Hi Guys,

Just wanted to know what the best bang for buck option is for a rear axle assy to go into a 1200 Ute with a sr20det? I was thinking of going with the maddat option but its a bit out of my budget. Also what diff ratio should i go for if I'll be doing occasional drags and mostly highway driving?

Thanks.

The most reliable cost effective option would be the r31 swap, the diffs can be had for around $150 if you look around, if you do what you can yourself it will be around $700 to have it shortened at a shop. But then factor in new bearings, seals and maybe brakes. Still cheaper then the maddat setup tho

Agree with Wardy.
Get yourself either a Ford Falcon, Holden Commodore or Nissan Skyline diff as they're all basically the same. They're a Borg Warner diff but I think they're made by BTR Engineering (Aussie company). I would personally recommend the Commodore version as they have a simpler brake setup. It is a straight in/out piston arrangement the same as a front caliper rather than the annoying rotating arrangement on the Ford and Skyline. The park brake is also very good in that it is like a drum setup inside the disc so neat and easy to adjust.
The other thing you need to consider is what stud pattern you want to run. Skyline is a 4 stud, Commodore is 5 stud 120 pcd and the Falcon in 5 stud 114 pcd. I've got 2 diffs but have decided to use the commodore (rather than Skyline) and I will convert the front to VT Commodore brakes (work in progress) so as to have matching stud pattern front and rear.
You can play around with axles or get them modified when you get your axles shortened but it all adds up!

The ef/el falcon diff has the same caliper and handbrake setup as the commo diff, I used the ford diff for the many wheel choices available, most of the popular jap cars are the same pcd, the ford pcd is 114.3 also lol.. Some good info there though

i also agree with wardy ,the comm diff is the easiest one to convert and the brakes are more than adequate , a side question is your ute engineered with the sr turbo and if so how did you pull that off ?

I would suggset an early model hilux diff.

It is the right width to fit under the car, 8" crownwheel, and big axles, and the leaf spring mounting points are almost in line with the original 1200 ones. (depends on how dodgy you want to be...)

-jamie

agree with Jamie don't discount the hilux option.
Ratios are plentiful also.
As for recommended ratio, 3.7 or 3.9:1 for a street car and are also good for loading up at the drags.

Bryan