Lenny preparations start - Advice welcome

Have started to get Lenny ready. The lights now work (mostly) the exceptions are the dashboard warning lights like there is no indicator warning, and no heater control illumination. Fairly trivial in the scheme of things. More seriously I have removed the front valance and installed a steering guard with jacking points and towing eyes.

Last Saturday Kieran persuaded me to invest in a 2" lift kit which seems quite exciting, as there are no fitting instructions just a box of bits. I presume all will be obvious when I start taking the old stuff off. I have never installed a lift before so any advice would be welcome. Particularly relating to the two types of clip one half round and one the other oblong. I presume they hold a spring on somehow but would it be front or back, top or bottom ?? Its a whole new voyage of discovery (pun intended).

Looking forward to hints and tips from all those who have been there before .....

No Idea what the clips are for Keith, pictures may help... I just did mine at the weekend its a simple thing to do... A couple of hours for the rear and a bit less for the front.

Jack the vehicle up in the corner you want to work on as much as you can and let the axle drop almost as far as it will. Then put a jack under the axle to take its weight.

Wheel off.
(on the back springs) Undo the retaining bar across the bottom of the spring.
With Spring Compressers, compress the spring - it should then (with some persuasion) fall out.
Compress New spring, let it fall back in and uncompress.
Replace spring retaining bar.
Damper off with 2 nuts
New damper back on.
Wheel back on
Job done move to other corner.

The fronts are even easier but the principle is the same except there are no spring retaining bars and you'll probably need to remove the damper turret to get the damper out (if replacing them)

Hope this helps...

Keith,

Funny shaped bars with a half round ar HD spring retainers for the Rear. the straight ones are retaining bars for the front, although in a lot of cases folk don't fit them (dunno why, i didn't even get any!)

If you have anti-roll bars, take them off first to make it all easier.
I didn't need to use spring compressors, and if you've bought HD springs, then normal car compressors will be dangerously overloaded, and could cause fatal injury (i'm not kidding here)

If you jack the body of the vehicle up on the chassis and the axle as well, then lower the axle and the springs will drop out, however watch the break lines don't get too tight. if replacing those as well (i did tell Kizz that he ought to consider it) the remove these and you can drop the axle right down, makes it all really easy. Is also easier to remove both wheels as it gives more space to lower the axle and room to move it a little to get spring out if you havn't removed th brake lines.

If all else fails, Give me a ring and i'll talk you through it.

Hi Kieran, not been on here for a while and there you are you've gone and bought the "thinking mans Defender"
Doing the lift is quite simple, the secert is lfting the body high enough so the old springs have room to "fall out" + you have enough room for the new ones to go in. It is a lot safer than using spring compressors. If you have a hi-lft jack then that is the tool to use but please take care. You do have +2" shock absorbers don't you? You may have some problems getting the old front ones off but persevere and you will triumph
You ask about tyres, I always recomend black round ones myself. It all depends on your pocket. I have a feeling of deja-vu. I belive I have given this advice to you sometime earlier, so look for my previous answear. Most of all best of luck

Hi all,

I've got the same job to do in the new year, once Santa drops the +2in HD springs down the chimey!! (that'll wake us all up!! )

From experience (once!!), support the front or rear of the chassis on axle stands and remove both wheels on the axle. with a jack under the centre of the axle, lower it down (slowly, and stop before brake lines become tight!!). Initially I tried doing one corner at a time, but the axle doesn't drop enough like that to let the spring 'fall' out... much easier lowering both sides at once!! (may sound obvious to some... )

The bits you're unsure of sound like retaining bars - the one with the "half circle" curve is the front spring retainer (fits at the bottom of the spring), and has the 'kink' to fit round the front shock. The straight bars are for the back, to replace the standard one you'll take off (again, holding the bottom of the spring in place).... obvious when you see it!! (was even obvious for me!!)

All the best, good luck with it... difficult bit I find is freeing off all the nuts and bolts!!
Cheers,
Nat

ahhh hello mr Lucky Trucker, how are you doing?,
i kept with good old pinky.
it is the fathership who ventured out and bought the "comfy defender"

Excellent advice, I think I now know where everything should go and am planning to start as soon as weather permits (hopefully this weekend). The only question I still have is that I have been supplied with extended brake hoses but only 4. Paddock have told Kieran this is correct and have checked with the chassis No but I have dual hoses on the front. Does this mean that the old ones will be OK on the back ? I dont think I will go with Kierans idea of just replacing two of the front ones and blocking the others with blue tack or something .......

Hi Keith, I have a 2" inch lift on mine and still with the standard brake lines. I think you will find that you have 2 brake lines for each side at the front and one for the back, therre being copper/steel pipes running along the axel from the union in the center. Best of luck with it, I have not stretched my standard ones so far and the only reason I have not done it is because of the concerns of wrecking the "rusty" siezed brake lines. By the way , I took my car for MOT, just to see what it would fail on not having done any prep work. Bloody thing only went and passed

Thanks for that - I'll start working on it tomorrow if its not too cold. I'll let you know how I get on.