Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Right, so I've done a bit of research, asked some questions, beaten the shit out of my truck and worked out its capabilities. I've also pushed my 27" (oooo) ATs to the limit and burst one of them.
Twas only then that I realised that the spare on the back was a 33". Needless to say, I'm not driving much at the moment.

Anyway... I intend to grab a set of 50mm x 75mm alloy blocks off klrevo and give the J a 2" lift. Once I'm done there, I'll be grabbing these or something much like them and slip 'em on.

Considering I've never done anything like this before, it should be an interesting little project. I'll post pictures as I go.

Any advice?

How much 4WD experience have you got?

Rather than go like a bull at a gate and put 35 inch tyres on it, why don't you take it slowly and grow your vehicle as your experience grows?

I would very much doubt your tyres now are 27 inch..... and by the way, there is a reason most of us here don't go above 33 inch tyres. Have a wee search on tyre size for Pajero and you'll find you loose alot of driveability of going big with regards to gearing and IFS limitations.

Feel free to go big by all means but.... - and post pics

Right, perhaps I'm doing my maths wrong. I have a set of Merit ATs on there. P245/70 R16
The spare (now on the front drivers side) is LT235/85/85 R16. It was on the back but I shifted it forward thinking it'd be slightly better there until I can get a new set. My logic was to take it off the axle receiving the power. Was i right to do this?

I've had this truck for a few months (3-4) and have been going out most weekends. Done a couple of 4WD parks, 1770, pine plantations north of Brissy and a bunch of other misc places. I've got it stuck heaps of times in mud (of course, with ATs) and managed to see-saw on a felled tree I thought I could drive over...
I've also done a fair bit of snatching, whether it be other trucks or large logs (for the fire) so I've got a fair idea of my traction capabilities as it stands.

The way I drive this thing I'll probably blow a diff the first time I go offroad if I put on 35s. I'm aware of this but thought I might be able to get away with it. I'll do some more research. Feel free to share some links to horror stories

245/70 R16 is much bigger than 27" - rough calc, somewhere between 29 and 30". 235/85 R16 is (from memory) about 32". Either way, not a good match.

I agree with NJV6, that 35s are very large for a Paj - some people are prepared to live with the compromises, but others (with 35s on a 3.5 V6 auto) preferred to return to something smaller. (Personally, I think if you NEED 35s on a 4wd then IFS isn't your best option either.) In Brisbane, I think 35s on a J-Top would also be a cop magnet.

I would recommend you start with the body lift, find some decent 33s and head back out. And don't worry about your diffs - you're more likely to break a CV or an axle.

Yesterday I picked up a set of 33"x12.5" Maxxis Buckshots. Second hand but plenty of treat left. Enough to get me started anyway.

I spent yesterday arvo attempting the lift but got snagged on getting the two front bolts out. There appears to be no way of getting the bloody things out. I'm about to go back to the workshop now and give it another attempt.

This time I won't forget my camera and will post some piccies. What used to be a nice polished red j-top has now lost most of its aesthetically pleasing features and looks more like a well used 4WD. Especially with those 33"s on it

To get the front bolt out - what I did was undo the two other bolts than hold the body mount onto the body, lift it, then you are able to wiggle it sideways and out.

The other option is to just cut the bolt it is is no use to you now.

Yeah they can be a bitch.
When I did the NH they were ok once I scooped all the dried mud out of the cavity behind the front headlights they just popped up once the nuts were removed.
The NJ was a total pain there were welded in metal covers over the cavity with holes the same shape as the tang head on the bolts and they would not push through (think the tangs were slightly bent or misaligned). These holes were also covered with a thick aluminium type tape.
I just kept bashing the bolts into the holes and finally drove them through with a punch and mallet. This bent and distorted the tang heads enough for them to be forced through the holes.
The whole job took 6 or so hours if it wasn't for those front two bolts it would have taken half the time.
I welded the some old tangs onto the new longer bolts so they grabbed inside the cavity when being tightened otherwise you won't tension them up (can't get a socket in through the top hole). You have to do this with at least the front two bolts the others you can get a socket on the head.

