I posted this on my website in the forum. I may be stupid and not understandimng this correctly but I do not think this is the case. I will paste the post here because I am seriuosly impressed by what I found out this evening....of course please correct me if I am fully not right.

I am researching diffs for all years of Patrols. I think I just found a H260 heavy duty rear diff in a scrap yard over seas. I got a picture of this early H260 diff and it is massive, I mean big man! I was just looking at an ARB chart on all makes of diffs for all trucks. Toyo, Nissan and Dana domestic stuff. What I saw that really impressed me is that the H260 rear Nissan diff has a 1.51" diameter shaft. It is also a 37 spline....this is larger than the Dana 60 which is a 1.50" diameter shaft and 35 spline. The H2 Hummer is only a 1.37" diameter and 33 a spline. The ARB chart is 12 pages long and the only thing I see bigger than the H260 is a Dana 80 which came in both 1.50" and 1.60" with 35 and 37 spline.

All I can say is WOW the H260 is one massive Nissan diff! I knew they were gnarly but until now had not see a spec chart to compare. No wonder I have never heard of the H260 failing....

By what the chart shows no Toyo can even touch the H260, they are all 1.31" and 1.1" with 27 and 30 spline. The Dana 44 is a 1.31" with 30 spline. The biggest and tougest Rover is a Salisbury with a 1.24" diameter shaft and 24 spline....can't even touch the H260 either!

The C200 front diff is a 1.20" shaft with a 29 spline, not much smaller than a dana 44. It does not list the c216 because no ARB locker for this 60 series diff. Yet, the smallest Nissan diff listed is a R180 or R200. The R180 is a 1.09" shaft and 27 spline and the R200 is a 1.20" with 29 spline. I know the C216 Patrol diff is larger that these small Nissan diffs.

One thing is for sure...Nissan knows how to make some seriously stout diffs....their trannies are pretty darn tuff too. At least the Patrol ones are....

Also FYI, the H260 has been around since the early 1960's. In the old 60 series it was an offset passenger side diff. In the new 2004 GU Patrols it is a center pumpkin diff but is and has always been a 1.50" shaft and 37 spline.

I also made some wrong assumtions recently that the newer Patrols still have the passenger side pumpkin, just like the old ones. This is not right, the rear is a center pumpkin diff. Obviously this is due to the tranny being different. The newer 5spd has the transfer case inline with the tranny and this leads straight back to the rear diff. The front is fed front the side of the transfer (I think) and so it remains an offset to passenger side front solid axle. This will present a problem with fitting the GQ/GU 5spd to the 60 series patrol. Only way to do it is going to be to use a rear diff like the new H260 or the H233/H233B. Also I suspect a custom super short driveline will have to be used as the stock 3spd in the 60 series is very short, the GQ/GU 5spd is not short al all. There is also a difference in wheel base that is going to be a problem in fitting the 5spd. Lifted it could be impossable to fit the 5spd as the drive line will be at to great an angle for being so short. It could be doable in the G60 MWB though....

Wonder if they will ever make a locker for the C216.

I don't think so Jon...the old Patrol is getting less and less popular outside the USA. We do not have enough owners here to convince them to do it. I am not sure but it is looking like the C216 is very similar to the C200, so much so that we may be able to use parts from it to lock up the C216. Also I know a guy in Australia who is into 60 series Patrols, he happens to work for ARB too. He was or is working on modifying his diff gears so an ARB locker wil fit. If he gets it done we may be able to do the same to ours and fit a locker. That would be really sweet....

A couple C200 axles might be easier to source than an H260/H233B combo tho....


1998 Frontier 4x4, 2002 Xterra 4x4, 1983 280ZXT, and a ratty old Sentra
Remember, Grow the Nissan Community and stand up for ORV user rights!
Card Carrying M.E.S.A Member (Modified Easterly SWANKy Associates)

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Originally posted by Fudd:
Also I know a guy in Australia who is into 60 series Patrols, he happens to work for ARB too. He was or is working on modifying his diff gears so an ARB locker wil fit. If he gets it done we may be able to do the same to ours and fit a locker. That would be really sweet....

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Now that would be SWEET!

That front axle of ours looks plenty strong enough, and if I could get a locker for it, I would throw parts upon parts at it, because it would be worth it!

quote:

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A couple C200 axles might be easier to source than an H260/H233B combo tho....

