More web wheelin fabrication.  Hope to do the actual install soon.

(Installed / unmodified the late 80's Ranger 4wd coils give about 2-3 inches of lift)  See pic in post #4 below.

also

(I have just made another deal on some 2"+ 2wd Explorer coils at 15.5 free legnth)  

I hope to modify the ends of the spring to better fit my kick if the spring rate is close to correct.

Since I can often get junk springs for Cheap / Free, I am hunting Spring rate info for Factory production and aftermarket coils.   The intension is to find an application for my 4-door side kick that is 4" -6" taller then my current set up but in a similar spring rate.   The 4 door front spring rate is 508.7 PPI   I would like to set up a 4" - 6" taller set of coils for $10 or less then If they work, try different rates & legnths.


Stock 4wd Ranger is 500 PPI

I now have a set of late 80's ranger 4WD coils for the front of my 4-Door Kick.  (Custom welded / Dropped the A-arm mounts and front axle 4")   


The softest spring offered in a Ranger lift kit is about 400 PPI.

Rancho's #6423 3" lift spring for the Jeep XJ is rated at 240 PPI.


rusty stock 500 PPI, red Rancho 240 PPI, blue Duff 400 PPI

http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/Fall2003/MaximumFlexForTheTTB.htm

Clip of the text from the Ranger Station link above.
The softest spring offered in a Ranger lift kit is about 400 PPI. However, Rancho's #6423 3" lift spring for the Jeep XJ will fit if you turn it upside down and it is rated at 240 PPI. You have to make a simple new spring mount from 1 1/2" NPT hardware store plumbing, buy stock Jeep spring pads (isolators) and use a J-hook (I used cut-off 5/8" cable clamps) to hold them at the top. Check out the photos and you can readily see how it is done. Note comparison between rusty stock 500 PPI, blue Duff 400 PPI and red Rancho 240 PPI

ANd now how do you mount the new found FOrd coils to the Kick arms.  Well you can cut the lower Narrowed coil off and drop them in like the factory kick spring or ...  You can bolt on your New Ford Coils to the Lower A-arm and add a little extra lift too.






http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/factoryspacer.htm

Ford used lower Coil spring perches on the early 1990's F-150's that sat under the bottom of the coil spring and bolted to the TTB Arm.  The part numbers are;

F2TZ-5A307-A
F2TZ-5A307-B
These cost about $15 each at the local Ford dealer's parts counter.

The part numbers apparently refer to right and left and can be ordered from your local Ford parts department. These pieces fit on top of the TTB's and take the place of the current perches the front coils now set on. They are marked 4x2R/L.  However, when fitted on the Ranger, they seem to do best with the 4x2R on the LEFT and vice-versa

wow you work too hard on getting stuff right.  this is supost to be fun!  i just throw stuff togather and see how it works.

stu

wow you work too hard on getting stuff right.  this is supost to be fun!  i just throw stuff togather and see how it works.

stu

Guess you missed the Picture of my steering..   LoL!!!

The XJ coil install really bummed me out.   Strange thing is that their is an article on therangerstation.com about installing 3" lift XJ coils on a Ranger.  Ranger and 4-door Kick are using the same 500# stright rate coils but I believe that the Leverage (A-Arm to TTb arm) is of a different ratio.

+ I'm looking to go up to 6" suspension up front and tossing around an ideia of the Divorced Sammy case.  Kicker III would be ideial, But I've got a Mighty Kong and a spare Sammy T-case just laying around taking up space.  

Hope those new CV's come out soon, Else I'm gonna have to Bribe the Guys on 37's to let me in on their secrets.

I installed the 4wd Ranger coils in the front of the Sidekick last night.  The Kick sits much higher now and the spring rate is close.  They do not compress to much under static load but can be bottomed out & flex well.  I think the spring rate might be a little soft, but we will see.  The Kick is definatly much further up in the travel of the IFS driving down the road.  

I just placed the Ranger spring in the Kick un-modified.  The upper is about a inch to big and is falling off of the Jeep coil spacer on one side.  The spring needs to be flipped and trimmed but I can not afford to loose the height.  This spring is the closest one yet, But Not THE ONE,  still looking.  Hope to soon modift the upper link so I can install the Jeep coils and make the rear match.

Sorry for the crappy pics, it was 10pm,  I didn't have the camera with me when i flexed it up in the ditch.  Maybe better pics once the rear is done.  Until then..  


***  Just made a deal on some 2"+ Ford Explorer Coils 15.5".  This junk is more exciting then playing the lottery  









Max drop, struts topped out with Jeep coils.


Max Compression, Struts Bottomed out with Jeep coils.

I have also figured that installing the Calmini Dropped pitman arm (for the Sammy PS application) and dropping my idler arm (Or a nice new Sky MFG Idler) should correct my steering and get me back where I need to be to become street leagal on the 34's.

