ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Model Specific Suzuki Forum => Suzuki Grand Vitara, Vitara, Chevy Tracker (Gen. 2 Platform) 1999-2005 => Topic started by: jeff1997 on February 02, 2009, 01:54:52 PM
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I now have 1.5" strut spacers that will fit the 99's and newer. The combo set of 2-1.5" coil, 2-1.5" strut, and 2-2" coil spacers is $145 to the US or $155 to Canada. PM if interested.
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How much for just the strut spacer. I bought the rest just before Christmas.
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A pair of 1.5" strut spacers shipped to you is $70. Sorry so high but these cost a lot more to make from the other ones and they are bigger. That includes the 6 new longer bolts and lock nuts.
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Sounds better than what others offer. I ordered an extender from Boondox for around $60-65 shipped. Didn't get it yet. I'll call and see if he sent it, if not, I'll order yours.
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Just my .02 worth, but the extenders are not safe. I've made a few and if those internal threads hold up I'd be shocked. I threw 2 sets away just so I would not sell them. You just cannot put that much stress on such a thin wall of metal. My spacers are a much safer way to go.
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now now, i beat the snot out of my 03 zr2, it has had strut extentions on for more than 2yrs now and the only issue i had was getting them on! they will never come of and have yet to snap. however, that said in the future when replacing the blown struts i'm still running i will purchase the spacers!
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Well, I tried to call Boondox, I kind of hope they weren't shipped yet. I like the idea of your spacers much better. And by the way, the extenders were $61.25 shipped, so $70 for the spacers sounds great. I'd feel safer with them.
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now now, i beat the snot out of my 03 zr2, it has had strut extentions on for more than 2yrs now and the only issue i had was getting them on! they will never come of and have yet to snap. however, that said in the future when replacing the blown struts i'm still running i will purchase the spacers!
I've seen photos (one has been posted on this site periodically) of two that have split. You and 99.9% of the other users may never have it happen, but that's one failure that, if it should happen, could cost a life.
I've not been able to justify that myself for 1.5" more droop.
Quality spacers, on the other hand, don't (to my sensibilities) add significanly to the front suspension's risk of catastrophic failure.
For a low-speed, off-road only truck, extensions make perfect sense. For a daily-driver, though, no thanks. Spacer me.
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What beercheck said x2
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any pics??
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I'll get some in the morning. They will be of just the spacers. I do not have a 99 or newer to put them on. I can send you one off my cell phone right now if you want.
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I have the complete set listed on ebay. Look under seller name: hoepkers. Or just search for 2" lift Vitara.
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Still no reply from Steve at Boondox. I'll give it til tomorrow and make a call to paypal about it. I'll be in touch with ya(Jeff) as soon as I get refunded from Boondox.
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I got my refund from Boondox. Will be sending the money your way Jeff!
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cool.
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Here are some pics of the spacers
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd215/hoepkers/100_3190.jpg)
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd215/hoepkers/100_3189.jpg)
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I'm really interested in this kit! But what happen to the strut tower bar?
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You can still use it but you may need to clear out the metal around the strut towers to allow the brace to drop the extra 1.5" and/or use longer bolts and raise the brace up to make sure it clears the top of the motor. It is not that hard to make it work. My spacers do not cover up the mounting holes on the strut mount. They will still be accessable. thanks for the interest.
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I'll take pics of how it all goes together when I get the spacers. It'll be some time next week before I can do it. I have to fix my sisters car first.
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Thanks, that is what sucks about the 99+ sets. I do not have an exrperimental rig to play with.
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I am also interested in this kit and it looks well made. A couple of comments however.
If i understand correctly, the strut spacers are 1.5" high which will lower the strut by that amount. You simply can't lower the strut tower bar that much before it collides with the inboard edge of the throttle body which is about 1.25" below the bar in the stock location. The inner fender is also about 1.25" below the lower edge of the strut tower bar. The strut bar will also not fit in the hole in the inner fender.
