Snake Racing kit suspension kit

[A*D*A*M]

I was e-mailing Snake Racing about something else and they mentioned that they are developing a complete Rover suspension kit for about a 3-4 inch lift. Kit will include dropped Radius arms, etc like the ones they make for Patrol / L'cruiser. I'm guessing it will all be Tough Dog stuff like their other kits and probably expensive. Dropped Radius arms would be nice, wonder how much $$$?

Will be about a month or more away apparently,

Adam.

[BIg StEvE]

Yeah probly would be good but i get the feeling too that it would cost a fair bit of coin!

[modman]

why not just bend your own, its not rocket science!
i've seen it even done cold
search for hsv rangies post on this.
don't waste your money on bling-bling.
david

[A*D*A*M]

Great if you've got a press and stuff to do the job. The suspension places I've asked about bending arms for me all refused. Some offered to make new ones at $1000+ and said it needed to be engineered.

I'm sure its a simple job, but without the equipment (and skills) car continues to wander. I'll probably just lower the front end a bit to correct castor. I've only got about 2inch lift in at the moment.

If you know someone who can do it cheaply, I'm all ears...

Adam.

[red90]

You could just fit offset bushes. I've heard some complain, but I had them for 4 years with lots of hard off roading and they held up fine. Articulation travel didn't change.

The other cheap option is to rotate the swivels.

[DARTHrover]

The other cheap option is to rotate the swivels

and this is not to expensive, LRA price is $140 per ball.

[modman]

get a plumber to heat the arms with an oxy then bend in a vise
(with thick gloves)
any engineering workshop worth their salt should be able to perform this service. doesn't have to be an automotive workshop.
david

[RangingRover]

I'm sure its a simple job, but without the equipment (and skills) car continues to wander. I'll probably just lower the front end a bit to correct castor. I've only got about 2inch lift in at the moment.

If you've only got 2 inch lift, you shouldn't be getting much road wander... I have 2.5 inch spring, and 2 inch body, and I have NO wander with standard tyres, with no castor correction.... Even with the 34s on it doesn't wander bugger all. Perhaps your alignment is out?

Anyways, there are 3 options (aside from cranked radius arms).... One is to space your radius arm bush at the chassis - can probably fit a 10mm (if not more) spacer between the forward bush and chassis bracket, depends how much thread is showing at the end of your arm. I can't remember if theres any problems with doing this, but i can't see one, providing the hole through the centre of your spacer is big enough not to impede the travel of the radius arm.

Another is offset bushes at the diff, personally I wouldn't bother with this option. If you need to go to the extent of offset bushes, go the whole hog and rotate your swivels, like a couple of people have said. Rotated swivels will allow you to get pretty massive spring lift.

[A*D*A*M]

I was quoted $800 to rotate the front swivel hubs by Davis Performance Landys. Plus if I only correct castor, the bushes at the chassis are constantly under stress and limits down travel. That said, my sway-bars are probably doing more to limit down travel than anything else at the moment...

Maybe its allignment or a combo of a few worn bits and pieces. I've only got 32's on the car (for now), but it tram-tracks more than it should. Its not unpredictable, but certainly sways around the lane on the highway.

Don't love the idea of the castor correction bushes.

Will try to find a plumber or someone with an oxy, vice and gloves.

Still, after I win the lotto and start fixing my car up for the OBC, it would be good if there is a kit on the market that allows a bolt on 3-4 inch lift that works. Nice for non-mechanical types like me to just be able to bolt stuff on and drive it. We can all dream...

Adam.

[Suspension Stuff]

Yes your suspension lift will be causing it to railroad a bit but maybe your tyres are adding to your problem. What pressures are you running on your tyres and what type of tyre are they? Also a wheel alignment can't hurt.

Shane

[modman]

obc has been won on standard radius arms
look at mike smiths rangie.
david

[DARTHrover]

my front bumpstop height is 130mm, and my disco was bump
steering every where. so i fitted a toughdog RTC steering
dampner, and it fixed the prob.
i dont have cranked arms, castor bushes or slotted swivels.
im running on 32'' mongrels.

any taller in spring or tyre and the LRA swivels are next.

http://www.lrautomotive.com.au/100.html

[red90]

A steering damper only masked problems. I run my 90 without any damper and it is perfect.

