Axle Swap - Rear Lower Shock Mounts

[Retroanaconda]

Going to change the rear axle over on my 90 next week, and do all the a-frame/trailing arm bushes/ball joints while I'm at it. A local garage will remove the old bushes/joint from the arms for me and press the new ones in so that's that taken care of, and I plan to steal work's forklift to save faffing around with jacks for the swap.

My new axle is off a 300Tdi Disco, the 'old axle' is off a 1991 200Tdi Disco. What caught my attention this evening was that the 'new' axle has metal cups on the lower shock mount brackets, one on the upper face and one on the lower face. Neither the old 200Tdi Disco axle or the original drum-braked 90 axle had these, just the bare hole in the bracket, so do I need to remove them before fitting my shocks to the axle or will they accept the bushes on the shocks?

Cheers

[western]

IIRC 90/110 have dished shaped washers at each side of the axle bracket, at least that's what is shown in the rear suspension section of the 90 parts book.

[Mo Murphy]

They just replace the loose cups, James.

Mo

[duncmc]

I replaced my rear shocks last week, and the metal cups where just a bit tight so that they did not just fall out. They easily tapped out and I replaced them with the new ones from the shock kit. (1996 90)

[Disco-Ron]

James, D44 recomend knocking the fixed cups off the axle, as they apparently restrict (it can only be very slightly) articulation.......... they are only fixed on with three spot welds....... so with a small cold chisel they come off easily!!

[Retroanaconda]

Ok great, thanks all. One of them is a bit bent underneath, I will see what's what when it comes to fitting time and if they won't work with what I have they'll be knocked off and I'll revert to the current setup

Current plan is to get the old axle out next week, then put it back underneath the week after. So I'll have a week of evenings to sort out the bushes, paint the suspension arms, and clean up (& repair if necessary) the rear chassis. Then put the new (and re-painted) axle underneath and replace the transfer box front output flange, which is leaking AGAIN!

At least I get to drive my 88" for a week, it'll be the most it's been used since I finished the thing

[Retroanaconda]

To wrap this up, rear lower shock bushes:

Defenders up to XA (start of Td5) and Discoveries up to MA (1995-ish) use the non-cup affair, with bush 552818 on either side, and washer 500746 on the outsides and washer NRC6235 on the insides (ie. against the axle shock mount plate itself).

Defenders from XA and Discoveries from MA use the later setup, with the inner cups fixed to the axle bracket. They use bush RNF100090L on either side, with washer RYF500230 on the outside. The bushes are a different shape, due to the different design.

I currently have the early setup bushes and washers in the later setup cups, and it doesn't work. Fine on the flat but if you twist the axles a little bit the washers 'bottom out' in the cups and bend concave, no good. It also gives a lot of squeaking and groaning from the rear on pulling away, engine braking, or articulation, I assume due to the bushes/washers moving about inside the axle cups. What I'm going to do is simply fit the later bushes and washers to suit the axle. It's no challenge truck, so not really worried about any reduction in articulation