defender 110 ute

[Hally]

G'day everyone been on here for a while now and thought I share my experiences with you all on my on going rebuild.

it started of life as a 1998 110 defender ute

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/126.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/127.jpg then it rusted away so the project begain
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/11/1171.jpg
my lovely wife shaking her head in disgust lol wondering what the hell happened to my car

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/08/1227.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/11/157.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/01/1220.jpg
More vids of when i first did the v8 conversion to come
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2012/08/1228.jpg
My new winch bar (high mount bar)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/128.jpg
DEF90 & myself playing in the glasshouse mts
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/129.jpg (http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/?action=view&current=Default_1.flv)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/130.jpg (http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/?action=view&current=Glasshouse202008.flv)

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/131.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/132.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/09/1228.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/133.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/02/134.jpg
more too come

[juddy]

Never been a big fan of the tray back, but yours looks very good indeed, where did you get the new chassie from?

[wovenrovings]

I was looking at your tray. What have you done to the fuel filler? Does it come up into the floor of the tray?

[long stroke]

Very nice:cool:

[sclarke]

What is the Blower off and what boost are you running???

[Hally]

G'day Guys sorry been busy with work at the moment and trying to find a decent video converter so I can upload more videos

juddy: I bought a written off defender wagon 110 chassis from the guys at british off road they did 75% of the rebuild was going to buy a galvinised one but it didn't seem wirth the extra dollars at the time.

wovenrovings: the fuel filler is mounted on the side just like all normal trayback but that pic was taken before the timber floor went in so it was placed there to keep out of the way this tray is forsale has alittle more scratches on it and would suit a 110 ute only.

Long stroke: thanks for the complemets

sclarke: the engine is a 4.6 rover V8 and the blower came with it from victoria i have had so many dramas with engineers to get it registered in QLD so it's not on at the moment and no one can give me a decent answer why I can not put it on:mad:but i will be putting it on shortly as I may finally have a way around it as for boost I dont know aparently I need to ring capa and tell them what size the pulley is and they can tell me from that.

At the moment I have installed new air bags on the rear and will be turning the cab into an extra cab so I can fit the internal rollcage i will post up some pics as I go but at the moment its been raining every bloody day up here so havernt had anytime to work on it

[wovenrovings]

Thanks Hally,
I was hopeing for some inspiration as I am working out how to mount my fuel filler at the moment.
Yours is looking good.
I know what you mean about the rain.
Dan.

[Hally]

Wovenrovings the new tray I will be building will be shorter again and was thinking of mounting it up through the floor of the tray just to get it abit higher so my tank doesnt fill up with water
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/995.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2009/03/996.jpg
sorry about the small photos but u might be able to see how it was mounted

[agrojnr]

What a great ute all fenders should have V8s


Adam

[rainman]

That certainly is one awesome beastie Hally!

You mentioned that you plan to extend the cab. I have been comtemplating doing this to my 110 for a while now. A few years ago I did some repair work on my tray so I took the opportunity to mount it further back. I now have about an 11 inch gap (where the spare is currently mounted to keep the tray space clear).

Most of the panel work seems fairly straight forward, but I have hit the wall when it comes to what to do about extending the roof. I've seen some conversions on various vehicles online where an old wagon roof was used, simply by cutting it down then reattaching the rear vertical panel. The problem with this is you end up with square rear corners so you can't reuse the upper section of the cab with the windows in it. The only real solution I have come up with so far is to cut the back off and find someone who can weld another piece in.

I'm interested to know what your plans are.

