another lifting question MU

but can ou get it registered with those shackels and where would i buy them from

I'm sitting at 910mm on the rear with the factory shackles and some Bridgestone Dueller 604's ( the M+S ones) ...

elysian so mine sits 2 inches lower than yours already so springs would be better than shackels total 4 inch lift from what it is now?? how high is your front elysian

to get 33's on ..

put the extended shakles on the back
do a ball joint flip and wind the torsion bars up to suit on the front
trim a little of the guards front and back ..
maybe do a diff drop on the front to ease the CV angles and add wedge the rear diff a few degrees to stop/reduce chatter of the universal joint if prsent..

Even if you put the 2 inch spacers in for a body lift, you'll still need to trim the guards, just not as much ..

cheers muvit and elysian. was about to refinace today but they decided they wouldnt give me a loan to pay off another loan so project is on hold for another 2 weeks hope fully by then i will have found an intrest rate below 13.85%!!! cant wait to get it done but
oh and waht is outers

Outers is a abbreviation given to www.outerlimits4x4.com/phpBB2/ check out the thread of tyres, wheels & spacers for great tyre bargains (secondhand of course).

cheers
muvit

Nah what makes you think they are re-treads?.
If you can get em still good luck!, as i heard no one is stocking em.
Last time i saw em was about a year ago at BBM shop but they didn't sell so they got rid of em. But they looked aggressive & may be a bias ply tyre & not a radial!.

Btw landcruiser or patrol offset is good if not perfect for the mu.

cheers
muvit

Mongrels are deffinately retreads - check out Motorway's web-site
www.motorway-tyres.com.au/products/rv/

The main criticism I have heard of them is they are very stiff tyres - they dont flex quite like a new one when aired down.

Noticed a suggestion earlier in this thread that you could get a 2" lift with extended shackles - Most extended sets on the market are a little bit less than that - I got a 40mm lift with a pair of Calmini shackles on the back end of my Rodeo. The Calmini shackles are 170 mm between centres, and the standard set are 90mm, so it seems like you get exactly half the extra length in lift. So if you find some that are 190mm btween centres then you get your 2".
10mm difference aint much, but it all adds up

Jellis - some thoughts that might help.

Have a look in general 4x4 chat column above at thread "developments on my latest bighorn "- posted with pics in the last few days. Have just walked again this track you are taking (for a second time with an isuzu) and there is no way you need to pay $500 for spacers and bolts. (Mine is for a bighorn but there are many similarities.)

Some ideas from experience as you do your buildup -

If you want a good lift, the best combination is bodylift plus some extended shackles - not big leaf spring lift or big shackle extensions alone. These can create other weaknesses you just don't want in your offroader.

If you do a big 70-100mm shackle extension you will need to wind up the front torsion bars a long way to level truck, and this leaves front suspension up near top bumpstop - i.e. little front articulation. Flipping balljoints helps a bit with re-centring between stops, but not too much. Also you end up with big angles on your cvs - not good at any time, and very bad when you fit a front lokka - too easy to snap esp with a 3.1 mu's lighter cvs. You get better articulation in the rear, but much less on the front. Been there, done that.

If you do a high arc rear leafspring lift or re-tension for height, often the re-tension doesn't last overly long. Also the high arc stiffer leafsprings can totally kill rear axle articulation - a needed strength on the isuzus. You need to keep your rear springs flexible and whippy - not extra leaf or heavy duty. Have seen many trucks disastrously affected on the ramp on club nights - with articulation decreased by 70%. Spring lift is the least desireable option as you also have to wind up the front bars to level truck and can end up losing in the front articulation as well. Coil springs a slightly different story with right make, but still front end liabilty if chasing big height gains.

From experience I find the best is a combination of bodylift plus suspension lift. A 50mm body lift with 12 spacer points on my lwb cost me about $120 for parts - 50mm high compression spacers and hi-tensile bolts. With this body lift, you get good height increase but no changing of cv angles, no need to adjust torsion bars etc = no downsides. Then do a smaller shackle lift - maybe 40-60mm extension and of this you'll get just over half that in height increase. With this smaller shackle extension, you now don't have to wind the front torsion bars up so much. So you get big height increase, better rear articulation, keep your front articulation, and stop bad angles on the front cvs. = WIN/WIN.

This formula works well - I think JamesW did same deal on his MU here in chch. It stops creating articulation and cv weaknesses on your truck - not good for offroading. With a 50mm bodylift and 25-40 suspension lift for mine - plus another 50mm in height from moving to 33s, my truck now has exc ground clearance (500mm under side sills) and a 5-6" height gain without sacrificing any other offroad strengths - eg articulation and cv durability. I then added long travel shocks, quick release swaybars etc as well - to end up with both height AND improved articulation as real strengths now.

You can do bigger body lifts - 75mm etc - plus shackle extensions also but need to watch certification requirements.

Plan each development on your truck to complement other offroad needs. Your truck needs to have a range of strengths to be a really good offroader - and height is just one of them. Articulation and parts durability are also v important - and you don't want a setup that sacrifices one for the other - not necessary.

PS - may be able to get bolts and spacers here much cheaper for you if you need them - also perhaps extended shackles and bolts - I paid about $90 for heavy duty ext shackles plus bolts. Total lift materials about $210.

Hope this helps

Mike

If you have a 3.1 MU be doubly careful how you set up the front end - very light grade cvs compared to the older 2.8 mus and bighorns.