The first thing to check is swivel preload and bearing adjustment. Then adjust toe. Simple, quick and easy to do yourself.

[DARTHrover]

i replaced the chassis to radius arm bushes yesterday. the old ones
had squashed down 15mm. i was very supprised to notice the differance
in steering feedback.
a vast improvement.

[RangingRover]

Its good when a cheap fix makes a massive difference, isn't it.... 15mm of bush difference there is a lot of castor.... at a guess 2 degrees, possibly more?

[Rangie ute on 38'']

with the front arms would it be possible to bend and crank them or because they are cast they will crack and break.

[RangingRover]

yes, the radius arms are able to be bent, according to all reports.

[HSV Rangie]

Rad arms made from soft steel wil bend eaqasy with heat and will not affect them.
Michael.

[Bush65]

Its good when a cheap fix makes a massive difference, isn't it.... 15mm of bush difference there is a lot of castor.... at a guess 2 degrees, possibly more?

What am I missing?

I can't see 15mm at the chassis bushes making much difference to castor angle.

I can believe that slop in the bushes would affect the steering.

[1tonsoup]

If memory serves from other threads, the Rover radius arms are forged and the Nissan ones are cast - hence you can reheat/bend the Rovers but not the Nissans. Just a FYI.

Seamus.

[red90]

I was quoted $800 to rotate the front swivel hubs by Davis Performance Landys. Plus if I only correct castor, the bushes at the chassis are constantly under stress and limits down travel. That said, my sway-bars are probably doing more to limit down travel than anything else at the moment...

Have you seen LRA? http://www.lrautomotive.com.au/136.html

$280 to machine a pair of swivels to whatever angle you want.

[DARTHrover]

Have you seen LRA? http://www.lrautomotive.com.au/136.html

$280 to machine a pair of swivels to whatever angle you want.

apparently that isnt the price! they charge $660????

[ISUZUROVER]

Have you seen LRA? http://www.lrautomotive.com.au/136.html

$280 to machine a pair of swivels to whatever angle you want.

apparently that isnt the price! they charge $660????

John's price was just for the machined swivels - your price is the installed price.

[cooter]

if you crank your arms it shortens them somewhat and you actually have to bend them down 2 inches at the chassis end and up 3 inches at the diff end to compensate for a 3 inch lift. when i still had rover diffs i had a mate weld new controlarm plates on my diff and redrilled them to suit (mine were cracked anyway). though the swivel hubs can be done easy in a day by your average bloke
and as for steering wander that s most definately castor related but also check your wheel bearings front and back, as well as yor panhard rod busshes, nobody ever checks them. for every 1 inch lift you loose 1 /2 degree of castor so with a 2 inch lift you loose 1 degrres castor causing vaugness and railroading


ps the gq diffs are almost in the disco complete with droped arms 5 inch lift. Custom high angle shafts just come back today, rear a frame ball joint and trailing arm mounts go on tomorrow then just have to bolt them in so far cost is 3000 including shafts and brakelines

[jbell]

cooter looking forward to some pics, 5" lift will be good to see

[A*D*A*M]

At last wheel alignment, my castor was around 1.5 degrees. Apparently the rovers need around 3 degrees? I think bushes are good at the moment, could be tyres. They're only 265/75 cooper ST so not very agressive but side walls very straight that can cause tram-lining.

LRA are in Melbourne aren't they? I'm in Sydney at the moment, even then $660 is a lot of coin for slotting the swivel hubs. And no I don't have the time, tools, space or maybe skills (is it difficult?) to pull them off and do it myself.

It would be nice if there was a bolt-on fix that didn't cost the earth. Will try and find someone that can bend the arms for me.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Slunnie]

Overkill will do the swivel hubs for you.

[A*D*A*M]

Thanks Slunnie.

Might see if they will bend radius arms for me. Should be easier (cheaper).

Adam.

[MONGREL]

I too spoke with snake racing about this new lift kit on the way and one bloke said $2500 and another said no less than $3500 and is due out at the end of this month or the start of next month.

[cooter]

bent arms