L400 4"/6" lift kit

[macro]

Found this surfing around the internet machine. Would have to buy the struts/springs etc. Thoughts other than that? I wonder what would fall apart if it wasn't installed properly....

http://www.4wdshop.net/KKKKKKKnewpage1.html

[del400]

That's a bit pricy. And a 4" lift? Looks so nice, but how necessary is it? Unless you want bigger, i mean HUGE wheels on there.

Just my 2 cents.

a

[macro]

That's a bit pricy. And a 4" lift? Looks so nice, but how necessary is it? Unless you want bigger, i mean HUGE wheels on there.

Just my 2 cents.

a

From what I've read, once you go above 2 or 3 inches it hits the $5000 range, so those kits seem about right once you consider everything else you need. Longer springs, torsion bars etc. It is completely unnecessary.... BUT!!! It looks sweet!!! I would love to buy a Deli with this already done, I can't see having the gumption to do it to mine though...

[lettereleven]

Being the owner of an L400 with a 5" lift, I am with @macro, buy one with it already done to avoid the initial cost.

Yes, it's just so fun to drive. You get way more looks and comments than a veyron driver, but there are significant downsides: you burn through consumables pretty fast, fuel economy is absolutely the pits with 33" or 35" tires, parking in undergrounds isn't an option with a clearnace over 7'8", cornering is dreadful, and if you do get 35"s, you need to regear which is more money. Last but not least, mechanics don't seem to want to work on your rig.

Having said all that, I absolutely love my van. I would buy it again in an instant.

[macro]

Having said all that, I absolutely love my van. I would buy it again in an instant.

I covet your van.

[del400]

I would love to see these lifts. can't wait for mine to have one too. well, the 2" one ha

[macro]

and if you do get 35"s, you need to regear which is more money.

Do you mean regear the trans or diff? Trans must be a hell if a lot of work, no? Also, where do you keep your spare tire???

[lettereleven]

Wrt to re-gearing, I was thinking front and rear diffs (not an expert, but I believe you have to do both).

Spare tires? Pffft. Spare tires are for wimps.

But seriously, I dont have one because my exhaust runs right where the tire should be.
I really, really need to get one (spare).
Considering a side dump exhaust as opposed to the dual rear pipes.

-Jamie.

[pajerry]

Yeah, you'd have to regear both axles, although depending what gears you have now, there may not be an option for better gearing on the L400. If you already have the 4.88/4.90 you're hooped.



For 5g's, it would be cheaper to strip the drivetrain and throw a couple solid toyota axles under there.

[waynesan76]

Sorry if this post has been forgotten, but it's revived. I purchased a used 6" kit from 4wdshop.net, which is auto garage champ's English website. and I'm in the process of installing. It took a solid 9 hours today to get the rear installed, and I'm guessing it will take another 9 hours tomorrow to get the front situated.

I took some pics, but stopped snapping for sake of time (Time=money). However, I'll be creating a how-to for this kit with pics/pros/cons/precautions, etc.

[Mr. Flibble]

Yeah, you'd have to regear both axles, although depending what gears you have now, there may not be an option for better gearing on the L400. If you already have the 4.88/4.90 you're hooped.



For 5g's, it would be cheaper to strip the drivetrain and throw a couple solid toyota axles under there.

Has anyone done that? Put solid axles on a Deli?

[Big-Bird]

To answer the question if anyone has done a SAS on a delica.

Yes: one of our members swapped out his IFS for a Solid Axle from a Toyota 4x4. You may have seem the tandem axle White L300 here on the forum.

There is also at least one L400 that appears to have had this swap done....it has what amounts to a mini-monster truck subframe under it. It's hard to tell 100% if an SAS is there.



If you want to know the cost of doing this swap it can cost anywhere from $2000-3000 (if you do it yourself) with a used differential and some good planning and this also means the front diff is already geared the same as the Mitsu rear diff.

Or you touch 15,000 - 20,000 if you let a shop who does swaps like this under your Deli and yes these are very ugly numbers and yes I am speaking from experience. I know several custom fab shops that do this kind of work and have done editorials on swaps so there is a wide range of possibilities.

Re-gearing and differential choice: toyota Birfields are a close width to the Delica rear diff and if you go over a 31" tire a ring and pinion change is highly recommended and the front and rear diff must be geared the same (to within 5% max difference) so you could be on the hook for changing gears at both ends and trying to match gear sets between Mitsu and Toyota can be a challenge so a person could end up changing both diffs just to make gear matching a reality.....see how this SAS can get out of hand when big tires are a desired result?

Mitsu ring and pinion sets start at around $800 and go up from there. Toyota gears are around half that and readily available everywhere in Canada.

In reality because the L400 is a unibody chassis its not cost effective for an SAS swap. Its doable but big $$$$$$$$$