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Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 20 Jul 2016 09:07
by ricster
hang in there bud !!

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 20 Jul 2016 09:40
by davidvdm
Looking at my options, one of them that come to mind, is a 3 link setup. Way sooner than I had anticipated doing this......

The existing spring perches on the chassis for the leaf pack may be slightly to close to the diff (trailing arms too short), but in theory, should give me the same articulation as the leaf pack does from that point.

So whats needed

Trailing arms x2
Panahard rod
Coil buckets on diff and chassis

I have a set of Patrol front coils.

Coils also sit slightly wider than the leafs, so should aid slightly in stability. Trailing arms negates the need for a axle wrap bar. So the steel needed for the exercise is only about 2 meters more than what I needed, to get the front end as I wanted it on the leafs, with the panhard and wrap bars.

Three link works out to be less bushings than what I would have needed for the wrap bar.

Gees the mind boggles.... Labour/time is my biggest downer for this. But the advantages is just so much more. The adjust ability being the biggest advantage.

Another thing I did notice, is that with the diff turned down at the pinion now, the clearance to the sump has increased a lot. Looks like around 40mm or more. That means I could actually drop the Sani by possibly 50mm, but to do that on the leafs is not easy...

Other option is to just spacer the diff from the springs by another 20mm or so, but that's more lift, and I'm trying to drop the Sani... Wow, did not ever think I would be saying something like, "I need to drop the suspension on my offroader"

Last option is to cut and tilt the pitmans on the hubs, but I don't think I should even venture into that welding exercise. Stuff it up and I will be needing to replace most of the Birfield.

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 21 Jul 2016 08:28
by davidvdm
I pulled that retainer/locking plate off the draglink last night. The "collar" that tightens up over the threaded section of the draglink end, can swivel easy, and 180 deg turn gets it well out of the way. It was getting dark on me again, so I just left it like that and took it around the block. I will build a new retainer that locks it up 180deg offset to what it was.

I did not get to high speed, and the roads are good, so the wobbly was not felt or tested. But the steering feels more positive. Pull back to center is not really any better. Maybe it's just my imagination, but some of the sharper turns also felt better.

I may get a chance this afternoon to take it on a longer run out of our area where I experienced the wobbly, and see how it has changed. I'm not really very optimistic, as I feel a lot of my problem is the shocks that are not up to it.

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 21 Jul 2016 09:51
by ricster
Don't forget to get diesel.....hahaha.... otherwise you have a long push home, and the only wobbly you will experience is wobbly legs from pushing Hillbilly home

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 22 Jul 2016 09:04
by davidvdm
Did a test drive last night down to the garage.....70Km/h and I now have death wobble.

I could not put the stuffed old steering damper back, and was not sure what this would do...Now I know.

I read about this on some overseas forums, but they told me that I should not have this problem with the small tyres I am running. Usually to much castor on 40" and bigger gets sorted out by reducing Castor, but that induces the vague and all over the place steering I had.

So, just 1km from home, I turned the Sani around and went to see what I could do. Found one of the Disco2 shocks that were donated right at the beginning of the SFA build, that seems ok. Did some cutting and drilling for new mount on the draglink and to make the shock fit the original bracket on the diff.
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Death wobble gone and got it up to around 120. Handling is way better than before the castor change exercise. I do however feel the death wobble come through at around 90 when I get on the brakes a bit hard.

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 22 Jul 2016 09:52
by ricster
Check those kingpin bearings.... maybe remove the shims as a temp fix

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 22 Jul 2016 10:16
by davidvdm
Already removed a shim top and bottom on each and every one a while ago when we were just putting the diff into the Sani.

I still have some oil leaks around the knuckles and I also hear, what sounds like, something catching a speed wobble on the driver side shaft, when I spin the wheel. I think I may also have slight wheel bearing issues :rolleyes:

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 22 Jul 2016 10:47
by Tinus lotz
Well got a full set of wheel bearings top and bottom ones kingpin for just about 600 rand might be a good idea to change seals also about 600 per side :thumbup:

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 22 Jul 2016 11:10
by davidvdm
I know Tinus. What should have happened was that the diff and everything we put into this project, should have been overhauled and sorted with new spare everything. But the budget has been non existent from day one.

I picked the Patrol up for R8K, so did not expect that everything we stripped off it, would be 100%.

I have to live with what I could rescue off it, and hope it does not kill me, before I can get the better of it, with a money injection.

I'm just trying to get one thing stable at a time so I can move on to the next part of the project. As soon as it is 4x4, and we know exactly what the final layout is, I can start "fixing" things.

Ultimately the front end will go from leaf sprung to a 3-4 link on coils. but the rear end first needs to be standing on the H260, and ultimately, that will also go to 3-4 link. I have a standard set of Patrol coils that were donated, and I would love to make them work under the Sani.

The 3-4 link is really haunting me at the moment as this setup allows me to drop the suspension a little (50mm), which I can not achieve on the leaf springs.

Re: Patrol/Safari bits for Sani

Posted: 01 Aug 2016 12:01
by davidvdm
Sunday I managed to bash the swaybar in. Scrap steel rod and some 16x16 square tube is all I had.

I should have done this before I turned the castor up. The results are amazing. Cornering is way better, car has very little body roll, it does not pull so much to the left as it did before and even full lock turns while parking has less scrubbing on the outside tyre.

One of the connecting rods is temporary, as I will want to make it so that I can disconnect it with a pull of a pin.

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