LIFTING A HILUX - LEAF SPRUNG

[TinyGQ]

Hey everyone, ive recently moved over from the nissan section of this forum to the toyota after buying a V8, 90 model hilux. (it was for sale on here i think?) anyway i got it last night, it has 4" body blocks in it and thats fcked the steering i think its just pulled out cause the steering wheel just spins around!!

Im looking for the best way people think, (in their opinions) of how i should lift this thing. I want to run 35's which are already on it.

My thoughts at the moment are; drop the body blocks to 2", 2" lengthened shackles, and 2" higher springs. Apart from the obvious brakelines, shocks ect is there any other factors that i have to be aware of, mainly to do with the leaf spring set up cause the GQ had coil.

Oh btw i need to pull the body lift out to get it rego'd anyway im hoping then i will have steering and have a bit of time to sort that problem out....???

any advice, comments welcome.
Cheers, Tiny....um lux lol

[JOHNZ]

Hey everyone, ive recently moved over from the nissan section of this forum to the toyota after buying a V8, 90 model hilux. (it was for sale on here i think?) anyway i got it last night, it has 4" body blocks in it and thats fcked the steering i think its just pulled out cause the steering wheel just spins around!!

Im looking for the best way people think, (in their opinions) of how i should lift this thing. I want to run 35's which are already on it.

My thoughts at the moment are; drop the body blocks to 2", 2" lengthened shackles, and 2" higher springs. Apart from the obvious brakelines, shocks ect is there any other factors that i have to be aware of, mainly to do with the leaf spring set up cause the GQ had coil.

Oh btw i need to pull the body lift out to get it rego'd anyway im hoping then i will have steering and have a bit of time to sort that problem out....???

any advice, comments welcome.
Cheers, Tiny....um lux lol

you have covered it all.

[TinyGQ]

are there any issues ill have by putting that lift into it? Like steering or drive shafts?

[JOHNZ]

are there any issues ill have by putting that lift into it? Like steering or drive shafts?

2" lift will give you no problems easy as pie
cheers

[TinyGQ]

nah i definately want more than 2", it will be 4" with spring and shackles and 2" body. Surely that will stuff something up in the car lol!

[JOHNZ]

nah i definately want more than 2", it will be 4" with spring and shackles and 2" body. Surely that will stuff something up in the car lol!

2" spring & 2" shackle = 3" If you want more in the suspension then i am not sure. i have only done 2' & 2" Make sure to use adlustable torque rod.
2" bodylift will be no problems have done dozens of them
cheers

[TinyGQ]

oh really, that sucks maybe ill cut these body blocks down to 3" not 2", oi have no idea what a torque rod lol! but i can find that out, if i only went a 2" suspension lift and 2" shackles that wouldnt make it drive like a real POS??

[pulux]

I think that setup should be fine but you should still move the front axle forward an inch or so to clear 35's. Then you'd need an adjustable/shortened draglink or better still crossover or hi-steer.

The torque rod goes from the top of the diff pumpkin to a mount on the chassis above it and stops the steering from scaring the crap outta ya when braking... Adjustable length ones are about a hundred bucks.

Check out superior engineering's website and you'll get a fair idea of what you will need.

[JOHNZ]

oh really, that sucks maybe ill cut these body blocks down to 3" not 2", oi have no idea what a torque rod lol! but i can find that out, if i only went a 2" suspension lift and 2" shackles that wouldnt make it drive like a real POS??

Nah should drive ok.
also make sure the shocks are long enough for maximun flex.
cheers

[TinyGQ]

cheers johnz and pulux, i guess i gotta get it reg'd first but im glad my plans are still on, ill check out that website.

whats hi steer?

[batcho101]

i've got a very similar setup in my hilux 2 inch body 2 inch spring and the front diff forward 37mm and i clear 35's even wiht no bumpstops in the front the only thign it touches is the pitman arm

[TinyGQ]

sweet batcho101, i just went and had a browse through superior engineering and they have some really cool stuff! like the relocated shock mounts and those shackles and stuff, i need to do a lot more research before i start spending up on the parts!

i think ill just cut the body blocks down to 3" hopefully that will fix the steering and get some extended shackles and chuck the 35's on so that i can work out exactly what i need to do, im gettin a headache thinking of all the possibilities lol

[xplot]

tiny, this is crossover steering, also torque rod might not be needed you don't really want to put one if you have too. I have a 3" suspension and 2" body lift but i might need a axle wrap bar on the back maybe though

[TinyGQ]

ahh kewl, so what does that do? is it for lifted hilux's?? is the axle wrap the ladder bar on the superior engineering site? and why would ya need it??

[xplot]

ahh kewl, so what does that do? is it for lifted hilux's?? is the axle wrap the ladder bar on the superior engineering site? and why would ya need it??

hi steer = drag link and tie rod is above the leaf spring
cross over = tie rod under leaf spring and drag link above leaf spring

axle wrap bar is need if your diff moves forward and backwards in flex and power, if don't have one you could warp you srpings and yes superior does have them on there site.