Here are some pics:
(http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/gallery/0/2998_12_02_09_2_24_04_0.JPG)
(http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/gallery/0/2998_12_02_09_2_24_07_1.JPG)
I have a couple more pics if that is required.
It seems to me that some form of metal spacer will be required to retain the strut tower bar pretty much in the stock location. I am not sure that longer bolts with perhaps a 3/8" thick wall tube 1 1/2" thick as a spacer for each bolt would work and provide the rigidity needed unless the 3 tubes were tied together with say a 1/4" plate. If 1" spacers (3/8" tube) were used and welded to the bottom/underside surface of the strut tower brace that may be sufficient.
The tube may need to be larger in diameter as the bolts are 10mm - just checked.
The other interesting thing is that the 2 inboard bolt holes are just notched into the strut bar so you could only weld about 2/3 of the the way around if you went the tube spacer only route.
We're almost there - just a bit more tweeking.
My thoughts for now. Comments?
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I also thought of the sleeve and longer bolts idea. You say there is 1.25" available. You would only need to use say .75 metal spacers, stack of washers? That would still leave some clearance on top and allow it to fit right.
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I think 3/4" would work.
I'll try and get to the hardware store this weekend and see what is available for pipe. We also have a good auto parts store here and I will check to see what they have. I could not fit the strut tower bolt through a 3/8" inside id tube that I had here.
Washers would provide the spacing but some kind of proper spacers would just look a lot better and with the spacers being welded to the strut tower brace there would be more rigidity IMO.
Not everyone has access to a welder so I understand from a marketing perspective you need to make your kit as simple as possible.
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Also not all the vehicles have the strut brace. I looked at several different strut mounts to make my spacers from, some had the brace others did not. It all depended on the engine size.
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Also not all the vehicles have the strut brace. I looked at several different strut mounts to make my spacers from, some had the brace others did not. It all depended on the engine size.
Huh?
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In the Suzuki Parts Catalog, the strut brace is listed for the 2.0 4 cyl and 2.5 6 cyl engine models, but not the 1.6 4 cyl.
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In the Suzuki Parts Catalog, the strut brace is listed for the 2.0 4 cyl and 2.5 6 cyl engine models, but not the 1.6 4 cyl.
Thanks. I know when I looked at the auto parts store for strut mounts some had the flange for the brace and others did not. The diam. and bolt patterns were the same though.
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I found the same thing from pics at the wreckers as well as online catalogs. 1.6 does not appear to have the strut tower bar.
IanL, how does one get access to the Suzuki parts catalog that you mention from time to time?
I also looked at the McMaster-Carr online catalog and they have various standoff spacers, but they are quite expensive. The do have some right at .385" ID which is right at the OD of the strut tower bar bolts.
It would be interesting to know why the bar is used - heavier weight of the engine, more torque.
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IanL, how does one get access to the Suzuki parts catalog that you mention from time to time?
EBay!
e.g http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-WORLDWIDE-EPC-PARTS-CATALOG-2008-2CD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ122105QQihZ017QQitemZ270340438637QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVWQQsalenotsupported (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SUZUKI-WORLDWIDE-EPC-PARTS-CATALOG-2008-2CD_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ122105QQihZ017QQitemZ270340438637QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVWQQsalenotsupported)
For more, just EBay search on "Suzuki EPC".
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An FYI,
I have a 1989 Kick and a 1994 track and they do not have the brace.
Raz
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we had a 1996 sidekick sport and it had one
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so does anybody have a soluttion to the strut brace issues yet? i need to replace my struts, was gonna just go ome but with the current exchange rate they're way expensive, looking at over $500 for just the struts when they arrive at my door.... nuts! so, solutions???? if not i'm gonna go with the extensions again even though i didn't think i would, mine have been solid.
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just get longer bolts for the strut bar and fab some spacers.. thats what my calmini lift supplied!
