We've come a long, long way together

The winter slumber is almost over ...
I have a lovely Dodge ratio rear axle arriving this weekend :cool:
So I will removing the original Commer axle, before sending off the leaf springs for reconditioning. Is there any mods that can be done to ride that little bit lower on the rear (avoiding putting the axle on top of the springs) ?
Also, any 'gotchas' to look out for when removing the Armstrong units - I don't want to take my head off with anything taking sudden flight !!
 
Some of the leaves act as spacers so you could take a couple of the shorter ones out, but won't give much of a drop. I remember Will doing this many years ago. Don't be tempted to re-profile them though as flattening them will also increase the length so you could end up with the shackle end hitting the box section. Martin does some specials which have been re-profiled and shortened to get round this.
You'll need a ball joint cracker for the lever arms, they are not under any spring pressure so no nasty surprises there. But make sure you drain the old oil out (it will stink like fish), flush with oil and re-fill with some SAE 40 or SAE 50 for that extra but of stiffness.
 
Thanks Panky, much appreciated - especially the safety aspect !
I'm now looking into parabolic springs as suggested on FB but will have a chat with Martin too.
 
After my recent bargain Jensen Interceptor seats, FB has now provided me with these 30mm Jeep spacers for £12.
Very handy to play with for my chrome Rover Rostyles and Jensen Interceptor GKN alloys :cool:

20190302_190944.jpg
 
Last edited:
As both the Rostyles and GKNs are 7/16 UNF but the bolts are 1/2 UNF, I'm wondering whether using a die to trim the relevant part of the spacer bolts to size could work ?
 
The usual Commer axle has a ratio of 1:512 (some are even higher) but some Dodge Spacevans came with an axle ratio of 1:477. Otherwise the axle is a straight swap. The improved gearing is worthwhile and helps keep the revs down :cool:
 
Last edited:
I would think the bolts are 1/2" for strength, personally I would get the holes drilled. There should be enough taper left to seat the wheel nuts.
 
Thanks Panky, getting them correctly drilled is probably the most straightforward option. But a refurbished set of either wheels could be quite devalued by doing so.
Possibly Rootes simply used 1/2 just because they had them, the Interceptor is quite a beast and 7/16 were OK for that.
For trial fit purposes, I might simply try swapping out the spacer bolts to 7/16 before deciding which wheels look the coolest :cool:
 
You could see if you could get hold of shoulder bolts with a half inch shank but 7/16" thread. I was concerned about reducing the size of your originals as the original thread wouldn't be completely removed with the amount of metal that would be removed.
 
Thanks so much for this Panky, looking into things a bit further I now see how the bolts fit into the spacers. I've got access to a press and seems straightforward to press the existing out bolts and then look for the same shoulder but 7/16 thread.

Seeing how much a set of 4 Rover 15" Rostyles are currently going for on eBay I'm even more loathed to mess with my pair !

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rover-p5...h=item4b5eaae552:g:9boAAOSwBRZcdw-5:rk:5:pf:0
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top