Parabolic vs OME leafers

[stonefox]

I need to do the springs and shocks over on my 88 IIa. I don't plan to do any intense off roading or have to carry a fully loaded expedition vehicle. I'm not sure what direction to take this in? Any thoughts

[mongoswede]

I need to do the springs and shocks over on my 88 IIa. I don't plan to do any intense off roading or have to carry a fully loaded expedition vehicle. I'm not sure what direction to take this in? Any thoughts

I redid the rusty ones that were on my truck. If you have an angle grinder and some flapper discs and time this is a good way to go. i cut the bolts and bands off each spring, sanded off all the old rust and scale, then painted each spring with POR15 Black paint. Once each leaf was cured I reassembled the springs and put them back on the truck. The springs actually flex now .

Things you will need:
1. something like this:



and a bunch of these: I got mine out of Mcmaster Carr...the 4" ones are a lot more affordable then the 7" ones are.




and some of this:




and a bunch of this:

[scott]

i went paras & badvibes went ome and mine rides smoother, softer blah blah ...on and off road. they're both '64 88s, his a hard and mine a soft top

[stonefox]

one of the sets is flattened out.And the rig sit alittle loopsided .Is it worth trying to have them reworked ?

[I Leak Oil]

You can probably get them rearched if they aren't broken. The debate of original vs. parabolics can go on and on with no real resolution. I personally like parabolics and find most of the claims about being too soft or too much sway to be unfounded but that's just me. I've had new originals also so I have a frame of reference to compare them too. If you can find someone with them try to take their truck for a ride to see if you are comfortable with them.

If you're long on time and short on money you can try redoing the springs you have but be prepared...it can be a lot of work to do.

[LR Max]

RMs are about 45830285024924860381049x better than OEMs (I guess that is what you are referring to??).

If you have an 88, DO NOT put 3 leaf rears. I've got 3 leaf rears on my 109 with a hard top and with gear loaded in the back and they are too stiff.

OEM shocks and you'll be . Sure, it is expensive but worth it. I've been running RM springs and OEM shocks for almost 10 years now. Still good.

[gambrinus]

Try to go to a rally or somewhere that you can go for a spin in someone's truck that's running the RM Parabolics. Well worth the $$$... but see for yourself if you can.


RW

[smukai]

Parabolics

Back when I was running my truck daily, I pulled it off the road for two weeks and swapped out the original springs with a set of heavy duty parabolics and Old Man Emu shocks.

I haven't looked back since. The truck is far more comfortable to ride in...on and off road.

[adkrover]

Parabolics absolutely. Unless you plan to haul a lot of rocks around.

[TedW]

I bought the paras from our hosts a few years back.

UK made, with Old Man Emus. Ride is awesome compared to stock springs - will never go back. However, I run a soft top and found the Emus to be too stiff. So I put the standard Woodheads back on and have been extremely happy with the ride. Oh, and I don't miss the blood in my urine after driving on a bad road.

[jac04]

Another vote for parabolics. Most people mention the RM parabolics, but you may want to look into the Rovers North parabolics as well. I fit them to my Lightweight, and they appear to be well-made and the fit is good. I suggest pairing them with Old Man Emu shocks and Rocky Mountain U-Bolts. IMO, the u-bolts that come in the RN para kit are junk - they are smaller diameter than the originals and they don't come with the heavy duty "tall" nuts. Spend the extra cash on the Rocky Mountain U-Bolts.

For the RN parabolics, the rears only come in 3-leaf but I wouldn't worry about it. My Lightweight has a soft top, so the rear sits slightly higher than the front but it certainly doesn't look too high. I actually bought a set of extended military front shackles to even it out, but ended up not using them. To me, it just wasn't worth the hassle to have to install pinion correction wedges with the extended shackles to fix something that wasn't really a problem to start with. On a hard top 88", it will probably be closer to level.

NOTE: The RN paras are not UK-made. They are sourced from Jonas Woodhead Ltd. in India:

http://www.woodheadsprings.com/parabolic-springs.htm

[Jim-ME]

Parabolic springs are the way to go. 2 leaf fronts 3 leaf rears on a soft top 88.
Jim

[stonefox]

Oh, and I don't miss the blood in my urine after driving on a bad road.

LOL !!

[yorker]

I think it depends what you want to do. Over the last 13 years I have seen a lot of flattened or bent parabolic springs(aka full taper) I've also seen more than a few broken and rusted together OEM spring packs... Quality seems spotty with people haveing trouble with all sources at one time or another. If you take stock springs and paint them and place HDPE sheets between the leaves or find a way to reliably grease between them it makes a huge difference in the ride quality. Side by side a well set up/cared for set of original springs rides great- a rusted up set is horrible.

[mongoswede]

I think it depends what you want to do. Over the last 13 years I have seen a lot of flattened or bent parabolic springs(aka full taper) I've also seen more than a few broken and rusted together OEM spring packs... Quality seems spotty with people haveing trouble with all sources at one time or another. If you take stock springs and paint them and place HDPE sheets between the leaves or find a way to reliably grease between them it makes a huge difference in the ride quality. Side by side a well set up/cared for set of original springs rides great- a rusted up set is horrible.

Along these lines...you could take your old rusty leaf packs and soak them in a tub of kerosene or marvel mystery oil. Let them soak for a couple of weeks then clean them as best as possible and then coat them in soak them in oil and I bet they will start to free up.