WTF!!?? Cabstar/MQ

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2004 12:57 pm

I was going to revive the older thread about this but this is kind of a new bit of info and needs new replies...

After the post about Dellow I visited their website. Sure enough they list a Cabstar conversion in their products but it was unclear if for a Patrol. I had already sent an email to Marks4wd requesting info on an adaptor they had listed. So before I contacted Dellow I waited for a reply from Makrs4wd.

Marks sent me the following emails....

Ian
Thanks for the recent e-mail. Sorry for the delay on a response as e-mail has been down. These are the Adaptor plates only. There are other plates required for the conversion. None of these parts are available anymore. You would need to make all other parts. Dellow Automotive have a conversions for the SD33 to Cabstar gearbox.
Nathan

Ian,
Thankyou for your email request. These are the adaptor plates only. Ther are other parts that are required to go with the plates although we are NIL stock on these other parts. Some Cabstars were fitted with the SD33 so theoretically it should bolt up to the SD33 engine.

Best regards
Nathan
Marks4wd

Ok so Marks4wd send me to Dellow also. But...WTF is this,

Quote:

Some Cabstars were fitted with the SD33 so theoretically it should bolt up to the SD33 engine.

Anybody know what he is talking about...is it true??

So any ways, I then call Australia tonight to chat with Dellow. The guy on the line tells me they only make engine adaptors for the MQ or other Patrols. Even after I persist and ask him again mentioning Marks4wd he says NOPE. Ok great I figure...email Marks4wd again and ask just a few more questions. Right then I get the following email from Dellow, I had emailed them 5 days ago.

Dear Ian,

Thank you for your inquiry. We only manufacture kits to install either a Ford V8, Chevy V6 & V8, Chevy Diesel 6.2L or 6.5L using the original 3, 4 or 5-speed transmission.

NOTE: The Cabstar or Caball 5-speed will bolt directly onto the MQ and the Transfer Case can be adapted using the original Nissan parts.

Best regards,

Dellow Automotive

Ok again WTF!!??

Quote:

NOTE: The Cabstar or Caball 5-speed will bolt directly onto the MQ and the Transfer Case can be adapted using the original Nissan parts.

Now this guy is telling me the same thing as Marks4wd, basically. It seems possible and very awesome, at least for me! Wink

So does anybody know anything about this and if it is true or BS?? Does the Cabstar 5spd bolt to the stock MQ engine and transfer case?? Dellow says all Nissan parts can be used in the conversion, does that mean use the Cabstar bell housing?? Didn't the MQ have different trannies or was it the MK that got a 5spd? As I understood it there is a few differnt things between a L28, SD33 or P40. So that must mean the Cabstar 5spd must match the same engine as in the MQ?? Before I buy a Cabstar 5spd and have it shipped half way around the globe it would be nice to know a bit more than these guys have said...

If it is indeed true this could be very sweet for MQ owners wanting to do a nice tranny upgrade, go to a junk yard, buy it, take it home and bolt it up!! armsup

Oh yea...a Chevy 6.2 or 6.5L diesel would be a very sweet mod for a SWB MQ!! Wink

Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Location: Melbourne Australia

<insert pic of my head exploding>

Too hard for me mate.

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2004 12:28 am

Quote:

Too hard for me mate.

awwww...c'mon, somebody help please. I can't figure this out on my own as the stuff is not here in the USA for me to check it out....

Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Location: Melbourne

The Cabstar--or Caball as it was sometimes known is a pretty rare truck over here in OZ. Remembering this trucks size, i cant imagine it having a SD33 6cyl diesel. It MIGHT have had an ED33 diesel engine which is similar to an SD33 but is only 4CYL. The SD33 and ED33 MAY have the same bolt pattern. The ED33 was also fitted to other Nissan 4x4's here a while ago. I THINK the SD33 and ED33 share a similar bolt pattern to the L28 petrol (gas to you) engine.

As far as i know, the Cabstar 5 speed is almost identical to the MK 5 speed except for lower gearing. I THINK its input spline count and output count are the same and it would also be a bit longer. I'm sure i remember reading in an old Marks catalog that they mentioned that their 5 Speed was a bolt in fit for the Nissan 5 Speed.....I'll see if i can find the old catalog and email again.

Nick

Joined: 27 Jun 2003 Location: cen vic

ask mk paptrol dude

Joined: 27 Jun 2003 Location: cen vic

ask mk patrol dude

Posted: Sat May 01, 2004 6:16 am

Woop wrote:

As far as i know, the Cabstar 5 speed is almost identical to the MK 5 speed except for lower gearing. I THINK its input spline count and output count are the same and it would also be a bit longer. I'm sure i remember reading in an old Marks catalog that they mentioned that their 5 Speed was a bolt in fit for the Nissan 5 Speed.....I'll see if i can find the old catalog and email again.

Nick

The cabstar box and the MQ-MK box are the same except for the gearing.

Both boxes are made at the Nissan Truck factory, thats why the MQ-MK boxes are so strong, they are actually made from truck parts.
Nissan continued with the truck factory making the gearboxes for the GQ aswell but ceased manafacture at the truck section of 4x4 gearboxes for the GU and onwards for all models of 4x4's.

Availability of cabstar 5spd boxes isnt that great but they are around, they are saught after by ppl wanting lower gearing to run larger rubber mainly without having to upgrade engine power IE V8

Kingy

Posted: Tue May 04, 2004 12:59 pm

awesome!

