Category: shocks

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Unboxing with a Bad Back Parts for my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #709) 7/7/2025

I am still recovering from my back injury. I am able to unbox my bushings and shocks. Boring I know, but you do what you can when you are not quite 100% (or even 60%). Next video will be an install video for shocks for my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig.

I bought the basic shocks and a set of bushings. The rubber type. No matter what I read about poly bushings, I have experienced them failing. They are good for about 5 years. For half the price you can buy rubber bushing that last twice as long. I fell for the hype one time. Not again. If I could get OEM rubber bushings I would install them every time over poly.

The shocks I ordered were also the basic shocks. I could have popped for another set of Terrafirmas or Old Man Emu but I am on a budget. The Big White Bus had Old Man Emus on it when I first swapped the shocks. At that time I put Terrafirma on her. They served me well and I have no complaints.

So this time I went budget and if I notice them failing in the future and my need for better shocks comes up again, I’ll investigate a “name brand”. Girling is a recognized provider for British autos and motorcycles. I make a joke in the video about “girly” shocks, I’m sure these will be fine for the type of driving I do. The front set is Boge which is a German brand. I’ve never heard of them. I’m sure they will be fine too.

The next step will be removing all the suspension parts that are going to get new bushings and taking them up to my friend’s shop to press the old out and the new in. How exciting! I wonder if Mike will quote another “Love Buffet” song for us? Love Buffet’s lead singer passed away in 2024.

Thanks for reading, like and subscribe, and Happy Rovering.

https://youtu.be/gHp8XaVtDaI
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Planning the Suspension Repairs for my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #708) 6/29/2025

Camp Mimi 10 is in full swing. Part of Camp Mimi this year is Mrs. Okierover taking the grands to a “cabin” in Medicine Park, Oklahoma. Its a house, but if she wants to call it a cabin, whatever.

With that she needed to take the Honda Pilot to the dealer for a check of the air conditioning. We had a lively debate as to whether or not it was actually cooling when we went to get a Fro-Yo from Braums last weekend. My assertion was it was NOT cooling. She insisted it was and I said, “whatever you think dear…”. So she didn’t get it looked at and drove it to Kansas to pick up Lucas and Logan.

When she got back she said it was NOT cooling. So off to the dealer for investigation. No leaks just 6 year old coolant. So they swapped it out. Yay cooling!

They also told us that our brake pads wore dangerously worn. She told them I would take care of it. I stopped by O’Reilly’s on the way home picked up a set of pads $92.00(US) or there abouts.

I swapped them first thing Saturday. They were NOT dangerous if anything they were about half way. The pads wear pretty unevenly. The inside pads wear less than the outside pads. I need to get over to the Piloteer Message Board and see what that is all about. While I was swapping them, I managed to do one stupid thing and put my back out.

It doesn’t take much, and I’ve been REALLY careful for nearly a year, so it was pretty unexpected that I cut my weekend short by screwing that up.

I’ve started my steroids and am popping Ibuprofen like an over-zealous Corpsman was handing Chicklets to me. I see the doc on Tuesday, and I bet she’ll give me a steroid shot if I ask for one. I’ll be right as rain by the time the campers return.

With all that going on, I took Lucas for a ride. He enjoyed it. The ride just reinforced to me that I need to swap all the bushings and get the shocks replaced. I ordered them Saturday night and expect them this week. They will go in either late on Sunday or early Monday so look for another video then.

That’s about it, like and subscribe to the channel, and Happy Rovering.

https://youtu.be/jEocqJyciC0

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Let’s go for a ride in my Range Rover Classic Overland Rig (Post #705) 6/1/2025

I took the Range Rover around the block (technically the section lines) to get all the fluids warmed up and to gauge road readiness. The fluids did get hot. The RRC is NOT ready for the road.

What I experienced was a vehicle that has some obvious issues.

First, the shocks. I think they are tired and probably done. They’ve been on this truck for at least 15 years.

Second, my medium springs on an empty truck make the ride pretty harsh. I’ve pulled all the seats out and all the interior. Besides the noise, it has very little on board to make the springs do anything.

Third, there are some bushings that have failed. You’ve seen the poly bushes in the back failing. I also experienced the signs of a panhard bush failing when the truck dives right when I let off the gas. Probably wouldn’t hurt to get them all refreshed.

I have this crazy idea to take the truck over to Mickey’s Garage and have him get her up on the lift to do an inspection. If I could get a list of all the stuff that needed replacement, I’d feel better about what I needed to do next.

In the video, I talk about my coolant being low. It took about a half gallon to top her off. Considering how long she’s sat and air bubbles getting flushed out from the engine being at full revs I’m not worried about the level changing like that.

I also had a brake light on. I had replaced the plug on the brake fluid reservoir. I got the wires swapped into the new plug and I guess one had a poor connection. I fussed with it and the light went out. I’ll probably crimp the spade connectors again to tighten them up.

