Any help for a new guy????

[BoyDoneGood]

Hi everyone!
Am well impressed of the pics of your motors and how much you all help each other!
Im appealling to all your better natures as to giving a begginer some advice?Im 18 and just brought my first 1990 Nissan Patrol 1st generation..with standard steel rims,205'80'16 tyres,no arches, and is nowhere near as high as most of your trucks!!
Running on a real low budget,but willing to get my hands dirty,can any of you please advise the easiest (even if not the best and most professional) to raise this beast,or whats the biggest extremest tyres?Or even some modifying sites.
Sorry if this has been covered a million times,but ive brought her and now cannot find any refrence sites or help!And couldnt stand driving to work in a un noticable ride..........
Many thanks for any help anyone can give me!
Terry UK

[Rainbow Warrior]

Hi everyone!
Am well impressed of the pics of your motors and how much you all help each other!
Im appealling to all your better natures as to giving a begginer some advice?Im 18 and just brought my first 1990 Nissan Patrol 1st generation..with standard steel rims,205'80'16 tyres,no arches, and is nowhere near as high as most of your trucks!!
Running on a real low budget,but willing to get my hands dirty,can any of you please advise the easiest (even if not the best and most professional) to raise this beast,or whats the biggest extremest tyres?Or even some modifying sites.
Sorry if this has been covered a million times,but ive brought her and now cannot find any refrence sites or help!And couldnt stand driving to work in a un noticable ride..........
Many thanks for any help anyone can give me!
Terry UK

I'd start with some rims and wider slightly taller rubber, you can either go for flares to fit 285/75x16 (8inch rims) or to keep within the arches go to 255/85x16 (7inch rims) or maybe if you can't afford rims 235/85x16 (6inch rims that you have), Mud Terrains or All Terrains is your choice depending on usage and local conditions.

A 2inch lift kit consists of just 4 coil springs which will take you about an hour to install if you know what you are doing and you could keep your standard shocks temporarily till you replace them later but you half undo them while changing springs anyway.

The next lift would be a body lift, pull out a body mount bolt get some 40mm longer and 40mm long solid round blocks cut from aluminium or steel. Be carefull some Patrols had 2 different body mount bolt diameters and the 2 under the floor in the boot are often rusted in and end up having to cut a hole above them to hold them to undo them, also if you go over 40mm you will have to extend the clutch hose, higher than 50mm possibly brake hoses & breathers / fuel lines.

[WXC]

If you go for the widder rims, get offsets and flares, my rig has a 2" suspension lift, flares, and 31"s (soon to be replaced buy 33"s)

I've managed to take it through some pretty tough stuff and impressed myself over it's capabilities!!!

It's a good start, but get used to off road driving 1st, build your experience!! A good driver is better than a good truck!!

[BoyDoneGood]

Great ! Thanks guys for your time!
Althougth the budget is very tight,im gonna try and go for a wider rim,as im guessing this will look more imposing!Id like to go for the 8's but have had no luck finding any arches over here (UK).So guess im gonna have to try the 7's(proberly a cheap Weller steel)..Do any other rims fit?Like Isuzu or Shogun etc? If i do find arches(flares) how wide are your Billy-x?

Have found a very helpful "guide" to raising the body which suggests the same 40mm as yourself!And dosent sound to hard at all,,So gonna be oiling the bolts for a week or so! ...Is the extra 10mm "50 not 40" worth the trouble of extending hoses?

As for the suspension..Shes a 90 LWB Generation 1..And has got leaf/cart springs front and back.So cant find any help on raising that type!Im not to worried about handling as i dont drive at 100MPH and until the MOT is due,we dont have to have engineers check (i think) over here!

Im not sure if i can just extend the "hanger brackets" the bars holding the cart spring by two inch?Any thoughts guys?
Thanks again guys for takin the time to give me some advise!
And anything else would be great!! Thanks Tel

[big red]

leaf springs? on a 90 model....might be a made under licence type from some small country and is in reality a MQ.
they had a block between the spring and axle housing didn't they?
you might be able to remove it and 'that will raise it up.
have also heard of removing the main leaf and sitting spring on a solid metal anvil and marking your leaf spring in 2" increments and hitting it hard but consistantly on each mark with a sledge hammer.
cant remember which side to hit it though ?

[WXC]

I'm not to sure what size they are exactly, about 1.5 inches at a guess!!!

your other option for flares is to simply make your own out of some
5mm or so, thick rubber (needs to be stiff!) just cut it to the desired length and width and then fix it on with some self tappers or anything else that'll provide a permanent result!!! Just make sure they cover the tyres!!!

Good luck!!

p.s. Where abouts in UK are you??
Hows the 4X4ing over there???

[BoyDoneGood]

Thanks guys for all your advise!
Im gonna attempt a 40mm body lift the weekend!(i know its not alot to yous but,is a start!!)And the back too bolts have come undone ok! Thanks Rainbow!
I may have a set of Shogun wheels to try,so could be good!
Big Red! The axle is above the spring but theres no block in there i can remove,,It looks plausable to extend the swinging(drop down bar) of the hanger bracket...Any thoughts?
Thanks Billy x, im gonna have a go at making some arches as you suggest as cant find extended flares over here at all!!!Or anything similar i could fit.
Im from Rainham in Essex,,,About 10 mile from central London,But my Mum n Dad are origanally from Australia!
Havent really had to much chance to try the 4x4 over here,but the one meet i have been to,nobody really wants to help the new young guy!
I understand that most people dont need a novice question asker about on their day at play,,But i was descreet and we gotta start somewhere!!!
Thanks again guys for your comments and your time!!!