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talked like a normal person
Haha.. brilliant!
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talked like a normal person
Had a talk this arvo to one of the other mechanics at work who just recently put a set of parabolics from westralia in his hzj75. He reckoned they've made it a completely different car to drive and even his girlfriend reckons its way better. Guess it depends where you get them from as to how stiff they'll be. The ones my mate put in just had two leaves in each pack and were about $400 a pair
I have an opinion... as a former business owner who was in the business of importing leaf spring suspensions to North America, (does anyone remember Prairie Dog Parts and Belton Suspensions...?) I have some pretty strong opinions on leaf spring suspensions. Starting with that they are all terrible and we should all strive to get rid of them... But, if you must stick with your chariot-era technology, i will offer this advice.
We researched parabolics, along with several brands of springs... Emu, Dobinson, Belton, Iron Man, Terrain Tamer and the HST parabolic springs. We brought one of each kit into our shop, did various side by side comparisons, and installed a kit onto each of our various cruisers to compare ride quality. That, and various negotiations, quality, and minimum order quantities, and we decided on Belton for a number of reasons.
The HST parabolics I had we installed on my HJ61. The ride was very rough, and really bucked in the rear, so we removed the over loaders. After 2 weeks, the springs had sagged into the overloaders and were providing very poor ride. After removing the overloads, they rear end did not have enough spring rate for the weight of the empty truck, and there was no comfort or ride quality to be had. I believe that the HST springs were never fully scragged.
Parabolics seem like a good idea... a slight improvement over standard leaf packs because they have more linear spring rate, and less internal resistance. But in a practical sense, they are weaker, with fewer leaves taking the load, they are impossible to find replacements for as this thread is showing, and the are not actually that much of an improvement over standard leaf springs... a minor improvement at best. Coils, people... that's how modern suspensions are built. Leaf springs are evil.
But, if you have to stick with leaf springs, here's the factors to look at before making a purchase...
1. Spring steel... what is the grade of the spring steel used. North American steel manufacturers do not create as high grade steel as some asian and European manufacturers do, and the protective steel industry duties ensure that local manufacturers in NA can never compete with asian made springs. This is why HST never manufactured in North America... they could not source the proper spring steel.
2. Fully Scragged springs. This is a process of pushing the spring all the way through its range of motion, effectively pre-sagging the spring. Fully scragged springs will not settle like others. The scragging machine for leaf springs is a big expensive device and a lot of manufacturers do not have a leaf spring scragging machine. If they say they have one... ask if it's a coil scragging machine or a leaf spring machine... they are not the same.
3. Shot peened. Shot Peening is a process of treating the surface of the spring to remove any stress points. It's kind of like a balcksmith hammering out a sword to remove any fractures. This will ensure that your springs are not prone to cracking or breaking pre-maturely.
4. Manufacturing quality. Does the manufacturer put inserts into the eyes of the springs to hold the bushings. How well do the eyes wrap into circles. Are the wrap clamps easily removed. Are the center pins trimmed. Are the military wraps tight enough to not rub on the frames. Are the military wraps on both ends or just the pin end? Is the factory following any quality certifications such as ISO,etc.
We had the above nailed with the Belton springs. In the thousands of kits we sold, we never warranted a broken spring! A few broken u-bolts, but that was it. In fact, Belton was so good, that when Emu came out with the Dakar line of springs, it was the Belton factory that manufactured those springs for Emu. That's what eventually led to the demise of Prairie Dog Parts, in case you were wondering... That, and my repentance from evil.
So, my recommendation for those masochistic souls that force leaf springs into their short and brutish lives, go with Emu Dakar springs over HST parabolics, if you must. Very good quality springs, world wide support, and they will do what you expect... which is to leave you disappointed with your suspension, craving a proper coil-over multi-link suspension like a modern day vehicle should have.
d] What are your thoughts on thinner leaves/more leaves per pack?
Why not just buy Belton? Thanks, Mike
Why not just buy Belton? Thanks, Mike
Belton is not around anymore
.
Their home site says they're doing 4500 tons this year
Hmmmm! See I always relied on getting my info from the local cruiser shops on the "coast" here . When I enquired about a set of Beltons it was mentioned that they were no longer.
My Bad!