ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Build Diaries, How-To, DIY => Topic started by: liftedgvottawa on July 08, 2010, 07:13:30 AM
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I want to lift my Grand Vitara without spending alot of dough to fit 31" tires. I walked around the junk yard and did some research online and here is some info I found. I have looked at body lift kits from different sources, and most of them just use 2 x 2 sq steel tubing with holes in both sides to make a body lift, with a steering extension. T
That is not worth the $500 alot of them charge. I will likely make my own. I found at Princess Auto there are the rollers for boat trailers that are a hard rubber, I may use slices of one of those to make thin bushings where steel meets steel. They may last, they may not, but for $6, I can't go wrong. I have a large bumper that I am going to be using on the front of the Vitara, so the relocation brackets many shops supply won't work anyway and are just 2 pcs of 1/4" flat bar welded together and drilled anyway. I want something heavier since this will be an off road bumper with a 9000Lb Warn and Tow points.
For the front, those of you looking for longer springs, the front strut springs from a 98 Toyota 4Runner have the right spring rate, are 2" longer and should fit easily giving 2" of lift. I haven't actually tried to fit them on yet, but they look right and the only problem I see is that they may have to small of an inner diameter, but I will post on that later. There are 2 other issues I might encounter- the requirement of camber bolts to correct the front angles on the struts and strut extensions (spacers). If I get to much lift from the springs, I may fab some diff drop brackets to lower the pumpkin maybe 1" at most since I want to keep the center line clearance. I will update on that as well when I get to it. I should not need to since the Toy springs should only lift the Vitara 2".
Now I have looked for the materials I need to do the lift, but am waiting for funds to come in to purchase the parts. I am going to put in a homemade strut spacers in the front using the Chevy 3 bolt 2 3/4" exhaust flanges with tubing welded in between. These will likely be 1" or 1 1/2" long since I want to keep the up travel in the suspension, but really the longer springs only replace spring spacers. I may break down and get the OME struts from Low Range Off Road Instead. Easier but more costly, they will allow the suspension to travel much further. They sell longer springs, but for 3x the price of used from the wreckers.
Jeep rear or front coils from whichever of them has coils- either Grand or cherokee or TJ- have coils that will fit and lift the rear of my GV. They are in different lengths, and I may need to trim them down to fit. I will let you know what vehicle I get them from eventually, but their rates are right for the Vitara and they have the length. If I trim them, that will raise the rate of the springs, but I will be adding weight to the Vitara in Bumpers and full size spare tire anyway. The front springs will likely have a higher rate since that is where the vehicle generally has more wieght all the time, so I will likely get them from the rear of whichever donor jeep I use. I will be using Rancho shocks for the rear that I have on my old Toyota truck that are still good, the only issue is that they may require an adapter to fit around the axle tube. Cheap long shocks can be bought for under $60 anyway.
The rear is 4-linked, and that should not require modification, but if it should, I may cut and weld the control arms with a 2" drop. The eye to eye length will be the same and the suspension will cycle in the factory plain, but will have 2" of lift with the springs and drop arms.
Something like this... 0______________
VVVVV____
VVVVVV______O
I'll keep you posted, but I hope to do the body and suspension lifts for under $400. I am not certain how to post pics of what I am doing, but maybe someone can tell me how. I want other DIY guys to see what I am doing so they can savemoney and do the same.
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Im guessing you are working on a 99+ Vitara. I had thought about using the header flanges and building my strut spacers on my 01 Grand Vitara, but the strut mounts are different on the Vitara than the TracKicks. I ended up going with one of Jeffs (jeff1997) 2" suspension kits, it not only came with strut spacers but also comes with extensions for the strut brace to keep it from hitting the intake on the engine. It was one of the best made spacer kits i have installed. I topped it off with a rocky road 2" bodylift it came with steering extension and brake line extensions, but idid not like the way it was made so i cut my steering shaft and welded in a piece of 5/8 round stock to get it to the length it needed to be. I ended up making my own brackets to lift the bumpers. But for both lifts and new rear shocks i had around $350 in them and enough room to clear 245/75 r16 (31") buckshots with no trimming. Here are a few picks of the strut spacers that come in one of jeffs kits.
