Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone and I spent almost my entire long weekend crawling around under my Vitara. But after three long days the 5.13's are in my truck and the shift on the fly is gone!
All in all the swap wasn't all too difficult, just time consuming with all the little issues that come up. Creating the hybrid axle was one task that i was particularly nervous about because I'd never taken apart a CV axle before but it turned out just fine.
I can't say the job is 100% done though. The front housing i got from the wreckers was a bit weathered and (only after pulling my front housing) i realized the pinion mount bolts were completely seized in the third member. I did everything that i could to get them out; the 2ft breaker bar sheered the heads off, then i tried hammering them out and finally i resorted to drilling them out. Bolt number 1 was drilled out perfectly but bolt number 2 didn't go so well. We didn't get the drill dead center and ended up drilling a bunch of aluminum. In the end the mount broke and was rendered useless. I was deflated to say the least. A broken pinion mount was the reason I'd started this swap. :'(
At that point i called it a day and went on the computer to look for a solution. I decided the best course of action would be to order one of Mud Child's pinion collars. This would mean grinding the crap out of the housing, but at least i wouldn't have to go on the hunt for a whole other assembly. Here's a pic of the pinion collar offered by Mud Child (available through SRcustoms.ca)
I don't have the collar yet, but with the housing properly ground down I decided to put the whole thing back in my truck. I created a temporary "sling" for the pinion end of the third and with the other two housing mounts firmly attached I'm confident it's not going anywhere. With my new manual hubs nothing is spinning anyways so i should be fine as long as i don't accidentally bump the shifter into 4wd. Because the collar is a two piece design i hope to be able to instal it with the housing in the vehicle. I just need the collar! Mud Child, call me!
Here are some pics i snapped along the way.
'97 Sidekick front housing on the left, '00 Vitara housing on the right (they're exactly the same)
'00 Vitara stub shaft on the left, '97 Sidekick on the right
Seized bolts. Who thought steel bolts in aluminum holes was a good idea??
This is what my new housing looked like after wrenching, hammering and drilling.
Grinding for the pinion collar
Grinding for the pinion collar
Action shot, working way too hard.
I'd be more then happy to field any questions. I know i sure had lots before starting this job!
