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]

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.

[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?