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Thanks for the post TNTracker. I just read somewhere that I can flip the strut bearing and get about 1 1/2" lift from that on the strut, so I will likely try that before making strut spacers. I am talking about a 99 Grand Vitara, and it is slightly different from the Track/Kicks out there, but I do alot of research at the Wrecking yard before I start even pulling my rig apart. I only want to do it once. So far I found the 4runner spring for $45 each and jeep springs in GOOD condition for $50 each. So, costwise, my suspension lift may end up being $200.
TNTracker--What is it like dealing with Rocky Road? I have read ALOT of bad reviews of their kits and customer service. I am sure others on the forum would like your input.
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I have also seen a lot of bad reviews on them about slow to ship and poor customer service, and the body lift for the Vitara is the only thing i have ever bought from them, and the only reason was they were the only ones i could find that made a body lift for the Vitara which ended up looking like the same as ones for trackers i had ordered in the past from other vendors. I had it in about a week after ordering and it seemed to be made fairly well, with the exception of the steering extension i ordered with the body lift. It was nothing but 2 bolts and 2 small pieces of threaded tubing to use as sleeves between the steering joint. Did not appear very safe to me. Let me know what fits and not, i my end up with another Vitara someday. Good luck with the build
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TNTracker- Thanks for the Luck. I had some today, I went to Canadian Tire and looked at Shocks from a 91 Cavalier (2.2L). I read somewhere online that they would fit the GV, and the info was correct. They are 2-3" longer and feel a bit stiffer (I looked at stock ones for the GV in Store also--they took no effort to push in where the Cav shocks took a bit more effort).
For $25 each I don't think I can go wrong. The shock body itself is only 1 to 1 1/2" longer but the thread at the top of the shock is a full 3" longer to the end. Perfect for a 2 to 2.5" lift.
Keep you posted.
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So, more research, and I found that the 2 3/4" exhaust flanges won't work on the Vitara. I will be making spacers of my own out of threaded couplers welded together with pieces of pipe in between to tie them together. I will be using square tubing for the spacers to lift the strut stiffener in the engine bay. According to information I have calculated, the toyota springs are a 700 Lb rate where the Grand Vitara springs are 500. They are 1.5" longer, and under normal vehicle load should compress about 1.4" to the standard 2" so with 1.5" longer spring and .5" less compression, works out to 2" lift. But may end up being a VERY stiff ride. I may build coil spacers if this doesn't work out. Since the springs are so strong, I will mod for more down travel and set up the strut 2.5 or even 3" lowered than stock. I think the CV's will handle the angle, and under fulll droop, there is less load on the dropped wheel anyway.
FOr the rear, I found front coil springs from a 2WD cherokee at the wrecker, they are 17" long and have a soft rate, but after trimming, they will be at 170Lb/inch and 3" longer than stock. So 3" lift in the back. It was sagging lower anyway. They have a larger diameter, but I think they fit OK anyway. Give more travel and better ride since they are slightly softer, but more overall load capability since they are longer.
On a side note, spring compressors don't work worth crap to get the longer coils in place. They are to bulky and the rods on them are to long. I have a 9000Lb winch where I will run the cable through the center of the spring, winch it down short, and use 5/16" cable with clamps to tie it in place. That compresses the springs to the desired height, then getting them in place will be EASY. Then cut the cables after the rest of the suspension is back together. Way easier and I think safer than the coil compressors. If you have a press, you could follow the same procedure. You could use small chain also with a nut and bolt. Just be real carefull when you cut the cable, make sure there is weight on the spring first!
To be continued...
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If you disconnect your sway bar, strut, steering linkage, and support for brake line (just remove the C clip and move line so it can drop) you will be supprised at how much longer spring you can squeeze in there. If you lower your strut mounts 3", better think about dropping the front diff also or the CV's will not last long. Also as you push the A arm down, the lower spring pad mounts start pointing outwards which cause the spring to arch outwards. The brake caliper is mounted close to the spring and occasionally when flexing the front the spring and caliper are trying to occupy the same space. No problem as the caliper can slide a little outward, pushing the brake fluid up into the reservoir. Next time you get on the brakes the won't work on first stroke.
