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Help with fitting Anti Roll Bar kit to '88 Classic with 2"lift


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Hi All... HELP!! 

I'm thinking of fitting Anti roll bars to the RRC to try and stop some of it's underpant unfriendly traits, and I'm finding little, if not anything on the web..

Firstly the RRC has +2 springs, so will anti roll bars work?

Secondly I can't find any info on the chassis / axle requirements, or pictures, so I'm not sure if I have the mounting points or not.... I don't really want to be buying a kit and then finding that I've got to do major chassis and axle mods to get it to work.... I'd rather perfect the tacking in a straight line method that most early LR products suffer from.. unless it's a straight forward welding job that doesn't require axles off! 

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You won't have the mounting points for starters, to understand what's involved have a dekko at a D1. Simplest solution is probably to swop out the axles from a D1 which will give you all the hardware as well and just weld the brackets to the chassis. I am sure plenty of folk have done it, there's bound to be someone with real life experience along shortly.

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Thanks for that... I was rather thinking that the "kits" weren't that straight forward as the instructions didn't have any diagrams and were very vague.... Hopefully someone will be able to shed some more light on the subject, possibly a dummies guide with pictures and no writing!!! That would be just like a proper LR fitting guide.... Have you seen a set of instructions for the later LR accessories, looks like Ikea produced them :D

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Ouch!! at that money it's cheaper to chop the RRC in for a Disco!

Off road ability is not my main concern, on road good manners are more important. I want to use it for towing event trailers around the country, after a few mods, like bigger engine! The main reason for getting the RRC was to get away from ECU's but still have something that will tow well. And there are other advantages with using an older car when dealing with VOSA! And I've always wanted an RRC ever since I first rode in one in 1973, loved them ever since and this is number 3 RRC of 4 Range Rovers that I've owned, and the ninth LR  that I've used for a period of time (more that a few weeks)

If it wasn't going to be such a pita I'd put all the suspencion back to stock and not worry about the wobbly bits... but it has been heavily modded and going back to factory is more than just springs and shocks. And if I'm totally honest  I like the high driving position!

So if I go the Britpart "kit" I will need to add extra lumps to the chassis and axles, has anyone done this?

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Been doing a lot of surfing.... YRM are the only people doing the missing weld on chassis / axle bits that I can find.. is there anyone else producing the bits? Only from what I've seen I'll end up having to add spacers to the chassis mounts because I've got a 2" lift.... It's got me thinking that it isn't that hard to replicate the chassis brackets myself, only make them 30mm taller to compensate for the lift...

But I can't find any drawings regarding the location and sizes, and I'm assuming that they need to go in the exact location, rather than just glue them on and hope it works!

As for the axle brackets, they are proving to be a little more troublesome... from what I can tell the drop link is a tapered ball joint, so it will be a pita to replicate. And at £70 to convert the axles, it has got me wondering if the more modern type drop links couldn't be used.... Then I make my own axle links too! Thoughts?

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They are H/D springs! But it's got a 2" body lift as well...... lets just say that a 2CV feels safer cornering :hysterical:

As I'm starting from nothing, I have the luxury of tuning the install to suit the setup... D3/4 rear drop links are looking promising! 

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Food for thought.... I haven't looked at them yet, but they do look fairly new.

I will say that the handling improved four fold when I shimmed the rear radius arms, so the prop had a bit of room to slide. I'm under no illusions, my car has had a hard life before I got it... maybe the shocks are a little under the weather! As I said, I'm trying to create a stable towing platform, and as the trailers can contain liquid, I need a rock solid car! The worst offroading it will be likely to see Glastonbury..... although I have heard of cars getting lost in some of the puddles there:o

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I've got a 87 classic with 4 " lift plus the cranked radius arms front and rear and running 33's. This is working well by fitting a twin shock kit front and rear using 2 bilsteins shocks at each corner - handles fantastic.

Had a few mates who thought is was the end through a few interesting flowing bends at speed - just smile and wave.

It's a great towing truck also.

Might be an option 

rangie rebuild 013.JPG

DSCN2991.JPG

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That looks impressive!

Having owned a Range Rover Classic that had anti roll bars, my first '84 4 door, I know just how well they handle. And then the 2nd RRC didn't have the anti roll bars and it was obvious just how much sway they iron out.... add a 4" lift (+2 springs and 2" body) and it all goes downhill fast!!

Some good news, I've discovered that LR do the weld on chassis brackets NTC7667 that are cheaper:D

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Apart from the large expense of getting rid of the lift, I will still have an RRC that will wonder, and the person that fitted the lift hacked off the self leveling strut... so more expense going back the stock. And having sold my L322 I miss the high driving position... I rather like the 4" lift!!

ARB's are the way to go! Just think that I'm going to use D3 rear drop links rather than the over engineered RRC ones.

 

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But also with a 4" lift your tow ball is going to be waaay too high - and then youre then going to need an extra drop plate for the hitch to bring it down to trailer hitch height. I think you'd be better off with a more standard set up for towing. If you're worried about the lack of a self levelling strut Disco 1's don't have one and cope ok - if it was me I'd put Disco 300 axles on and swap the chassis brackets over as well... job done

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Having had too many RRC's and on any hight - go back to normal height, get some good quality springs & dampers and be ready to feel a different vehicle. Raising RRC's - and esp. D 1's - needs to have a good reason for lifting as it does make a difference.

 

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I can see what you are all saying...... But I don't just tow on the road, there is a certain amount of off road towing too, and while a standard ride height is good for most situations, I have had to use off road high in the L322 and Land Cruisers that I've had in the past. And have ended up beached in my present tow car, a Merc ML. 

The height of the RRC is not the issue.. I'd just like to improve the stability a wee bit to inspire a bit more confidence... just shimming the rear arms to allow the prop to slide has transformed the ride and stopped it's rear end steering... which was brown trousers stuff!! But the more planted that I can get it the better it will tow.

And the towing height is fine with the addition of a ladder hitch, oh and it's only a 2" lift on the chassis... the tow bar isn't attached to the body!!

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From what I can make out the rear axle is a doddle as they go on the back, which is virtually clear of any obstructions... however it doesn't appear quite that straight forward on the front... I was toying with the idea of drilling the front arms and using D3 rear drop links in place of the over-engineered Classic ones, as they have a longer thread on them and are slightly longer which would help keep the anti roll bar level if I stay in present height config!

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The front ARB bracket is so close to the radius arm it has to use the bolt as it would make it impossible to remove the arm to service the bushes... But the ARB could be fixed to either the radius arms or axle and work perfectly well, as long as it's firmly attached near to the spring. Granted the direct to the axle would work better as the radius arm bushes don't detract from the compressive force of the ARB...  However I don't think that they would upset the setup too much, and I wouldn't have to strip the axle for welding, as I'd only be drilling a hole. And let's face it if it doesn't do the business I can always add the YRM brackets, it's a bit harder to do it the other way around!

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