recently I place a r160 subi diff in the classifieds. after getting a few enquiries I opened it up to double check the ratio and discovered yes it is a 4.44 but it is also a ver2 vlsd. in short this means that the subi input shafts are the same both sides as opposed to some other vlsd diffs which run one longer input shaft (which is necessary to make the lsd work) and one short.

arguably the ver2 diffs are a slighty weaker diff due to only running two spider gears as opposed to the version that run the 4 spiders. I found the following link which explains Subaru diffs pretty well.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthr ... ?t=2597453

anyway the interesting bit is that both my stock std 1600 r160 stub axles fit perfectly into the Subaru r160 vlsd. within minutes I got thinking maybe I could change a few bits and pieces around and no welding and or machining will be necessary? at the end of the day they would either need to be held in with a circlip as per std Subaru setup or bolted in as per std Datsun setup.

option 1. (not sure of the proper name for it?) but use the shaft that the std 1600 r160 spider gears are mounted on in the Subaru vlsd. this would give me a threaded hole to bolt my stock 1600 stub axles into?

option 2. (slightly more dodgy) cut the tips off the Subaru vlsd shafts that hold the circlips in place and drill and tap them to suit the orginal Datsun bolt that hold the shafts in place. Basically bolting a piece onto the Datsun shafts that will make Subaru circlip setup work.

has anyone ever done this before. although it is classed as a slight weaker unit and I will need to change the tailshaft flange back to the 1600 type on the subi diff it means very little cutting and no welding. if it was successfull it would only be going behind a mild street driven l20b so don't imagine power will cause to much hassle?

the stub axles measure up pretty much the same except the Subaru ones are slightly longer. up to the circlip groove they are pretty much the same as the stock 1600 stubs. the 1600 stubs fit nicely into the subi diff there is just no way of holding them in place and this point. one thing I would need to check is the flange to flange distance. ie compare flange distance in stock 1600 to flange distance in subi diff. oh and I cant seem to find any circlips since removing the shafts should they come out on the shafts or stay in the diff?

The circlips are captive in the diff.

I would do option 2, although probably not cut the ends off the subaru shafts.
I would machine some buttons with the circlip groove that bolt on the end of the datsun shafts using the original bolt down the middle.
There is not much load on this area of the shaft.
I think i have seen someone do this before. Maybe on this site

edit
found it
http://www.bmsc.com.au/forums/rallying- ... atsun.html

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Circuit Race 1600 in the build

just thought I would post up my results. I ended up cutting the ends off the subi shafts then drill and tapping the centre to suit the original m10 datsun bolts. centre was quite soft. once all loctited together the new shafts snap into the subi diff perfectly. actually i had to fit a drive shaft to yoink them back out again.

As far as the strength of these ver2 vlsd go im told by a Subaru guy that there not as weak as people make them out to be. it came from a low milage gt forester which I believe puts out around 165kw. Most guys bagging these diff run higher hp motors and either circuit race rally or thrash there cars to death. when you dump the clutch on any car pumping out 250+ kw on tar then something has to give eventually. im confident as far as spirited driving goes behind most l series it should be fine. ive never been a fan of burnouts much anyway.

all I need to do now to make this a bolt in job is change the tailshaft flange. I think means stealing the 1600 diff flange and bolting it to the subi diff with the correct preload. anyone know what the procedure is for making sure preload is correct for the pinion shaft nut?

also if im not happy with 4.44 I believe I can swap the crown wheel to what ever ratio I can find but I need to research this a bit more.

Well done man. Just stumbled on this thread and noticed you posted up your results. Definitely something others should be aware of.

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1972 Datsun 1600, S14 SR20DET Engineered (204rwkW @ 17psi.)
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