Suspension lift

[chris.hunt22]

OK, I have got all my bits and they are going on Saturday, I have........

Britpart yellow +2" springs

Goodridge +2" braided brake flexis

2 x BR1077L Procomp ES9000 +2" shocks (rear)

2 x DA4181 De-carbon +2" (front)

265/75/16 BF Goodrich Mud Terrains

Any words of advice before I dive in at the deep end (I still have time to buy bits tomorrow when I get my shocks), I have never touched suspension before.  I presume with the brake flexis fit and bleed up one at a time?

Just before someone asks the question about mixing shocks - I wanted 4 x procomp but he had a problem getting them and I am inpatient if I have the bits plus I have a mate ready and willing to help!!

[ChrisW]

If you haven't already started, start soaking all the nuts and bolts with WD40 a couple of times a day!

[hairyasswelder]

Front turret rings  :shock: 9 times out of 10 the studs break  :shock: and for a fiver or so each its worth having spares  

Steve

[thepsychoman]

Front turret rings  :shock: 9 times out of 10 the studs break  :shock: and for a fiver or so each its worth having spares  

Steve

Agreed - cheap enough that its not worth messing with the old ones.

Spring compressors are also handy - not just for getting the old springs out, but for getting the new ones in!

[thepsychoman]

Oh yeah - and with that lift you and tyres you will almost certainly need to trim your wheel arches, end caps and maybe fit extended bump stops to the front end, plus adjust your lock stops to avoid rubbing...

[chris.hunt22]

Turret rings are on my list....will I need spring compressors or will undoing the shocks and anti roll bars allow the axle to drop enough to get them out (I have 4 x HGV lifts at work, the type you put under each tyre, thought of just putting 3 under at a time...thoughts please??

[thepsychoman]

That'll work - if you disconnect the brake lines first!  

[chris.hunt22]

Oh yeah :oops:  Never done owt with the steering stops, r they easy to do?

Phsychoman - before you say it no its not going to look like that big daft orange disco you have over there....it's red :lol:

[Budgie]

Just have one wheel off the floor, turn the wheels to hard lock one way and which ever tyre is touching the radius arm, alter the stop on the other side.
The stops are a simple lock nut on a bolt and the bolt head comes up against the swivel housing/axle case mating surface.
Simply wind the bolt out until the tyre on the other side is clear of the radius arm and then lock off the nut.  

[way2deep]

also when bleeding up brakes remember each front caliper has 3 bleed nipples per side  :D

[Range Rover Blues]

I'm not sure the bushes will allow you to flex the axle away enough with a 2" lift, mine don't.  With the police spec springs it's a very close thing and the last set I did needed the compressors.

[lee celtic]

New bolts for the sring retainers  :D

And I found that a set of nut spliters was the most handy thing to have as the bottom damper nut on the front is almost impossible to get at and as your changing the damper anyway you can just split the nut off.

And you can put the origional jack between the axle and the chassy and force the two apart enough to not need spring conpressors. :twisted:

[chris.hunt22]

Thanks to all comments - Thanks Lee Celtic, I haven't any spring compressors so that has stopped a panic!!  As for shocker bolts etc. I have oxy acetheline, air saws, big hammers, big impact guns etc. I'll get the bas*&$ds off :twisted:  Can't wait to change my vehicle spec. on Sunday to other than 'no mods....yet' :D

[Lyndsey731]

Don't know how far your thinking of going with your mods, but one thing usually leads to another, well it seems to with mine. If you are going to change your turrets or rear shock mounts at a later date to -2's it worth while fitting even longer brake lines now as +2 will still be stretched at full articulation. I got mine from Mill Services and the rear is 900mm long.
As for fitting the springs I dropped the axles as I was changing the radius arms aswell and had access to a hydraulic lift, there are some pics in my gallery

Good luck and have fun!

Gav

[chris.hunt22]

Some good pictures those, I like your car but I don't want to go that far with it, I only really do green laning and just want to get the same clearance (roughly) as a defender, thanks for your comments

[Range Rover Blues]

OK, I have got all my bits and they are going on Saturday, I have........

