g&t

Just looked up that part # on their site & it's listed as for use ''from JA'' (oct '91) model year. Do you know if it can be used on an '87 by any chance? I can of course ask Paddocks, but I'm not sure that I'll get a definate answer, depends who answers the 'phone! Thanks in advance EP

Many thanks for the recent replies guys. I'll look into the 'packing' option & obviously could try the side-to-side swap procedure at the same time. Checking out the 'bible' it appears that LR changed to heavier rear springs (NRC8113) following customer comments re. body roll on cornering but reverted to the lighter NRC2119 units once they had perfected their own anti-roll bar system in late '91. Mine is an '87 but with the factory AR bar kit retro-fitted & therefore has the lighter springs. As I don't off-road the slight limit in axle articulation caused by the AR set-up (officially 0.5in) does not concern me.

Right! ramped the RR today at my local indie & close examination reveals no suggestion of any abnormality, ie corrosion in spring seats, failed bushes or damaged components so I have to assume that the spring has weakened, despite a) it being a genuine unit b) low mileage & c) road use only. I notice that at least two advertisers are marketing spacers to fit 'tween springs & mounts but these are designed to give a lift of 50mm which is double what I'm trying to achieve. As my confidence in genuine springs (despite their considerable cost) has now been dampened, can anyone suggest a supplier with a proven track record?

One of the (very) few advantages of being old enough to be retired! Mine you my other half still works full-time & needs her car so I filled it up (yes, it needed more than half a tank) without any problems this morning at a major site. If you buy outside the peak periods it does'nt seem any busier than normal around here except that some sites have run out of diesel, but both the RRC & car are petrol ...... As for panic buying - this is what the brits do best, every time the supermarket is going to be shut for just one day (ie Christmas/easter) you see people stocking up their trollies like there's no tomorrow, sad b......s - how would they cope with rationing?

Tend to agree with Cynic-al, Ashcrofts posted on this subject 2 or 3 years ago. Seems that despite the recomendations for periodic fluid & filter changes (not the easiest of jobs as it's said that the cross-member has to be removed) there are documented cases of problems afterwards.

I agree, had the same problem with my RRC last year & could kick myself for not keeping the original rad. Too late now though.

It took a while, but at last someone has uttered the magic word!

If they had put the engine into production they may have run into the same problems that GM found when they modified petrol V8's into diesel units back in the 'seventies & those were iron lumps not alloy, which I would have thought even less durable. Mind you, the russkies built alloy diesels in the last war - V12's in the T34 tank.

The advance curve may be different as well(?) The high-comp. EFI was supposed to need 97 octane but my '87 will (according to the LR workshop manual) run on 94 but an '88 model should have '95. Confused? you will be!

Looks the same colour as my '87 Vogue (cyprus green) The wheelarches/wheels/spotlights are a bit naff but then I'm in 'original factory spec' mode, plus I'm an old fart anyway! Hopefully an '85 will have resisted the dreaded rot that seems to afflict the later model years of the Classic. The heater in mine is very effective so perhaps you have a air-lock somewhere? I assume the air flap (inside the car above the trans. tunnel) is opening ok - yours is probably just a simple slide lever on the heater control panel, but if it's the later vacuum type (you should hear a 'clonk' as you move the lever to either position, with the engine running or just swithed off) the air pipe can come off at the heater end leaving the flap shut. Trim parts, especially pre-nineties, are getting very scarce now so a good breaker is your best bet.

Would it not also effect the VCU?

Unless the specs changed from those of the mid 'eighties (the period my LR workshop manual covers) the springs are the same both sides unless (a) the vehicle is LHD or (b) it is a factory diesel.

True Geoff, thanks for the input.

Nice to see this kind of service these days. As a point of interest your contract is with the supplier (in this case Ashcroft) & they are liable for any items purchased from them & scourced from outside manuf. who renege on their responsibilitys, even if (they) go out of business. The fact that Ashcrofts also covered the labour costs is a plus point in their favour, as the legal 'waters' tend to become a bit muddy on that score.

Sorry for a late reply Steve, been off-line for a while, yes I'll check that as well when my 'indie' can accomodate me with some 'ramp' time.

The latest on the MOT (proposed changes) is that the current intervals for testing will not be changed & the proposal re. pre '60's vehicles is still under debate (scourced from Classic Car Weekly this week)

Not really the same symptoms but my '87 tacho hates cold weather (like it's owner) & refuses to work at all after standing for a few days. After a couple of miles it 'wakes up' & works consistantly thereafter.

Thank you Steve, just what I needed to read! Although I can see where you are coming from I think/hope that there would be other signs such as panel- shut gaps being uneven (even by Solihall standards!) doors/tailgate mis-alignment, signs of damage repair etc. but the car is very 'straight' having led a sheltered life with just two owners before me & garaged most of the time - some years it only went to the MOT station & back (14 miles) can you believe!

Yes Steve, the RR is totally original & I don't carry anything like enough to upset the 'balance' All there is on that side is the standard jack/handle, brace & toolroll, so it's ramp time soon I think.

Thanks Steve, dare I suggest that the supplier & variation in height is connected? No doubt if you had fitted them yourself you would have checked. The relative lengths of mine were compared at the same time as the colour codes & they were after all genuine parts, as were the shocks.

Thanks Bowie, I don't have any handling problems but I'll get my guy to put it up on the ramp soon so we can have a look-see. It's annoying when you take the trouble to scource (& £pay!) for genuine suspension parts to maintain the original ride quality & still get issues. In case anyone is wondering why I chose to change the springs on a low mileage motor that has probably never off-roaded, the original owner had fitted a 'concealed' Huskey winch, which I would never use, without up-rating the front springs(!) In order to lose around 60kg of dead weight off the front end I had it removed (& sold) retrofitted the correct spec. springs, thought I might as well do the back end as well & a couple of weeping dampers prompted an all-round damper renewal to round the process off!

Back in the 'eighties when I was a tanker driver (chemicals) we used to put a 'high' concentration of methenol into the washer tank, never had frozen washers even when doing 60 on motorways!

According to the 'bible' the springs on mine are not handed, only on diesel's & LH drive models. Standard suspension specs. are: front 572315 & rear NRC8113 both sides. Both myself & the 'indie' (that I have used for years) checked the colour codes prior to fitting & I'm sure that a defective mount etc. would have been flagged up at the time. The car has retro-fitted (genuine) sway - bars & now that I come to think of it had a slight lean when on the original springs.

That's strange, I've used Halfrauds 'pink' for several years (best bought in summer when you can get two for the price of one) in a variety of cars without a problem, though it has to be said that ambient temps don't usually fall below around -7 around here but then of course you still have the wind-chill on the jets when the car is travelling.

Probably a stupid question guys (sorry in advance!) but is there any way of correcting a slight lean to the offside of my '87 RRC, short of replacing suspension components. The car had new (genuine) road springs & dampers fitted all round only 4000m ago & does not off-road (& probably never has, judging by it's condition) but the driver's side rear sits slightly low when the car is unladen. The difference is only about three-quarters of an inch but irritatingly noticeable!