Grand Vit front springs give a nice ride on 2 door Trackers. OME raised GV springs will take you close to the end of your struts, with 2" strut spacers.
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I am only dropping the strut mounts 2" afterall--for just the same reason you stated BRD HUNTER. I am not sure I understand what you mean by the spring pressing against the caliper and squeezing brake fluid into the reservoir. I would really like you to explain that one further. And I did detach the strut and sway bar, but the new spring is so much longer and the compressor itself so big that they just do not fit very well into the space available. Thus my press/compressor idea, and yes I plan to be VERY careful when the springs are compressed. I know there is alot of energy there. I may end up putting a small chain on the spring as a saftey precaution in addition to the cables (2 per spring) and anchor the chain so the spring cannot go anywhere. My safety is my highest priority.
I hope you can see the pics, its my first time posting online, but I am building my own strut drop brackets out of 5" steel pipe cut into 3 sections, and welded to 1/2" threaded couplers that are almost 2" long. I am using the strut bearing itself as a jig to hold the threaded couplers exactly the right distance apart, and using 1/2" bolts for strength. I thought about just welding it directly to the strut bearing plate, but then if it needed to ever be replaced, I would have to weld a new one, so this way it is more serviceable. I will then be using 2 x 2 sq tube to space my strut brace bracket back up to factory height.
All told, my cost for the steel and welding and couplers is $45, plus the longer springs from a wrecker for $100, and new rear Cavalier shocks for $50. Total cost for the suspension lift will end up being $200. If the longer springs don't work, then I will make some spacers and go back to the factory front springs, but with the bumper I am going to be putting on with a warn 9000Lb winch, I will end up needing the extra spring rate I think. I will soon see what the ride feels like. Likely by the weekend.
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I am only dropping the strut mounts 2" afterall--for just the same reason you stated BRD HUNTER. I am not sure I understand what you mean by the spring pressing against the caliper and squeezing brake fluid into the reservoir. I would really like you to explain that one further. And I did detach the strut and sway bar, but the new spring is so much longer and the compressor itself so big that they just do not fit very well into the space available. Thus my press/compressor idea, and yes I plan to be VERY careful when the springs are compressed. I know there is alot of energy there. I may end up putting a small chain on the spring as a saftey precaution in addition to the cables (2 per spring) and anchor the chain so the spring cannot go anywhere. My safety is my highest priority.
I hope you can see the pics, its my first time posting online, but I am building my own strut drop brackets out of 5" steel pipe cut into 3 sections, and welded to 1/2" threaded couplers that are almost 2" long. I am using the strut bearing itself as a jig to hold the threaded couplers exactly the right distance apart, and using 1/2" bolts for strength. I thought about just welding it directly to the strut bearing plate, but then if it needed to ever be replaced, I would have to weld a new one, so this way it is more serviceable. I will then be using 2 x 2 sq tube to space my strut brace bracket back up to factory height.
All told, my cost for the steel and welding and couplers is $45, plus the longer springs from a wrecker for $100, and new rear Cavalier shocks for $50. Total cost for the suspension lift will end up being $200. If the longer springs don't work, then I will make some spacers and go back to the factory front springs, but with the bumper I am going to be putting on with a warn 9000Lb winch, I will end up needing the extra spring rate I think. I will soon see what the ride feels like. Likely by the weekend.
This is what my front springs looked like (4 door springs with 2" spacer on 2 door).
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/CrawlersNW/SOw-mDzbtqI/AAAAAAAACR8/igW9Eb1Ufn8/s512/CIMG3027.JPG)
When you compress the spring even more, the bow becomes worse and you can bump against the brake calipers, forcing fluid back up into reservoir with no brakes for first stroke.
You may not have this problem, but if it happens, knowing what causes it will make the rest of ride more enjoyable. I modified my arms so springs set more upright with the longer springs.
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/CrawlersNW/SO11g-Dl4DI/AAAAAAAACU4/KzZNRn9JHM0/s512/CIMG3074.JPG)
It looks like I went through same process you seem to be. My build link http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/tracker-2x4-rockers-frnt-bmper-4-dr-sprngs-lwered-frnt-diff-$30-steel-frnt-diff/15/ (http://www.zukiworld.com/forum/build-diaries-how-to-diy/tracker-2x4-rockers-frnt-bmper-4-dr-sprngs-lwered-frnt-diff-$30-steel-frnt-diff/15/). I am sitting at 14.5" to bottom of frame on 9.50X30X15's.