[Sprint]

no one can give me a decent answer why I can not put it on
the basic idea with forced induction is that the formula you use to tell you if you can super/turbocharge is the same with engine swaps, something like 30% increase (dont quote me on that) of stock maximum engine capacity, so bearing in mind the largest engine in a 110/Defender chassis in australia is the 3.9L isuzu, with the (guessing) 30% increase, you have either the option of fitting a 3.9L V8 (or, "but mr qld transport inspector, its not a 4.6, only a 3.9, so the supercharger is fine) or getting a 302 cleveland/windsor, 304/308 holden, or 307 chev V8

biggest drama is going from a diesel to a supercharged V8, just about any engineer is going to have pups at the thought of it, going bit by bit would be easier

a while back i made enquiries about supercharging my XR8, QLD Transports paperwork on the matter doesnt appear to allow forced induction on petrol engined vehicles where it wasnt available as an option, asked 6 different "approved inspectors" and got answers anywhere from "nah mate, its illegal" through "provided its an engineer/emissions approved kit, its fine" to "as long as it looks good and has been done properly, i'll pass it"

finally got a Qld Transport modification standards officer, and he told me its the same formula they use when doing engine swaps/capacity increases

[Stringy]

love this truck mate....be good to see some more pics and footage.....have you got a members ride link?

[olmate]

What a great truck !! - Keep the photos coming mate :thumbsup:

[Hally]

Well it has been a while but I finally got to take the red rover for a spin yesterday to test out the air bags :thumbsup:WOW why didnt I do this earlier no more cluncking banging from the rear springs no more bouncing after i hit a bump in the road and no more breaking spring retainers. I used to have heavy duty springs in the rear and you had to wear a kidney belt just to drive it it was painfull. After driving around on very rough roads yesterday I would highly recommend the air bags. Their is almost no rebound and the rear is handling alot better around corners you could not wipe the smile off my face as I cant explain how comfortable the ride was. I will post up some detail shortly on part No.s etc.

[Chops]

Great looking rig Hally,, good vids too,, :D

just makes me want a defer even more,,:( $$

[philco]

Good Truck, watching with interest, have a talk to Outlaw about doin a club rego instead of full rego, a bit cheaper and you dont need engineered slips for modifications as far as i know, he will put you on the right track.

[Hally]

well thanks to bush65 for all his research I got board and impatient so I went down to the airbag man and bought some rear air bags 1T14C-8 bellows but they would not swap the pistons and if i want to change them to the 9778/NAD-18053 units it will cost $70 .

so I will just run with the other type for now. The install took 1hr for the first bag and 30mins for the otherside. I'm using 14" travel shocks and seems to be ok so far

here is a link to bushys thread it has a lot of great info
Outer Limits 4x4 Board :: View topic - anyone running airbags in their rover? (http://www.outerlimits4x4.com/ftopic160378-30.php)

Price$ 1050 for two air bags complete with pistons and brackets that need to be mounted inside the upper spring mount and a couple of fittings nuts and bolts etc. at the moment I am just running them with no control as I am slowly building air tank mounts and converting my air con compressor into endless air

these air bags came with a fitting that bolted onto the chassis its basically like a tyre valve so you can pump them up and down at home or at the service station and is alot more legal from what i hear you are not allowed to be able to adjust the airbags from inside the car. I am toying around with a removable controller so i can plug it in when im 4WD and take it out for the trip home.

I am abit snowed under at work at the moment but i will try to add pictures and more detail over the next couple of weeks.

one more thing at the moment I am only running 20psi thats with no load with a steel tray timber floor the height works out to be the same as a 2.5'' lift 15'' from bottom coil mount to top coil mount, these bags have large warnings on them not to exceed 100psi so I still have a 80psi to go, dont think i'll ever come close 100psi

[Bush65]

Hally,
I just had a closer look at the pic of your air spring. That shape piston is far from ideal for our use.

See how it has a large diameter at the top and a smaller waist. The effective diameter/area of these 'rolling lobe' style of air springs is determined by the diameter of the piston. And the force that the air spring lifts is air pressure time effective area.

So as the axle articulates or the body rolls the lift force from the air spring which extends is determined by the diameter of the piston where the bladder is rolling. So your extended air spring is pushing up with greater force than it would if the piston diameter didn't increase above the waist (actually would be better if it got smaller in diameter toward the top).

This affects the handling in that the body roll doesn't come back to level as soon as you would like when exiting corners or when the drooped wheel rises from a hole, because the extended air spring is pushing up with greater force.

By comparison a coil spring doesn't have any lift force when it is fully extended.

You will notice that the piston diameter flares out at the base. This is good because the spring rate increases as the spring is compressed and the bladder rolls onto the flared section.

I'll have a look in the Firestone manual and see if I can find a part number for a better piston.

Edit: after submitting this post I saw that Hally posted this information while I was typing.

[Hally]

Thanks Bush65 after driving around the road on the weekend and mucking around on some tracks you are 100% correct i do notice the bags take a bit to settle down after extending but airbagman wants $70 bucks each for the piston and apparently its a real pain in the arse to change them over I will do some research in what it entails but in the mean time im quite happy to drive around as they are

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/Picture005.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/Picture003.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/Picture015.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/Picture012.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/IMG00311-20090206-1551.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/IMG00317-20090206-1637.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i276/Hally-photo/Picture016.jpg

[Bush65]

... but airbagman wants $70 bucks each for the piston and apparently its a real pain in the arse to change them over I will do some research in what it entails but in the mean time im quite happy to drive around as they are
The attachment between bellows and piston is very simple - a single 1/2" UNC bolt.

The bottom of the bellows has a boss moulded onto it, which locates in a recess cast into the top of the piston. The boss has a blind threaded hole in the centre for the retaining bolt.

The big difficulty I could see is if you removed the air spring (must be deflated 1st) when it is in a compressed condition. Pulling that shape piston from the enveloping bellows could take some effort (it is simple enough with the piston shape that you need).

Another issue might be refitting the air spring in the vehicle if it is fully extended.

[isuzurover]

Looks good Hally. I am very tempted to convert the rear of my 110 to air suspension.

What airbags and pistons would you guys reccomend? (my 110 is mainly a touring vehicle - would need to be able to carry heavy loads over places like the canning etc...)

I am mainly attracted by the idea of not having to swap to stiffer coils each time I go on a trip...

[Bush65]

Looks good Hally. I am very tempted to convert the rear of my 110 to air suspension.

What airbags and pistons would you guys reccomend? (my 110 is mainly a touring vehicle - would need to be able to carry heavy loads over places like the canning etc...)

I am mainly attracted by the idea of not having to swap to stiffer coils each time I go on a trip...
For the rear of a 110, what Hally has used is Firestone airspring assembly W01-358-5429 - see truckspring.com page (http://http://www.truckspring.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=W01-358-5429) US$176.82
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/971.jpg
This assembly has the bellows Firestone part 1T14C-8 with the longest travel you can have - approx 14" travel.

But the piston is a poor shape for what we want. The best piston (for our purposes) to use with the above bellows is Firestone part 9778/NAD-18053.

The following pic shows a 1T14C-7 bellows assembled with the 9778/NAD-18053 piston (airspring assembly W01-358-5426) - see truckspring.com page (http://www.truckspring.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=W01-358-5426) US$147.86 This bellows has a slightly shorter stroke.

The max/min heights are shown on the pics. Operating heights should be restrained to a little less than the max and a little more than the min.

I have bought stuff from truckspring.com and they were delivered promptly.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/10/600.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/972.jpg

[isuzurover]

Thanks John! So if I am not fussed about getting maximum travel I can just use the W01-358-5426 assembly?

When you say "restrained" - do you mean that I need to make sure the bump stop and/or shocks will limit travel before full extension/compression of the bellows? Or fit a limiting strap if they don't?

[Bush65]

Thanks John! So if I am not fussed about getting maximum travel I can just use the W01-358-5426 assembly?

When you say "restrained" - do you mean that I need to make sure the bump stop and/or shocks will limit travel before full extension/compression of the bellows? Or fit a limiting strap if they don't?
Yes.

Yes.

Not all bellows have the buffer inside. Compressing to the min height, and extending to maximum height have to be avoided.

Attached is a Firestone data sheet for the 1T14C-7 bellows (I couldn't find one for the ...-8) assembled with a shorter piston than the one used with assembly W01-358-5426.

[isuzurover]

Yes.

Yes.

Not all bellows have the buffer inside. Compressing to the min height, and extending to maximum height have to be avoided.

Attached is a Firestone data sheet for the 1T14C-7 bellows (I couldn't find one for the ...-8) assembled with a shorter piston than the one used with assembly W01-358-5426.

Great info John! - and the pressure/force data was just what I was looking for as well.

Do you have any info on the design life of the bellows?

[TimNZ]

Awesome build mate! Thanks for all the pics and info.

Cheers,

Tim

[isuzurover]

Hally,

Do you have closeup pics of the brackets above your airsprings?

[Bush65]

Great info John! - and the pressure/force data was just what I was looking for as well.

Do you have any info on the design life of the bellows?
Sorry. It would obviously depend on how you use/abuse them.

From memory standard bellows are 2 ply.

If you put a small hole in them, they can be repaired with plugs used for tubeless tyres.

I have a spare bellows. They are light and easy to stow or replace if needed.

[isuzurover]

Sorry. It would obviously depend on how you use/abuse them.

From memory standard bellows are 2 ply.

If you put a small hole in them, they can be repaired with plugs used for tubeless tyres.

I have a spare bellows. They are light and easy to stow or replace if needed.

That is what I figured - buy a pair and one or two spare bellows to pack in the vehicle (or even complete units).

I just thought you might have a spec for design life - e.g. leaf/coil springs have equations to calculate cycles to failure.

[rar110]

sounds interesting. What about moving the shock as shown in another thread and putting air bags in the front. It would be a great setup for bush/road driving. Low height when road driving and high as required for bush driving.

[Hally]

Gday Guys sorry I havent been on here for a while as my wife and I just had our first child her name is Sheridan

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/966.jpg



Gday rar110 I have a range rover classic front diff on my defender which would allow me to run air bags upfront but I wont at this stage as it can be unstable unless you have a controller that can adjust the springs very quickly air bag man raved on about how I can have a solenoid valve fitted which i could switch on to allow the air to flow from one side to the other GREAT when you are on a level track that has deep washouts etc but when a side slope comes along the load changes and the air is forced into the wrong side which can cause rollovers, one day when I have a bit more cash i might build my own controller (I'm in the automation industry):D


Isuzurover dont know if you are still keen on the idea but here is some info of original air spring replacement for 110/130
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/967.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/968.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/969.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/970.jpg

the brackets above the spring are 63mm

[Scouse]

Poor excuse ;).


Congratulations, they look cute when they're asleep :).

[Hally]

Well finally took the defender for a test run at glasshouse click the links below for videos the suspension worked real well cant wait to get back out there enjoy

YouTube - red 110 defender v8 glasshouse (Landrover)



YouTube - red 110 defender v8 glasshouse steps second go (Landrover)



YouTube - bjh81birdman's Channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/bjh81birdman#p/u/0/KbSzzOzbRFY) (Landrover)



YouTube - 7L Hemi Jeep JK Incab Glasshouse MTNS (Jeep)



YouTube - 7lt Hemi JK Jeep and Red 110 Defender Glass House Mountains Trip 31 Oct 2009 (Jeep)



YouTube - 7L Hemi JK Jeep little Red Glasshouse MTNS (Jeep decent down Little Red)

[PeteandKyla]

Hi everyone.

I have a 130 Defender Big Cab and use it to carry my dingo and tow my 1.5t excavator so I need a good suspension. I have bought a set of the Airbagman bellows style springs for the back of the ute but have had them for at least 12 months and still havent decided how to do the conversion. I have also bought a pair of ride height control valves from an Iveco and planned to install them on the rear to automatically adjust the springs with a compressor and air tank permanently monted in the car.

My biggest concern is whether I should leave the factory twin coils in place on the axle and install the airbags slightly inboard so I always have the assistance of the springs (to take load from the bags most of the time), or whether I should install the bags in the position of the springs and rely on them entirely. Dingo and other components carried in the tray regularly comes to 1.5tons but the ute is driven lightly loaded about 50% of the time.

I had a set of manually adjustaed bags in the back of my Disco2 for towing the trailer but the hassle of adjusting the pressure for a constantly changing load sent me nuts and just took too long. It has been suggested that I will be able to remove the rear sway bar for better wheel travle off road, but how do I set the height controllers to let the wheels travel freely when I want to and give tight control other times?????

