Suspension upgrade, whats actually needed?

[Paul]

As some know i am planning to remove the AHC and fit something along the lines of OME/Ironman etc.
The question is this: I am reading all the reports about what others have done but it doesn't seem too straight forward as there are conflicting stories.
So can i get the new suspension, throw it on and have a nice 2" lift and drive away?
I have read about the re-indexing of the torsion bars and the diff drop kit, but some are saying this was done to level up the truck after the install of new suspension. I can understand the diff drop to level up the drive shafts but is it really needed for other reasons?

 

[adrianr]

Hi Paul

I think Jon Wildsmith is your man for this one...

 

[warrenpfo]

Will be watching this as i too am going to go down the same road and am lost when it comes to what to do and which brand to go with

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

I think there's at least Julian and myself on here have removed the AHC although Julians Fox and UCA's install is a bit more advanced than my Bilsteins You know you'll be replacing the springs (torsion bars at the front, springs at the back) and the shocks, you can't really replace one without the other on a 100 that has AHC. You don't have to fit a diff drop and it's not instant death for your CV's if you don't do it, there's just a tendancy for them to start weeping grease and maybe a bit more torque steer from the increased angles as well so it makes sense to have the diff drop but you can fit it later if you need to do things in stages. It's a simple job, only slightly more complicated than normal because you have a few extra bits to remove. Access to the top nut on the rear shockers is quite restricted so they can be a bit of a PITA to undo, you'll need a 22mm spanner, a medium depth socket fit on mine but I have a body lift that gave me extra space

 

[Julian]

Paul
I did a fair amount of reading before doing my second gen set up, my knowledge is by no means comprehensive
The front end is the curve ball, the different bit over an 80 is that with standard upper and lower control arms the available travel is pre set, the limiting factor apart from dampers is the available articulation of the upper ball joint. When talking about lifting the front end all that is available is moving the vehicle up and down within the pre set travel range, this is achieved by winding up the tension on the torsion bars, or increasing the effective spring rate of them.
The biggest disadvantage of this is that you effectively loose down travel /droop because the vehicle is sat further down in the travel range, hence why you see lots of pictures of 100's with a wheel in the air.
The vast majority of standard suspension upgrade kits all sit within this type of set up, the biggest differences is the quality of the damping behaviour, I think Jon has about the best available with his custom Bilstein's
As Jon says the diff drop is all about torque steer and CV longevity
The only thing I did any differently is different UCA that give me a wider range of travel and longer dampers to take advantage of them
Sorry for the ramble, it is cider driven

 

[Paul]

I'll leave it with you for the weekend and you can sort it then

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

The Bilsteins did give me an extra 25mm or so of droop over standard at the front and having blown that CV I don't think I'll bother chasing any more droop, I don't think the CV's can handle it. For 'budget' shocks the Bilsteins are pretty good all rounders and let us have some fun on bumpy tracks in the Pyrenees where I was demonstrating to Gav that instead of slowing down you need to go faster to get the most out of them Shame you weren't there for a comparison with the Foxs Julian

For those wanting high end there seem to be more choices than just Fox now and even Fox can be ordered ready to fit whereas Julian had to mix and match parts to get something that fits a 100.

 

[Gav Peter]

instead of slowing down you need to go faster to get the most out of them

Oh yeah!!!

 

[Julian]

Shame you weren't there for a comparison with the Foxs Julian

Don't remind me, it would have been fun
Flame suit on
Much more my style of driving than our slow green lanes

 

[chilipepper]

Paul

I've recently had mine done by Paul at Westcoast 4x4 and 3,600 miles on I can't speak highly enough about the improvement in ride quality and body control, look for my thread on Ironman in June. I got Paul to fit the Ironman kit and remove all of my AHC gubbins as my insurance company wanted the work carried out by a garage, that said they have not increased premiums as the modification was not performance inhancing

 

[warrenpfo]

Any idea as to the cost?

 

[chilipepper]

Paul at Westcoast 4x4, Southport, Lancashire 01704 229014, he recommended a full suspension swap with an Ironman 2" lift £640 for the kit ( on 'B' road springs not hard expedition springs, shock's and torsion bars) £120 for fitting and if required £120 for removing all of the AHC system. All prices plus VAT

 

[warrenpfo]

Many thanks, would be nice if someone has has OME fitted and can list the cost just to compare.

 

[Julian]

Warren, the fitting costs should be about the same, as it is the same job
I wonder how far they go for £120 removing the AHC, do they take the pump out, all the pipes, the ECU, the relay and the switch

 

[warrenpfo]

Julian my understanding is tha the cost of OME is more than Ironman but am not sure how much more?

 

[Julian]

I think a conversation with somebody like Devon 4x4 or TBRUK would be the best bet and I think total cost including VAT is around £1000