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You may very well be right DR for any kind of quanity. Although, I found the H260 before I have found any C200's. The few pictures I have of the H260 is simply awesome. The thing is filthy but looks massive. I mean real big, like a dana 60 or 80 big. The one I found is from a 1980's MQ/MK Patrol, it was rare in them. It is off set and should literally bolt into a 60 series Patrol, drive line will be made or used from something else. The same diff can be found in a small Nissan passenger bus. The earlier H260 from the 60's & 70's is pretty much the same as the 1980's one. it was put into "H" model Patrols and the Nissan Junior truck. The later H260's found in GQ/GU Patrols I am pretty sure is center for the pumpkin. There is also a H233B front diff and an H233 front. The H233B is in GU/GQ's and the H233 is in MQ/MK's. H233 is all drum brakes and the H233b is in both drum and disc. The H260 is both leaf and coil sprung in a several ratios.

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That front axle of ours looks plenty strong enough, and if I could get a locker for it, I would throw parts upon parts at it, because it would be worth it!

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I agree Jon it is strong. If I recall right the ARB guy was working on grinding his ring gear down to fit the locker. I think it is doable...The C200 that a locker is available for just requires moving the spring mounts inward a touch and shortening the drag link & tie rod. Yet, there are different ratios and the right one must be used to fit the stock 3spd.

Fudd,

There are some good bits of reference material in the Files section of this group, service manual scans, etc. Get on board and check 'em out:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Patrol4WD

Brent

Cool link, Brent!

Just a bit of extra information. The H233B can be found as an off-centre (passenger side) axle in any K160/W160 Patrol made until 1989. The tranny is either made for the SD33(T) diesel or the L28 gas engine, but the t-case is interchangeable even with the newer trannies.
With the introduction of the coil sprung G-series Patrol in '89 and the spain made K260/W260 came the centre rear diff in either H233B or H260 depending on market and application. Off-centre H233B's are easy and cheap to come by here in Germany and all came with the factory LSD.

BART's world
'91 Patrol 2.8 Turbo Diesel LWB

Life starts where the road ends!

Hey Bart!

Good to see you back on the board. I hope you have been having fun with you Patrol. Take it easy.

Jason
69' Patrol
3 speed, I-6
"Super Roof Rack"
Custom 3" Lift
32" X 9.50 Super Swampers
Superlift Shocks

87' 5spd 2wd hardbody 225K

Heya Bart...you sure could solve a lot of questions for me. I won't spam you with them though...

Just one about the transfer case. Are you saying the MQ/MK 1980-1989 transfer will work on the newer 1989-2004 GQ/GU Patrols, with the 5spd? And vise versa?? Does this then mean the rear diff is center on 1980-1989 Patrols? I have found a H260 rear diff from a 1987 Patrol, it is offset. Doesn't the transfer case on new Patrol run inline with the tranny and the pre-GU run offset bolted to the side of the tranny? Hence the offset front and rear diff....the newer Patrol running offset only on the front.

Just ask !
You have to divide between the MK/MQ generation that was sold in Australia and the rest of the world and the 260 series which was made in Spain and sold in Europe and Africa. The MK/MQ was succeeded in Europe from the first coil-sprung GQ and the leaf-sprung 260 (like mine) as the work-horse. With the 260 series (body-style, not diff-type) came the centre diff in the leaf sprung Patrols. The t-case is basically the same since the 260 uses the same RD28T engine and the same 5-Spd. tranny as the GQ/GR. The tranny being the FS5R30A and the t-case being the TX12A. The 1980-1989 MK/MQ is offset, the K260/W260 is centre.
Hope that helps. If you have any questions just ask.
BTW, we have a lot of nice Patrol pics from our last Sahara trip on our webpage www.offroad-events.org

BART's world
'91 Patrol 2.8 Turbo Diesel LWB

Life starts where the road ends!

Bart,

Awesome pics. Man you guys got in some serious sand! I would love to do that race. Just to finish. I know that I could never win because I would be out playing in the sand and taking pics every chance I could. I would love to get one of those awesome Patrols. I'm so jealous.

Looks like fun!
Jason

Speaking of axles... some of you may remember a topic on NPCA about a D60 with an offset diff. I know I do. And since then, Ive done some research on this mythical axle. That fact is, there is no D60 with an offset diff, BUT there is a D60 with an offset pinion. We all know how big a D60's pumpkin is... This allows the pinion to be offset by a good 5"!

I left the info figuring they would be few and far. But over the weekend, while rummaging through a salvage yard, I found 2 of them! And this wasnt even a very big salvage yard! So I figure theyre not quite as rare as I had thought they were.

They are found in old Ford 1-ton vans and mid to late 70's Jeep J-20 1-ton pickups

Anybody looking to build up a Patrol into a serious rock crawler would find this info very valuable, and I figured I would post it up here just in case there is people out there that are trying to build a rock crawling Patrol while maintaining its original motor/tranny/t-case.

Question: How far offset are the rears? Are we talking more, less, or about halfway from the centerline?