Isuzu Trooper Owners Club UK™

[Philip A.]

In a place where there is not even an official Isuzu dealer, and where you can only find Aussie-made suspensions at a few multiples of the original price (and then, what's in stock is almost exclusively for Toyota) sourcing lift springs means lots of patience and money, or lots of searches and patience...

Search results said that Land Rover springs were a no-brainer. Tons of them Landies in various stages of disrepair around here, and you can actually buy springs at cheap rates.

I selected NRC4304, Range Rover rear springs, 170lbs/in, 450mm/17.7" long. I ordered from the local Britparts importer, I hope they'll last a bit more than most of their junk parts, but they were cheap enough (around $100 for the pair if I recall correctly).


An original spring removed (Lotus edition).



New NRC4304


When trying the Land Rover bottom plates for fit (Landy springs have a larger diameter than Isuzu's), I noticed that the Isuzu spiral "step" prevented the plate from sitting level, and that the bumpstop bottom prevented the plate from centering.

Easy solution, grind the plates slightly on one side, and make a spacer out of 5mm thick flat steel.





Bottom plate and spacer



The axle drilled to suit



Landy plate installed (yes, I know, should have drilled a hole in the center to allow water to drain... Will do that, promised)



Now, the procedure is straightforward: disconnect the shock on the side you are working on (loosen the top, and remove the bottom), then lift the car as high as it will go from the corner of the chassis (easy with a hi-lift, if you have hi-lift points of course...). The shock comes out quite easily if you lift to maximum shock extension first. Of course, wedge the car solidly front and back and sides, and pile up safety stuff underneath the corner you're working on - tyres on their rims do fine: when you reach the top of a high-lift things can go pear-shaped very fast!

BUT

BUT

When lifting the right side, DO NOT FORGET to disconnect the bracket holding the brakes flex line... the line is shorter than the axle travel without shocks!


Brake line bracket disconnected


Took about 40 minutes per side, including grinding and cutting bolts. Result? exactly 50mm of lift, ride slightly firmer but comfortable when empty. A very easy lift. I'll see what happens at full load.

[Google]

[Gribble]

Do try to keep up with the forum lol.
http://www.itocuk.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29170&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=
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2 New Troopers !