I repeat, there aren't many companies making suspension improvement
parts for Range Rovers and Defenders. OME and Safari Guard are about it.
Anything else is a one-off, that is, a couple guys do some mods to ONE
truck and call themselves a company that supplies suspension mods. The
demand for suspension modification is very limited, and trying to make a
go of supplying parts is very difficult. All of them assume that you are
made of money because you own a Defender or Rangie and charge for their
sevices accordingly. These trucks come from the factory set up very well
for 98 percent of the buying public, so margin has to be quite fat in
order to turn a profit on parts they sell. Imagine the amount of time
these people have to spend on the phone with customers addressing
various installation, warranty and repair issues. I should think that
even with the prices they charge, they don't really make all that much
on this kind of enterprise.
Our friend Joe on the other hand should experience the joy and travail
of Series truck ownership before sinking a pile of money/time/effort
into a total custom. Parabolics and lockers will get you just about
anywhere.
I'd put my 109 safari diesel up against a V8 90 in the mud any day.
Those things get stuck where the 109 floats on through. I don't know
why. You figure it out. OK, I couldn't keep up on a trail in Moab, but I
bet I'd still get through (with a bit of prudent winching).
-- Bill Adams 3D & Motion Graphics Design Director International Broadcasting Bureau Washington, D.C. 202-205-9638 badams@ibb.gov'66 Land Rover 109 SW Diesel '81 GoldWing '69 Le Sabre Convertible '63 Pearson Vanguard "Practicing the ancient art of ren-ching"
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