Vitara now sits at 4 inches skyward

[Gonzo]

Thanks to DI and MY02 (from that other 4wd forum) for their help, their help sitting in the shade and watching me work !

before and after






Took a fair bit longer than i thought it would, even with DI`s air tools

now sitting in the garage, the Vitara has:

a 1 inch bodylift
30mm front coil spacers
15mm in the rear
flipped strut mount towers (for caster correction and increased downtravel)

[stumped]

awesome man you going for bigger rubber now?

[Impulsive]

Gonzo!!

We wanna do that to ours!!

Get ur ass over here!!!

...but seriously, it looks sweeeet dooood.

I noticed that the body studs have a rubber "thing" above the chassis supports. I take it you flung those over your shoulder and inserted a spacer that not only took up the space previously occupied by the rubber things, but an additional 1in? There's only about 1cm or so stud left?

Can you tell me the measurements of the actual lift blocks?

The doood on the selling forum said he can get me those nolothane thingies he has made in whatever size I want. Whatta ya reckon about those?

I think we'll go for lifted springs rather than spacers, and I'll fling our RS9000's (5-speeds) in the rear.

Are both bumpers attached to the body, or the chassis?

[Beastmavster]

Gonzo,

What's your current rubber size? You had some form of lifted springs already? If so with 20mm spacers that's gonna be very tall.

What's the actual height between the bottom of the rim and the wheel arch (this won't change with bigger rubber). Mine is 730mm at the front and 750mm at the back.

I can't remember but I thought you were on OME's and 29" rubber before?

Guys,
When I went with the body lift my first stage was 1" as it was easiest. The lift blocks I used were poly and had a width of about 50mm or 60mm (round blocks). And there were 8. The new lift is 35mmx80mm blocks and the 80mm blocks are about 5mm too big at the front.
I threw away the bottom rubbers off the studs to clear this, and the washer at the bottom can be reversed to gain another 5mm or so of stud length.

The rubbers between the chassis and body in the other locations were ignored - they have about an inch of gap under them

Mine is an earlier model so the bumper mounting arrangements are different, but mine were attached to both body and chassis.

[Impulsive]

* Rushes off to order body lift blocks *

You've both inspired me...

(Insert mad professor-like laugh here...)

[Gonzo]

awesome man you going for bigger rubber now?

Need rockhopper first, well need $$$ first and rockhopper 2nd

Gonzo!!

We wanna do that to ours!!

Get ur ass over here!!!

...but seriously, it looks sweeeet dooood.

I noticed that the body studs have a rubber "thing" above the chassis supports. I take it you flung those over your shoulder and inserted a spacer that not only took up the space previously occupied by the rubber things, but an additional 1in? There's only about 1cm or so stud left?

Can you tell me the measurements of the actual lift blocks?

The doood on the selling forum said he can get me those nolothane thingies he has made in whatever size I want. Whatta ya reckon about those?

I think we'll go for lifted springs rather than spacers, and I'll fling our RS9000's (5-speeds) in the rear.

Are both bumpers attached to the body, or the chassis?

i now have 2 inch springs, 1 inch bodylift and 1 inch coil spacers

the studs have 2 rubber things, i removed the lower one to fit the lift blocks in - basically what Suzuki Viagra said...

I have no front bumper but the rear is attached to the body and chassis

Gonzo,

What's your current rubber size? You had some form of lifted springs already? If so with 20mm spacers that's gonna be very tall.

What's the actual height between the bottom of the rim and the wheel arch (this won't change with bigger rubber). Mine is 730mm at the front and 750mm at the back.

I can't remember but I thought you were on OME's and 29" rubber before?

am on 235/75R15 BFG muds - the measured up to be 29.1 inches

it already has OME spings in it, so really i have about 3 inches in the suspension but they have sagged a little, specially in the front

i`ll measure for you when i get home, i am at my mums place atm (drove the subaru over)

* Rushes off to order body lift blocks *

if you need a hand, i think i still remember where u live

[Impulsive]

That'd be sweet mate. I'd appreciate it.

I'll get the blocks here (nolothane in 35mm x 80mm), and then give you a yell.

I gotta get the engine back together first, so the piece of S&*t is easier to move around, 'cause I'm sick of pushing it!! LOL

Do you recommend my getting 75mm diameter instead of 80mm, given your experiences with the front? ...or maybe 6 x 80mm and 2 x 75mm diameter?

[Gonzo]

That'd be sweet mate. I'd appreciate it.

I'll get the blocks here (nolothane in 35mm x 80mm), and then give you a yell.

I gotta get the engine back together first, so the piece of S&*t is easier to move around, 'cause I'm sick of pushing it!! LOL

Do you recommend my getting 75mm diameter instead of 80mm, given your experiences with the front? ...or maybe 6 x 80mm and 2 x 75mm diameter?

no idea...

[Impulsive]

When I went with the body lift my first stage was 1" as it was easiest. The lift blocks I used were poly and had a width of about 50mm or 60mm (round blocks). And there were 8. The new lift is 35mmx80mm blocks and the 80mm blocks are about 5mm too big at the front.



Gonzo,

I was referring to your comment here, and thought that maybe just the front two could be slightly smaller in diameter given your experiences.

What did you guys do to remedy whatever the problem was in fitting the full diameter (80mm) blocks in the front then?

[Gonzo]

all my blocks were the same size, the only difference on the front ones was that the holes for the bolts had to be bigger...