Sky's idler $95 each


Calmini's Dropped Pitman arm (Still need to verify the specs)
1986-95 Samurai, SJ413 SS1589 $119.95

looking good dude..that camber looks like the truck is pigion toed though lol

so why not just go solid? wouldnt it have been cheaper/easier?

Be nice to know if that will fit the Trackers for an SAS swap

Spring rate 500PPI will be to great for a SAS swap.  Cherokee coils are what you need on a SAS rig.  Yes it is pigion toed (Top Out) but for now I'm just correcting spring rate and Strut travel in relation to CV's.  It is not currently street driven.  It will all soon get corrected by reworking the upper strut mounts (originals were a shot in the dark).

SAS is cool (I really like the Wild Weasel) but I'm also  impressed with the Built IFS trucks (Whitting & Hagen).  + I could not build my Front Dana 44 for the cost of my whole IFS lift & the 5.13:1 gears came in it stock.    

Hey, are you moving the front Diff down too
And if not what are you doing to address the increased
CV movement in and out as the wheel moves up
and down, also what about the increased CV angles

Just curious

Wild

ok, i know what i'm thinking, only now, i have to put it in words for you guys to know too:

this is about the font CVs on the IFS, and the angles etc....

ok, you know how most 4x4s have telescoping rear/front drive shafts, allowing for the drive shaft to get shorter or longer through the suspension cycle. this is more so on the lifted solid axle trucks.

can this not be applied to the front axles on the vitara/kick/trackers?

i haven't heard of anyone trying to use this method, and i dont know if it will work with the limited room available.

also, i'm not sure about this one either, but could the idea of double cardon joints be useful also? maybe not?

and would it be better to make new shock hoops (used in sierras/sammys and the like) for the front struts, as the higher you go, the worse the positive camber gets.

i've also seen american kits for toyota and other makes for the IFS set up. most/if not all of these kits drop the front diff.

and if you drop the front diff, don't you need to make the front drive shaft longer from the transfer?

could some one please clear me up on this, as to whether its been done or talked about before.

thanks,
steve (from australia)

Gday from California  

You are correct on all statements, err well I think  

That method of allowing the CV shafts to slip is what
I'm going to use and eliminate the CV Cups, I don't think
it has been done yet, but it has been talked about.

Double cardian will take up too much room, but I have
thought of that also, I don't think it will work on both
ends of the front shafts, as there is no support, as with
a drive shaft, on end is a single U-joint and supports the
shaft without wobbling

I'm also working on replaceing the struts with shocks, and
building a self indexing system so no matter where the wheel
is, tires stay [] []  with the ground  

A drop kit is going backwards (front to back) in the clearance
direction, if you drop the diff, it still is in more danger of being
hit, regardless of larger tires, I want my diff high and safe with
more travel and clearance, I'm also going wider total of 4 to 6
inches 100 to 150 mm but I don't know yet where I will end up

Cheers Mate

Wild

hey wild can u explain to me what the difference between a shock and a strut is..they both look the same to me

Hey, are you moving the front Diff down too
And if not what are you doing to address the increased
CV movement in and out as the wheel moves up
and down, also what about the increased CV angles

Just curious

Wild

DIff and A-Arm dropped 4" as before.
Trying to keep the angles near stock or at least with in the realm of the Cal-Mini Kit.
Nothing done on the Angle / In - out movement yet.  

Still working on Spring rate, Steering, and general Front end geometry.  Once it  see's more trail time I'm sure that the CV's will quickly become an issue.  For right now i'm just carrying spares.

Wild, I think the Explorer coils might make good canidates for your wider / extended front mod.

I'm not concerned about dropping the diff.  It get drug around a little but so far it is not an issue.  I still have more clearance at the front of my kick then at the front of my Sammy.   Hope that soon the Bumper / Skid will protect the front axle's vonerable parts.

....snip....
That method of allowing the CV shafts to slip is what
I'm going to use and eliminate the CV Cups, I don't think
it has been done yet, but it has been talked about.

I think we've discussed this type of joint haven't we?
http://www.bigelowgroup.com/

.....snip.....A drop kit is going backwards (front to back) in the clearance
direction, if you drop the diff, it still is in more danger of being
hit, regardless of larger tires, I want my diff high and safe with
more travel and clearance, I'm also going wider total of 4 to 6
inches 100 to 150 mm but I don't know yet where I will end up

On my -7, the front ds is not parallel to the centerline of the vehicle. It actually goes outward. It does appear to be horizontal with the frame, though. Wild should look at the design of a center mounted diff, ie Hagen style, or the minimum relocate the diff housing more center. This style design leads to longer axle shafts, and longer a-arms, all of which have to be same length to get maximum articulation, then this also ties into the tie rods being parallel to the lower a-arm.
In your layout for keeping the tires straight up/down during suspension cycle, is basically done with real long control arms, and keeping them parallel to each other during the cycle. (For a quick comparison, 2 fingers parallel to each other going through movement, in comparison to 2 arms going through the same movement. You get more with longer arms.)