What are the two hard lines on passenger side rocker panel?

[greiswig]

Are these rear AC lines or something? They seem to be aluminum except for a small section near the passenger rear tire where there is some soft line.

Not saying I’d do it, but if those did not come up where they do in the wheel well, bigger tires would work with only some trimming of a body seam and some judicious use of a heat gun on the fender liner.

 

[ryanjl]

Rear AC.

 

[greiswig]

Thank you...that's what I figured.

 

[Michael Gain]

Are these rear AC lines or something? They seem to be aluminum except for a small section near the passenger rear tire where there is some soft line.

Not saying I’d do it, but if those did not come up where they do in the wheel well, bigger tires would work with only some trimming of a body seam and some judicious use of a heat gun on the fender liner.

You're right. It's a common mod to remove the hard line and replace with soft fuel hosing where it arches over the wheel. I fed the soft line behind the sway bar bushings and along the fuel line to where it terminates just forward of the spare tire. This way I could avoid finding a way to "hang" the soft lines along the old path of the hard lines.

 

[greiswig]

You're right. It's a common mod to remove the hard line and replace with soft fuel hosing where it arches over the wheel. I fed the soft line behind the sway bar bushings and along the fuel line to where it terminates just forward of the spare tire. This way I could avoid finding a way to "hang" the soft lines along the old path of the hard lines.

Interesting. What size tires were you trying to fit in there, Michael? I swear I could make a set of 295/70R18s fit in there if I moved those and combined them with the 2.5" lift.

And then what is the process for recharging the rear AC system once you've done that?

 

[Michael Gain]

I only put on 265/70-18s. The issue is matching the front tires to the new rear size. There would be a little more trimming involved (unless you put an Off-road front bumper on). 265/70-18 fit perfectly after trimming the frame horns, moulding the fender liners with a heat gun, and moving the driver side height sensor harness.

For the rear, you either pound the pinch weld flat--or cut them off, reroute those heater lines, and mould the fender liners with a heat gun.

To help clarify, they are not AC lines. They are heater lines and filled with coolant. Normal bleeding procedures, just make sure the rear heater is blasting on high as well as the front heater

 

[greiswig]

Yeah, I think 295's would be pretty ambitious for the rear wells if you hope to maintain articulation. Most rigs you have a harder time modifying the front to accommodate larger tires because of steering. On the LR4, I think the back presents more issues.

 

[Michael Gain]

My land rover brain is starting to regress a little so I may be opposite on this-- if I remember right, lowering the vehicle (or wheel compressed into the wheel well while traversing terrain) brings the tire closer to the front of the rear wheel well. It is this action that limits tire size.

 

[greiswig]

My land rover brain is starting to regress a little so I may be opposite on this-- if I remember right, lowering the vehicle (or wheel compressed into the wheel well while traversing terrain) brings the tire closer to the front of the rear wheel well. It is this action that limits tire size.

I think your memory is correct, although the spring is canted toward the back. In any case, the front of the rear wheelwell is where the clearance issue mainly is. If the goal is to maintain maximum articulation for offroad, that's one of the key places to look for clearance.

In front, as you mentioned, that frame horn, the trim at the front and back of the fender flare are the places that I spotted. I'll have to look at the sensor harness you mentioned on the driver's side.

 

[Michael Gain]

I think your memory is correct, although the spring is canted toward the back. In any case, the front of the rear wheelwell is where the clearance issue mainly is. If the goal is to maintain maximum articulation for offroad, that's one of the key places to look for clearance.

In front, as you mentioned, that frame horn, the trim at the front and back of the fender flare are the places that I spotted. I'll have to look at the sensor harness you mentioned on the driver's side.

The sensor harness is hit or miss. On some, the factory attached the harness to the top of the frame; on others (like mine) it was mounted to the outboard side of the frame---in a prime spot to be worn through by a wider tire. The solution is just to unclip it and either reclip on top of the frame, or zip tie it onto the top of the frame.