I also showed off my new Knightsbridge seat covers with Molle. I’ve got a couple of bags on there and am scouring Pinterest on the potentials.

That’s about it for this week.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

https://youtu.be/WDFVjEBxj08
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Rust and the Art of Welding (Post #332) 4/22/2013

Do you know what this part is?

Nope, it’s an upper shock mount on a Range Rover Classic. Wait, what? You guessed that right? Bully for you. This weekend I climbed under the Range Rover to swap out the old and tired Old Man Emu shocks I bought in 2001. Before it was over, I had ordered two of these.

I sourced a set of Terrafirma shocks from Atlantic British and they had been languishing in their boxes on my garage floor. It was time to replace them.

The front shocks on went without a hitch. However the rear shocks were quite the ordeal to remove. It required me using the electric impact wrench. (Brilliant tool, by the way. If  you don’t have one, get one.) The rust was terrible. I have pictures to share in another post.

The nuts were welded to the shafts with corrosion and after hitting them with the impact wrench they just spun on the shafts. I had always wondered why people buy shock mounts, they are made out of metal right? How pictures have you seen or witnessed in person a person breaking a shock mount on the trail? I used to think these things were from hard use. Apparently they are from “use”. The part is shipped from the factory unpainted and you know what that means. RUST.

This means that after just a few years the rust has begun and the structural integrity of that part is being compromised. After climbing around under the Range Rover this weekend I was really surprised at how much rust was forming on the parts I had painted with Marhyde Self-Etching Primer just a summer ago.

If I had the budget and time I would probably pull the major bits and have them all powder-coated. But that is not really practical nor affordable. If I were doing a FULL RESTORE it would be. But I’m not, so I’ll just chase the rust around, part by part.

Speaking of rust, I noticed the brake calipers on the rear are really nasty. I replaced the right rear brake caliper a year or two ago when I noticed my second caliper rebuild failed. Frustrated I sourced new brake calipers. I did not paint them at the time thinking if I needed to return them under warranty they would not take them back. That left them with what ever they were coated with to rust. Turns out they were coated with Pre-Rust ™. Yes, I just trademarked that product. I will show a picture of the right side rear caliper in a future post.

After pulling the wheel to remove the shock, it turns out, I will need to replace the left side brake caliper as well. It does not seem to be contacting the brake disc. I may or may not have mentioned already that I have a pop when I apply the brakes and I would bet 100$(US) that this caliper is sticking and the culprit.

So what started as a Difficulty Scale 1 shock replacement, is going to be four jobs:

  • Replace Upper Shock Mounts
  • Rust Abatement on Right Rear Brake Caliper
  • Rust Abatement on Left Rear Brake Caliper
  • Replace Left Rear Brake Caliper

I think I will pull the right rear caliper and take it to JagGuy’s shop this coming weekend and sand blast the rust off. Then everything will get two coats of primer and get slapped back on. I wonder if anyone makes a “portable sand blaster”? I’m guessing Google is going to get work out on that search string later today.

I missed SCARR this weekend (http://scarr.texasrovers.org/) I really wanted to go but the time was not available. And as it turned out, my Range Rover wasn’t ready either.

Happy Earth Day. I hope it was awesome for you. In honor, I cut down a tree Sunday which was encroaching on my swimming pool. Up with people! (there will be no singing).
Smoke’m if you’ve got’em.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Rovering.

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Electrical Gremlins (Post #331) 4/20/2013

I’ve resolved that this weekend will be mostly electrical in nature on the Range Rover. This is not my favorite thing  to fix. I took electronics at Mid-America Vo-tech school when I was still in high school. I was only mildly interested in it. My dad was an electronic technician for the Federal Aeronautics Administration (FAA). He learned it in the Navy and wanted me to have the same life. That was not to be. I didn’t fall far from that tree, I went into the computer industry.

I have quite a list to address this weekend:

  • Sunroof
  • ABS Sensors
  • Utility light
  • Clock

Those are the electrical issues. This is not to mention my radio is still not working. But that is another post. I decided to start with the sunroof tonight. Mrs. OkieRover was going out to a Pampered Chef party which left me at home to drink beer work on my Range Rover.

I opened up the PDF of my workshop manual and found the location of the sunroof’s relay. I have already tested for power at the switch. The fuse is good and I’m pretty sure now it is the motor. I think I have a few more things to test but I’m mostly convinced either the controller is dead or the motor.

Next up was the ABS sensors. I mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to test each one for conductivity. I did that tonight. I required me finding the ABS sensor plugs. The fronts are located inside the engine bay on the fenders. A quick pull and measure, done. The rear are located on the bottom of the bed just above the rear axle. I pulled those and measured, done. All four have the same value when run through the ohm meter. As does the other end when checked toward the computer.

