I recently purchased a 1990 Defender 110 200Tdi in Arusha, Tanzania. I drove it for 14 hours on dirt "roads" at 40-60kph. In the process I sheered off the drivers side front shock turret. A friend of mine has a 1984 Defender 110 Camel Trophy and it has dual shocks in the front. As I will be driving my vehicle for long distances in harsh conditions on a regular basis is this a good modification and if so what route should I take? I'm thinking of having my brother bring a set of Terrafirma dual shock towers from the States but will standard shocks available in Africa fit?

 

Remember if you overcompensate in one area then the weakest point will break. Bigger shocks don't mean better performance, they can mean some other piece of metal fatigueing and breaking off, like something on the frame that holds the suspension in place or worse. Seen it happen alot in Africa. Africa destroys vehicles not fixed right or too old with rust in the wrong place.

 

I want to add the double shocks up front because from what I've read its supposed to be better for extended travel on rough roads. Thats why the tower broke in the first place. Arusha to Iringa is a notorious road and for good reason. But breaking things is a constant concern here. Where in Africa did you work or travel? I've bumbed into a ton of overlanders all of whom have customized their vehicles in different ways.

 

Actually, they break all the time. A buddy of mine had a 1990 Range Rover and the tower broke free while driving down a paved highway. (it's the same part that's on the defender, NRC6372)

Land Rover parts, spares, Land Rover accessories - Search results for RNJ500010
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IMHO it would be better to have your brother bring heavy duty aftermarket single shock towers. that way you can use readily available standard shocks. if you switch to a dual shock system you need to match the valving/ etc. If your standard shock didn't fail/ fade/ stop working properly you don't need dual shocks. you just need a stronger tower. Terra Firma makes affordable ones also. In my experience it is better to keep things as stock as possible in remote areas to make finding replacements easier. I used to run a fleet trucks in extreme off road conditions and a set of "lifetime" premium shocks would only last 4-5 years. They are a wear item treat them as such and don't expect them to last or wonder why they broke.

advntrjnky

 

Having dual shocks won't prevent a tower from breaking. Running dual shocks is usually done to address situations where shock fatigue is an issue, like extended travel on poor roads. Running a shock of improper length could cause a tower to break if it bottoms out.