 spline shafts, so you loose strength in the swap. You can upgrade the front with only shafts and a diff with the old axles. The front requires the CV to be changed. That said, later style CV/shaft sets can be had cheaper than the early style.

- The wider radius arms cut articulation a lot.

You do get the rear discs. They do not improve braking, but some would see them as a bit easier to work on and they are not as affected by mud and water.

You also get more common parts support.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Also dont be too worried about the rear ball joint. Mine looked like it was bolted to the titanic...

i used an electric impact to undo the old nut, then put the old nut back on loosely, i then used a 1in diameter bolt as a drift with a BFH and wailed on the thing a few times, then put a cheap ass harbor freight pickle fork under the rubber boot side and wailed on that...popped right off.

Dont be afraid to wind up and nail that thing hard.



Id pull from the disco:

Rear seats
second row seats
Tcase
Tcase speedo output sensor and pigtail
front calipers and hubs
 
#17 ·
Just remove all the parts you want from the disco (IMHO pull the entire drivetrain. Everything.), put them in the garage, and then have a breaker come and pick up the shell of the disco.

You'll get ~10 bucks from the breaker for the rest of the disco, I'm sure. They'll just winch it onto the flatbend - end of story.

Then you'll have time to figure out how to do the rest of the swap.

Welcome to hoarderville!
 
#22 · (Edited)
Sorry about my mild panic attack on here yesterday. It was just too much laying in the cold underneath another leaking rover Rover blocking my driveway that I don't have room for with the wife complaining.

I am going to finish stripping the axles and everything of value off this truck. Then get rid of the chassis etc somehow. Then decide what I am going to do, not rush it. If the D1 axles clean up nice I will swap them over into the D90. If not i'll just sell them. My currently axles are already nice and clean and painted black. The D1 are rusty and crusty currently.

Thanks for the helpful posts from you guys yesterday. Yes the current brakes in my truck are just fine, they lockup no problem. The idea of having discs in the rear and vented in the front appealed to me. The Disco supposedly has the Defender front calipers already installed. It also recently had the wheel bearings, one swivel, and brakes done. I also wanted to add sway bars to my Defender. Using D1 axles saves me half the work (welding brackets to the axles).

If I decide to go forward with the D1 axles I will pickup the new diff flange, 3 way brake adapter, and some SuperPro bushes for the front arm, and clean them up and POR them.
 
#25 ·
The Defender damper location is less prone to damage. Otherwise, it does not matter.

The more important decision is the front rod. If you want to change the Disco setup then you need to transfer over the pitman arm. It is a nicer setup as it uses normal tie rod ends, being easier to service. If you want both the Disco front arm and the Defender front damper, you will need a damper relocation kit.
 
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