Thread: Lifting the Colonels's 130

The front is easy.

What's the bump stop clearance now ?

You need to use a spring with the same rate as stock and a longer free length.
The closest off the shelf is the LRA/Rangie Spares 'Purple' (Browns Springs make them for LRA) @ 220lb/in (OE is 225lb/in) and nominal 17" free length.
(mine were 17.2" when delivered)

This will give around a 40-50mm lift on a 130 with winch and barwork and is still soft enough to visit the bump stop pads regularly. (mine are nicely polished)

I use TLC 80 Series Koni's (reduced low speed bump) to maximise droop travel although the bottom pins need shortening and the towers raised (N73 OME's may be easier, as they have a better closed length and may not need the towers raised, but I'd cycle the suspension first and allow 20mm bump stop compression at a minimum)

These springs have settled on my vehicle to a round 105mm ATM. When installed five or six years ago they measured around 117-114mm drivers/passenger side between the bump stops.

The front anti-roll bar needs to go if you want maximum droop with this set up too, otherwise the front prop will hit the ARB.
Brake lines also need extending. (it's a good excuse then to fit braided lines and you get the improved pedal that goes with the addition)

Stock Bilstein's with any lift like this will limit droop too much IMO.

The rear I'm still struggling with as most of the time I carry 4-500kg.
Soon to have air bags in the centre then I can play with rear spring rates. Currently running some long travel Monroe's (modified leafy Patrol shocks) but I can't get the low speed rebound I'm after with a simple fluid change (also running higher than OE gas pressure)
Mid and high speed damping is just OK.

I'm not a fan of Kings, as there is history there with some custom 2.25" race coils from yeas ago. Rate was spot on, but they all took strange sets and leaned over like drunken sailors. Not what you want on a race coil spring.

<edit> and I've never bothered castor correcting the thing either, it still self centres and doesn't really wander too much, and I was a fan of winding in massive amounts of castor on the race cars I used to work on, sometimes up to 8* !

Front is around 90-95mm. Arb bar, spots, no winch yet. Ride comfort is good in the front though when a load is on, feels a tad boaty but that could be transfer from the rear. That's why I though the bearmachs, at 15 odd inches and 255lb and add a winch could be close, though we won't know till a winch goes on. Most probably hydraulic too. I only have 1.5 degree castor so will end up pretty close to zero with any additional lift. On the brakeline thing I notice after a section of full articulation the pedal goes soft. Wondering if it is rotor flex pushing the pistons back are something else. I remember tankslappers used to push the caliper pistons away from the rotors.

Rears are around 125mm. The bilsteins are brand new and would not suit my series so would be reluctant to change at this time. I originally looked at fox but the billies were off the shelf. I could space the mounts though(after measuring excact wheel travel with no springs)

cc

That's sitting fairly tall already, most Defenders are only around 65-70mm stock.

I should run the tape over a customers 130, as Sue's is dead stock with no extras and appears to be sitting a fair bit higher in the front than mine ever did.
Hard part is finding a level pad......

And that is sitting in the front driveway. IIRC when I measured it down the side of the house with an ever so slight slope to the front left the RF measured 100mm and the LF was 90mm. The mm's posted this morning I measured while it sits in the drive sloping left-right nose down, and still full of crap from yesterday. it has never been loaded much it's whole life and definately has a 10mm drop front left(That annoys the bejezuz out of me)
And it is stock

CC

Originally Posted by Col.Coleman

A<snip>

.....and definately has a 10mm drop front left(That annoys the bejezuz out of me)
And it is stock

CC

That's normal, off side free length is 15.3", near side 14.8", as per land rover spring specifications

Oh I see its a case of " I want to be like tony" I knew you would be like this once you meet me lol

cheers
General Tony

No, but you are a close source to measure off as I know what you have done. Looking at the photo's from the weekend our cars actually sit pretty close. Need to measure it.
I have only touched the chassis rails twice playing on coffee rocks on moreton. It is more the dings in my long range tank, the fact I want to fit sill tanks and carry some big loads and not end up looking like a see-sew from a playground.
My head is too far up my own **** to notice and compete with anybody else

CC

Originally Posted by Col.Coleman

No, but you are a close source to measure off as I know what you have done. Looking at the photo's from the weekend our cars actually sit pretty close. Need to measure it.
I have only touched the chassis rails twice playing on coffee rocks on moreton. It is more the dings in my long range tank, the fact I want to fit sill tanks and carry some big loads and not end up looking like a see-sew from a playground.
My head is too far up my own **** to notice and compete with anybody else

CC

ok come and measure, whats next rock slider gee when will people stop following me hehe

cheers
tony
and thanks for the weekend mate