If you were in my shoes, where would you start?  What would be your first purchase, and what do I need to look out for?  Thanks in advance for the input!

I was in your shoes about a month ago. I have been putting together a little site that is documenting my Suzuki adventure. It is mostly for fun and a place for me to store things I learn. Check it out.

http://www.teamlifeforce.net/suzuki.html

I ordered from Calmini and had my stuff withen 11 days. No problems. However the 3" body-lift is a pain in the |removethispart|@$$. Here is what I started with and what it looks like now. Good luck on yours and welcome to the club.

Shredder, that is a great site you got... and your rig turned out really nice.  Well done on the trick photography!  Your 4 door is exactly what I want, only with a bumper!

As far as what I want to use it for... mainly a toy, off-roading, hunting, etc... I drive a Yukon 4x4 everyday, unless my wife's landrover is in the shop, then I am in some loaner...

Here are some other photos I dug up from a summer I lived in CO.  These are of my BONE STOCK (Except Skid Plate) 4 door JLX at 13,000 feet, yep, that is some rough country above the timber line.  The photos do not do justice!  This was steep and very rough!

Shouldn't we be telling anyone contemplating the calmini 3 inch suspension lift about exploding 3rd members as well? Or does that model have a steel front axle?

Nick

It's not the Calmini 3" lift that explodes front
3rds, it's the liberal application of the skinny
pedal.

I would also recommend a rear locker, that
alone will take your mild mannered off road
toy into some places mountain goats fear to
tread.

You are not going to like 33 inch tires without
gears, 5.83's will allow you to run 35" tires at
about stock gearing. You could also get some
5.13s from a Man Trans Track/Kick, that would
be less $$ than 5.83s at about $600 + install

235 tires on stock rims are fine, 31s you might
want 5.13 gears, anything over 31 need gears
if you want to have power to wheel.

Wild

 

Wild,
I don't know anyone in the UK with the calmini 3 inch kit who hasn't exploded an ally 3rd member...

Not trying to argue with you, just a point of view is all....

cheers

Nick

Welcome to the board  Mr Duck.  The guys here have all given good advice that I have nothing to add to.  I have been here on here 7 months and have learned a lot.  I live in pueblo, and I have been to a few 4wd passes.  Here are a few pictures of my 95 jlx.  The first isa goofy one one tincup pass.  The next is on the south side of cumberland pass.
BTW, around here I have seen only 1 or 2 4dr kicks with a roof rack. 
Jeff

Shredder, that is a great site you got... and your rig turned out really nice.  Well done on the trick photography!  Your 4 door is exactly what I want, only with a bumper!

Just so you know there is NO "trick photography" in the picture of the 4 door lifted. That is how it looks right now. Still waiting for the ShrockWorks bumper and then I will shoot it again. Might have the custom rear done by the time it get's here too.

All the "trick" pictures were done just to see what could be.  Thanks for the compliment on the site. I hope when it is done it will serve as inspiration and nutshell information for other off-road minded Trackick owners. Forums like this are awesome for info and ideas and I need to link over to them soon. 

Wild,
I don't know anyone in the UK with the calmini 3 inch kit who hasn't exploded an ally 3rd member...

Not trying to argue with you, just a point of view is all....

cheers

Nick

this is due to people using their kicks harder. most stockers don't get wheeled as hard as one with a lift kit. I can see no reason for the kit to cause more front end issues.

this is due to people using their kicks harder. most stockers don't get wheeled as hard as one with a lift kit. I can see no reason for the kit to cause more front end issues.

There are a LOT of lifted Track/Kicks (Vits) over here, I would say that the majority of them don't run the Calmini kit. They get used very hard, the trucks with the 3" Calmini kits do suffer the most axle breakages. It may be because the longer axle mounting brackets have more leverage on the casing but personally I think that it is because its the trucks with the most lift that run the biggest tyres. More grip = more strain through the drivetrain.

Shredder,

I didnt mean to insinuate anything... by trick I meant fancy mouse overs

If you do the body lift, is there no way to reuse the stock bumpers?  Also, I may not want to admit this, but what do you mean about exploding 3rds?

Jeff,

Nice photos!  I had my roof rack added after I bought it... My kick was originally used as a tow-behind of some seniors' motor home.  It had everything else I think... Around here, I have not even seen another JLX!  Have you done any mods to yours?

Wild,
I don't know anyone in the UK with the calmini 3 inch kit who hasn't exploded an ally 3rd member...

Not trying to argue with you, just a point of view is all....

cheers

Nick

Naww, you just want to pick a fight   

OK, I will agree that some of the UK guys have had
more than their fair share of nuked front thirds and
5.83s too, gets kind of spendy.

Here is what I have done to help prevent broken bits

1. replace stock bolts with longer ones, I wish I had
recorded the length that I used in the diff area of the
housing, if that bolt is too long it will hit the gears.

2. lock-tite, red stuff, if those bolts get loose things
move around and stuff breaks, I also filled the open
cavity under the side mount with weld, made it solid
to prevent bolts loosening and breaking the housing.

3. last is to reinforce the snout with 2 crescent shaped
pieces of 100 thou aluminum plate, no pic sorry, but it
solidifys the 2 bolt mount ear on the snout to the snout
it's self, helping to prevent cracking it open like an egg

OR you could do somthing like this



One of our South American Zuki Brothers came up with
this solution to nuked aluminum diffs.

Enjoy
Wild

Shredder,

I didnt mean to insinuate anything... by trick I meant fancy mouse overs

If you do the body lift, is there no way to reuse the stock bumpers?  Also, I may not want to admit this, but what do you mean about exploding 3rds?

It is possible to reuse the stock bumpers. The Calmini kit comes with relocating brackets.

Naww, you just want to pick a fight   


OR you could do somthing like this



One of our South American Zuki Brothers came up with
this solution to nuked aluminum diffs.

Enjoy
Wild

That wouldn't have helped me, my casing exploded at the (US) drivers side end. That was before the Calmini suspension but I had noticed a couple of weeks before that the two nuts on the centre diff mounting had come loose. On one the spring washer was missing and the the other half the spring washer was gone. I believe that the housing must have been moving slightly in the bracket and that both washers fractured. I replaced the spring washers with plain washers underneath them. Next time out the axle shattered but I suspect that it may already have had stress cracks that I couldn't see. Oh and the axle hadn't been touched since it left the factory so the bolts should have been correctly torqued.

Naww, you just want to pick a fight   


Hey Wid, Yeah you're right. Outside in 5 minutes. If I'm not there, start without me

He He

Cheers

Nick