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I am Jeff's latest customer. Spacers are on their way. Got tired of spending the extra $ on the OME struts. I'm keeping my OME coils, and Jeff made me up some 1" spacers. I had 1.5's on top of the OME coils, and it seemed to be too much stress on the front end (probably part of the reason I blew 3 struts in under a year). My strut mounts had a couple cracks, so those get replaced, too. Body lift from Masterkit1 was ordered this morning. 31's will probably be ordered tomorrow. Jacked up the front end and broke it apart yesterday; just have to put it all back together as parts come in.
BTW, if you're prone to blowing shocks/struts, most Gabriel, Monroe, etc. from your parts store have a lifetime warranty.
I'll try to remember to take pics (not a strong suit of mine) as it progresses.
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the lifetime warranty on some of the struts really has me leaning on this route.. to buy the struts and spacers is roughly $100 less.
one thing in notice is the ome's are 50mm longer, the strut extensions are 70mm longer and when i do the conversion (google) on the 1.5inch spacers it shows 38mm longer. is that correct? i see benefits in the long run if thats correct but of course the disadvantage of a bit less downtravel..??
any thoughts on this??
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one thing in notice is the ome's are 50mm longer, the strut extensions are 70mm longer and when i do the conversion (google) on the 1.5inch spacers it shows 38mm longer. is that correct?
Spring spacers at the front are closer to the A-arm pivot point than the wheels are - this is a class one lever. A 38mm spacer (your conversion is correct) will give about 60mm lift.
At the rear, because the axle stays horizontal, the lift is the same as the spacer thickness.
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I am referring to the strut spacer, not the spring spacer. this is related to added down travel only, not lift. ?? thanks.
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I am referring to the strut spacer, not the spring spacer. this is related to added down travel only, not lift. ?? thanks.
Yes, the struts damp motion, but have no effect on ride height - that is dictated by the springs.
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thanks but my post has nothing to do with lift height or coil spacers. what i'm looking to find out is exactly how much extra down travel people gain with these spacers. is my conversion wrong/right?
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When you lift with a coil spacer (or longer spring), the down travel you lose is equal to the lift you get.
Inserting a strut spacer of 1.5" will restore 38.1 mm of down travel.
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that's what i was thinking.. looks like i'm gonna lose a bit of travel to go with lifetime warranty struts but well worth it...
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What would I be giving up by running only the coil spacers besides an inch or two of down travel?
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if you don't run longer shocks/struts or add spacers/extensions to the shocks struts they will top out, bang and clunk and ride really badly then break sooner than later.. i didn't do anything with my struts when i got my 1st one in spacers up there, wasn't great and probably contributed to the early failure of my struts... maybe one day i'll replace them..
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Well, I got it all back together about a week and a half ago, and I must say I'm actually pretty impressed w/ the ride quality of the Monroe struts. I have yet to take them off pavement to discover possible topping/bottoming out issues.
Also, the glowing praise everyone has about the quality of Jeff's spacers is all true. Never talked to the guy, but he was very friendly and prompt anytime I PMed him (I had him fab some 1" coil spacers since I already have OME coils).
To address the upper strut bar issue...Well, I didn't. For now it's off. Clearance isn't the issue (in my Tracker, it actually clears...barely). Your strut mounts are already pointed slightly outboard: / \ not straight up and down. When you lower your mounts, you're increasing the distance between the two sides. You could compensate by putting another 1.5" spacer w/ longer bolts on top of the mount, and the bar would be right back where it was, or you can modify the bar by cutting off the ends and splicing in an extra 1.5" to achieve the same result. ...Maybe we can con Jeff into making an upper spacer, too... Anywho, I've got some stuff to take to my welder anyway, so I might just have him mod the strut bar while I'm at it, but not until after the Masterkit1 body lift goes on that's sitting in my garage.