Just before someone asks the question about mixing shocks - I wanted 4 x procomp but he had a problem getting them and I am inpatient if I have the bits plus I have a mate ready and willing to help!!

I have Decarbon on the front and Procomp on the back, I don't notice much difference TBH so I wouldn't worry if I were you.

[chris.hunt22]

Done!!  It looks awesome, with the lift and tyres I have gained 4 1/2" in height after the springs settled, couldn't find the full lock stops but will have a nosey around under it tomorrow, couldn't get the bleed nipples off so I will take it in the garage on monday for them to do it whilst they look at the mysterious wandering that its still doing, (brakes work ok after 3 pumps but its not safe like that!!), didn't need the extended hoses on the back, gave it full articulation with the lift on and they hadn't reached full stretch, besides getting the front ones off was one of the biggest jobs!!  

On the heater matrix front though.....my temperature was going up and down like mad, thought it might be the thermostat (all the right signs) until I heard the water pump starting to squeel, took 3 litres of water to bring it up to the mark!!  Took my front mats out and my carpet is sodden, dash out next weekend then, thank god I have a placid wife!

Will put some piccys on tomorrow (before and after)

[muddymart]

well done mate, im going to be buying a kit for mine in a couple of weeks,got the modulars and tyres on order,looking forward to the pics

[gav]

chris hunt,

you can replace the heater matrix without taking the dash out. Remove the scuttle, over the gearbox and you can actually lever up the dash without creasing it, to side the heater out.

if you do it this way, you may need some bits of pipe to fit, as its difficult with the short pieces that are there, (they are ali pipes)

i did mine that way and it took me about 3 hrs.

This is only the way i did it, of course if your worried about doing damage to the interior then do it the correct way.

[chris.hunt22]

muddymart - just watch what modulars you get, I got my tyres from Talaren on here and he had got 30mm off set modulars which meant they would be no good without cutting a load of the wing out and fitting defender type arches.  Just as a hint, the brake pipes are an absolute nightmare but everything else was fairly straight forward, you can't really do this job on your own either and it helps to have a set of high weimer jacks that work independantly and a nice big workshop with oxy acetheline bottles for those stubborn nuts!!  

Gav - will have a look at that, all the people I have talked to all have 200s, might be easier on a 300?

[Budgie]

didn't need the extended hoses on the back, gave it full articulation with the lift on and they hadn't reached full stretch,  

On articulation you won't stretch the standard rear brake line but did you fully suspend the rear axle (jack the rear chassis up until both rear wheels are clear of the ground)?
This is when you'll need the extra length on the rear one, if you get caught in a "ramp-over" situation like this:

[chris.hunt22]

:oops: never thought of that, I will jack it up at work next week and see what its like (they are a bas&*£d to get off though :x

[chris.hunt22]

Here is some pictures before and after...

[thepsychoman]

Nice one Chris - makes a big difference having a bit of a lift and tyres. Glad it went well, mate.  8)

[chris.hunt22]

Psychoman - Just thought whats the height limit on the seacat??  Might have to be ben-my-chree (slow boat to china!!) when I come over - hope they don't charge me commercial rate :lol:

[Budgie]

You should be fine on the Seacat, I took my Disco on the one from Troon to Belfast at no extra cost and I've got a roofrack as well!!  

[chris.hunt22]

Hope so, I know its VERY tight with a standard height Transit :shock: (Isle of Man Seacat)

[thepsychoman]

My Landy (lifted, big tyres, etc) goes on as a "high car" so you shouldn't have a problem!  8)

[HSimmo]

How to you find the new tyres?
Did the mpg suffer? How's the road noise?

Quite fancy a set myself.

[chris.hunt22]

Apart from them being expensive as off road tyres go they are very quiet on the road, you can't tell from driving it that you have anything other than standard tyres on really, MPG, I won't know for a few weeks but I am not really a fuel guage watcher, just fill it up when its empty!!  I haven't tried them off road yet but they are suppost to be the mutts nuts!!  Only problem with them, when my speedo says 60 I am doing 70 :shock: