Thread: Operation 4 or so lift

OKay looks like it's all sorted... so back on track now i hope

yeah Im done were where we

Originally Posted by Outlaw

OKay looks like it's all sorted... so back on track now i hope

Damn the popcorn just finished cooking.


Anyway, good luck with the lift when is it going to be finished?

Lets work out whats really important here. Lifes short, sometimes unexpectantly short, live a happy one in the face of all those that **** you off and keep moving.


Bit of history about the springs. Back in about 2002 I had a meeting with Lovells and Mike Cherne who was cheif spring designer at the time. Lovells back then was an independant company and carrying on in house. I chatted to Mike about what I wanted out of the suspension and they brought me in and spent a day stripping down and measuring everything in the suspension. Latter on I came back when Mike sat me down and presented me with all of the data. Jeez they were onto it! We developed a set of springs from there to lift the Disco by 70mm as that was the maximum that we could legally lift the truck according to the regulations. What I did do though, with the help of a few members of the D2Au Yahoo group was to measure a number of Disco2's to find the maximum ride height to base the 70mm lift on, and there are the odd D2's getting around that are sitting higher than every other D2, as the Aus D2's all sit at the very bottom of the suspension ride height specification. In the end we used the upper factory tolerance for ride height then added the extra 70mm ontop. As many of you will already know, as springs break in they settle a little depending on the manufacture technique, the load, rates and design (wire dia/length). I added to the ride height a settling allowance, and in the end I'm pretty sure Mike did exactly the same, so when the springs settle over the first 6-12 months, they definately settle into the correct spot, and don't drop lower with age/use. I thought that they did, and replaced them recently, and the new springs came up not a lot different to the old ones, though a weigh bridge ticket let me know that infact my Disco2 had piled on the fat! Anyway, I'm digressing. Anyway, with installed lengths, rates etc etc, Mike spun his magic in the techno room and designed these springs to produce the rates, transition and location of the transition and installed lengths that were needed and made the springs. The engineering behind them was an absolute beauty. I had a quick peek at the design sheets and it was pure maths and materials science, enough to arouse the..... well, interest of any engineering student!

After, Lovells had some structural changes, something that I understand came about from a change in ownership though am not quite sure resulting in the direct dealing being abandoned and all work having to go through a distributor network. I guess part of the growing process. As a by product by the sounds of it they wont look at custom work either. The springs that were designed for my setup ended up having a few sets sold by Lovells to people that came specifically looking for them based on receipt numbers that I had passed on to them, so in the end Lovells gave them a part number also so that they could be easily made and bought - which is how you can get these customs still through Lovells:
Front: RFR32SP
Rear: RRR33SP

Its interesting, I was chatting to Mike a few months back, and he still vividly recalls the day we sat down to make these things happen, and still loves the springs. He was saying that the reason they don't have them in the catalogue is due to the legality of running 4" springs. In NSW we should be sweet, but I don't think that is the case in all states (my words, not Mikes).

So Slunnie


Tell us what else you do for a fun night?

Originally Posted by dullbird

i dont give a t*ss

That reminds me of something I once said in a phone conference to some legal people in Cable & Wireless in the UK - something along the lines of your "I don't give a toss!"

In Australia, that term is considered pretty mild.

When I used it in the conference, you could hear the audible gasp from the Poms on the the other side of the world. Then they burst out laughing after one of their number who had worked here explained that it wasn't a really bad thing to say down here.

Ron

P.S.: Note how the swear filter on this site hasn't changed my use of the word.

Originally Posted by dobbo

So Slunnie


Tell us what else you do for a fun night?

I go to bed early.