Anyone have any thoughts or experience with active systems?

BTW, looking on the net at control systems in the states, there are some incredible digital controllers for the transport industry but the cost are just as incredible.

BTW2: If you are still contemplating the cab extension, mine was done professionally but is still a bit of a dogs breakfast and I think if you could see how it was done, you could do it neater if given the time. Seems that the coach builder only had a stick welder to do the sheetmetal. Let me know if you want to see pics as the roof lining is still out. They cut the roof about 100mm behind the windscreen,fitted a flat sheet and hand made the rediused edges

Thanks all.

96 130 Defender Big Cab 300Tdi, 2.4mt steel tray, winch, dual 80lt fuel, running 30% diesel 70% WVO. Hand made centre & roof consoles, bucket drivers seat, LED everything, Thermo Fans/ water spray, 2.5mt ramps BW tray rails, GT Radial MTs.

[Bush65]

Hi everyone.

I have a 130 Defender Big Cab and use it to carry my dingo and tow my 1.5t excavator so I need a good suspension. I have bought a set of the Airbagman bellows style springs for the back of the ute but have had them for at least 12 months and still havent decided how to do the conversion. I have also bought a pair of ride height control valves from an Iveco and planned to install them on the rear to automatically adjust the springs with a compressor and air tank permanently monted in the car.

My biggest concern is whether I should leave the factory twin coils in place on the axle and install the airbags slightly inboard so I always have the assistance of the springs (to take load from the bags most of the time), or whether I should install the bags in the position of the springs and rely on them entirely. Dingo and other components carried in the tray regularly comes to 1.5tons but the ute is driven lightly loaded about 50% of the time.

I had a set of manually adjustaed bags in the back of my Disco2 for towing the trailer but the hassle of adjusting the pressure for a constantly changing load sent me nuts and just took too long. It has been suggested that I will be able to remove the rear sway bar for better wheel travle off road, but how do I set the height controllers to let the wheels travel freely when I want to and give tight control other times?????

Anyone have any thoughts or experience with active systems?

BTW, looking on the net at control systems in the states, there are some incredible digital controllers for the transport industry but the cost are just as incredible.

...
Firestone are probably the largest manufacturer of air springs. Using their terminology, the 2 main styles are reversible sleeve style (like shown in posts above) and convoluted style (can be single, double, triple, etc. convoluted).

Both styles have bellows (the name given to the flexible rubber member that contains air under pressure to act as a spring and support the load.

The reversible sleeve style has a piston, which can be shaped to change the effective area (pressure required = load / eff area) over the travel range. These generally can have a greater range of travel compared to the convoluted style. The effective area of the convoluted type varies widely with height. Because of this the reversible sleeve style is better suited to 4x4 suspension. The convoluted type is ok for a helper spring.

Sorry I don't know anything about the Iveco ride height control valves.

I have the Airock system (http://www.offroadonly.com/products/suspension/airock/). It uses sensors connected to the suspension arms with adjustable links. In basic terms, the ride height of each air spring is calibrated by adjusting the height of each spring after the system is installed.

It has 3 modes: offroad, highway and freeway.

In offroad mode only, buttons can be used to change the height, pitch and sideways tilt. Above 32 km/h (20 mph) the height will return to normal height. These can't be changed in the other modes. It uses the speed sensor for active mode, which counteracts body roll when cornering or pitching during braking - active mode doesn't operate at lower speeds.

[isuzurover]

For the rear of a 110, what Hally has used is Firestone airspring assembly W01-358-5429 - see truckspring.com page (http://http://www.truckspring.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=W01-358-5429) US$176.82
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/971.jpg
This assembly has the bellows Firestone part 1T14C-8 with the longest travel you can have - approx 14" travel.

But the piston is a poor shape for what we want. The best piston (for our purposes) to use with the above bellows is Firestone part 9778/NAD-18053.

