DHappel
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Posts posted by DHappel
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After cleaning up the frame rail, removing the crossmember bolts, test fitting and marking out where the bracket will mount.
And a few of the implements of destruction used to get to this point.
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Some video that may or may not upload correctly. Links included just in case
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uUN6rGrvjAGHM27G8
You can also see the slider tie and frame plate in the video that I had to remove although I don't mention them here.
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First cut - lop the old mount off. This is also the body mount, so I didn't just hack it all off but instead only the lower parts.
You'll see the new bracket will basically line up right at the trans mount bolts, so it will need some mods to accommodate them. I also had to cut a hole in the frame to accommodate the large bolt that secures the Johnny Joint.
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First step is to take a ton of measurements so you will know where you want the axle to land, then you can work backward from there to see where you'll need to install the new brackets. You will have to cut the old radius arm mounts off the frame and for me I also had to cut one of my slider frame ties which I added back in later.
One other benefit of this design is it gets the frame side mounts up flush so they don't hang down to snag a rock.
I should apologize, as the remaining photos jump back and forth between driver and passenger sides.
The original mount, first with the obligitory destroyed bushing and again with the radius arm removed.
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Here you can see my old RTE arms compared to the new Adrenalin arm. Note that they will build them to any length you want by request. This is their "off the shelf" length which gains you a bit over original.
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I finally got tired of changing bushing constantly and picked up a new set of Johnny Jointed longer radius arms and frame mounts from Adrenalin 4x4. These require cutting off the stock mounts on the frame and installing the new mounts. Since you can decided where to locate them it would be a good time to push the front end out a bit if you wanted, but I basically put the axle back to the stock location. Although if I want I have enough adjustment in the Johnnys to push it forward about an inch.
Keep in mind this will apply equally to the Disco 1, RRC, and Defender as they all share the same basic chassis and running gear.
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( link to all photos/videos here https://photos.app.goo.gl/cNhsHfYRsHMUUnBA9 )
For years now my D1 has been running a set of RTE radius arms with an unusual trick - the driver's side is a 2-piece design that has a pin you can remove for trail running that lets it flex more than normal. This articulated arm is sorta unique in the Rover world but I understand its an idea stolen from early Bronco guys. Some have called it a poor man's 3-link.
Anybody who's wheeled with me will have seen me pop under the rig at the start of the trail to pull the pin and again at the end of the trail to put it back in. I learned the hard way you really don't want to drive on the highway with the pin out when I forgot to put it in one day at Prairie City and drove home trying to figure out what the hell was wrong the whole way. Pretty squirrely to say the least.
This worked well enough with my original 5" lift, but about a year ago I started tweaking things. I went up another inch and I did some work to the front to get a bit more droop. These two things together meant I was now going beyond what the radius arm bushings could handle and with the articulated link I was killing bushings on every run. I got to the point where I could swap that bushing in the time it took me to air up at the end of the trail.
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2 minutes ago, Motobrewer said:
Looks great, especially next to those burnout marks in the dirt.
ha...that's just the tread marks from driving across it when wet. As soon as it rains the whole drive flattens out again and looks new. I'd love to concrete the whole thing but my god the cost! Last time I got an estimate it was around $15K. Probably $20K by now. For that money I'll live with the decomposed granite.
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OK, rated 7700 lbs. A bit light for my needs unless I can drop a lot of weight as I'm about 8500 in my current setup. Gasser is rated at 282hp/332tq - also a bit lighter than my current trok. But maybe if I build that fantasy rat-rod Series 1 and get an aluminum trailer. 😁
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I like most of what I'm hearing. I'm not going to jump after one any time soon but will keep an eye on them. At the moment it doesn't fit any needs I have but who knows what I'll want in 5 years. Might be ready to swap the L322 for a more overlandy vehicle.
BTW, do you know what it can tow? I should look at the website and get some basic info I guess.
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5 hours ago, SDS said:
I am blown away by all the details! This is one of the best write-ups I've seen.
Almost makes me want to do spacers on my LR3 😉
It's easier on the LR3 as well as cheaper. And worth it if you run a lift.
