fly3r
Isuzu Senior
Shmoou
Posts: 197
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Post by fly3r on Oct 26, 2006 1:04:22 GMT 11
hi, I'm fairly new to the whole 4wd thing (which im lovin). I have a 1994 3.1t/d Mu. of which is all stock... I have spend the last week reading almost every post in the entire forum, gathered alot of ideas, and i think i've almost sussed it all out as far as suspension upgrade and tyres.. Ive got one quote from lovell in parramatta for: rodeo H/D leafs, shackles, bushes, H/D torsion bars, u bolts etc and tough dog shocks(foam filled, all round) for about $1800 + 325 for labour... does this sound about right and about how much lift can i expect from this considering currently my rear is sitting 840mm and front is 850mm with about 2' between the axle and the rubber stopper. The other quote i have sussed out is the 3" calmini full kit, im pretty sure u guys know what in it (link below) www.pureisuzu.com/89-94_amigo_3.htmi would like this one because it changes the front upper arms and from what i gather reduce the whole cv's getting stuffed, my concerns are: the add-a-leaf on the rear, is that any good, i'd prefer to put new leafs on and can't get the kit with out(same for the shocks) over in WA is 4WDUSA (www.4wdusa.com.au ph(08)93703440) is a calmini dealer he quoted me $1760 + about 50 buck postage OR can i do a mix and match buy the upper arms separate and add in all the rodeo stuff... would that work??? Anyway By the end of it all i would really like at least 3" or higher with 33" tyres (if needed i would put a 1-2" body lift, any suggestion on that??) Or any other options ive missed??? Thanks, Alastair
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Post by geeves on Oct 26, 2006 6:29:38 GMT 11
You can get all the Calmini bits separate but the kit is a sizable discount. I agree that add a leaf is notthe way to go. As for lift assuming your vehicle is sitting on either 31x10.5x15 or 265x70x16 tyres your wagon is about 40mm below std so add 40mm to the amount of lift they quote. The Calmini A arms correct wheel alignment but this can be achieved with a ball joint flip and if needed a spacer as well. For a Mu I would consider the std springs instead of the heavy duty and maybe change the shocks for cheaper Ranchos.KYBs etc. Tough dogs are good shocks but very expensive. Any lift does effectivly weaken Cv joints although 50mm or less this is neglegable. You can lower the diff to reduce angles if you go more than this but second hand Cvs are cheapish and once you get lots of practice they can be changed in under an hour.(Ive seen one done in 30 min in the bush)
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fly3r
Isuzu Senior
Shmoou
Posts: 197
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Post by fly3r on Oct 26, 2006 18:39:20 GMT 11
its got 245x70R16 tyres.
so u wouldn't go with calmini. and put your own kit together??? I wat a good kit, with good part, if its a few hundred different i'd rather get the better parts,
so flipping the ball joints would have the same affect as changing the upper control arm??? or can u do both and get even more lift???(prob a stupid Q's but i don't know)
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Post by Graham on Oct 26, 2006 23:11:37 GMT 11
My MU had 245 tyres and I've just replaced them with 265/70/16 tyres. The difference in diameter is about 28mm, or 44mm in my case thanks to the extra tread depth I think the ball joint flip fixes wheel alignment and improves articulation travel, I don't think there's any lift achieved from this. Also, on heavy duty springs/torsion rods, some people have said that these are too heavy and result in limited articulation - I'd read a couple more opinions/experiences to find out exactly what the best way to go is. Cheers, G.
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fly3r
Isuzu Senior
Shmoou
Posts: 197
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Post by fly3r on Oct 26, 2006 23:58:31 GMT 11
i think justins mu has these same springs in?? does puting the less heavy duty one on give the same height?