The following pic shows a 1T14C-7 bellows assembled with the 9778/NAD-18053 piston (airspring assembly W01-358-5426) - see truckspring.com page (http://www.truckspring.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=W01-358-5426) US$147.86 This bellows has a slightly shorter stroke.

The max/min heights are shown on the pics. Operating heights should be restrained to a little less than the max and a little more than the min.

I have bought stuff from truckspring.com and they were delivered promptly.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/10/600.jpghttps://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/972.jpg

Finally got around to ordering some!

However they don't seem to stock the bellows on their own as replacements. Any idea where I can get them, or am I crap at searching?

[isuzurover]

Gday Guys sorry I havent been on here for a while as my wife and I just had our first child her name is Sheridan

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/966.jpg



Gday rar110 I have a range rover classic front diff on my defender which would allow me to run air bags upfront but I wont at this stage as it can be unstable unless you have a controller that can adjust the springs very quickly air bag man raved on about how I can have a solenoid valve fitted which i could switch on to allow the air to flow from one side to the other GREAT when you are on a level track that has deep washouts etc but when a side slope comes along the load changes and the air is forced into the wrong side which can cause rollovers, one day when I have a bit more cash i might build my own controller (I'm in the automation industry):D


Isuzurover dont know if you are still keen on the idea but here is some info of original air spring replacement for 110/130
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/967.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/968.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/969.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/04/970.jpg

the brackets above the spring are 63mm

Hally - congrats on the new arrival - who is probably quite large by now???

I need to make some brackets - any chance you can measure yours up for me so I can get them lasercut while I am waiting for the airbags to arrive?

[isuzurover]

Time for some stupid questions...

The centre bolt clamps the bellows to the piston, correct?

All the conversions on here seem to have a female thread and a shcs to clamp the bellows to the piston. My air springs (W01-358-5426) have a bolt protruding from the piston. I assume I can cut the bolt off flush with the baseplate?

[Landy Smurf]

im thinking from memory that you can cut it off flush but dont take my word for it i have not done one for a long time

[Bush65]

Time for some stupid questions...

The centre bolt clamps the bellows to the piston, correct?

All the conversions on here seem to have a female thread and a shcs to clamp the bellows to the piston. My air springs (W01-358-5426) have a bolt protruding from the piston. I assume I can cut the bolt off flush with the baseplate?
The bladder has a female thread for a bolt.
You will find that what you have been supplied is a length of 1/2" UNC threaded rod that is screwed into the bladder. It extends beyond the lower surface of the piston so that it can be used to secure the assembly to your mount. You can shorten the threaded rod if you wish and use a nut to secure the bladder to the piston. Then use another method to secure the assembly to your mount - remember that on full compression the bladder will roll down the piston and beyond the outer lip at the base.

BTW, the piston diameter increase at its base is to increase the spring rate when the bladder is on that part of the piston.

Edit:
You can see the threaded rod in the pic I posted earlier. If you cut the threaded rod the nut will go up at the top of the recess (or you could use a bolt. Only friction between the bladder and piston are holding them together without a bolt or nut and threaded rod. You can separate them but be warned, take care not to extend the bladder as you will have trouble getting it back to the working position on your vehicle.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/10/600.jpg

[isuzurover]

The bladder has a female thread for a bolt.
You will find that what you have been supplied is a length of 1/2" UNC threaded rod that is screwed into the bladder. It extends beyond the lower surface of the piston so that it can be used to secure the assembly to your mount. You can shorten the threaded rod if you wish and use a nut to secure the bladder to the piston. Then use another method to secure the assembly to your mount - remember that on full compression the bladder will roll down the piston and beyond the outer lip at the base.

BTW, the piston diameter increase at its base is to increase the spring rate when the bladder is on that part of the piston.

Edit:
You can see the threaded rod in the pic I posted earlier. If you cut the threaded rod the nut will go up at the top of the recess (or you could use a bolt. Only friction between the bladder and piston are holding them together without a bolt or nut and threaded rod. You can separate them but be warned, take care not to extend the bladder as you will have trouble getting it back to the working position on your vehicle.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2010/10/600.jpg

Thanks John!

