How high is high??

[mattmurdoch]

i just went down to the shock shop (aka dave hadly tyres in alicetown/petone area in wellington) and got a suspension lift priced up.. i was told that they dont stok the parts needed in nz and they would be shiped in from oz... no freight charge... ok but the parts were 2 springs that give a 35mm lift in the back is that high by any standard? and he also said it would be $139.95 per spring
($280) plus $90-$120 for labour this would include geting the torsion bar wound.. $400 for 35mm... hmmmm.. tell me what you think as i havnt done this b4 and i dunno whats good and whats not.. any cheaper alternitves?? or where else could i look (if you live in wellington)any help would be greatly appreciated

Cheers
Matt oh almost forgot that dosn't include a wheel alighnement

[James W]

Have a look at my webpage. If you do it yourself you can do 35mm suspension lift for $100. Plus a 35mm or bigger body lift for about the same again.

Note, with the suspension lift and and body lift (and other mods) you will require certification. Talk to a low volume certerfier and make sure what you are doing is ok with them before you comit. Check the parts (springs) are ok for cert. Check with your insurer that your mods are on record and your premium changes or no change. Also talk with your insurer for some cover while driving an uncertified vehicle to the certerfier.
Also as you get a bill for certierfing do all your mods and get it all done in one go.... like bigger tyres also.

[geeves]

New springs still dont need cert however shackle lifts technicaly do need cert if they get noticed. If these were Lovels springs then its a better price than mine were.2 hours labour is about right but its not a hard job to do yourself That 35mm is realy 35mm + current sag my 30mm was actualy 65mm. This is the most you can get without changing shocks.Torsion bar winding if you soak the adjusters the night before with crc or similar should be 30 all up. Disconect the sway bar while adjusting or you can end up adjusting one side more than the other but still keep count of the no of turns.
Dont get the heavy duty springs you dont need them on a Mu they will be too stiff They are excelent on my lwb bighorn though.
You can also try Suspension Autoparts on Hutt Road or Total Performance in Petone who got my springs or in Wellington L Alexander whos an EFS agent or Guy Motors who do ARB

[mulover]

Try repco for maxi trac springs, can't remember the price but the holden rodeo ones fit, they are a 50mm lift but by the time they have settled its probably like 40 ish, thats above factory height of course. I got EFS springs, 5+1 and they are just right, as the springs them selfs are alot thinner than factory ones.
Himuzulux also sells springs so he could be worth having a chat to.

[mattmurdoch]

thanks for the help guys awsome ill follow them all up and be sure to have a good look around, he diddnt say what brand they were but ill have a look. i got a bit dis heartend because i went to the guys at fully equiped and they apprently dont sell them... bit of a shock as they claim to be the 4wd specilists (may be they just couldnt be stuffed coz i look a bit young..) who knows but that was back when i had the money to do it. now im looking for a job i dont have any spare cash. as for shackels, were could i get a set of them? would an engeneer posibly make some for me??

cheers
matt

[James W]

I made my own shakles, still got about 4 metres of steel left over for $80 spent

[geeves]

Fully equiped are realy only for show ponys. If you have to have the right brand name and have it seen by everyone else then they are as good as anyone. There are other ways though that can be a lot cheaper. Springs and shocks Im suprised they couldnt even give a price They had no problems pricing stuff 2 years ago They still got undercut by everyone else though

[mudgrip4]

Be careful to get right tension replacement springs though as too firm can limit rear axle articulation - a problem we've found occurring with local vehicles. Wgtn guys will likely point you in right direction for springs that work well.

[mattmurdoch]

hmm yea ill be sure to check that out, im thinking of just going for the shackle replacement as i dont think i can afford the whole spring bundle... ill be sure to get it certified any one know were to go for certification in wgtn??, as for fully equipped... yea maybe they just wernt interested in my custom... ha owel there loss.

[Les]

Hi matt
lift shackels etc are easy to build with a few basic tools my suggestion would be to put some serious thought into what you want to achieve with your vehicle in the long term plan it out then work towards it theres plenty of people on here who have great skill ideahs and are more than willing to give great advice check through some of the older posts to get a few ideahs on torsion bar lifts ball joint flips etc. another really worth while mod is the sway bar disconnect that James came up with. A lot of the best mods are done with mates and a few beers no label off the shelf items
Cheers Les

[mudgrip4]

Ditto comment above. I have 70mm extended shackles on my bighorn swb and moved from 30 to 32 inch tyres - easy and very useful gains in height. After you fit shackles (you may need new bushes - about $25 a set from memory), flip the ball joints and adjust the torsion bars up to level using tape and carpenters level. Also ok to trim bump stop by half and then fit James W's sway bar disconnect for full independent articulation. Have done these mods on mine and it goes v well. Important to get transfer case up off ground. Not expensive work. What model do you have?

Had amazing time over on coast in your turf at easter Les. Club trip with 19 trucks did Napoleon hill, liverpool bills, no name road, mt greenland and others. There is some v rough country in around Slab hut creek. Some of toughest I've done - v wet, v slippery and saw 4 trucks nearly roll. Immensely tough, but little Isuzu stuck only once in four days - great performance and ahead of some of the lockered vehicles.

Mike

[mulover]

Any engineer can make extended shackles, they are only 50x6mm mild steel flat bar with 18mm holes in one side and 14mm holes in the other, press out the old pins and push them into your new plates, if you extend them by say 70mm or more it pays to put a blot with a spacer in to stop them possibly collapsing.
I have such bolts with spacers and the rest of the stuff here if you want them made, you would just have to change the pins which can be done with a hammer and a vice or if you want to keep your old ones then i can get a set of pins for about $30, say $80 without pins, $110 with??

[mattmurdoch]

if ya could hold em for me until i mange to find a job i could be keen, tahnks awsome help aye, my mus a 1994 3.1 xl i think from memory. well id like it to stop bottoming out and i think ive had the rear diff hit the back part of the floor pan before but it alos could have been my gas tank.

cheers
matt

[mudgrip4]

Agree with mulover above. It is possible to get flex with very extended shackles. 70mm extension ok but to be safe made mine out of 8mm plate steel up from 6, and welded about an 80 mm long plate between the sides of the shackles - rock solid. Mike

[geeves]

I have sitting here a set of extending shackles that were on a Mu and we thought would fit my Bighorn Unfortuanatly on the bighorn there is a small bracket on the chassis thats not on the Mu It would be easy to cut off but the tow bar is attached to it so it gets too hard. I can sell these to you for half what I paid which will be $50.

[mattmurdoch]

extreemly interested im selling a few things on trade me at the moment ill let you know when i have the money and we can sort it out then ;D