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What Monroe shocks did you use? The part numbers would be helpful to me and my customers. ;)
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Just used Monroe OEM replacement struts on front. Driver's side is #71591, pass. side #71590. In the back, I just kept the Old Man Emu shocks. They're only about 7 months old and still in pretty good shape despite some abusive miles. Next time I trash those, though, I'll just use whatever inexpensive (unlike the OME), longer replacement you recommend to compliment your spacers.
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Sorry I thought you meant rear shocks not front struts. The factory struts can be used because of the spacers, but the rear shocks must be longer. I'm looking for more and better part numbers of ones that guys are using on the rear.
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on the subject of rear shocks, i have been running 95 mustang shocks, they are now both leaky messes.. the truck sees a lot of abuse and i don't think mustangs were meant to be bounced around much.. anyway, was looking at some yota 4runner rear shocks, about 1.5inches longer again, not nearly as long as f150 shocks or as large in diameter. just need to find the proper bushing and sleeve to mount up..
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regarding the strut brace, it's interesting that some people say they have issues getting it back on and others dont...??? also, i wheeled with a guy that had cut his strut brace and rewelded it to fit after installling spacers, wel, guess what - it snapped on the trail. there seems to be a reason why the braces are installed and should probably be used... i would not consider running my truck without it.
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Took it out on the trail for the first time w/out the brace yesterday. Seemed fine. The body lift isn't installed yet, but the Masterkit1 kit comes w/ a beefy steel spacer for the brace that might do the trick depending how everything lines up. I'll keep you all posted.
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Can't say for sure how the vehicle will act without the brace run, but I do know after putting a new engine in mine i had to jack the front end of the Tracker back up to get all 6 bolts lined back up, Seems without the brace the upper parts of the struts are subject to some play.
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Still need to install my body lift. Haven't had time to even start disassembling the truck. BUT, FWIW, I did a test fit w/ Masterkit1's strut brace extensions, and it fits PERFECT. So for anyone who thought I was going to be commiting vehicular suicide by not having the brace (although 1.6 liters don't use one, and it's only 400 cc's smaller than a 2.0), sleep easy. It will return.
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Could I get the dimensions and pics of the strut extensions? >:D
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gonna assume your looking for the strut brace extensions... not my strut extensions! somebody pass jeff this info, then i can buy his spacers without worrying about hassles when remounting my brace!
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YES BRACE NOT STRUT. I can then start making the brace extensions that guys need.
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And body lift set Jeff (cough cough) :P
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What material are the strut spacers made from?
Here are some pics of the spacers
([url]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd215/hoepkers/100_3190.jpg[/url])
([url]http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd215/hoepkers/100_3189.jpg[/url])
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What material are the strut spacers made from?
Super high tech space age moon plastic...from the moon!!
Actually it's some kind of super high tech space age moon nylon.
I'm at about 2500 miles on mine and all spacers are A-ok, all bolts tight, even the ones on the diff spacer which I thought I'd have to re-tighten, course I used red locktite on everything.
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I was hoping it was aluminum, not UHMW. I would not trust UHMW in this application, even though it is a ver hard plastic, I can still have enough give for a bolt to be loose under some conditions. Spring spacers, yeah, strut spacer, no.
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No it is not UHMW. All my spacers are made from the same material, high strength CAST urethane. I have personally ran the spacers, coil and strut for 4+ years with no problems and no bolts coming loose.
By the way, the plastic is NOT moon plastic but the company charges like it is. :laugh:
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OH, BTW, just for everyone's heads up, I got some sick air at 45-50 MPH with the tracker off some train tracks by my house >:D. I know, not too smart with mostly stock suspension ;D. It was by far the highest and longest jump I've ever been ballsy enough to try. (I jumped my '89 S-10 and '69 olds there too) The spacers are just fine, no signs of squishing or any cracks whatsoever. It was a little to scary to try that again though so sorry, no pictures :-\.
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prob pickin up a set of these soon, they ready to ship pretty much? for a 01 tracker?
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prob pickin up a set of these soon, they ready to ship pretty much? for a 01 tracker?
