Page 1 of 3
Springovers
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2003 5:20 pm
by pimpin60
g'day all fellow 4WD ers
im new to this forum so please dont make fun of question if it is stupid but
my question is: are spring over axle conversions relatively easy and cheap to perform?
i dont know much at all about suspension etc so i would enlist the help of a professional suspension shop to perform this modification
would it be a cheap exercise?
any help or information would be great
keep wheeling
regards
Mark Carmody
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2003 5:46 pm
by greg
Hi Mark,
I'm sure you will get asked a few questions before an answer can be provided:
1. What Car? (i gather it is going to be a 60 series cruiser?)
2. What state do you live in?
3. What do you consider cheap and easy?
Once you tell us that, your odds of getting an anwer will increase considerably.
Cheers.
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2003 5:58 pm
by pimpin60
hi Greg
my car is a 1985 60 series landcruiser wagon
i live in Victoria
i consider cheap under $2000 and easy as regarding to the complicity of the modification
easy as in not too many other modifictions involved when undertaking a spring over
thank you for your advice
regards
Mark
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2003 6:02 pm
by N*A*M
in victoria, spoa could be done for about $2500 retail drive-in drive-out. then engineer's cert would be maybe another $500.
or you could do it yourself for a few hundred, depending how resourceful you are. spoa will need work to spring perches, rotate knuckles, steering (high-steer is the best), extended brakes, shocks to match, traction bar in the rear, and maybe other things too.
Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2003 9:41 pm
by pimpin60
i definetly am not goin to do it myself
wouldnt trust myself welding it all up and id be scared to drive it around
$2500 eh. Thats not too bad .by drive in drive out do you mean new springs new shockers new bushes and perches , rotated diff, ?
what company offered this price?
i have recently read somewhere that Hy-steer is Ill-legal for on road use?
what do you do about steering otherwise?
thanks
Mick
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 8:14 am
by V8Patrol
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 9:12 am
by grimbo
next question is why do you want to do it? Just to look cool, fit bigger tyres ....
Could you get away with say a 2" lift and a 2" body lift.
There are insurance issues etc that need to be considered if you go SPOA
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:01 am
by bigsteve
N*A*M wrote:in victoria, spoa could be done for about $2500 retail drive-in drive-out. then engineer's cert would be maybe another $500.
or you could do it yourself for a few hundred, depending how resourceful you are. spoa will need work to spring perches, rotate knuckles, steering (high-steer is the best), extended brakes, shocks to match, traction bar in the rear, and maybe other things too.
My SPOA cost me a hellova lot less that $2500, I believe it was about $850 plus another $700 for rancho's, I kept my existing springs because they were soft (Shagged)
As Grimbo Said I'd go 2 inch spring & 2 inch body, I have seen 60's sprung over and unless you are running wide rims/tyres its gunna be tippy.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:24 am
by greg
wasn't there one in 4wd monthly a few months back - big white think with boggers under it? it was waaaaaaaay tall
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:31 am
by bigsteve
greg wrote:wasn't there one in 4wd monthly a few months back - big white think with boggers under it? it was waaaaaaaay tall
Yeah that was a trooopy on 80's series diffs, it looked tall I think there was a 60's series in it with SPOA, it was beige & it was on 38's???, didn't look as tall as the troopy though.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:38 am
by bubs
find the pics of dans 60 with soa
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:42 am
by spazbot
here is dans 60 with a spoa on 35"s i think he has a 3" body lift aswell
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 10:53 am
by spazbot
same truck on on 38's or 40's i think
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 11:02 am
by grimbo
man that is tall, why would you want it to sit that high. Must be awfully
on side angles and around town.
Low lift and cut is the way to go imho. With a 2" lift and mild bl and some fender trimming I'm sure you could fit some 35s
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 12:23 pm
by 2car
I have heard many people say something like "I Should have gone straight to SOA and not wasted $ on a spring lift" after they have done the SOA conversion. The lift can be kept down to around 100mm over factory if old flat springs are used.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 12:37 pm
by greg
2car wrote:I have heard many people say something like "I Should have gone straight to SOA and not wasted $ on a spring lift" after they have done the SOA conversion. The lift can be kept down to around 100mm over factory if old flat springs are used.