That’s mostly disappointing. As I was hoping for a Sesame Street easy, this one is not like the others and I could swap it and my life would be ABS complete again. The second thing to test is that the sensors are fully seated against the ABS rings. This requires a dowel rod and hammer to knock the rear sensors back into place. When you start rolling the sensors are set at the correct distance and should start functioning correctly.

I haven’t got her rolling yet so I’m not sure if this made any difference. Hopefully I’ll find its all good. I said hopefully, I’m not insane, I know it won’t, but until tomorrow there’s still hope.

Not excited about the blue plastic dust shield.

Having had so much success with my projects so far, I thought I should do something I knew would be completed. I decided to fit the new Terrafirma steering damper. That was pretty easy. The old Bilstein I bought in 2000 was probably ready for a swap. If you are thinking of this job, its a One on the Difficulty Scale.

Tired Bilstein

I then looked into the Utility light under bonnet. I went to a breakers yard in 2001 and parted a light off of a Chevy Suburban. It’s a low watt light with a long extension cord. For some odd reason this “amazing piece of American technology” (end sarcasm) had stopped working. I checked all the wires back to the battery and everything was in order.

Mounted near the radiator overflow tank.

From the driver’s side across the top of the engine.

 This left just the light itself as the problem. I tested the bulb and concluded either the cord or the switch had failed on the light. The cord was the less likely so I pulled the light off and decided to fix the switch. The switch it used was a simple friction switch. Turn the switch 90 degrees and the a wedge presses a tab against another tab for contact.

I cut the plastic casing away and found a very gunked up contact point. I cut away more and then fitted a proper toggle switch. I soldered it all up and now have a working light again.

Tomorrow I’m out to Newcastle to see a T-ball game and then back in the garage.

Take a minute and visit this clever fellow’s site (http://www.mez.co.uk/lucas.html). He has several funny jokes about Lucas, The Prince of Darkness.

Thanks for reading, and Happy Rovering.

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Sooooo Incredibly Busy (Post #320) 2/20/2013

I thought I’d drop a note so you would know I’m not dead. I’ve been really busy with work and school. I completed the fundamentals for Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt (Strong America Now) over the last three weekends. I’ll finish my Green Belt project this summer. My SQL Server (Wikipedia) class at Oklahoma City Community College class is starting to kick my butt. Big test tonight. This is going to require more cycles if I am to be successful with it.

The weather also hasn’t cooperated. I woke up and drove in this morning (February 20) to GIANT snowflakes coming down. This is the second time this year, shoot fire, this month! I was sitting in McNellie’s Pub in Midtown OKC when it did this last. It looked like we were sitting in a snow globe.

We need the rain and/or snow desperately so I am not complaining. I hope it rains a lot more. The drought is the worst I can remember seeing it. Makes me wonder if I shouldn’t read up on the Dust Bowl (PBS) again. The days it did cooperate, I was sitting in the Carson Engineering Center at OU learning Six Sigma and Lean principles. I’m barely smart enough to open the doors of this Nerditorium, however, Scuba Seamus (Diet Mt. Drew’s friend) who is studying mechanical engineering was in my class, so I was able to sneak in with a kind word from him.

I’m at 37 birds for this birding season. I was pleased to see an American Kestrel on the way home the other day. Even more exciting was seeing the Redhead swimming in a local pond. They are migrating back to Canada and it was quite a treat for me to see one.

Grand baby #3, Prestyn, is doing swimmingly well. She is cute as a bug and we have pictures to prove it, lots and lots of pictures. Her Mimi is happy when she gets to visit. When Mimi is happy, everyone is happy.

RovErica is now engaged. She met a young man that Mrs. OkieRover and I really like. Best of all he thinks RovErica hung the moon. Bonus for us (the readers of this blog and I), he’s mechanical. And not the Fat Jack “I can fix it, I’m mechanical.” and then he starts wailing on the outboard motor with a hammer from the movie Splash (1984) either. He graduated from Wyotech while working on his Masters. Yeah, my evil plans to have him fix the ABS relay buzzing problem are already in the works. He needs a nickname for this blog…but I’m working on that.

Diet Mt. Drew is considering moving back in with us and going back to school. It’ll kill him to do it, but I think he’ll like the amount of cash in his pocket and the well stocked pantry and the free internet service and cable TV.

I’m going to the South Central Coalition of Historical Trekkers meet this weekend at Fort Gibson. I’ll take lots of pictures, not that you want to see them, but I want to take them. It will hopefully be a nice break for me. I need to let the flywheel spin for a few turns without me having to spin it if you know what I mean.

My new TerraFirma springs and shocks are in and have been sitting in the garage for nearly a month. I hope to put them on the first weekend of March. Mrs. OkieRover will be away from the house for a lady’s retreat so unfettered Land Rover mechanicing should ensue. I can fix it, I’m mechanical.

Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.

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