Yes
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so whats the word on strut brace spacers/extensions?
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We are working on them.
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saweet,thats the deal im lookin forrrrrr
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bump
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Good call. I was just getting ready to bump this, too. Seems there were a couple of people looking for this info in some other threads Jeff has quick correspondence and delivery if you're looking to do a lift w/ spacers.
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Hey Jeff, need some help.. I want to get a pair of 2" coil spacers for the front of my 1999 Grand Vitara. I'm from Trinidad, but i have access to a US shipping account.
Can i get an estimate on the pair of spacers and shipping to a Miami address (33166 zip code).
My e-mail is stage3vtec at hotmail (dot) com
Thanks
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need spacers! where Jeff??
(http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd215/hoepkers/100_3190.jpg)
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My guess is that it's the 4'th weekend, and he was busy. If'n he's like some of the guys I know, he'll be back in town by Wed. if not sooner.
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^ thanks, i was thinking about the weekend..
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Here I am. Please email directly: hoepkers|removethispart|@charter.net.
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I NOW HAVE THE SPACERS FOR THE STRUT BRACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The whole kit: 2-1.5" coil, 2-1.5" strut, 2-2" coil spacers with bolts and nuts for the strut spacers, and 6 strut brace spacers for $180 to the US or $195 to Canada. Please email me directly to: hoepkers|removethispart|@charter.net or PM through here for more info. I am installing one tomorrow for somebody and will let all know how it went.
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I just installed this kit with the strut brace spacers and they worked great. Strut brace cleared my V6 using these and NO modification to the brace was required. Thanks again Jeff for a great product.
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NO, NO Thank you and all my past customers.
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How's about a pic of the strut brace spacers. Also, how much for just the said spacers?
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glad to hear this has worked out, wish it had been sooner as i ended up going through bits4vits, great guy to deal with for other items for you guys that want some other odds and ends to add to your spacer lift later.
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Are you guys having to get your front end aligned after you do this?
Eric
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an alignment is required, you will have to slot your strut holes or buy some camber correcting bolts to align.
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an alignment is required, you will have to slot your strut holes or buy some camber correcting bolts to align.
Where is the best place to buy the camber correcting bolts?
Eric
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I think I still have a set laying around here that I never used, still new. I'll let them go for $20. If I were you though, I'd recommend going with Bzzr2's suggestion and just slot the top strut mount bolt holes. You can do this with a round file or a dremmel. It doesn't take very much metal removal to gain the angle you need (1/8 to 1/4 inch) depending on the lift height. I think any alignment shop would do this for you during the alignment process if you don't care to mess with it. They'll get it right the first time because they are alignning the truck. Mine didn't charge me a dime to do it.
The reason I recommend this course of action is after looking at the camber bolts I decided the reduced metal on the bolts (where the bolt cams) made the bolt weaker than the stock strut mount bolts. I've slotted both my truck's struts (versus using the camber bolts) and reused the stock full sized (and strength) bolts. Once the alignment is set, I want to make sure they stay set.
One more thought, after you install a lift (new springs or coil spacers or both) if you immediately take it to an alignment shop, you need to visit the alignment shop again within a couple hundred miles because the new suspension "settles" a bit when driving it and then you are slightly out of alignment. I knew this but neglected to go back until a few thousand miles later and in the mean time ate up a considerable portion of the inside of my front tire's tread. The slight changes in camber aren't visible to the naked eye. Don't know about you, but I can't afford to buy new tires too often.