The piston I have has 2 threaded holes in the base to secure the piston to the baseplate (shown in your pic). I assume that the centre bolt doesn't need much torque then if it is only holding the bladder on?

As supplied, there is a pressed steel nut at the top of the recess to hold everythung together, however there is ~5-8 mm play between the bellows and piston.

[Bush65]

You can see that if you use a nut on the centre stud to hold the assembly to the mount, then the bladder would be pulled down into the recess on top of the piston and the pressed nut then becomes unnecessary.

However if you mount it using the 2 bolt holes, then I would use a spring lock washer with a normal nut or a bolt to fasten the bladder to the piston. I would tighten then as normal for a 1/2" bolt.

[fraser130]

Well!
I fitted a pair of RR P38a rear air springs today to my 130 and was really happy with the ride , so I've ordered 2 of the above bags tonight!
I don't think the RR bags could carry anywhere near the weight I need to carry, but the firestone bags are able to carry around 3000 lbs each, which is way above what I need.
Now to fabricate some brackets....then the rest of the project.......I'll keep you all posted!

Thanks to Hally for the pictures of the brackets, and Bush65 for the info!!!

Fraser

[fraser130]

Well the bags arrived yesterday, they are definately "the real McCoy"
Much heavier duty than the RR bags, I guess they are from Trucksprings!
They are a lot "Fatter" than I thought, I'm hoping they don't sit too close or rub on the rear tyres.
Otherwise I'll need to change the ofset on hy disco rims - story of my life one thing leads to another, to another, to another, ad nauseum!!
Now to get some prices on laser cutting steel........

Fraser

[Hally]

Well I managed to convince my Boss to let me buy a defender 130 dual cab. I picked it up a couple of weeks ago and my first drive home I thought what the hell have i done i guess i was spoilt with a nice car like ride and quiet almost no noise inside the cab from the 2009 ford ranger dualcab I had. But after one week it all came back love it I use every excuse to go for a drive even if its just to the shops. Took it to double Island on the long weekend it seemed to be a lot better suited to the sand than my 110 it just felt good and never felt like struggling (not that DI has challanging driving).

The first thing I did was Bought a secondhand tray from MR automotive for $600 I was missing a few things but I will slowly get them all. the tray is the alaska white and the new Puma is Fuji white so once i gather all the little trimmings etc I will respray it to match the car all up it should cost under $2000.

Second thing
My wife and I just had our second child so I desparately needed anchor points I found a guy called Barry he came to my house and it took about 40mins to put in two points and $185 his website is Home (http://www.barryanaccessory.com.au/) he also does the wagons with the crab bar that I have noticed on some 110s
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/929.jpg


https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/930.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/931.jpg




The main reason I wanted this truck is I wanted to start towing my 110 around and I usually pick up cable drums that way aroung 500kg etc so need something that could do it all plus there is not much else on the market in the way of dualcabs that can do what I want.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/932.jpg


four weeks have gone by and sofar these are the things that have gone wrong.
1. as I drove it out of the showroom and down to work the next day the wheel wobble was worse than my 110 with 36" simexs on it .
2. I can see the water running down the inside apillar and onto my foot LOL just like my 1998 110. the gutter has cracked and all the paint is peeling away.
3. the 4wd gear level wont stay to the right or the left when I get the revs up and go around a corner it engages into 4wd so I got to pull over and reverse to disengage it. Then when I was on Double Island it kept disengaging out of 4wd due to the bumps.

I booked it into austral land rover to get these things fixed and instead they fixed the recall (which was the oil leak on the handbrake drum) and balanced the tyres. I have to go back next week to get hte other things fixed which is fine atleast they are sorting these things out under warranty :)

so when I picked it up yesterday I tested it out and wheel wobble is still there but not as bad I cracked the ****s and decided to put on my road going tyres from my 110


Before
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/933.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/934.jpg

After
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/935.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/936.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/937.jpg

the original tyres are a huge improvement on the old tractor tyres for alterrain use I do like this pattern
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/935.jpg

Original V New
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/938.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2011/05/939.jpg