Any of the late model trucks with air - if you notice when at off-road height you will see they are very stiff and really bounce over bumps - that makes you loose traction as the tires will literally bounce off the ground even when moving fairly slowly. Additionally you loose an equal amount of down-travel to the amount of lift you have added. That's a big no-no - you might be able to clear a give rock in the trail but you loose all your articulation which is already very poor on these trucks.
I fully recommend doing a spacer/"bump stop extension" on any of the air suspension trucks.
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And yeah, that front bumper isn't great looking. Nor is the grill. But both of those are easy enough to deal with.
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Any info on axle and TC gearing? I believe it's set up like a Rover or G-class with 3 manually locking difs?
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It's been on the road now for a couple months with no issues. There is still some slight rubbing in the front at full lock but only just - nothing I'm worried about. The real test will be to get it off in the dirt and see if there's any rubbing when flexed out that I couldn't duplicate in the shop or on road.
Next mods will be to custom build some sliders a-la Robert Dingle and to make a steel skid to replace the factory fiber/plastic ones as well as provide additional coverage for the transmission and t-case.
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The fender liner in the same area.
I did the same mod to the driver's side rear liner, but without the filler issue.
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In the rear passenger, the fuel filler runs along the leading edge of the fender behind the liner. Here I pulled the filler tube as far out of the way as I could and zip-tied to hold it there. Then I slotted the stock plastic guard, heated it to soften, pulled the flaps together to form tighter to the filler, and secured with the universal fixing agent. I did the same on the liner itself only used a tapping screw to hold the flaps together.
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The big issue on this side is the auxiliary oil cooler. This is only on the supercharged models and I understand some people just remove it. It really doesn't have any room to move so I ended up cutting a lot of the plastic 'grid' away from it. I bent up a piece of expanded steel to provide some protection since the plastics were compromised here.
I secured it with.....you guess it, zip ties. To get to the back side (front of vehicle) I removed the fog light and reached through the opening.
Sadly I once again don't have many photos, but I also removed the small "spoilers" that hang down under the front air dam on each side and then basically tweaked and fiddled with the fender liners and plastics to move them for as much clearance as I could get.
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On the passenger front, I started by moving the air valve up/back. More zip-ties here plus I took a slice out of the lower plastics to give better clearance for some of the air lines.
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Unfortunately I'm short on photos for the next bits, though mostly you just have to sorta figure it out by trimming plastics as needed. I'll show what I can/what I can remember.
On the driver's front, the biggest issue is the washer reservoir. I wasn't able to move it very much but was able to sorta move it 'in front of' it's original mount and zip tie in place. Expect to do some plastic trimming as well.
I believe I also made some small tweaks to the plastics at the back of the wheel well near the lower plastic sill trim but don't seem to have any pics.
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Well, you MIGHT be done.... in my case I went with a little more tire than maybe I should have so I needed to do some extra clearancing.
Also, remember back on the front struts where you cut that flange off? That was to make clearance for the sway bar link. On mine, it just barely touched at full droop. You will also want to double check the routing of the ABS wires, brake sensors, and brake lines to make sure they aren't at risk. I ended up zip tying some of them to keep them in the clear.
Tried to upload a short video with mixed luck - here's a link. https://photos.app.goo.gl/1Yy2tb8AnTjGmuhK
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Add the included rear lift rods, repeat on the other side, and you're done. You will want to get a proper 4-wheel alignment done ASAP, though I wasn't far off on mine.
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Drop the rear struts and gaskets - here's where you may need to do some further mods to the kit. The spacers (they are specific to left and right to maintain angles) bolt on just like in the front however I couldn't get them to quite clear. I ended up having to open up the holes slightly using a step bit. You could equally use a carbide burr or other means to enlarge them. Don't go overboard, you can always cut bigger if you have to but it's hard to put the metal back. Re-install the original gasket on top of the spacer to help keep dust down, or just use a bead of silicon.
I also found it a PITA to get the spacers back up through the body to mount as it's a tight fit. More swearing may have been involved.
D1 front suspension mod
in Modifications and Fabrication
Posted
More video... This is explaining the mods that the bracket will need to work on my application.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/xGykvp6kz53HkYzF6