WesBrooks Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Can the brake calipers from a non ABS 95 Discovery 1 (along with the rest of the braking system) be used on ABS axles from a 94 RRC? I had originally thought the ABS would be a good thing to have on my project until I saw the price of the ABS components new! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 *Probably*. At that age, I believe the caliper mounts had harmonised. Caliper bolt spacing is the same for sure, but the caliper bolts are designed to 'pin' the caliper securely, so are a very close fit on the shank. I forget which way round it is, but the bolts are different and one will not safely fit the other because of it. If LR designed it to be pinned, they probably did it for a reason. ABS is a great thing actually, especially on a fairly unstable platform that is a LR. Despite the cost if I were doing it, I would fit it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesBrooks Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 Thanks for the feedback. Does the ABS play well with larger tire diameters? Not likely to be no more than 33". Was it just the P38s that had the diffs on the other side or was it everything with a Borg Warner transfer box? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 Yes, I run 33 Simex Jungle Trekkers, and never had an issue, helps me keep it in a straight line when braking hard for sure. Driving a mates non-ABS 90 on muddy roads completely convinced me of the effectiveness of ABS.... He was on 315/70/15 or similar. Just the P38 that swapped axle offsets. For D1/RRC you can swap the BW box and LT230 directly between the gearboxes, with no other changes except for maybe a spudshaft for an auto, handbrake, and from propshaft, which is longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesBrooks Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 (edited) Great, thanks. I appreciate the benefits of ABS. Think ice and loose gravel are the only times I've struggled with it in my daily, but then again since grip is soo low any way in those situations fully manual brakes would probably leave me worse off anyway! I had wondered whether to keep the BW or use the LT230 from the D1. I like the self preserving aspect of the centre diff on the BW automatically locking up but from what I've read (mainly on here) they are weaker and less reliable. The ZF box on the RRC 3.9 is liekly to be the same as the D1 unit isn't it? I'd like the 4 bolt mains 4.6, larger torque converter and tougher autobox but the potential of a good donor currently running may be too good to miss and begins to light up the end of a very long tunnel! I'd Just feel bad for breaking a RRC rather than trying to fix it! Long since lost any feelings like that for the original D1 donor as that hadn't been looked after well for many years! Do you rate the air suspension on the RRCs? I've been on the fence with regards to a lift on the suspension since I got the donor D1 a few years ago now. I probably would have only gone for 2" at most, I think that is within the range of the Arnott Air bags which I think are the preferred options? Come to think of it since my vehicle weight is very different to standard will the spring rates be far too firm at the normal ride heights? Edited September 3, 2018 by WesBrooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbeaumont Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 Well, I liked the EAS on my classic - if it's well maintained it's perfectly reliable, and it's not hard to work on. Takes a lot of compromise out of a mixed use vehicle. It does give you a firmer ride than the standard coil springs on a classic (but not unpleasantly so - if the ride is rock hard the springs are ancient and hardened. They're a similar construction to tyres and go hard with age in the same way - rather than going soft as coils or leafs do). The controller for the classics is a little eccentric (likes to "dance" on uneven ground, that sort of thing) - however, you should be able to use the one from a P38a instead, which is better behaved - basically, Land Rover beta tested the system on their customers in the last couple of years of the classic before shipping the finished system in the P38a. The P38a system is essentially the same, so you can pick whichever bits suit your installation (I don't think there would even be issues mixing and matching as the system just switches 12V lines, but - disclaimer - I haven't tried it). IIRC Arnott air springs (or at least some of them) allow +3" over the standard (coil) ride height? I had AirBagMan (just replace the actual bladders not the pistons, which were good for about +2", and I think the standard ones were +1.5"? You can download free diagnostics software for the EAS controller - you need to buy or make up a cable to connect a serial port or USB->serial adaptor to the EAS diagnostics port. The plug for the classic diagnostics port was hard to get a few years ago - don't know if it still is. However, if you're installing something from scratch you could use any socket with enough pins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesBrooks Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 I've got a custom loom drafted up and got about 50% of the components already so as long as the EAS and ABS are as modular as I think they are this is definately worth a good go. I was interested in a 2" lift but would be inclined to do it fully with adjustable panhard rod and caster correction to get the full self centring of the steering. Not cheap and may well leave it less settled on motorway runs - which are likely living in Merseyside with friends in Glasgow, family in Oxfordshire, and like to holiday in the Lakes! All that said being a thirsty V8 this won't be a daily driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 1 hour ago, WesBrooks said: I had wondered whether to keep the BW or use the LT230 from the D1. I like the self preserving aspect of the centre diff on the BW automatically locking up but from what I've read (mainly on here) they are weaker and less reliable. The ZF box on the RRC 3.9 is liekly to be the same as the D1 unit isn't it? You could use the BW, but with 33" tyres you'll likely feel over geared, you can re-gear them, but the chain and sprockets are about £800. If you are buying diffs, do it that way. Yes, the D1 box will be the same as the RRC one, so no issues there, wasn't sure of where you were going or coming from If fitting an LT230 to the autobox that had a BW transfer case on it, you need to change the spud shaft on the auto box output to make it fit with the 'long spline' type input gear on the LT230, FTC5090, I think. I have driven both air and sprung, *personally* I find the air rather a jittery ride, and prefer standard springs, it really is personal preference, and the adjustability is of course a nice feature Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WesBrooks Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 (edited) Thanks for both of your input. Plenty to think about and no doubt I'll be active on the forums again shortly after getting the donor if things go ahead as planned! Edited September 3, 2018 by WesBrooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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