MK SWB Lift Kits

[symp]

Ok so i've been prowling the forums for a few weeks now gathering bits of information, alot of which is 6 years old but i guess still relevant, but need some outright opinions and answers

but im still a total newbie when it comes to all this stuff, and have a couple of questions regarding a lift kit. Vehicle in question is an 85 MK SWB SD33T, which i've only just purchased

If you had ~$2500 to spend on a kit what would you buy? i would really like a whole kit rather than bits from this company and that company since i will end up paying through the nose for freight as im out west. We have an ARB store here, but from what i've seen of their prices so far im afraid to even ask. and apparently OME kits aren't worth the hassle anyway

I was considering the Tough Dog kit available through 4wd1 combined with snake racing extended shackles, any thoughts?

the shocks have been changed at one point as they have gabriels on there now which to be honest, are rough

also im presuming i will have to get it engineered after i install it, is this presumption correct?

im still debating to either go for the lift kit or 3" exhaust+dump pipe as my first upgrade

Any help is much appreciated, thanks in advance

[Vanne]

*cough*

Congrats on your Purchase Love the MK!!

Id recon 2500 is a lot of dough to spend on an 85 MK, and depending what nick your MK is in, might wanna have a serious think....

anyways, my recommendation is to sit tight, and scour the forums here a bit for the bits your looking for. (i dumped a 2 inch leaf lift kit in the bin about a year ago, cos nobody wanted it (was in Alice though

Have a look at Egay, sometimes good deals pop up there for MK's. The dump pipe is another thing, ive been chasing one for about 2 years, and havent come across one yet. (also amazing what you see at wreakers, so keep your eyes out

seriously though, if i had 2.5K to spend, id proberly have to have a serious sit down and see what the best option would be...

depends on getting it engeneered, i believe 2 inch lift is the max without papers, but that once more also varies from state to state.

Id recommend going for an easy 2 inch lift (leafs) and also a 2 inch body lift. combined its enough to fit most muddies unless your going nuts and crazy, and then your proberly going to snap diffs and that stuff so intresting concept.

Good luck and have fun. The MK's are great! Love mine to pieces. (and will proberly fall to pieces soon from the rust in the roof gutter

[symp]

thanks for the reply Vanne

well its in top condition considering, interior is perfect, engine runs great, has 360k's on the clock but apparently thats only half way for these engines, thats why i scooped it up, because its in such great condition, and drives quite nicely except for the current rough ride. air con, power steering, brand new 31" desert duelers (still had the little rubber spikes and colour stripe on em), nice cd/mp3 player with alpine speakers, i just couldn't say no. i know a GQ would of been a better purchase but my budget did not reach that far at the time

i was aiming for a 2" body lift one weekend as soon as i can get somebody to give me a hand and was hoping to combine that with a 2" spring lift with some decent shocks. i was thinking of the tough dog kit since i heard somewhere that the ironman kits are rubbish

wish i was around when you dumped that leaf kit lol, ive been checking ebay but most things are for GU and GQ, not much around for MK's

the dump pipe can be made by a local muffler place here, they have a great rep for race stuff, going to be pricey though, ~$700 for 3" without the dump pipe, ~$1000 with the dump pipe, but apparently 3" really lets these turbo's breathe, unfortunately we only have 1 wreckers here now, which is amazing for a town of 50,000 and its pretty useless anyway (tamworth)

edit: does anybody besides ARB have decent bullbars for these? i really dont feel like shelling out $1100 for one, but dont have the tools currently to mod another up to fit

[Vanne]

Hey ya Symp,

Well, welcome to the club mate, yep, the MK will give you miles and miles of great touring/off roading. I just wanted to check that you knew what youve got yerself into, and totally understand it when you say that a GQ would be outa reach atm.

So first off mate, the MK/MQ are great little busses. The engines in a non N/A, Turbo are awesome. the SD33TD will last a long, long time. Id recon my MK's body is going to go by the wayside waaaaaaay before the donk gives up the ghost.

Sounds like you picked up yourself a good little patrol there, and yeah 360k is just run in realy couple of spots to check for rust are the roof lining, the center where the bonnet closes to the bottom of the windscreen and ofcourse, the radiator mounts.

lol, ive got a custom spring pack under the front in mine, main leafs from an ironman pac and all support springs from an old man emu set. and love it. standard Iron Man under the rear but overpacked.

well good luck with your hunt for parts, id also recommend to swap out the front hub locks if your on auto's for manuals. when ever your in reverse, they will disengage, though massivly handy if you dont wanna get outa the car and get mud all over yerself.

let us know how you get on

v.

[symp]

thanks again for the reply vanne

Yep everyone i speak too says they were a great model, and tough as nails, so im pretty happy.

What do you think of the standard ironman pack? i heard it sags after a while thats why i was thinking the tough dog, i just need to be pointed in the right direction for a whole kit, dont really want to have to buy everything seperate and end up with something not fitting.

hub locks are manual already

[TR3LOS351]

Hey symp

have a SOA kit if interested but im in melb prolli give you 6-7 inch lift has all the parts needed.

if interested and want more info pm me.

[symp]

so nobody has any advice on brands? should i just go for the cheaper ironman kit?

[Unidriveshafts]

Try southern cross 4x4 up here in qld. They have some good kits for these at reasonable prices & great advice/service - 0407 750 751. Hope this helps, Cheers steve.

[Snarba]

Hi there Symp, just wanted to ask why you want new springs anyway? how big do you want to go in the tire dept? I have put 2 inch lifted springs in before and considering the price and effort I don't reckon it makes enough difference off road....obviously bigger tires help but on my most recent MK I went a 2 inch Body Lift $ 180 some second hand 33" Swampers $400 and also lashed out and bought a rear Air Locker ( which I know blows the budget out a bit but with a rear locker theses riggs are amazing) way better than just fancy springs n shocks which are usualy round $1500. I know the first time I got my rigg bogged with the "new lifted springs" I realised the best mod for any 4x4 is a diff lock

[Sterlo]

No no no no ironman!!! Not good went down this track, very soft spring, comfortable yes, sag quickly yes. i went custom main leaves bit longer and set them myself. EFS maybe a good option

[symp]

looking to go 33" in the tyre dept eventually Snarba, ill go for a body lift eventually when i can get somebody to give me a hand

does a rear locker make that much difference over the stock lsd?

i'd like new springs for a more comfortable ride, its a little bone shaking at the moment, want something soft but doesen't sag

sterlo: wheres a good retailer for EFS? if i was in sydney i would gladly go for custom leaves but yeah not too easy from my location