Here's a weird one for you Puma owners

**dullbird** · 24th June 2010, 08:29 PM

Tonight I backed the Puma up on to the bank outside our house just to articulate the rear axle enough that the spring would mildly dislocate and we could get the retaining plate in for the air bags.

Its just a much easier way of doing it especially as the defender jack has now **** it self from doing the other airbag on the other side. Quality

anyway while doing this I had to get in and out of the car to hold the torch for Ian and in doing this I noticed my door was hard to open

and then shut

. I also noticed that the back door also had some resistance in opening it. So it appears that when I articulate the car it creates enough body twist that does not allow the doors to align properly to be able to shut like normal...

The last time I put the car up on the bank for the Terrafirma report I angled it in such a way both front and back articulated and dont recall the doors being a problem then...however just by doing the rear it does create a problem with the doors.

So surely this would be proof to Land rover that I dont take my car off road because I have only found this out and owned it nearly 3 yrs

Has anyone else noticed this?

**TimNZ** · 24th June 2010, 09:28 PM

Hi DB, just sounds like a bit of chassis flex has caused the doors to bind

**dullbird** · 24th June 2010, 09:48 PM

had both axles been flexing I dont think I would of ever found out...

Still the things you learn and find

JohnR · 24th June 2010, 11:05 PM

Yep figured this out quiet some time ago. when driving with big opposite wheel lift the wife can't get out the door to take photo's!!!

Oh well it hasn't snapped yet

Cheers,

**5teve** · 24th June 2010, 11:16 PM

and if it didnt flex it would snap

things have to move and as the deefer is solid mounted to the chassis it will flex with the chassis..

i used to have the same when i parked my old rover (honda accord shared the shell) on my sloped drive crookedly and that was a monocoque

Thanks

Steve

**clean32** · 25th June 2010, 03:57 AM

Originally Posted by JohnR

Yep figured this out quiet some time ago. when driving with big opposite wheel lift the wife can't get out the door to take photo's!!!

Oh well it hasn't snapped yet

Cheers,

dip her in some liquid nitrogen, then she would be easy to snap

**Reads90** · 25th June 2010, 04:37 AM

They all do that

And that is the main reason for the large body panel gaps in the land rover range

I had one so twisted I could not even open the door to get out

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

**Allan** · 25th June 2010, 10:16 AM

My Puma's done this a couple of times now. I think it must help because the doors now shut better than ever

Allan

**Hendrik** · 25th June 2010, 11:05 AM

It could be because the defender doesn't have a 'body' like other land rovers, just all bits bolted together. Even series LR's would do it I think, aluminium isn't as stiff as steel, lower Young's Modulus.

**austastar** · 25th June 2010, 04:00 PM

Hi,
At the 4WD display area at Agfest one year, I watched a long bed 4WD truck going around the circuit.
The flex in that chassis was unbelievable, it was probably a 10 or 15 tonne truck, but like was said above, some thing must flex or things will break.
cheers

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