Adj. Panhard Rods/Quick disconnects/Steering Damper

[Dee]

Hey all,

Hey all,

Trying to correct up all the handling in my patrol, get it all nice and sweet.

Just wondering who's gear alot of people are using on their rigs. Im looking at throwing in some either longer springs or 30mm coil packers and adj. panhards if i need them on my already 3" lifted GU. Reason for this is my springs are popping out as the procomp shocks are too long. I was going to go 3rd's rods as i thought they would be the pretty blue colour to match the rest of my suspension components, but they aren't...

Also, what are the best/good quality quick disconnects. Ive got ones from arb on the rear and they are SH1T! ceased up, not long enough (disconnects pop apart with all the flex) rub on the sway bar and squeak etc. I want them to fit on nice and easy. Apparently some require drilling of the swaybar? difficult to fit?

Also, I wanted to put a procomp steering damper on. But i was interested in a "return to centre". These are only the ones with the spring on the outside to aid the return to centre feature? Pro comp dont make one of these? I've seen the 4-way ones and heard good reports. Was trying to keep all my suspension components uniformal. Didnt want to mix and match to much, but what ever works best really.

Just interested in what brands of gear some people are using.

[crankycruiser]

Geez.. well i dont run sway bars.. so i cant help ya there..

But i have 3rd's panhard rod.. (Nice and shiny )
King springs
Tough Dog Shocks
and a big 4 way RTC damper....
I dont think that the rtc damper is really that important if u have the right castor.. all it really does is try and make up for lack of castor..

It is good in the bush tho with 36" or bigger tyres

[Suspension Stuff]

What length is your shocks and what brand are you coils that you currently have?

1. Tie your coils in so they don't pop out.
2. Get castor correction bushes if you haven't already got them. $100+ freight.

I have heard that the return to centre steering dampers can stuff the your power steering over time. I do think your steering damper makes a difference to how nice it drives.

Make sure you raise your bump stops so the shocks don't bottom out.

To lift it higher using packers or coils you are going to run into a lot of extra expense.

4. Get extra long sway bar link pins front and rear $110. You will get full travel with a 3 inch lift or very close to it.

5. 30mm Packers are $30 each for the front and $25 each for the rear for a GU.


www.suspensionstuff.com.au
Shane

[jimsaq]

I'm finding the snake racing disconnects to be good so far, extremely solid and slot together very well. Keep them WD-40'd and they're very easy to remove/replace the pins. I've never had any experience with other disconnects but I've seen a couple and they look horrid, all wobbly and rattly.

[Dee]

thanks for the replies.

Shocks are procomp. I originally wanted 2" heavy duty springs with 30mm coil packers. Shocks are to suit this. I wanted 3" lift finished height. Because springs (lovells) were heavy duty lift ended up at around 4" with packers. I told them not to worry about the packers but now the shocks are too long. Castor has been corrected. It drives fairly nice.

Ive had the sway bar links extended but have snapped them twice. want to go some decent disconnects. Tuff - and disconnectable... Snake racing sounds the go...

the shocks dont bottom out. never have. rear 33's just scrub inside of guard at absolute full flex. (without sway bar).

I've never heard of BATC... link? website? info? Had a look at the superior stuff. Is that certified engineering?

[Dee]

just added this sh1t up!

snake panhards
snake disconnects
30mm packers
pro-comp damper

=$1350!

[Mud_5lut]

i run 4 inch climax coils, 5 inch tough dog adjustable, no sway bars, front and rear tough dog adjustable panhards, tough dog return to centre steering dampner, 5 inch castor plates. mine drive awsome i tow horse floats with it and no problems. i will never touch another shock after going the adjustables are unreal. now total cost $2000. very nice to drive and took me 3 hours to fit.

[Dee]

ill have a go at pulling the sway bars off on saturday. See how it drives on and off road.

Pisses me off though because without them connected (well the rear anyway) even going up a gutter I get a "bang" noise coming through as the springs dislocate/relocate. So I really need either springs or packers and panhards. I wanted to retain swaybars for on road but ill see what its like without front and rear. I know its going to sway all over the place though.

roundabouts...

[BundyMonkey]

I think i heard that it is illegal in Qld not to have sway bars if the vehicle came with them from factory.

I dont have any but

[Nigel R]

G day mate

I 've got tough dog ajustables & no sway bars and it is
great !

[Dee]

But I dont have adjustables!!!

by the time i went and sold shocks and bought new adjustables i would be better off just getting sway bar disco's and keeping the sway bar part legal...

[RV80]

This is BATC's http://www.workin4u.com/batc/ website. But it doesnt mention any of there 4x4 stuff so its not worth looking at. I have there front and rear panhards but am yet to fit them.

[jimsaq]

remembered this pic I took just before I bolted in the snake racing disconnects, they put the factory pins to shame:

[bru21]

i have a set of wizard quick disconnects and a front adj panhard for sale. come and see this weekend. i'm in buderim. 0402337734

we can swap sway bars too so you don't have to make the holes bigger.

cheers bru

[turbogu]

if you can weld or have access to a welder buy some double ended adjusters for the panhards from mcdonald bros racing in vic, i just got them for mine, all up including air freight to tassie is $90 bucks, now i just have to weld them in to the panhards and i have adjustable panhards for less than what you can buy them for and the are going to be on car adjustable cause there left and right hand thread and all the other ones ive seen so far you have to disconnect one end to adjust them

hope this helps a bit

cheers sean

[Dee]

i have a set of wizard quick disconnects and a front adj panhard for sale. come and see this weekend. i'm in buderim. 0402337734

we can swap sway bars too so you don't have to make the holes bigger.

cheers bru

will do champ.

-Brodie

[Dee]

if you can weld or have access to a welder buy some double ended adjusters for the panhards from mcdonald bros racing in vic, i just got them for mine, all up including air freight to tassie is $90 bucks, now i just have to weld them in to the panhards and i have adjustable panhards for less than what you can buy them for and the are going to be on car adjustable cause there left and right hand thread and all the other ones ive seen so far you have to disconnect one end to adjust them

hope this helps a bit

cheers sean

is that legal? I thought panhards had to be engineered to certain specs? As in you cant just weld em up at home...?

[turbogu]

as far as i know they are but i'd ask first, im doing the same with a cuctom car im building and the engineer is happy with it so far and knows im doing it to the patrol and hasn't said any thing

panhards dont have the stress of a trailing arm as they only locate the diff not really support it in any way

companys like mcdonald bros make custom panhards and things all the time