I've heard a few people say that they wished they had investigated suspension setups a bit further before going to SOA as they now have to spend time and money trying to convert their cars back to SUA and still have to buy some new springs.
My view is a little bit different from Grimbo's in that I think that you should not be trying to lift the car with springs - but rather - you should achieve more travel via the use of longer springs. This will equate to a lower car - and therefore a more stable car
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 12:40 pm
by bubs
I just think victorians are anti soa
i would SOA with shagged flat springs, so about 100mm of lift, NO body lift and be done with it
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:23 pm
by spazbot
grimbo wrote:man that is tall, why would you want it to sit that high. Must be awfully
on side angles and around town.
Low lift and cut is the way to go imho. With a 2" lift and mild bl and some fender trimming I'm sure you could fit some 35s
he was running the 35s with the 3" body lift and shagged stock springs for ages, and it worked really well,
now he has 3" body shagged stock springs and spoa, and of course the ute conversion
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:32 pm
by MY45
I've just done a SOA on my 45 and i'm loving it. I just used my old springs and i now get way more flex and better chassis clearance
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:35 pm
by Wendle
the other advantage no-one has mentioned yet is the extra clearance under the axle tubes, and mucher cleaner profile under there.
Plus you get to keep the nice cushy soft ride from your old springs, rather than swapping in some heavy duty, big thick leaf pack.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:42 pm
by greg
bubs wrote:I just think victorians are anti soa
Not really - i think there's just a small group of us down there that don't like them... It certainly doesn't seem to be all victorians, nor is it all suzuki owners.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:48 pm
by 2car
greg wrote:now have to spend time and money trying to convert their cars back to SUA and still have to buy some new springs.
No they don't.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 2:52 pm
by greg
2car wrote:greg wrote:now have to spend time and money trying to convert their cars back to SUA and still have to buy some new springs.
No they don't.
Don't what?
If you didn't buy longer/arched/lifted springs when doing the spring over, then in order to convert from spring over, back to spring under with longer/arched/lifted springs - surely you would have to buy the new longer/arched/lifted springs... Otherwise, all you end up with is SUA with the stock springs.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 3:01 pm
by 2car
greg wrote:2car wrote:greg wrote:now have to spend time and money trying to convert their cars back to SUA and still have to buy some new springs.
No they don't.
Don't what?
If you didn't buy longer/arched/lifted springs when doing the spring over, then in order to convert from spring over, back to spring under with longer/arched/lifted springs - surely you would have to buy the new longer/arched/lifted springs... Otherwise, all you end up with is SUA with the stock springs.
Leave it SOA.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 3:35 pm
by redzook
greg wrote:bubs wrote:I just think victorians are anti soa
Not really - i think there's just a small group of us down there that don't like them
mainly me and grimbo... It certainly doesn't seem to be all victorians, nor is it all suzuki owners.
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 3:38 pm
by grimbo
boom boom
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 3:41 pm
by redzook
i was spring under but it is gay no flex no clearance
know i am soa wouldnt go back to sua
bigsteve is the only person that i know that is goin back to sua from soa
any1 else greg?
u hear alot more people that like there soa then people who dont
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 3:43 pm
by greg
redzook wrote:greg wrote:bubs wrote:I just think victorians are anti soa
Not really - i think there's just a small group of us down there that don't like them
mainly me and grimbo... It certainly doesn't seem to be all victorians, nor is it all suzuki owners.
Hey! You can't edit a quote like that...
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 3:44 pm
by wanna
well me i loved my spoa and after having it in a zook i wouldnt change it back and my new car has spoa as well cheaper better ride more flex and better clearance and of course cheaper if you do it yourself
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2003 3:45 pm
by redzook
greg wrote:redzook wrote:greg wrote:bubs wrote:I just think victorians are anti soa
Not really - i think there's just a small group of us down there that don't like them
mainly me and grimbo... It certainly doesn't seem to be all victorians, nor is it all suzuki owners.
Hey! You can edit a quote like that...