Stronger Springs

[the dude]

well, going to cameroon in a nova the car will be overloaded,, so need really strong springs.
I can only find lowering springs on the market. what are the stronger springs availble and where do we get them from?

also is it essential to get new dampers? (we are selling the car when we get there so gotta be cheap)

[Dod]

Astra and Cavalier Lowered Rears and Corsa TD Fronts should help you a bit. Standard versions of these will be a lot higher than the Nova items so make sure you get some very very low ones, -60mm min.
Your own shocks should be ok.

[mowgli]

get some spring assistors from a caravan shop.. they are hard rubber inserts that fit between the coils of the spring. you can also get inflatable ones to fit inside the back springs, which will be the main problem area cos you will most likely be carrying a lot of gear. also some sort of makeshift plywood sumpguard could be a good idea.


But the main thing is: you should be telling everyone on here, us nova people are very friendly, we have tons of experience, you might even blag some sponsorship.

[the dude]

willwemakeit.com/supernovas this is our fundraising website, have a look and please vote if you think we will make it. (raising £1000 for renewable food and water out in Africa)

If the standard ones will survive, i may aswell leave it.

im looking into making sump and fuel cage guards, probably out of some sheet metal though, have acess to a welder and know how to use it.

more worried about the heat though. has anyone got a spare Astra GSI fan around? been told they are used on rally cars and seem quite essential.

is it worth routing the fuel lines inside, or just take spares along? bear in mind i am a farmer, not a mechanic, so could be a bit interesting.

and what spares would you take?

thanks alot for the awesome response :) heres some links to keep you entertained.

[_JH_]

Good luck!

Me and some mates have always fancied doing the mongol since I saw the first one advertised in a Ford mag. It's always conflicted with other commitments, until this year. But when we looked at the website this time it said registration was only open for 24hrs or something and we'd missed it. So we're guessing Jack Osborne's little film flooded them with entries.

take a look at http://pub40.bravenet.com/forum/3392982795 it says yorkshire dales but the whole country use it. Put a post up explaining what you are doing and see if anyone local to you will donate you some tyres :thumb:

We have to use Mud and Snow tyres from a set list, and they're all road legal so no probs there.

[burgo]

after watching the mongol rally on tv it seemed the most used spares were tyres. it might be worth getting some levers so you can take just literally tyres to save on the weight

[the dude]

after watching the mongol rally on tv it seemed the most used spares were tyres. it might be worth getting some levers so you can take just literally tyres to save on the weight

Defiantely going to be the priority, but how easy is it to change the tyre? (i have changed bike tyres, no car tyres though.

thinking of bringing rims aswell, for the simplicity of changing wheels, and there are atleast 3 novas going, so extra spares are always useful.

[draper]

coilsprings will make you springs to any requirement you want

[the dude]

coilsprings will make you springs to any requirement you want

looks like they do some pretty decent springs, doesnt help with a budget of nothing.
definately getting some spring assistors and leaving it standard now, takes the worst out, and costs £10 a shock, cant get better than that.

Cheers for your help again guys.

[Dod]

I've seen Cavs Lowered 100mm which is way too low, but whats done is motor cycle springs are fitted inside to make them firmer again. Front and Rear!!

[the dude]

I've seen Cavs Lowered 100mm which is way too low, but whats done is motor cycle springs are fitted inside to make them firmer again. Front and Rear!!

Sounds like a good idea for much stronger springs, but ill probably stick with the Spring Assistors, much cheaper option.

thanks alot for the help PNG :)