I'm done! Took a day and a half. Would have been a lot less had it not have been for those bloody front bolts!
Now for a writeup...

Vehicle:
Mitsubishi Pajero SWB soft top (J-top) 92 model
2.5L Turbo Diesel Intercooler (this is irrelevant but will help people searching)

Materials used:
4* 33"x12.5" muddies
8* 2" alloy lift blocks
8* bolts (can't remember the dimensions)

All the below photos (plus a few more) can be seen in high res here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lmacka/PajeroLiftProject


I started from the rear and moved forward from there. Removed the rear lights so I could get to the bolts easier. Taking out the bolts was relatively straightforward until I got to the front ones. All of the bolts have tabs on them to stop them rotating, although the front bolts' tabs are significantly bigger. So big that they don't fit through the provided holes. These bolts were never meant to be taken out...



It's a bit tricky to make out, but where the flashlight is shining is where the top of the bolt comes out. It's packed full of dust and is somewhat illusive.

The space is so tight I could barely fit my hand in there let alone an angle grinder, so that option was out. I ended up using brute force...



Here you can see the bolt sticking out the bottom of the rubber stopper. I figured if I forced it up hard enough, I'd bend the tab and it'd come out. I didn't even attempt to do this with a hammer...



Behold my stubborn bolt remover! This trick required a stand, a long high tensile bolt, a hydraulic vehicle lift and a 4D56 turbo diesel engine. After a bit of precision positioning, I lowered the vehicle onto the bolt. After a not-so-healthy groan and the sound of metal twisting, voila!!!





As you can see, the tabs on those bolts are big. Obviously that's the bolts after being raped by the weight of the engine.

Other things that needed to be done before proceeding was removing a fuel tank filler hose bracket from the chassis and removing the plastic shroud from the radiator. If you leave it there, the fan will hit it.
Keep an eye on your brake hosing when you're lifting it. They should be fine, but they might need a bit of a massage.



I used a high lift jack to raise the body. I took the front tyres off to give me room to move but left the rear ones on. I used the vehicle lift to raise the chassis a bit but left the rear tyres on the ground. This provided stability when lifting the front of the body.
Again - I worked from the rear forward. The back two blocks were easy to put in.



Heaps of room to work with there... You can raise the body a fair distance before things start snagging. I would have lifted mine at least 5 inches. This was necessary to get the blocks in place.







Lifting the back's easy. Plenty of strong points. I removed the rear bumper which made life a lot easier. Lifting the front is a bit trickier as there's not many places to get the jack. It doesn't look strong, but just under the driver's door is the best place I could find. You can see the block in place and the bolt sticking out down the bottom.

Once the blocks and bolts are in place it's just a matter of putting everything back together. I didn't have any issues aprart from having to attack my front bumper with the angle grider. The tyres were hitting it.

Finished product:





Before:



This was taken just after I bought the truck, hence the stupid look on my face. Note the following:
- No mud
- No bullbar (just that shitty chrome thing)
- Rear bumper still attached
- Spare tyre attached and covered (?)
- Front bumper aligned properly with body
- Driver side mirror not broken
- Distance between side step and the body is sensible
- Rear seats still installed


All in all, this was good fun to do and not that hard at all. I hope someone finds this useful!

Now I just need to go see what these tyres can do...

Almost forgot... Thanks everyone who gave me pointers and my mate for lending me a hand.

Cheers to klrevo for the blocks and johnsy86 for the tyres!

Make sure you get your front brake lines alot better than how they are on that pic.

Manipulate them until they are right back in the middle of the hole and going nicely through it. How they are there, the body will rub and you'll lose brakes quite quickly. There was a thread on here from a couple of years ago about this.

Ok, will do. Thanks for the tip.

I also need to make a trip to Clark Rubber and get sorted out with some flares. My truck is currently illegal by a good 8-10cm...