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Post by geeves on Oct 27, 2006 7:19:18 GMT 11
Torrsion bars are a funny beast. The stiffness is set at factory and this affects articulation. The only reason for stiffer bars is extra weight up front. The hight is adjustable by rotatring the bar in its mount. Looking under the center of your truck will make this obvious. With the Lovells kit use there shocks but buy non h/d with a 50mm lift buy the ubolts and new bushes etc and adjust the front springs. This should come down to not much over 1000 and will do everthing you want. Ball joint flip only if wheel alignment cant be set
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nig
Isuzu Junior
94 TD Rodeo
Posts: 123
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Post by nig on Oct 27, 2006 14:22:19 GMT 11
Just thought I'd add my 2 cents worth as I have got a setup that I can happy with on my 94 Rodeo for a bit less than some of the numbers I see above . It is applicable to your MU as the running gear is pretty much the same. My starting point 3 years ago was a pretty low slung truck on 31" tires. Looking up the ride height settings in the manual and getting underneath with a tape showed that I had 60mm between the back axle and the bump-stops, when it should have been 95mm. So I bought a set of 'standard rate' springs/bushes/U bolts/shackles from 4WD1 - www.rancho.com.au/ - branded as Rockcrawler for $640 delivered. This put my bump-stop to axle gap up to 135mm, and I was pretty happy as the articulation improved out of sight and it was a lot more comfortable. The only real drawback was that being softer than the originals I have lost some of my load capacity, but I never carry a ton anyway so no issue. I did the normal crank up job on the front with standard torsion bars to give a 45mm raise (from factory setting, not the sagged condition we started off with) and then had a good chat with my wheel alignment guy about the merits of ball joint flips - he recommended I not do it, instead he got the camber back to factory settings by shimming the top A-arm mount. So I wound up with a truck with good steering and reasonable clearance and articulation (after doing a JAMESW swaybar disconnect). The only trouble was, a bit over 12 months later I noticed that the back was sitting lower then the front, So out with the tape again to find that the backend had settled about 40mm, and was now right on the factory standard setting Well, apart from the sag I liked the Rockcrawler spring, so starting looking around for something to bolster them without stiffening them. Wound up getting a pair of Calmini extended shackles from 4WDUSA for $138. Their longer set is 165mm between centres (75mm more than standard) which gave me another 40mm at the axle. So I am happy again For shocks I have a pair of Pedders Sportryders on the front that went on the week after I bought the truck ($210 the pair) and still work just fine 3years/65,000 ks later. My standard rear ones were still good up till about 6 months ago, when I replaced them with Raw4X4 (ie Powerdown) shocks at 4x4 show special price of $240 for the pair So all up I have got a bit over $1200 in my suspension, but spread over a bit of time, and the shocks are really just replacement for wear & tear - the standard Rodeo shocks work well and you can go up an extra 50mm on them without topping them out. Going any higher then I have is where it starts to get more expensive as then you really need all the other stuff that is in the full Camini kit, plus you need to lower your front diff and put alignment wedges under the back diff etc.
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Post by geeves on Oct 27, 2006 15:31:22 GMT 11
When lifting the truck camber moves out at the top. As the adjustment shims are behind the chassis mount adjusting the camber to compensate requires removal of shims. Somewhere just above 50mm of lift you run out of shims which is where the ball joint flip or Callmini arms come in. The Calmini arms are longer than factory and a ball joint flip effectivly lengthens the A arm (realy the extra length comes from the angle being closer to stock) so there is still room for shims. The other advantage of a ball joint flip is better down travel although this can also be obtained useing low profile bump stops. The down side of a ball joint flip is that if you read the fine print in NZ WOF rules it would require certification. I have never heard of anyone being failed for this mod though and 4wd mechanics that also issue WOFs also do this mod then pass the car. Hope this doesnt confuse too much
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fly3r
Isuzu Senior
Shmoou
Posts: 197
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Post by fly3r on Oct 27, 2006 22:51:19 GMT 11
I think, from what im reading is that is i want 3" the calmini kits the way to go... and if 2" is fine the std rodeo springs etc...
I'm thinkin if i go with the calmini kit i might get new springs anyway, and keep the add a leaf till later??...
A bit off topic is a 2" body lift as complicated as a 1" body lift??? and how hard are they to do.. or does anyone on someone in sydney that will do them??? do u rekon i'll need a body lift to fit 33 in with the calmini lift???
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Post by muvit madness on Oct 28, 2006 1:13:35 GMT 11
hi fly3r it seems that you have a zillion as i have most of those mods on my mu when i see you tomorrow i'll let yo know what works & what doesn't, coz at the end of the day the more you tinker with the i.f.s the angle of your cv increases & breakages occur all for a few inches give or take. it really depends on what sort of offroading your interested in so as to set your truck up accordingly. just my 2c.
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