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Not to be a jerk, but my lift kit is less than $200 and it would save you guys a LOT of hassle. Just my .02.
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Not to be a jerk, but my lift kit is less than $200 and it would save you guys a LOT of hassle. Just my .02.
I was thinking the same thing I sell my kit which comes with 4 billet aluminum coil spacers 2 billet aluminum strut bar spacers, 2 strut spacers, pan hard bar relocation bracket and a proportioning valve arm extension, all metal parts are powder coated comes with all hardware and installation instructions, for $400CDN
(http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9806/1999lift007.jpg) (http://img263.imageshack.us/i/1999lift007.jpg/)
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Not to be a jerk, but my lift kit is less than $200 and it would save you guys a LOT of hassle. Just my .02.
Jeff's lift is the best out there for the money!
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:-[ You are too sweet. He's right though!!!
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how bad is the camber with your lift unadjusted?
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Not to be a jerk, but my lift kit is less than $200 and it would save you guys a LOT of hassle. Just my .02.
I use you spacers, and have a set in the rear. I wanted more lift than your 2" provided for the front, so started with 4 door springs. While your spacers do lift a vehicle, I think that ultimately longer springs provide a better ride. I like working to make my Tracker better, so do not mind experimenting. You are right, for less than $200 your spacers get one off the ground with a lot less hassle. I did not need to buy my first set of longer springs, and the rest of my work was my shop time. I support your spacers for those just wanting up, and enjoy sharing with those wanting to experiment. If you notice in those photo's there seems to be a bright red spring spacers from jeff1997.
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Not to be a jerk, but my lift kit is less than $200 and it would save you guys a LOT of hassle. Just my .02.
I use you spacers, and have a set in the rear. I wanted more lift than your 2" provided for the front, so started with 4 door springs. While your spacers do lift a vehicle, I think that ultimately longer springs provide a better ride. I like working to make my Tracker better, so do not mind experimenting. You are right, for less than $200 your spacers get one off the ground with a lot less hassle. I did not need to buy my first set of longer springs, and the rest of my work was my shop time. I support your spacers for those just wanting up, and enjoy sharing with those wanting to experiment. If you notice in those photo's there seems to be a bright red spring spacers from jeff1997.
I agree, you can only get so much lift out of spacers without safety issues. If you want more than 2" springs and/or spacers are needed. I saw the pics and recognized the red right away.
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So the Toy springs are WAY to strong. The suspension did not even come up with vehicle weight on it and I could not attach the strut even with the 2" drop bracket. References from lowrangeoffroad infrormed me that that the toy spring rate was about 500Lb/inch, but I think that info is mistaken. I may try to find a longer spring with an actual lower rate or same length spring with slightly higher rate instead of looking at longer springs in general. Learning curve here.
Yes jeff, I could buy your kit, but wanted the better ride quality and travel longer springs would give, never mind the lower cost. There are still many spring options at the wrecker available and they will exchange the ones I already have so no loss but time. Thanks guys about the panhard relocation and the proportioning valve extensions though. I will have to give those some thought too.
If I can't find springs that will work, I can still make my own spring spacers for only another 20-$40--most of that for the welding at a shop since I don't have my own. Thanks BRD HUNTER .I can use the info you have provided and mod mine the same as well so less bulge in the spring, plus that little mod must have yeilded some lift by itself did it not?.
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It did provide some lift, not as much as Jeff's 2" spacer so I cut one in half. I used 1X1/8" flat bar to raise the spring pad, and think you could go to 1 1/2" (to the outside edge). Drone637 got me a set of OME 956 springs for raised GV, which was more spring than I had travel for. I cut off one coil and with my spring pad mod (no spacers) I had almost 15" frame clearance. With 2" strut spacers (I believe Jeff's) I do not have much drop left (maybe 2""). This much lift DOES REQUIRE dropping your diff.
