Defender, Discovery 1 & RRC Coil Spring to Series Axle Leaf Sprung Conversion Front & Rear

Parts used

Buy Parts
1no. YRM 120 Series Land Rover Front Axle (Defender/Discovery 1/RRC Axle) Coil to Leaf Sprung Brackets
1no. YRM 121 Series Land Rover Rear Axle (Defender/Discovery 1/RRC Axle) Coil to Sprung Brackets

 

This is a conversion of a Discovery 1 Axle to fit on a Series 2 & 3 (but Defender & RRC can also be used)

Note; U-bolts used were standard 592182 Land Rover U-bolts except the modified one for the inside of the Front RHS

Steps

1

First job is to remove all the original bracket work from the Disco axles 1

2

Grind and clean up the casings ready for the new mounts 2 3

3

Support the front of the vehicle so the axle is clear of the ground 4

4

Loosely fit the Disco axle onto the spring with the new spring saddles (approx 13cm from rear of axle flange-outside face of spring saddle both sides) 5

5

Track rod needs to clear spring but only just.  Any more clearance and castor angle will be lost on swivel pins 6

6

Weld saddle in place and check measurements again before removing axle and fully welding saddles 7

7

Both sides approx 13cm from inside of axle flange to outside edge of new saddles  8 9

8

This is the problem on the drivers side. Due to the square profile of the casing around the diff, it is necessary to make up a strap U-bolt that can be shaped to suit the axle profile. I used 2 high tensile M12 threads and some 4mm strap. Also the profile of the saddle has to be filled (only the front edge) to fill the gap created by the shape of the axle  10

9

I also made a wedge for the top face of the axle so that the U-bolt/strap had a flat surface to sit on  11 12

10

The passenger side is far more straight forward and just requires careful measurement and welding on  13

11

The rear axle is far more straight forward as there are no steering arms to work with. I loosely fitted the axle same as the front and made sure the axle was centralised to the chassis. Rotate the axle until the diff nose is pointing slightly up from horizontal then tack welded the saddles in place. Then remove axle and fully weld saddles  14

12

This photo shows how 7.50/16 tyres just fit inside the standard series bodywork without any body mods  15

 

This work was carried out by Paul Marsden at Marsden Auto Developments, 07989 677452