Things Grow Bigger in Houston

[docsavage]

If you leave your van out over night here, the ride height increases, like they say things a bigger in Houston (or is it Texas?) It used to fit in the garage. To get it out the tires were flattened and 200 lbs of weight put in the back to give about a half inch of clearance on the door:


Compared to my work truck - a GMC half ton:



Now down to the details. This is supposed to be a 3 inch lift:

Rear shackles, blocks, shocks and brake lines:



Front ball joint spacers:



Subframe spacers, ball joints spacers, torsion bars, shocks and brake lines. The torsion bars are almost twice the diameter of the stock ones.:



All the spacers from the other side:



I have to put the shovel on the front again, but will likely just build some better armour. Looking for wheels and tires now to complete the upsize. The ride is alot different. the better shocks and torsion bars stiffen everything up and the bouncing and leaning on corners is significantly less. This is not an easy upgrade, I figure 20 plus hours of labour now that I know what I am doing. Also, there may be a few more things crop up to adjust as I drive it more.

James

[BCDelica]

Awesome! Great job James. Solid looking components, that kits was sure a good deal. Those shackles and blocks in the back sure look more then a 3" lift, how's the rear drive shaft angle? Any vibs from the back when accelerating? Looks like there'd be plenty of room for a 32" tire too.

[docsavage]

Thanks for the comments Kevin, there is a slight vibration when slowing down with slight throttle. I am off to Williams Lake shortly, so will get it run in on the highway. When I get back I am going to put in new U-joints. The drive line angle is not very severe as the blocks are angled and the rear transmission frame mounts are also spaced.

James

[jaggedfish]

Wow! THAT'S what difference a supposed 3" lift makes? It does appear the rear lift is closer to 4 or 5 inches with the blocks and the shackles... hmmm.

Can you share info on the kit... where you got it, how much?... or is it a one-off? I would like to lift mine when I get time. A fellow who has a motorcycle shop down here in the Big Smoke made a few sets of his version (sorry, the name eludes me at the moment but he's on this site) which didn't require longer shocks because of spacers instead. Seemed like a good option.

By the way... blue is the BEST colour ever!

[TardisDeli]

Wow, I am very impressed with the amount of work, congrats on getting it finished too !

JaggedFish, I think the Vancouver guy you are thinking of who is making lift kits is possibly GaryO with a Japanese motocross bike shop on powell, I forget the name, if you're stuck I can look up the info from our last Vancouver Show&Tell. Cheers, Christine.

[jaggedfish]

JaggedFish, I think the Vancouver guy you are thinking of who is making lift kits is possibly GaryO with a Japanese motocross bike shop on powell, I forget the name, if you're stuck I can look up the info from our last Vancouver Show&Tell. Cheers, Christine.

Thanks Christine! Yes... GaryO... I know his contact info is on another post about lifts... I got stuck on his name after I started writing my reply and didn't want to go backwards

He seems to have spent a good amount of time on getting his lift right and the idea of re-using the shocks (mine, brand new Pro-comps) is an attractive proposition. I like to explore all my options tho and am curious about Docsavage's version which looks pretty cool even with stocker wheels and tires.

I think - if Docksavage is correct - a club outting to Houston is in order... this way we could all hang out and eat those famous rice crispy squares of yours and get up the next day to find the Deli Leprechauns (spelling?) lifted all our vans!!! YAY!!!

Nice work Docsavage! Anytime you feel like installing another lift kit just let me know.....

CHEERS!
Ian

[josh]

Nice job James,

I cant wait to see the lift in person in the next couple weeks. It looks huge.

I got my SNORKEL today! yippie. I am so stoked. Man we are going to have to get out and hit the trails hard this spring hey? Guess we will have to start a northern Delica off road club.

Josh

[Mystery Machine]

Hey James,

I'm SO glad to see you made some extra space under that motor!

Nice work, and all the more rewarding knowing that you did it yourself. I did try and contact you about the torsion bars - hopefully Josh told you about our conversation?

Chuffed that you go it sorted and welcome to the world of lifted L300's......just wait for the looks to be amplified!

Any idea on the wheel/tyre combo yet?

Keep smiling,

Bruce.

[docsavage]

Thanks for all the support and comments. I purchased the lift kit used through CC Autos. Glenn may have (get) more, and the price is negotiated with him.

It is a lot of work, and after a 1500 km road trip a few things need to be fixed up. First is to rebuild front and rear driveshafts with with new U-joints. The originals with 165,000 km don't like the new angles, and it is just time to do it anyway. Second, the front hubs don't like to unlock quite as easily, and make a bit of noise in 4wd. I'll have to look at what is going on there. On the positive side it handles like its on rails now. If you don't want a lift, I would still suggest upgrading the torsion bars. The ride is alot stiffer, I think I almost cracked some vertebrae while getting airborne on the frost heaves between Prince George and Houston, but the improved handling is definitely worth the change in torsion bars. I'll measure the height tonight, but with the high roof and lift it really tall now, and the lean in corners was half what is was pre-lift according to the slope/clinometer.

I made CAD drawings of everything but the ball joint spacers, but will try to finish those soon. All of the spacers are easily fabricated - except the ball joint one as it has a certain angle and more holes to be precisely aligned.

For me a lift kit was desirable mostly to learn about suspension, and to run bigger wheels as I do use the vehicle in the back country alot to get into fishing holes and explore. For most people, I would recommend upgrading the torsion bars and cranking them for lift at the front, and extended shackles on the rear. This allows one to run 31" tires with less modification and keeps driveline issues at bay.

James