If you cut your diff mounts and add extensions (as I tried) be sure to weld a piece of flat bar on outside of extended piece longer than the extension. (overlapping the extension) The cast hangers get brittle when welded (even using stainless), you would do better fabbing a new one similar to Calmini's.
I do enjoy the ride it gives. (Or I will again when I get the engine swap done.)
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I realized my mistake with the longer springs. Suspension dynamics. The control arm is a lever and the spring is in the middle of that lever, exerting force down on it at 500lb/inch. The wheel end of the control arm is where the force gets exerted onto the spring, so that 1" of wheel travel equals 1/2" of spring travel. So the spring rate at the wheel is 225-250 lb/inch to give ride quality. I knew this part, but was not thinking about the spring's travel when the control arm moves, so I tried to use a spring that is 2" longer on the control arm--That iis like giving the equivalent of a 4" lift but with the higher spring rate of the toyota spring, closer to 5" since under load it would not compress as much. DOH! Thats why I couldn't even get the strut to re-connect at all--WAY to much lift there.
So my question for everyone selling these 2" coil spacer kits is-- How thick is your coil spacer to get 2" of lift, because if 2" lift at the tire means 1" of travel at the spring, then your spacer for a 2" lift must be only 1 or 1.25" thick right?
My new plan is to make a spacer for the bottom of my existing coils that gives the COIL 1" to 1.25" of lift over factory, that should equal 2" at the tire.
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My rear spacers are 2" and the fronts are 1.5". The 1.5" actually gives you a little more than 2" but it helps level the front out with the rear.
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The rear of mine is actually sagging 1" lower than my front, so I will be lifting the rear 3" and the front to 2" to level everything out.
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If you would need just a small spacer, .750" or 1" let me know. I have some oddballs laying around.
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So its been awhile since my last post. Got my 31" tires on order at Wlamart, the new Wrangler Authorities for CHEAP compared to everything else I have been pricing out. They are aggresive for A/T tires! These will off road nice but have good road manners for daily driver. I may post on how they wear and handle since there are not alot of reviews on them yet (new product). They are load range "E" so they will likely ride rough, but I expect since they will be on such a light vehicle, they will wear well and last a long time.
Got my lift kit completed with spacers for the front, and longer cherokee jeep springsfor the rear lift. I am making my own spacers for the body lift out of 2" x .250 wall steel tube. Most of them for sale online are just that, but I can cut and drill, so why pay for it. Going to have to rig special mounts for the old bumper off my Toyota anyway.
For gears, my research has revealed that the main post on the Zukiworld site here ....http://www.zukiworld.com/month_030104/feature_tsb_shiftontheflyremoval.htm.... (http://www.zukiworld.com/month_030104/feature_tsb_shiftontheflyremoval.htm....) is not quite correct in the information that it imparts. All sidekick rear diffs are the 26 spline after '95, and they don't have to have been built in Japan only to fit into the Grand Vitara. Same for the front. The complete aluminum axle housing apparently bolts right into the Grand Vitara if you don't want to swap the internals. Easier and bolts right in! The only real mod you need to do at that point is to change the inner CV on the passenger side to the sidekick inner CV, then good to go. I will be using the steel housing from the Vitara and swapping the mechanicals into it for the added strength. I foudn a local guy near Ottawa that will sell me eveything I need and has done this mod himself, for $250---SWEET!
I also gained some knowledge about the timing chain rattle that is so common on the V6 engine. Apparently, the ports for lubrication on the timing chain guides are very small, and if you don't change the oil regularly, they gum up and don't work as well at low rpm, and cause faster breakdown of the timing chain system. Doing a thorough engine flush, and new oil, then chagne again after 500km to completely clean out the sytem, then put in thin oil (like 0w30) with a good lube additive like Lucas or Royal Purple, can clear up the rattle and repairs are no longer needed!!! I am going to try this since my chain is making a bit of noise at idle. I was going to get the chains serviced and tensioners replaced, but this may save me $1200!
More to come.....
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Be very careful with that "thin" oil - maybe fit an oil pressure gauge so that you can see what the actual pressure is with the engine up to operating temperature, especially on a hot summer day. The filter you use can also make a difference, I switched to the SGP (Suzuki genuine Parts) filter and was able to complete eliminate the rattle at start up.
