Monkey with a spanner

I have been meaning to get my hands dirty for a while and start doing mods myself. The best place to start I figure would be to put my self under 2.5 tonnes and swap out the panhard rods. Only problem is I would not know what to look out for.

For example - would I need to have the car on Jack stands? - Research has taught me this is a 'Yes'
But apart from that, I have not found anything else.

I was wondering if there was anything in particular I needed to look out for?

Also, the reason I am changing the panhard rods is because of the dreary death wobble. Having my trusty neighbourhood mechanic swap out the bushes would cost me as near as makes no difference as a brand new set of adjustable panhards and some much needed know how (Also I am looking at a 3" lift, so I see this as stage 1). I was looking at a set of ToughDog Adjustables, but am open to suggestions.

Cheers

Hi getafix

If you are just swapping out the panhards, and leaving the rest of the suspension in place, he only things you will need are the correct spanner and socket, and a mate.

Just park on flat level ground and swap them out one at a time. Undo the bolt and the nut, and pull off the old panhard. Then put one end of the new panhard loosely in place ( the side with the stub, as opposed to the side with a bolt) lift the panhard to almost in position, then have your mate lean slightly on the side of the car to push it sideways until the bolt slides straight in. Tighten up the nuts. Then double check. It even pays to use locktite.

My mate forgot this step and the bolt fell out while he was driving. Luckily doing only 15kmh he looked like an idiot!

But this has always worked for me.

Good luck with the mods.

Cheers!

Changing out the Panhards is fairly easy, and there is little chance of anything happening if you do one at a time, as the weight of the car is still suspended on the springs and also held steady by the opposite end, and it is unlikely to suddenly spring sideways on you.

You will find the Jack Stands on the chassis are really only for the safety side of things, and are of little help in actually fitting the panhards, unless you are lifting the whole vehicle a little higher to get underneath, however, it always pays to be on the safe side.

Once you undo the nuts, the bar just slips off fairly easily.

Slip the old one off, and then slip the new one on, after getting it roughly to length with the old one, and then adjust if required at this stage after the nuts are on.

Mic

Thanks guys, sounds like fun.
Also, what manufacturers should I be looking at? I have not really heard people put a whole lot of emphasis on brands but it doesn't hurt to ask

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Getafix

Thanks guys, sounds like fun.
Also, what manufacturers should I be looking at? I have not really heard people put a whole lot of emphasis on brands but it doesn't hurt to ask

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Superior Engineering. Hands down the best. Plus they have free freight.

Superior Engineering for me too....

Mic

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Originally Posted by lhurley

Superior Engineering. Hands down the best. Plus they have free freight.

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X2. Big fan mate.

If you are doing this alone without a mate close by then I'd recommend jackin the chassis up and put it on jack stands so the weight of the car is on the stands and the wheels are on the ground. If you set it up like this it simply can't move when you take off the old panard and is preset to the correct position for when you fit the new one.

The Panard holds the body centre over the diffs, if the body is sitting on the springs when you take the panard off there will be nothing but balance stopping it from shifting. Shifting even 10mm to one side you will not see until you try to fit the new one that you have setup the same length as the old one and now you need a mate to give the body a push sideways while you try and refit it.

thanks guys, will have the panhard rod shipped over. Hopefully, that should get rid of the wobble. If not, I believe inspecting swivel hub shims and king pin bearings would be in order.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MudRunnerTD

X2. Big fan mate.

If you are doing this alone without a mate close by then I'd recommend jackin the chassis up and put it on jack stands so the weight of the car is on the stands and the wheels are on the ground. If you set it up like this it simply can't move when you take off the old panard and is preset to the correct position for when you fit the new one.

The Panard holds the body centre over the diffs, if the body is sitting on the springs when you take the panard off there will be nothing but balance stopping it from shifting. Shifting even 10mm to one side you will not see until you try to fit the new one that you have setup the same length as the old one and now you need a mate to give the body a push sideways while you try and refit it.

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I have done it alone using a ratchet strap. I put the strap on before removing panhard then it all stayed in place.