Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Sorry to be asking this however I have looked through the past posts and can't find what i need. One of the links does not work.
I just put bigger tyres on the old box feroza 31x10.5. They fit ok with the suspension lift I have. However I want to wind the torsion bars down to get some down travel back.
I have decided to body lift. The question is what width blocks do I need. I think about 5cm wide should do. I am making the kit myself.
Thanks.

Thats sounds about right. How are you making them as I need a set for myself?

Everyone is going to go- SHOCK HORROR, and want to ridicule me, but I did a body lift on the Rocky about 10 years ago, and the blocks survived without a problem.

What did I use- poly boat rollers. Make sure you get the correct ones, the RED poly ones. I bought 5 x 5 inch ones, and cut them in half to give me the 10 I needed. They already have a hole in the middle which will accept the original steel body washer tubes.

For bolts, just try sourcing 2 inch longer bolts of the correct thread, or get longer bolts of any thread and nuts, and grind the original nuts off and spot weld the new ones on to the washers. You WILL need longer original thread bolts for the 2 front and 2 rear bolts, as the nuts are captive within the body itself. You COULD change the front ones, but it would be a bit tough.

The only other things to then concern yourself with are longer Transfer case and gear levers and an enlarged hole to suit, longer fuel filler, and playing with the steering shaft to make it suit. Wiring and brake lines will all bend to suit.

Remember, this is all for a mid 80's Rocky.

Thanks for that info. I have a friend who is a fitter and turner. So I gave him the specs. He's just going to buy an alloy bar about 5cm thick and cut the blocks as required. As for the rubber mounts I am going staright to Clark rubber for those. The bolts shoulden't be to much of a problem.

I saw a kit on ebay for about $200.00 bucks but the blocks were poly.
Unfortunatlly these are illegal in Victoria.

Alloy "could" be legal - plastic is not. ( I'm running plastic and its worked well for years now ).

You dont need new rubbers ( unless the old ones are damaged ) - the original ones work fine.

The bolts are fine thread so you'll need to visit a bolt place and make certain they give you the right ones...... IIRC I used plated ones as the originals had suffered slightly over the years. The two rears are studs originally but can be replaced with bolts no issue.

Does this mean "The Box" is driving....... ?

Yes MM, The box is back on the road. She just had a fresh paint job to fix all the bush damage. New interior. Just did the pitman and Idler arms. Some new tyres. The body lift is next.

I am now looking into winches. However am actually contemplating getting a high lift jack and all the accesories to use as a winch. I know its hard work but thats ok.

I'd get a "proper" hand winch before a highlift jack. They're a terrible jack and an even worse winch.

There are ways to work with them, but they also have a poor bulk and weight to usefullness ratio.

Steve.

Thanks for that. I have thought about a turfer. However a decent one is about $450. You can get those cheep Chineese brand electric winches for about $600.
To many options.

There are some simpler dual ratchet style hand pullers around ( I've got one for those "oops I want to recover the other way moments.......".

They certainly aren't turfor quality or versatility but they are compact and functional when used sensibly and with other recovery gear.

Buying an electric winch does have extra hidden costs - things to keep in mind.

1. Making a winch mount isnt cheap or straightforward
2. Battery will need substantial upgrade
3. Existing alternator isn't anything special
4. Fitting the solenoid pack to the cars front isn't easy on a compact 4WD.

Steel cable is @#$%^ Dangerous and synthetic rope is expensive and usually requires a different fairlead.

Not that I'm against electric winches - I've got one myself - but there's more to making then as usefull as they can be than initailly meets the eye.

And ... whens the "trip"....... were not getting any younger

Thanks for that MM. I have thought long and hard about this. I know that the electric winches are a great convinience but as you say somethimes we need to go backwards. I don't mind putting in the hard Yaka for a hand winch recovery.
I thought a high lift would be a good tool. I just don't think that It might handle some of the loads required safelly.

If anyone has any suggestions on a hand winch brand I would be greatfull. I allready have plenty of recovery gear however need something that will get me out when the 'BOX' is stuck on the body...

Mine came from Rays ( it was on special for around $75. ) although I think ive seen them at Anaconda as well.

DONT buy the hand puller that Bunnings sell as it has a ratchet on only one side of the drum and it fails when used hard. It looks very similar but is much lighter duty and is only a few dollars cheaper.

Sure they only pull a few meters at a time before re-rigging but they do the job. They can also be used to lower so there slow but sure.

And I agree wholeheartedly with Steve on highlift jacks they are difficult to fit in a compact vehicle, really require the vehicle to have jacking points and can quite dangerous to use.

Apparently the handle is really good for something ( perhaps beating the @#$ out of the Feroza for getting stuck ) but I can't remember exactly what Steve mentioned.

I have just won a bid for a Beaver hand winch on ebay. Got ot for a $142.50. Comes with 20m or wire robe 8mm thick. Been used once. Should have it in the next couple of days. It's only rated at 800kg but with a snatch block it should do the job well. The RRP is about $400.

We should have a recovery section on the forum. So that people can give ideas on what they use and don't use. I am sure there a lot of people out there who have lots or recovery gear and no Idea how to use it effectivly.

Funny you should say that - it mirrors a discussion on another Forum.

Unfortunately recovery is something that theory can only help with up to a point. Sometimes "on the job" demonstration from the more knowledgeable is invaluable.

Also recovery is often clouded by well meaning ( noisy ) but inexperienced onlookers. Sometimes you have to tell the crowd to "shut the .......... up" - and follow the directions of someone whose experience you respect.

Seek advice and help from others that are knowledgeable, think things trough first, take your time and keep calm - but in the end the vehicle owner has to take responsibility.

As you'll understand the risk of vehicle damage is always there and it not realistic to expect someone else to carry the legal liability.

However a piece of "recovery" advice - don't go wheeling alone.