Now - I see you mentioning "rattle at idle" rather than just at startup - you might want to change those chains anyway.
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Hope you like those Goodyear Wrangler Authority A/Ts. My buddy has them 31x10.50x15 on his 95 Toyota Taco and he sure does like them tires. Every time I am in Wal-Mart I see them and wish they made them in a 235 or 30"
They look nice, and share a lot of the characteristics with the Wrangler Duratracs. Both came out around the same time and apparently the Authority is only sold through Wal-Mart, and Goodyear teamed with another brand (Kelly, I think) to make it. I learned this through word-of-mouth with the guys at my usual tire shop.
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Nice to hear an update on the project. :)
I think BRD HNTR has those tires on his tow rig, a Chevy 3500. I don't know how well they work but they certainly look cool.
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Well, I hate to say that I broke down and bought a body lift. They are not complicated to build, but there is the steering extension to deal with and I wanted to get everything done before winter. I purchased the Masterkit 1 set, and then very shortly found some local guys that make them for $250. CRAP! Not only that, Before I bought the lift, I called and asked Masterkit 1 about the shifter boots being problematic with the body lift (boots not fitting, shifter interference etc...) and they said they have never had problems with it. I did. I thought I might, but tried to cover the bases, and still ended up with the headache. I called them after the install, and all they could recommend is heating and bending the shifter. I am not fond of that idea,and it does not fix the t-case shifter. The biggest problem is that the second boot that comes up from the console bunches up and the shifter hits the plastic on the console when going into 2nd, 4th, and reverse. The t-case shfiter also has a problem with the boot bunching and not allowoing it to shift fully into 4Lo.
My solution was to cut the console with a hole saw at the 4Lo end of the console in front of the t-case boot to give it a bit more room to shift, but I still worry about it popping out of 4Lo when offroading. I am going to do the same with the main shifter, cut some of the plastic off around the hole so the shifter does not hit the plastic, and then use a type of finish stripping to clean up the edge. I will also be cutting the bottom 1 to 1 1/2" off at the front of the console to lower it around the shifter, again to give more room for manuever, and will again finish the cut edge with a trim that I have used before. Its a U shaped piece of black plastic that clips on, similar to the stuff manufacturers use on the pinched metal seams on vehicles.
Another mod I had to perform is the Charcoal canister under the hood. With the body lift, it lifted as well, and was now in the way for the factory air hose to connect from the filter box to the intake. What I did was grind the "V" shaped sides down a bit do it could sit lower in its factory location, and bent the metal tab down at the bottom of the bracket it fits into. I had to remove it to move the brake lines anyway, but this another mod that is not in the manual for the body lift install.
I installed the Cavalier shocks on the rear and they work nicely. The Cherokee springs worked well except that they are bigger around, and rub against the upper mount and make a very irritating noise when they cycle. So I got creative making my own spacers for the rear to work with the factory springs. I had 2 cv axles that were useless laying around, so I took the inner CVs, cut the splines off, drilled and tapped a hole in them for the bump stop, and cut them down to 2 1/2" long at the cupped end, and then fitted them into place. Not as clean as machined spacers, but they'll work just fine with the factory springs. I fabbed a spacer for the Panhard rod using 2" square tubing. Without this spacer, the axle stuck out 1/2" further on one side of the vehicle at ride height with the 2 1/2" lift. I knotched it out to fit onto the factory bracket on the diff, drilled a hole in the bottom and another 2 1/2" higher in the tube, then bolted it in. Worked like a charm. I don't know why everyone sells suspension llift kits without this item.
My home brew spacer on the front seems to have yielded a 2" suspension gain, but the tires have cambered in at the bottom, ALOT. Even with the strut drop bracket. My front tires look like this \ / . I talked to a local guy (Use your local Suzuki Guys, they are very helpful!). He suggested using a smaller bolt in the top hole of the strut mount on the kingpin to gain 1mm or so of camber adjustment, and if that is not enough, drill the holes on the strut bracket bigger (top hole only), to gain another mm or 2 to get the adjustment right, then tighten the bolt and away I go. Simple enough. That is my next project. I worried about it moving, but if anything, the way the force is distributed on the strut at that point, it will only be pushed int he direction I want it to go anyway, so the smaller bolt should not be a problem. I'll use a grade 8 fine thread bolt and strength won't bean issue.