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ya, seems most people go the slotting route, cheaper and effective while remaining completely safe. on my original lift i only had a one inch coil spacer up front and the performance shop that does a lot of custom work slotted the bottom hole only, as opposed to what is posted all over here. this time we tried the bottom and it just didn't do it so we did the top also.
btw for anybody looking to try a different rear shock i have been running 91 cavalier rear shocks for 2 weeks now, took them in the bush this weekend and like them. ride is smoother than the mustang shocks but a little bouncier with my xl7 rear coils. had to get different bolts to mount them up. i'm getting nearly 2 inches further down travel now as i mounted them as low to the upper mount as possible. added bump stop spacers to prevent rubbing inside the fenders but tires still like to touch the inner fender well.. anyway, these shocks would work well with jeff's spacers... now just gotta get my panhard relocated, need a new bar is mine is not willing to come off without heat and the bushing..... fukking tracker.
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Jeff,
I just had to bump this old thread to the front, and give you props on a great kit. Jeff's customer service is top notch, his shipping is quick, and his product is solid. Count me as another satisfied customer with a tracker lifted using Jeff's kit.
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Jeff,
I just had to bump this old thread to the front, and give you props on a great kit. Jeff's customer service is top notch, his shipping is quick, and his product is solid. Count me as another satisfied customer with a tracker lifted using Jeff's kit.
Ditto- Same here!
E.
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:-[ Thanks guys!!!!!
I would not still be making them if it were not for customers like you guys. I also would have probably lost my house by now. LOL. My normal work has been so slow that I am pretty much just doing what I can find. I can honestly say though I am happier now than I have ever been. I also seem to have more $$ ???. I am glad I started making these spacers, it has proven to be one of my best decisions yet.
This economy doen't look like it will get any better soon. We can all learn a few things our grandparents had to the hard way, there is alot more to life than just material things!!!
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You betcha!! I hope more people discover this fine point of life too cause life is better quality without the excessive debt and the stress it causes you. Biggest killer in the world I think: excessive mental stress and all the ailments it causes.
Oh yeah, I gotta give my props to Jeff as well (again). 24 months and about 30K and I'm still riding on his spacers with no problems. Thank you for making a solid product. If you ever get a wild hair up your butt to fab another add on for the 2nd generation trucks, give me a yell.
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:-[ Thanks guys!!!!!
I would not still be making them if it were not for customers like you guys. I also would have probably lost my house by now. LOL. My normal work has been so slow that I am pretty much just doing what I can find. I can honestly say though I am happier now than I have ever been. I also seem to have more $$ ???. I am glad I started making these spacers, it has proven to be one of my best decisions yet.
This economy doen't look like it will get any better soon. We can all learn a few things our grandparents had to the hard way, there is alot more to life than just material things!!!
Jeff,
I'm glad our business can help support a fellow American. We would certainly send more business your way if you ever decide to dapple in other products such as bumpers/tire carriers/ or other aftermarket products.
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bump
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So what's the biggest tire you think you can run on a stock '03 Vitara with just this kit?
I just picked up a Vitara with winter tires on it (good for now) and I want to put some meatier tires on it in the spring. This lift seems like a good value, but I haven't seen anyone mention what size tires it should allow... any ideas?
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I NOW HAVE THE SPACERS FOR THE STRUT BRACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The whole kit: 2-1.5" coil, 2-1.5" strut, 2-2" coil spacers with bolts and nuts for the strut spacers, and 6 strut brace spacers for $180 to the US or $195 to Canada. Please email me directly to: hoepkers|removethispart||removethispart|@charter.net or PM through here for more info. I am installing one tomorrow for somebody and will let all know how it went.
This is what I was waiting for! :)
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tire size shit is all over this forum!! anyway, with this spacer lift you 'should' be able to fit a 30x9.5 with minor rub on the frame when turning and possibly very minor rub inside the fenders. a 235x75-15 will fit for sure. this is with your stock rims.
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Finally got to try out Jeff's lift and my new tires on some trails last weekend since we had an early thaw up here in the great white north.
The little kit makes a HUGE difference! I didn't have to go around all of the minor stuff like ruts and rocks as much. In the mud, the extra clearance really stopped me from getting stuck. In the deep water, well... the floor only got a little wet this time!
225/75/r16 with AT's on my 2.0 auto w/ stock gears = no problems flinging that mud.
John