Removing a body lift

[Revv10K]

Good Day Everybody,

I am new to this site and looking for some guidence. I purchased a 1994 LWB Pajero that came with a 3" body lift and 35" x 15" Micky Thompsons. Now after a year and a half of owning it and only added about 7000kms to the dial, I would like to try and bring it down to a reasonable road level.

I would like to know what kind of hardware and tools I would need for this type of project. I will have a mechanic helping me with this ( Father In-Law ) but he has been your general shop owner for the past 20 years.

I have thought of bringing it to an Off Road shop, but since I live in Canada, these guys typically refuse the work because they have never heard of the truck before and the steering wheel is on the "worng side".

I am not sure of the suspension components on the truck, but I have heard that they high quality parts. I will post pictures of the truck as soon as I am allowed to do so by the forum rules.

Any guidence would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

[-Scott-]

Putting a body lift into a Paj is pretty straight forward, so removing it should be even easier.

I'm not sure what will happen with your bolts; after a 3" lift, you may find they don't have enough thread to cut & re-use, so you may need to buy shorter replacements - hi-tensile (grade 8.8 in the new money), and nyloc nuts are generally a good idea. Or you could try to find some factory replacements from a wrecker, if a Paj (or Montero?) is to be found in your neck of the woods?

Points to watch (from memory):

Radiator hoses - probably replaced for a 3" lift, you may need to return to factory hoses.
Radiator shroud - for a 2" lift, the bottom is typically just unclipped, but may have been more extensively modified for a 3" lift.
Front brake lines are typically "pulled" through grommets in the wheel well while lifting - you may need to feed them back & "tidy" them as you lower again.
Fuel filler hose may have been stretched or replaced - check it out.

Mud flaps & front & rear bumpers will also need attention - probably best to remove before removing the blocks, then figure it out at the end.

[Revv10K]

I was going to replace all the fasteners but I was hoping that someone would know the the diameter and lengths of the bolts that I would need. Because once I get it on the hoist, I would like to have all the hardware on hand.

And then the next issue is the suspension. I am not sure how to adjust everything thing to compensate for the missing three inches. I will get as much information on suspension as I can this weekend when I am around the truck. This way I have a reference point and pictures.

Now I will just need to decide what size tires and rims to get. Currently I have 16.5" by 9.75" rims - vary hard to find tires for in Canada. So I will have to go with a whole new set up.

If anyone has any suggestions, please share them. I also forgot to mention that the wheel arches have the over sized flares on them, about three inches off the body.

Thanks

[-Scott-]

The suspension is attached to the chassis, not the body, so it's not affected by the body lift.

Are you sure your rims are 16.75"? I've never heard of that rim size. Do they currently have tyres on them, or are you measuring the outside dimensions?

I suspect your rims are either 16x9 or 16x9.5, which should accept a 265/75R16 - a very common size.

[Revv10K]

The rims Diameter is 16.5" and the width is 9.75" it's marked on the face of the rim.

This Truck was imported from Japan and these are the rims/tires that came with the truck. The tires are Micky Thompson Bajas.

I am going to go and check everything this weekend ( I am about an hour away from the truck right now )

[MudRaider]

Your best bet to do it right is to spend the time looking for one in a junk/salvage/recycle yard (whatever they would be called up there) And get the stock bolts from one. That way you have the correct bolts with the locking shanks, etc. Then, all the things Scott listed to check for (hoses) try and get those off the donor truck. Then you can have something stock to get it rolling. Just my two cents. Good luck!

[Revv10K]

Trying to find one in the Junkyard isn't really an option. People have only stared importing these into Canada in the past couple of years and we didn't have a North American version until 1996 i believe with the Montero.

I was hoping that someone has done a lift recently and would be able to measure the stock bolts that they took out.

[pjb]

I've got some SWB bolts that I can measure, but I'm not sure whether they are all the same length...