I am also doing a hood snorkel going up to a scoop on the hood, making the snorkel more of a cold ram air intake. The scoop is big enough that I will also mount some lights inside it for NEAT factor. I have got pics of those here.
The tires look amazing, but haven't had them on the road yet.
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Update: The camber adjustment went easy, I found brass bushings at the local fastener store that are 7/16" OD and 5/16" ID by 1" long, which was perfect for the 12mm hole and I got grade 8 8mm fine thread bolts for the top holes and new grade 8 12mm bolts for the bottom. This bushing worked PERFECTLY to fill the hole so there is no slack and the 8mm bolt gave me room to adjust the camber as far as it could go in at the top. The tires check out as level straight up and down with a level placed on the tire which is apparently where I want them. Yeeha! Alignment appointment for next Monday.
Funny thing is most companies offering lift kits for Kicks and Vitaras don;t seem to offer this bracket, so I've addeda pic to show what I did if you want to build your own. Since my rear lift is 2 1/2", I drilled my holes 2 1/2" apart, so you would obviously drillyours to match whatever lift you install.
Since my spare tire will be bigger to match the rest of the wheels in case of flat, I made a bracket to bolt onto the carrier at the back that raises the tires up 2" higher so the door still clears the bumper. Its painted ugly, but with the tire on, you can't see it. Its' just 1 1/2" by 3" tubing cut and drilled, and bolts from the local fastener shop that the Lug nuts fit onto with locktite, and since it is hidden behind the spare, theft is not an issu, you can still use the factory key lock for what its worth.
I also wanted to post my experience with the gear swap:
TO START--the post on this forum that you need gears from a 96,97,98 Japan made sidekick works, but they are hard to find and expensive. BUT--you don't need to make a hybrid axle! The GV inside CV is the same spline as the new gears you are installing, so why change? You can re-use the factory axle!. They should be the same 28 spline, that is the reason for using these gears in the first place!
HOWEVER-- I found some local guys who've done this before, and you can use the gears from 89-94 sidekicks, pretty much any sidekick, but this is where you need to build the hybrid axle for the passenger side. You need the inside CV stub BELL piece of the CV (the outer Piece of it-usually green) from the donor vehicle you got your gears from, that will be 26 spline. That is why ideally you would want the gears from the post since you would retain the stronger 28 spline shafts, but the 26 spline will work. Now, the GV shaft is to big for this CV to fit onto, its physically bigger, the Bell and the Race inside, even the ball bearings are bigger, so what you need to find is the axle from a'98 sidekick sport. The axle on it has the 28 spline inside CV, but the Bell is physically smaller,and it has the added bonus of being the same length as the GV shaft which is about 1/2" longer than the sidekick shafts. So what you need to do is you undo the boot, remove the thin retaining ring, pull the 28 spline bell off, leaving the race and ball bearings in place. Slide on the Bell from your donor CV that has the 26 spline to match your gears, replace the retaining ring and the boot, and you have your shaft! Much easier to find these parts (Gears), and only a little more work to fit them. Depending on where you are, cheaper too since they are more common.
Note: This shaft will be your weak link in the system. Since it is smaller than the GV shaft on the other side, it will tend to break more easily. The Sidekick Sport shafts can be gotten NEW for $150 CDN, or a wreckers for $75, so they are not expensive to replace. The 26 spline inner bell is so common its not even funny. Keep in mmind that even if poeple say its the weak link, the outer CV's are ALL still 26 spline, so that means there is really nothing to be gained in strength with the inner CV since the outer is still weak too.
Another Note: The axle seals for the inner CV's on the Grand Vitara are the same part number as the sidekick, they are all machined the same, so since you have all this apart anyway, now would be a good time to change the oil seals. Just order the factory part for the Grand Vitara. The sealing surface is the same on all of them 26 adn 28 spline alike!
Happy Gear Swaps!
Next is the hood scoop install and trailer hitch/tow points on the rear.
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