My main suggestion was to weld it on the outside of the spring for a longer bar, which is what Dusty ended up doing. My other point(and unfortunately this doesn't get done enough) is that the frame end NEEDS to be done correctly. I have seen a few fail because they're not plated or tied into the spring mount. You absolutely cannot only weld it to the frame rail, it's thinner than sheet metal and it'll rip a hole in your chassis. Mine was tied into the spring mount which provided several points of contact, but you could also plate the frame and mount it directly to that.

 

In the hopes someone has had some experience with driving after removing the watts linkage. Currently in a build making my 04 Disco II as off-road capable as possible but also looking to have it handle well on the road. How much will it effect handling on the road, cornering etc.? Found a bolt on one recently from Dark Crow Designs.
Putting a terra firma 3' lift on it and most likely going with some 32" tires. Hope that's enough info.
Thank you in advance?

 

With only 3" of lift an extended watts should serve you just fine. The radius arms binding at the frame will be your limiting factor before the watts will.

 

I have read on here specifically how the watts linkage fails repeatedly over time when going off-road a lot. Also some other upgrades are involved in this and if radius arms need to be switched out that's okay too.
My question is about handling using a panhard over a watts linkage set up on a 04 disco II for highway, country road cornering etc. Also upgrading it so the Disco II is more than capable off road as well.
Is it that much different, or is it better handling, possible lower center of gravity?

 

Switch radius arms all you'd like but they are still the limiting factor, you are still going to have bushings limiting the rotation on the frame side. The watts is a superior design to a panhard set up as it keeps the axle completely even side to side as it flexes. I have had zero issues with my watts link and I off-road an awful lot. The risk is not setting up the panhard bar correctly, if not measured or welded well you are looking for a bad time. Our frames are quite weak and if not plated well then you are increasing your chance of failure by a lot over a watts set up. It will not change your center of gravity as either set up has no bearing on height of vehicle and with the extended watts links it will flex to the limits of the arms.

Realistically this is kind of a moot point if your plan is to just bolt on a kit. If you start moving shock mounts (no bolt on options for the d2 in the rear) to allow for longer travel and talking about linking the rear suspension then a sure the extra work and risk of a panhard bar would be worth it as there is already going to be a significant amount of welding and plating required.

 

Ok, I hear you and understand. Kind of went down a rabbit whole on this one thinking the Watts Linkage would fail due to the stress of going off road from what I have been reading/ watching recently.
This is a ground up build, galvanized frame etc. so I was exploring with the 3" lift whether it made sense to go with a panhard set up as I will also be going with heavy duty d2 ashcroft axles etc.
I'll leave it be, for now, and not over do it to start with. TYVM.

 

I like it, I do a fair amount of both long on road & technical off. I can’t feel a difference on road-
it’s a bit smoother off road. It doesn’t rock the truck as “violently” as with the center pivot point of the watts linkage.
- I blew out the heim joint twice. I now use a ballistic ( rebuildable “, greaseable) joints back there.
that said, I have not tried extended watts links & would like to see for myself the difference.

I’m in New England, which gives my off-roading a more rock on some favored terrain- opposed to say a Moab/slick rock. So I could feasible crawl for a whole day ride and the truck thrashes around seemingly a lot less now with panhard.

 

Interesting perspective! We may not have quite the mud or leaves of the east coast to deal with but CO is vastly different than the slick rock of Utah (that stuff a whole different beast). I have not ridden in truck with a panhard conversion so I'd love to compare the two to see about the rocking motion. I don't notice a violent side to side motion when off-road that isn't warranted by the terrain or speed I'm traveling at.

I would not call the watts linkage a major weak link imo. It's not something that I'm worried about breaking when I'm out. Its not a bad idea to carry a spare center bushing from a parted out truck if it is a concern. If I had the panhard conversion I'd probably carry a spare heim/ballistic joint just in case one blew out just to get me home as well. I do carry a lot of spare parts when I go out on a trip lol.

I don't think there is a definitive right answer but I know that if you are off in your install of the panhard it will be a miserable if not dangerous ride. Also if you can't do the fab work yourself you are at the mercy of a shop. Call me a skeptic but I wouldn't trust many people to be plating the frame to ensure you don't peel it open like a tin can. It's not complicated but I'm not very trusting of the average automotive "fab" shop.

 

Ok, problem solved and everyone is happy, especially me - extended or "cranked" watts linkage.
Best of both worlds - I still get the stability of the Watts linkage, but it allows for greater articulation.
Pointed out to me by a very smart individual....a couple options...
https://rtefab.com/product/watts-linkage/
https://groveautoengineering.com/col...ts-linkage-kit
https://lucky8llc.com/collections/di...ed-watts-links

 

I'm partial to RTE products and Simon is a great guy to deal with. His stuff isn't the cheapest out there but the pieces I've purchased and stuff my friends have from him are very well made and quite beefy. His are the only cranked arms I'd buy if I was in the market for instance.