Parabolics for a series truck

[TDI Guy]

Question I also have a 1973 88 I will be building for my Dad with a perkins prima in it and an lt77 trans. I was wondering if I should go with the parabolics or stock springs. Does anyone on this board have any recommendations or past experiences? All of my series trucks always had really old rusty stock springs and road like shit so I have know Idea what a new set would feel like.


Randy

[Glenn_Guinto]

Randy,

Just in case you haven't seen it yet http://www.eastcoastrover.com/Parabolics.html

[rover4x4]

that Bayou Rover site had a nice write up on the Rocky Mountain parabolic springs... do a good search I am sure it would turn up the site. I think it was like bayou rovers.com

[Eric Siepmann]

I will offer the following.

I recently drove a fully restored series from David Cooper at Cooper Technica here in Chicago. It had good quality OEM NOS springs. The ride was fantastic and it perfromed much better than parabolics. I drove a parabolic series truck and the ride was terrible! Wandering and iffy to say the least. The trick with OEM springs is to find a good spring maker for new or NOS old stock. The newer stuff is made from poor steel. Not enough chromium in it. So the ride is terrible.

As far as parabolics, after speaking with several makers, they are using tool steel! Which is far inferior to the original content of rover springs. which used a better quality of Chr mo.

I say call David Cooper, Charles Kellog @ British Northwest for opposing views.

Another dis-advantage of Para's is the propensity of the springs to cause a rollover in some hi speed situations. Bad. One west coast vendor has a warning to this effect on his website.

SO do your homework and find out which option works for you. I didn't like the para's but that is just a personal opinion. Ask around and find out what steel is being used to make them, their handling characteristics, and if anyone has a set to test against a stock NOS spring. And forget that RTI stuff. Not to down play flex in anyway, but it really doesn't provide an accurate picture once you do your research.

EwS

[Troys]

I installed TI Console parabolics springs to my 1971 Series IIa along with the Koni Shocks. A huge improvement in ride quality, handling and comfort. There are two of us locally that have the TI Console set up and one fella has the Great Basins set up with Bilstiens. I cannot tell you which set up I prefer only because I have not spent much time in his truck. I seems to be equally as nice. At the time my truck was used as my daily driver and I was on my third spring shock set up in in 6 years. I found that they just road horribly and the drivers side began to lean what seemed to be only days later. I have had my parabolics installed now going on 4 years. Don't get me wrong, I used to think my Series (with parabolics) rode more like a Defender until I actually got a Defender. Then I was proven incorrect. Go with a parabolic spring set up with Bilstien Shocks. You will not regret the decision.

Troy
1968 Series IIa
1971 Series IIa
1773 Series III
1995 D90 SW

[newfD90]

Originally posted by Troys

1773 Series III

That must be a pre-war Rover. Pre-Revolutionary War! :grin

[TDI Guy]

I think I will go with the rock mountain parabolics...

[evilfij]

RM has had some issues with sagging. TI console the same. TRG has some that were competitively priced british spring or something.

I would say they are all about the same. I have new gennies on the 59 and they sagged so . . .

Ron

[rover4x4]

I think most things will sag with time.....................................