New parabolics and shocks

[Dibsen]

Last week I replaced My 41 year old leaf springs with a fresh set of parabolic leafs. Ride hight looks right now, before the rear end was sagging pretty bad. I figured the new springs would need some time to settle, but it just seems like the shocks don't compliment the springs well. I thought I read that the standard shocks were a good match but the two seem to be fighting each other. My LWB III is bouncing around corners, the slightest bump in the road sends you bouncing down it. The shocks are brand new too.

So last night I order a set of UZJ100 rear shocks after noticing that they had the same configuration. I have never read of anyone else using land cruiser shocks on a land rover but I found some for cheap and I wanted to try it out. I'll let y'all know how it goes.

[jac04]

Definitely sounds under dampened. Which parabolics are you using? Rocky Mountain, Rovers North, 2 or 3 leaf rears? Which shocks?
I have run both RM and RN parabolics on SWB vehicles with OME Nitrocharger shocks with excellent results.

[Dibsen]

I ordered my parts from paddocks in the UK before I moved back to Florida. My front leafs have 2 and I thought the rears had 4, I'll have to double check. If the Land Crusier shocks end up not working out I will look at the OME's

[Dibsen]

http://www.paddockspares.com/para03-109in-rear-parabolic-springs-pair-4-leaf.html

Here are the leafs, 4 pack

http://www.paddockspares.com/rtc4442a-shock-absorber-lwb-rear.html

And here is the shock that is one there now

[jac04]

I think getting rid of the **itPart shocks will help. However, installing a set of shocks just because they fit and they are cheap may not yield the results you are looking for. You really need a shock that is tuned for the application. OME shocks aren't cheap, but they are very good IMO.

[mearstrae]

I've been using ProComp shocks for a few years now on my SIII 109, with good results. And they are a little cheaper than OME's. Our hosts have them for 109's I believe.

'95 R.R.C. Lwb (gone but not forgotten)
'76 Series III Hybrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[Dibsen]

Well I discovered a few things today.

The uzj100 shocks would fit and would probably be a nice, easy to find replacement part but, you would have to make some modifications.

I couldn't find the wheel travel for a series 3, so I just measured mine.... 6"... from the strap to the bump stop. 6 inches. American inches.

I knew it wasn't much but I thought it was a little more than that. Now, My straps look "Home made", and with the new leafs, the axle is contacting them (could be one of the reasons I had a hard time getting the new leafs in). So I need to look at replacing them with longer straps that bottom out just before the shocks do.

As for the Cruiser shocks, wheel travel on the Toyota is 13", more than double of my landy. So with a 4" extension on the upper shock mount and a 2" drop with the limit strap, the Cruiser shock would be sitting near where it would need to function (with some fine tuning on those measurements). Then you would have a cheap, easily replaceable, world wide part. So maybe some where down the road I will take a mother look at that.

For the **itPart (I liked that), that shock is only a dampener. It doesn't have any rebound. So that explains why my landy is driving worse with her new legs. That and the fact that the 4 leaf springs are over kill for what I need, I would have gone for the 2 leaf had I know about RM at the time.

[I Leak Oil]

I think you should do some research on what your shock absorbers are supposed to be doing and the different tuning characteristics that are built into each one. Listen to what Jeff said. Just because you can get them to fit doesn't mean they will work well. A 100 series cruiser is much heavier, has different spring rates, requires different characteristics than a series rover.

What you refer to as rebound I think is simply the gas charge in the shock. Even the stock rover shock has rebound characteristics. It's just not a gas charged unit.

[cedryck]

I have two leaf parabolics front and rear on my 88. I have old man emu shocks, and have to problems with comfort, road handling or too much spring. My only complaint is that although I love the movement of the soft two leaf rears, the truck sits a little funny with one side sagging. On inspection one can see that one rear leaf is just softer than the other, oh well,,cannot have everything I suppose

[Dibsen]

My ride was so bad because my limit straps were sitting tight up against the axle. So today I cut the straps and right away the ride was 10 times better. Guess I didn't need new shocks after all.

[Buster]

Hi Dibsen. I have new parabolics and polybush kit for my S1 renovation. Problem is - I'll have to stop driving it for a while. Any before and after pictures?

[Dibsen]

Ill have to do a little digging to find a before pic.

[Dibsen]

9627

This is how it sits today after the parabolics. Its roughly an inch higher on the other side.

[Dibsen]

Found these pics. I had just painted her before these.

9628

9629

9630

9631

9632

[Buster]

Awesome! I have poly bushings for my install, but I've been reading of late that rubber is better. I want soft ride, no noise. Thoughts?

[Dibsen]

I don't really have any experience with poly. I'm perfectly happy with the rubber

[TeriAnn]

Awesome! I have poly bushings for my install, but I've been reading of late that rubber is better. I want soft ride, no noise. Thoughts?

Poly: Unbound bushings allows more articulation. Harder than rubber. Tends to squeak when the grease drys out

Rubber: Bound bushings does not allow as much articulation. Rubber is softer so better absorbs higher frequency shocks, quieter when any lube grease has dried out.

-----

Most people measure articulation wrong. Minimum static articulation is where a wheel is tucked up and the other side is off the ground. maximum static articulation is when a wheel is hanging by the suspension when the other side is holding the weight of the vehicle end. You can estimate dynamic articulation by adding an inch to each for leafs and 3 or 4 inches for parabolics.

