will4x4 Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Hi im finally going to do this mod and will buy a relocation damper kit so i can still run one. I currently have an uprated steering arm on my defender will this be long enough to screw a ball joint in instead of that funny join that also has half the damper on.. or do i need to buy a discovery strengthened arm? my question is can i keep the same arm / length wise plus is there anything else i will need to buy? (i have a disco drop arm already) thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mutz Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Not an answer to your question im afraid; but a question! What would the benefit be of doing this mod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will4x4 Posted September 25, 2011 Author Share Posted September 25, 2011 oh its much easier to just unscrew the ball joint when it wears out using a disco one. On a defender its a real faff having to muck around trying to press it out of the drop arm.. took me 1/2 day previously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danebrewer Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 but how often do you have the drop arm wear out? sorry to play the devils advocate, but I wonder whether it may be a bit of an unnessecary modification out of proportion to the problem it solves....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 you only need one awkward ball joint on the defender arm and you'd sell your granny not to have to go through it again .... imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 i have replaced the ball joint on my defender before and dont want to do it again and since the gaitor on this one has split im sure it will need doing again soon. This is the route ill be going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landy andy. Posted September 25, 2011 Share Posted September 25, 2011 Agree with above. Have spent a good few hours today, trying to get my drop arm off. In the end had to resort to cutting it off. No easy thing, quite tight on space. But at least I now know I won't have to do this again. I was doing this due to wear in the original joint, and went for the modification so I can also upgrade to sumo bars, using Gwyn Lewis's damper bracket. What a job............ Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbs Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I've done this mod about 5 years ago or so and it's been an absolutely brilliant one, instead as some else has said it taking me at least 1/2 a day to change over that daft drop arm ball joint It now takes me 10 minutes a side to change over, and as long as you copper slip the threads then it'll be even easier to do-I've attached a pic to show you how mine is HTH John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will4x4 Posted September 26, 2011 Author Share Posted September 26, 2011 thanks guys, so do i need a discovery uprated steering arm or will my defender uprated arm be long enough? thanks Will Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 Pretty sure you need a disco one, I know I did when I swapped from swan neck to 300TDI Disco arm on my RRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 You'll need the discovery arm :-) My damper relocation bracket is a neat little slide on bracket held in place by grub screws. I can't remember the manufacturer's name though - but they are the people who supply QT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 26, 2011 Share Posted September 26, 2011 I made my own damper bracket, piece of cake really: http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=45874 Other people have used 30mm U-bolts and a piece of angle, if you think of the force it needs to transmit it is pretty minimal really, compared to say a major suspension mounting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landy andy. Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 thanks guys, so do i need a discovery uprated steering arm or will my defender uprated arm be long enough?thanks Will I think you are talking about the "drag link", not the "steering arm". The drag link is the bar that goes from the drop arm to one hub, is this what you mean? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dads Toy Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Is it critical where the damper bracket goes? I intend to measure the distance from the chassis on the original set up and put the new bracket at that distance on the new bar. Presumably as long as the damper doesn't bottom (or top) out it should work. Malcolm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Presumably as long as the damper doesn't bottom (or top) out it should work. I had nothing to measure, just made sure this was the case and clamped it on. TBH, I think what I did was fitted everything, left the clamp loose, and turned full lock left, this moved the bracket to a good position, I moved it 10mm more and clamped it down, checked full lock right and it hit the stops before I over-extended the damper -job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will4x4 Posted September 27, 2011 Author Share Posted September 27, 2011 yes i mean the bar from the steering box to the swival (front one), i would have though this would be the same size as the disco bearing in mind the running gear is the same etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 It will be different, as the bit you currently screw into the drag link to fit to the swan neck adds ~ 20mm to the overall length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JST Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 you need a diso bar - Gywn does very good sumo bars for good money. or have a long thread showing in which case you will prob end up changing them even more often, assuming its off roaded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landy andy. Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Is it critical where the damper bracket goes? I intend to measure the distance from the chassis on the original set up and put the new bracket at that distance on the new bar. Presumably as long as the damper doesn't bottom (or top) out it should work.Malcolm If you mark the steering damper when it is in it's middle position, and then fit it whilst wheels are straight forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Range Rover Blues Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 You can buy a stock drag link for a 300 TDi Disco for less than 20quid on the bay, I swapped mine recently becasue ti needed new joints and I couldn't be bothered fighting it. I went the other way on Blue, it had the older style drop arm so i fitted a Defender drag link and damper. I remember I had to swap the whole link because the threads were different lengths inside the drag link. One thing i don't like about the Defender set up though is that the damper forces the drag link to screw round, so if you fit a gas damper the ball joints are always rubbing on the rubbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickwilliams Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I don't really understand what this mod is all about, but the ball joint on my 90 drop arm is loose again so I'm interested in anything which improves the precision of the steering. Can someone post some pictures to show what the differences between the original and modified set up is, please? If I can get to understand what needs doing (including identifying the parts required) I'll take pictures as I do it and create an article for the tech archive. Nick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosbeldia Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 For my 2001 TD5 is just to take of the drop arm and put a Disco one? my car is a left hand..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbs Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 I don't really understand what this mod is all about, but the ball joint on my 90 drop arm is loose again so I'm interested in anything which improves the precision of the steering. Can someone post some pictures to show what the differences between the original and modified set up is, please? If I can get to understand what needs doing (including identifying the parts required) I'll take pictures as I do it and create an article for the tech archive. Nick. Nick If you refer to my pic on the previous page you'll see what the difference is between the two setup's HTH John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landy andy. Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 The major difference is what the ball joint is fixed too. On a Defender the ball joint is part of the drop arm. This drop arm can be a bitch of a job to remove, and then is only rebuilding the ball joint on the end. On a Discovery the ball joint is on the end of the drag link bar (from hub to drop arm). This is easily removed, is a standard ball joint, and does not involve removing the drop arm ever again (we hope). Will find some pics. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crwoody Posted September 28, 2011 Share Posted September 28, 2011 There's always another way! When replacing the standard Defender ball joint, drill and tap a hole in the round steel ball-joint backplate and fit a grease nipple, that way you can ensure it's always lubricated properly and much less likely to wear out. It worked for me anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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