My mate has a 3" suspension on his hilux and he doesn't need a torque rod don't see why you would need one maybe if you went higher than 3". From what i have seen with a hilux anything over 3" suspension, 2" body you asking for roll over, i would only go 2" on body. Also my mate has 37" iroks on his his diff was moved about a 1" forward and the plastic lining at the front was moved and grinded the seam

[whiteknight]

If you are doing this so u can get it registered keep in mind that extended shackles are illegal and I am pretty sure that moving the axle forward thus changing the wheelbase is also bad and the same goes for running 35's

Maybe do this after its rego'd

[xplot]

If you are doing this so u can get it registered keep in mind that extended shackles are illegal and I am pretty sure that moving the axle forward thus changing the wheelbase is also bad and the same goes for running 35's

Maybe do this after its rego'd

Mine is regod with 35" and axle moved 2" with a custom tailshaft, yeah extended shackles are illegal :0

[Sneddo]

Do it properly and spend the $130 and get a steering shaft extention it will do the job the right way, you wont need to lower your blocks (unless you want to) and when the engineer sees it at least he will see you are doing things correctly.
You dont wont to make it any harder for yourself

[BOGAN V8]

If you are doing this so u can get it registered keep in mind that extended shackles are illegal and I am pretty sure that moving the axle forward thus changing the wheelbase is also bad and the same goes for running 35's

Maybe do this after its rego'd

Mine is regod with 35" and axle moved 2" with a custom tailshaft, yeah extended shackles are illegal :0

Extended shackles are not illegal 2 of my mates run them on there trucks and they are engineered with 35s depends on who you use and what state

I had in my luxs 3 inch body 4 inch spring lift front diff moved 35mm forward and ran 35s no dramas never scrubbed also used superiors wrap bar very good idea
Also ran high steer and no tourqe arm in the front had to use 2 steering shaft ext due to my position of the steering box whoops


P.S mine was ready for engineers but never got there cause i sold it

[bubs]

Body lifts suck, take it out entirely.

You dont need any lift for 35's, here 37's with 2" springs and no body lift

A hilux only becomes hardcore when the front axle gets moved forward

[Webbie]

Body lifts suck, take it out entirely.

You dont need any lift for 35's, here 37's with 2" springs and no body lift

A hilux only becomes hardcore when the front axle gets moved forward

Yer but as with mine 37's as well , ours are 1st gen and have plenty of room. The same cant be said for newer models.

[TinyGQ]

Ill definately be doing all this stuff after its get regod, not getting it engineered its not my everyday car so its not going to get seen by too many cops, plus i never even got pulled over in my GQ!

Moving the front diff forward looks like a good idea, gotta do more research on how to do that too, i like body lifts, not really 4" but ill cut them down i guess.

cheers everyone, i have a bit more of an idea now, im sure ill annoy all of you when im starting to do her up.

[Sneddo]

One last thing dude... its wise to get it engineered a workmate ran into me not my falt when it got inspected to be fixed they knocked it back with insurance coz it was 2" taller(+) than standard and i was left to foot the bill. I wont do that again. Just be careful thats all.

Remember not engineered = not RTA approved = green slip void = hit some one not your falt = still in the sh!t

[lay80n]

Just cause an engineer passes it doesnt meant that it complies with RTA regulations. Extended shackles are illegal. But an engineer will pass them. Despite the engineer certificate, they are still illegal.
Layto....

[BOGAN V8]

Are we talking bout making new shackles that are longer or just extending the old ones

Both trucks were inspected by Blue slip shop and have also passed 2 or more pink slips, also they have been pulled over by cops and RTA inspectors and nothing has been said.........

just my 2 cents

[lay80n]

Some can get away with it, but one of the RTA regs states that the shackle length can not change, even if new shackles are used. Extending the origional shackles is no go deffinatley.
Layto....

[TinyGQ]

yea but from what i have worked out, thats the rules for modified vehicles that havent been approved by a qualified engineer. The engineer is stating that the modifications dont make the car unsafe or unroadworthy, if you had an engineers cetificate for all your mods and been approved to drive on the road from the RTA then i really cant see there being a problem with the insurance side of things as lng as you tell em. Otherwise no one would do any mods to their cars!

my 2c hehe

[BOGAN V8]

Some can get away with it, but one of the RTA regs states that the shackle length can not change, even if new shackles are used. Extending the origional shackles is no go deffinatley.
Layto....

Thats what i thought that using new shackles was o.k as long as they are ticked of as o.k from a engineer as tiny GQ said if the engineer was not going to say it is a safe mod then whats the point of getting the thing engineered he is the one telling the RTA its safe

And my 2 cents

[HJ60_HEATHUS]

Just a thought, the 4 inch body lift wasn't done for the v8 conversion?

seems odd to have 4 inch in the body and not much in the suspension, considering effort was done to put in a v8

[lay80n]

Some can get away with it, but one of the RTA regs states that the shackle length can not change, even if new shackles are used. Extending the origional shackles is no go deffinatley.
Layto....

Thats what i thought that using new shackles was o.k as long as they are ticked of as o.k from a engineer as tiny GQ said if the engineer was not going to say it is a safe mod then whats the point of getting the thing engineered he is the one telling the RTA its safe

And my 2 cents

Only going from what i have read when i was working as a mechanic, plus what have been told from people who have been done for it with the RTA (despite engineers report).
Layto....