Thanks for the info....if you have anymore or come across anymore please let me know. I assume this means the Cabstar will bolt to the SD33?? I realize the 5spd will be longer but that is not really a problem. I am wondering if it will bolt to the bell housing on my SD33 or will require some mods here...?? If it has the same bolt pattern and the shaft is the right size this would really make my month! Being able to buy the tranny and bolt it up is much more than I had hopped for and will be much cheaper in the end. I know it requires an adaptor plate to bolt my transfer case to it....no real biggie there either. Believe it or not I am likely going to use some Volvo portals under this truck in conjunction with this tranny and my beefed up SD33. For the time being the C200 diffs will do though but once removed they will be real nice fitted under a G60! I have a good line on the portals from a friend at a good price so going to buy a set before long! Wink

I know what the Caball is, it came before the Cabstar. Had really cool suicide doors....wonder if it had a 5spd and if it would bolt to the G60!? Laughing

I didn't know there was not many Cabstars over there, I would have guessed there was lot's. In south America there is ton's of them and I can get the 5spd for $900usd.

Joined: 23 Oct 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia

RMP&O wrote:

awesome!

Thanks for the info....if you have anymore or come across anymore please let me know. I assume this means the Cabstar will bolt to the SD33?? I realize the 5spd will be longer but that is not really a problem. I am wondering if it will bolt to the bell housing on my SD33 or will require some mods here...?? If it has the same bolt pattern and the shaft is the right size this would really make my month! Being able to buy the tranny and bolt it up is much more than I had hopped for and will be much cheaper in the end. I know it requires an adaptor plate to bolt my transfer case to it....no real biggie there either. Believe it or not I am likely going to use some Volvo portals under this truck in conjunction with this tranny and my beefed up SD33. For the time being the C200 diffs will do though but once removed they will be real nice fitted under a G60! I have a good line on the portals from a friend at a good price so going to buy a set before long! Wink

I know what the Caball is, it came before the Cabstar. Had really cool suicide doors....wonder if it had a 5spd and if it would bolt to the G60!? Laughing

I didn't know there was not many Cabstars over there, I would have guessed there was lot's. In south America there is ton's of them and I can get the 5spd for $900usd.

So your MQ has C200s front and rear? My '83 MK has a C200 front and a H233 in the rear...

Posted: Wed May 05, 2004 1:45 pm

Quote:

So your MQ has C200s front and rear?

I believe it does but to be honest am not 100% sure. If I recall right the C200, H233 and H260 all came in the rear of MQ's. How can you tell?? I know pull an axle and count the spline but is there another way to tell? The truck is a SWB 83 MQ with sd33 and 4spd....if that helps.

Joined: 22 Oct 2002 Location: Your Mummas House!

RMP&O wrote:

awesome!

Thanks for the info....if you have anymore or come across anymore please let me know. I assume this means the Cabstar will bolt to the SD33?? I realize the 5spd will be longer but that is not really a problem. I am wondering if it will bolt to the bell housing on my SD33 or will require some mods here...?? If it has the same bolt pattern and the shaft is the right size this would really make my month! Being able to buy the tranny and bolt it up is much more than I had hopped for and will be much cheaper in the end. I know it requires an adaptor plate to bolt my transfer case to it....no real biggie there either. Believe it or not I am likely going to use some Volvo portals under this truck in conjunction with this tranny and my beefed up SD33. For the time being the C200 diffs will do though but once removed they will be real nice fitted under a G60! I have a good line on the portals from a friend at a good price so going to buy a set before long! Wink

I know what the Caball is, it came before the Cabstar. Had really cool suicide doors....wonder if it had a 5spd and if it would bolt to the G60!? Laughing

I didn't know there was not many Cabstars over there, I would have guessed there was lot's. In south America there is ton's of them and I can get the 5spd for $900usd.

YOUR HEAD A-SPLODE!!!!!!!!

(Seriously $900US is a lot of bling for a Nissan part.) armsup

you could buy half the G60s in this country for that sort of money!

Joined: 23 Oct 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia

RMP&O wrote:

Quote:

So your MQ has C200s front and rear?

I believe it does but to be honest am not 100% sure. If I recall right the C200, H233 and H260 all came in the rear of MQ's. How can you tell?? I know pull an axle and count the spline but is there another way to tell? The truck is a SWB 83 MQ with sd33 and 4spd....if that helps.

As far as I know all the C200s don't have a removable 3rd member ie Dana diffs. Whereas the H233 and H260 have the removable 3rd. How to tell the difference between a 233 and a260, I'm not sure.

Joined: 15 Feb 2004 Location: Maryland, USA

Yup, C200 has a cover plate, the others have third-members.

Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Location: Melbourne

[quote]How to tell the difference between a 233 and a260, I'm not sure

H260 is much larger than an H233 and i think was only centrally mounted--not offset. I think it uses a 10in Crownwheel whereas H233 9in I THINK

Nick

Joined: 15 Feb 2004 Location: Maryland, USA

The axle designation is the crown wheel diameter in mm, so a 260 is 27mm larger than the 233.

Posted: Fri May 07, 2004 12:52 pm

mine does not apppear to have a removable 3rd member and it has a cover plate so I am still assuming it is a C200 rear. I am also guessing most OZ MQ/MK's got the H233 while European MQ/MK's got the C200 or H260.

I have seen MQ/MK H260 rear diffs that are off-set to the RHS, I got pictures of it too. It has a removable 3rd member and came from a Police Patrol around maybe 86 in S.America. Also the H260 was put in ALL G60 Utes and G60H's, "H" being heavy duty. It is offset to RHS, ran from the 3spd and has removable 3rd member.