[fightara]

Love those mods you did to increase your rampover Gonzo

[Gonzo]

no more bottoming out at the westfield carpark for me

[Beastmavster]

When I went with the body lift my first stage was 1" as it was easiest. The lift blocks I used were poly and had a width of about 50mm or 60mm (round blocks). And there were 8. The new lift is 35mmx80mm blocks and the 80mm blocks are about 5mm too big at the front.



Gonzo,

I was referring to your comment here, and thought that maybe just the front two could be slightly smaller in diameter given your experiences.

What did you guys do to remedy whatever the problem was in fitting the full diameter (80mm) blocks in the front then?

Ummm... that was my comment.

There's a seam that can get in the way with large blocks. Non central placement of the hole or care with assembly can avoid this.

personally i just found I had a problem and got a screwdriver and a hammer instead, rather than loosen off the bolts or anything. it was only a couple of mm I had the issue with.

Most lift blocks are narrower than 80mm - mine were that size because that's what the alloy place had, and I thought 40mm was too narrow.

The fronts are a larger size to drill out.

35mm is about the maximum body lift without "special arrangements" due to the stud length. My current body lift is 35mm, +2" spring lift +of course the 31" rubber

35mm will probably need lever modification or bending, but I got away with 25mm without. That extra 10mm can be a biatch.

PS.... Nice dents in the sills there gonzo

I'm fitting my HJ75 landcruiser sidesteps this afternoon. A few dramas but nearly done. Over at Chimpboy's right now finishing the job.

Hopefully a bit of box downt he length of the sidestep will stop any more sill dents... my sills have copped heaps.

[Gonzo]

PS.... Nice dents in the sills there gonzo

sills without dents are for toyota`a

[mudfkr]

I can't see the point in going to all that trouble to just get 25mm so heres a link to my photos for those with little on how to do a 75mm lift complete with drawings for the spacers and captive nuts to hold it together
http://au.f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mudfkrs/album?.dir=/body+lift&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//au.f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/mudfkrs/my_photos
75mm enables you to lift your fuel tank up 90mm if you remove the fuel vapor separator off it and also gives more room to hang some rock slider mounts off the frame with out losing any more ground clearance

Shane

[Gonzo]

i got the 1 inch blocks for shit all, it doent require anything except for the 8 blocks (no engineers cert needed !)

Suzuki Viagra, 73cm rear and 74cm front

[Squik]

Now that looks sweeeeeeeeet

[Gonzo]

Hey Squick, have we been wheeling together?

Were you at the club training trip at menai?

[Squik]

Ummm, don't think so....I haven't been out for a while due to work commitments....will be at the next training though...gotta test the body lift and Rockhopper.....BWAHHH HAHHH HAHHHH!
You going? Saw the pics from your last trip....sweet.

[Beastmavster]

About the same....

I knew you'd have easy clearance for 30"s now.

My 31"s only fit due to much butchery (also healped by the 1" offset and 15x8s so 30"s will be it, or 31"s on small offset.

[Beastmavster]

About the same....

I knew you'd have easy clearance for 30"s now.

My 31"s only fit due to much butchery (also healped by the 1" offset and 15x8s so 30"s will be it, or 31"s on small offset.

[Gonzo]

Dont think so, am pretty busy ATM...

Who is doing the training now that tubby lives in Melb ?

[mudfkr]

Gonzo,
Now I see your reasoning not wanting to have to cert it and all but at the end of the day how much would it cost you to have it inspected ? as the Nike Ad's says "just do it" and worry about it latter

I still have to get mine done yet ($400 over here in NZ) but I'm waiting to save up some more $$ and get a Calmini 3' suspension kit first and in the mean time I'm going to make some bead lock rims and possibly an exo cage too then I'll get it done all at once.
If I was to take it now and get the b/lift certed it'll cost me again when I get the suspension or exo done as well .

Unfortunately the suspensions been postponed due to the funds being spent on a warn 6000, a ARB for the rear and I scored some original new Suzuki manual locking hubs for $100 as well and I'm all so eyeing up a steel front diff for $500 .

BTW where did you take your measurement from rim or ground ?
I'm 805mm from the ground with no lift on the springs yet and sitting on 30's.

Cheers Shane

[<=CookiE=>]

nice looks great never though a vitra could get that high

[stumped]

now sitting in the garage, the Vitara has:
a 1 inch bodylift
30mm front coil spacers
15mm in the rear
flipped strut mount towers (for caster correction and increased downtravel)

stupid question: does the vit have IFS or coils? i thought they were IFS, and that's what a mate told me, but reading ur stuff it sounds like coils...

[OVERKILL ENG]

now sitting in the garage, the Vitara has:
a 1 inch bodylift
30mm front coil spacers
15mm in the rear
flipped strut mount towers (for caster correction and increased downtravel)

stupid question: does the vit have IFS or coils? i thought they were IFS, and that's what a mate told me, but reading ur stuff it sounds like coils...

IFS with coils.
SAM

[Gonzo]

BTW where did you take your measurement from rim or ground ?
I'm 805mm from the ground with no lift on the springs yet and sitting on 30's.

Cheers Shane

from the bottom of the rim

[OVERKILL ENG]

Needs a front bar now

[Gonzo]

About the same....

I knew you'd have easy clearance for 30"s now.

My 31"s only fit due to much butchery (also healped by the 1" offset and 15x8s so 30"s will be it, or 31"s on small offset.

hmm, 29`s on 2inch lift - i would of thought 31`s would go on with 4inch

where abouts did yours rub?

[Gonzo]

Needs a front bar now

thats the plan