hey mate
in regards to ur question i am not a racer but am going through the same thing.
if u get the early model hilux diff, they r short as and dont need to be cut out at all. the drum brakes on the hilux are usually awesome. of corse they r still drum brakes but im not changing mine. the way i think is that hilux's are used for towing n sh-it.. so they can pull up a lil dato. as for the fronts. well atm i am using a standard stanza strut with stanze brakes.. they will stop but a definate upgrade is on the cards.. another drama u may come across is that they r two different stud patterns (5 on the rear and 4's on the front). i am getting the fronts changed to a five stud ford stud pattern (pretty sure its the same as a hilux). then will get an upgrade kit from hopper stoppers... they are awesome.
so keep me updated dude... im sure we will go through the same sh-it everywhere...