You guys running Calmini 3" suspension kits modified to 4", what all do use/run?  drop brackets, spacers, coils, struts, cv, cv mods???

You guys running Calmini 3" suspension kits modified to 4", what all do use/run?  drop brackets, spacers, coils, struts, cv, cv mods???

Not too sure.  But I don't know what exactly you're asking either
I think the hybrid lift is you buy a Calmini, beat the sh*t out of it, and if the springs sag after awhile, you keep the control arms and all that in place, and you use Old Man Emu springs/struts/shocks in conjunction with the Calmini lift hardware.  Yields more lift.
Or are you talking about the "widened and rotated" mod?

I was kinda talking about both. If the Calmnini kit is only three inches how can you change the springs to  taller springs and struts to make it a 4" without tearing up cvs?

Guess it's a risk that some people take, because I've seen many doing it.  Or maybe they have other CV mods such as Toyota CVs, etc...
And I've read some people doing both.  Calmini 3", widened front and rotated rear, with OME springs and struts.  Not sure about their durability but I remember seeing some threads of people doing it.

What is a (Rotated Rear) ?

Rear rotate refers to cutting the spring cups off the axle, flipping the upper link mount 180 deg. (to tilt the top of the axle backwards, "rotating" it), modifying the rear lower shock mounts, and welding the spring cups back in the new rotated position of the axle tube (otherwise the springs would have a sharp curve in them, causing premature wear).
What you gain: pushes rear axle back, increasing wheelbase and departure angle, improved driveline angle, and can allow for larger tire/less rubbing.
How-to in the archive!  At the following link:
http://www.zukiworld.com/month_100102/feature_hagans_rearrotate.htm

While I'm on topic, widening the front involves adding caster angle by relocating the rear bolt of the control arms 1" outwards on each side.  Widens the front track, pushes the balljoint forward...but puts more leverage on the front coils and MAY cause premature spring wear, and also could put them in a different position (they won't be vertical anymore, but tilted forward at the bottom)
What you gain: pushes front wheels forward, increasing wheelbase and approach angle, and can allow for larger tire/less rubbing.
How-to in the archive!  At the following link:
http://www.zukiworld.com/month_120102/feature_hagan_frontendmod.htm
This link also details the front axle mod to run two driver's side axles.  I think since it is wider, the passenger side axle MAY pull out when the wheel is turned all the way to the right.

And I'm just helping someone out because these articles were helpful to me when I was first researching lifts and mods.  
These two articles are saved in my internet favorites.
(The only reason why I didn't do them is because the 30" tire is all I need to run...for now...but I also figured that the guys at Calmini designed it a certain way for a certain reason and I should leave it alone.  Plus, I want the springs to last a long time, and "supposedly" these mods cause the springs to wear faster. 
Don't take my word for it, ask the guys who have done it, maybe they can tell you.  T
he general consensus I read is that OME springs and struts are more durable than Calmini's and they ride smoother too. 
But, in Calmini's defense, I also heard that they are making the springs differently now.  So maybe they are different from the "old" style. 
Again, I can't back this up with evidence but it might point you in the right direction or get someone else to respond).

I can say that the OME struts are much better... worth every penny (and there is a lot of pennies involved with the purchase). I never had spring issues with the calmini lift but I did have a winch steel bumpers and roll cage to weight down my 2 door. 

I did the front end widening to fit larger CV axles that would hold up to me pounding 33's. This process does actually lower the front end a little so we compensated with spring spacers. I would not suggest modifying the 3" kit to a 4" kit while running stock CV's. I tried for a little extra wheel drop by using the strut spacer and flipping the strut mount (giving an extra 1.5" of drop) and I trashed CV's every time I went out....

The rear axle rotation not only improves your drive line angle, but moves the diff and drive shaft up away from obstacles on the trail, allows relocation/replacement of shock mount for larger/longer shocks and gives a little extra room for larger tires.

HTH,
Zig

An Oldie but a Goody

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=444978

I have a Calmini 3+3 lift and swapped in the parts from this lift as well

CalminiOME hybrid lift

Hey RJRICK which parts did you swap out? What were the benefits of doing it and whats the part number you used? Thanks, Paul!

Thanks for the interesting reads. My Calmini kit should be here Monday. I have a Pro Comp kit with the strut tower brace and the front A arm drop brackets with the skid plate. I was just thinking of how to combine the two? I know I will be rotating the rear. I'm thinking I may have to cut the frame where the front diff. is and lower that. I'm just not sure if I'm ready for that yet   I'm also having a hard time figuring out the cv's... I'm thinking of doing the Hagen mod and running two drivers side cv's. My plan is to have 33's under this thing my next spring and have a rig that isn't going to break on me every two weeks. Thanks for all the help guys and I'm still open to more ideas......

You'll Probably want to do the Toy CV swap if your starting clean, to handle those tires. Do it with the widening, and with the stock Calmini coils you'll loose about .5 to .75" of lift, as Zukipilot pointed out. I also just added a coil spacer to make up the difference and add just a bit more. I wish I had done the cv swap, using Stan's adapters, when I built it. I'm not to hard on my rig though, and only run 32's, so I can make a stock cv last pretty well. But I do carry spares! 

I have plenty of spacers. Maybe I should talk to Stan about some adapters. Can someone please link my ignorant a$$ to the toyota cv swap.

I run a Calmini-OME hybrid setup.  Calmini 3-inch suspension, Front OME struts, rear Bistein 5125 shocks.  Jeff polyurethane red spacers on all 4s.  I'm on my second set of calmini springs and so far they are holding up pretty well.  Tech support told me that they are using new material for the newer springs.

Hey RJRICK which parts did you swap out? What were the benefits of doing it and whats the part number you used? Thanks, Paul!

I swapped the springs, OME 965 and 922, and added spacers in front and rear, 1.75 front and .75 rear, and struts from Calmini with a spacer to OME struts, N103, and lastly ProComp front TJ shocks for a 4" lift in the rear

I was bottoming out in the rear with a loud thump and jarring ride on the Calmini Suspension lift.  Now I have 4" of suspension lift instead of 3" and the rear no longer bottoms out

The ride both on and off road is a lot smoother. I can actually have passengers in the back seat now.

Ok so I broke a pass. cv this weekend in the mud, it was raining hard Sat. night! My Calmini 3" kit came today. Here is my plan someone please critique:  Track as it sits: 2" coil, 3" body, 4.30, 3 speed auto, 31x10.5, 2.5 backspace

5.12 front diff 26 spline, Hagen mod to run 2 drivers sides
Hagen widen mod to front A arms
4 door front brakes
3" Calmini kit
Pro Comp strut tower brace
5.12 rear third with loc rite locker
rear axle rotate