----

The check straps limit dynamic side sway to help keep the dynamic centre of gravity inside the wheelbase. Parabolics have more side twist capabilities than leaf springs. So a parabolic sprung LR will fall over on its side while driving at a shallower side slope than a leaf sprung truck.

A truck without the limit straps will fall over when driving on a shallower side slope than will a truck with the same suspension and properly adjusted limit straps. The whole purpose of the check straps is to limit dynamic roll.

So if you drive mostly on pavement and stay away from side slopes parabolics with rubber bushings might be best for quiet comfort. But they are not the best idea for gonzo driving terrains.

[Dibsen]

Teriann,

What is your current suspension setup?

I found your expedition Rover site a few years ago, which I love, and still use regularly. How would you recommend I measure the correct length for my check straps? I had to cut the old straps to allow the new parabolics to breath.

I am holding on to my old leaf packs for now. 80% of the surface that my series sees is paved, I drive it daily to and from work, and when driving off pavement here in Northwest Florida, the terrain is relatively flat and sandy, or wet and muddy when it rains. We really don't have any technical terrain and, I love my landy, I don't beat it up on rocks just to see if it will survive.

But someday I could find myself in the Pacific Northwest or Colorado, and all that might change. haha

[TeriAnn]

Teriann,

What is your current suspension setup?


Not what I would like it to be but I'm severely money constrained.

What I have is two one ton front leaf springs up front and a matched pair of one ton springs in back. I do not have sided springs. There are sheets of ultra high density plastic between each leaf on the spring packs that eliminates most of the leaf to leaf friction. The combination gives me a soft as parabolic spring ride without the side sway and axle wrap that you get with parabolics.

I once did a very unscientific ride comparison. My Dormobile and a friends Dormobile that had newish parabolic springs. We hopped in my truck and ran a route that included 45 MPH pavement with some curves, a dirt road section and an off road section. Then we hopped in his Dormobile and ran the same route at the same speed. The only difference we could detect was that his truck leaned more on road curves.

By their construction, leaf springs are more resistant to lateral torsion and axle wrap caused by torque.

I also have extended shackles (6 degree wedge between the front springs & axle housing to correct king pin angle) which provide a one inch lift, greasable poly bushings and OME shocks.

If I were richer I would put a pair of rear leaf springs on the front and extend both the front and rear shok mounts to allow the installation of significantly longer shocks.

It is the sheets of plastic that eliminate the leaf to leaf friction that makes all the difference. I have a lot of respect for the effects of the dynamic centre of gravity to ever ant to put parabolics under my truck. But I live and drive in the four corners states and slopes are the norm. I also have an engine that produces real torque so spring wrap can be a real traction problem.

[Dibsen]

I hear you on the short funds. I usually can't replace/upgrade an item unless the stock part fails.

[TeriAnn]

I hear you on the short funds. I usually can't replace/upgrade an item unless the stock part fails.

It is one of the joys of being retired and going from a solid Silicon Valley middle class to living below the poverty level. Then have medicare skim about $200/mo off the top for part this and part that. Instead of calling it the golden years they should call it the threadbare years.

Thankfully I have had my truck for 37 years now and had a policy that if anything breaks I strengthen it instead of replacing things with stock parts. I think the only stock parts left in my 1960 Land Rover's drive train are the front axle housing and the clutch slave cylinder. It has become a whole lot harder to break things on my truck.

Thankfully I entered my poverty years debt free and with a fully paid for house and two paid for cars in very good condition.

My hope now is to finish writing my book (s) and hope they sell. I had a very good mentor when I started with Land Rovers and now have 37 years experience with my truck including a lot of extended travel. My thought is to share what I have learned beyond what is in my Land Rover web site. And hopefully make enough money for tyres, fuel and property taxes.

Book #1 in process: is about extended vehicle dependent overland travel in North America. It is more of a why-to than a how-to but there is a lot of how-to included. My assumption is that people all have their own styles and different comfort levels. So I try to provide the parameters and an understanding of the basics to allow the reader to make a decision that works best for them. I feel it works better than buy this, buy that and modify your truck to instructions. And if you can read a water crossing or an assent you can make a decision on how to best proceed and not just follow a how-to script and hope it works in your situation.

Book #2 in back burner process: Is a biography about my first 20 years with my Land Rover. Starting with coming across a derelict broken down non functional truck, getting it running, years as a farm truck through its transformation into a long range expedition style dormobile and the vehicle's first year after the conversion was finished. On the trail for 20 weeks during the 20th year of ownership. It is a book about a girl and her Rover.

Book #3 Not started: A how-to on setting up a Series Land Rover. It will go into a stock Series strengths and weaknesses. How to strengthen the weaknesses. Vehicle modifications, maintenance and more. I expect it will draw heavily from the first book and my Land Rover web site. I intend it to be a how-to that goes into what works, what doesn't and what the design tradeoffs are.

Right now sharing what I have learned costs me money. The web site, internet connection, computer upgrades and software upgrades. I could save money by taking down the web sites and going off line but too many people have become dependent upon my sites as a reference. My hope is to share more and hope for a reverse cash flow.

[bugeye88]

Terriann,

Look forward to all three of the books! I have always found your advice and web site to be be informative and straight forward. Many of my projects on my Landy's have been accomplished with your help. Your sense of humor also will be refreshing to hear in your books.

Rob
68 Bugeye88