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3" lift kit

Discussion in 'General Truck Info' started by Mighty Milt, Sep 2, 2008.

  1. Mighty Milt

    Mighty Milt Active Member

    while attempting to install a 3" lift kit this afternoon i ran into an odd problem.

    i started on the hard corner, the one most likely to bind with the lift, the left front. i got the darn thing unbolted and jacked up the truck, only to realize that i didn't have enough room to get the 3" spacer in there at all without dissassembling a lot more. the bottom of the strut was hitting the axle no matter what i tried. so needless to say, but my truck still sits at stock height and i'm going to the drawing board (cad program) tomorrow morning.

    what i'm after here, from those of you who have done this, is how do i get the camber straight on my truck when i lift it? i'm thinking about maybe just a 1.5" lift. obviously i will need to have it aligned when i finish, but how do i adjust the camber. it seems they all point out at the top once lifted.

    what i'm thinking about doing is just making a once piece spacer with no offset to it. if i only go about an inch to an inch and a half how will that affect the camber. i have some 8" billets of aluminum to make whatever i want out of... do you think that aluminum would hold up as a spacer?
     
  2. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member

    Yes, This is a problem with 99 and newer hijets, I ran into the same problem. 3" is too much without lowering the suspension cradle. Concerning your camber quesion: The lift I have has adjustable camber. Its quite simple. Basically its a 3-1/2" OD pipe with one end having a flanged bolt pattern of the strut welded to it (The inside needs to be hollow). The other end is welded closed with a piece that is shaped like a Tee (a tee with a curved top) providing 2 openings into the 3-1/2" pipe (The 2 openings allow for the 2 of the 3 mounting bolts to slide into, or be recessed when adjusting), and two adjusting bolt holes in the center of the tee. Then a flat solid piece with the outside pattern of the top of the strut with 3 holes to mount to the chassis and two additional slotted holes for adjustment. The adjusting slots don't exactly slide perpendicular to the side if the truck. I hope this makes sense. Its the best that I can describe it. You can somewhat see this in this picture except there must have been a design change to allow for the bolts to recess into the 3-1/2" OD pipe when adjusting (The recess is more for the washer than the bolt itself).

    http://www.xroadsimport.com/xri/uploads/images/SuzDai2_25.JPG

    -Greg
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2008
  3. topherztoyz

    topherztoyz Member

    Milt.. when outting on the lifts in the front.. I had to take off the lower bolts also on the strut, and let the strut hang back, then install the lift, and reassem. Same on the two, and three inch lift. Pics attached of what the front of truck looks like with both lifts.
     

    Attached Files:

  4. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member

    Did you not have a problem with the bottom of the strut interfering with the axle on the left side with the 3" lift? I also had a problem with the front wheels being drawn to far forward for 25" tires.

    -Greg
     
  5. myazel

    myazel Member

    I think the aluminum would be just fine although it would be nice if it was 6061 alloy as that is a nice tough material. I am getting a truck this week as I have it narrowed down to two trucks and will be going to the All Trails so I will need to do something. I staying with the Hi Jet after driving several. Looking at a climber today.
     
  6. Mighty Milt

    Mighty Milt Active Member

    the billets i have are 6160, 8" x 24" x 24" and it's all scrap. it's just a slow process to cut through that much with a waterjet to get such a small part i need,

    thanks greg, i like the idea of the adjustable one from xroads, might be money better spent. i was trying to figure out how to keep everything straight and proper and not getting this think looking like a monster truck ready to flip at any minute. just need a little more clearance for the new rims and tires.
     
  7. b_eastep

    b_eastep Member

    what tires are you gonna run?
    waterjet, now i hate you.
     
  8. Mighty Milt

    Mighty Milt Active Member

    [​IMG]

    185/65/14 they don't rub, and i don't want to give them the chance, i would just like to open up the wheel well gap a little more.

    i have 4 water jets :D 6' x 12' tables i've cut 8" thick 6160 on it... 60,000psi the water is moving at mach 2. really something awesome to see.

    that's why i was going to make my own lift kit, now i actually think i'm going to go with the springs though (sound off greg i need some help), i've realized that my truck has about 4" of droop, and almost no compression static. so if i can get a spring that will give me a happy medium i'll be all over it like a hobo on a ham sandwich :D

    if you need something cut on the waterjet, i can draw it in cad and ship it.. it came in really handy when i was building my last chopper.
     
  9. myazel

    myazel Member

    I think the springs sound good too. I am picking up my truck tomorrow It is a 93 Hi Jet with 53,000 km on it and looks real good. The climber I checked out today was just to rough for me, dinged on every corner with a lousy repair/paintover. Ran good but I decided to pass and go with the one closer to home. It has Hi/Lo which should be all I need as I intend to use this truck and that will mean a load of wood or sap on it so traction should not be a problem.
    How do those tires compare to the 23x8x12 all trails? That is what I am going to put on. I am tempted to try them on the stock wheels as some guys say I can make them fit and that might be the easy way out. If not I will do the delta steel wheels with them in black and see how it works out.
     
  10. Mighty Milt

    Mighty Milt Active Member

    23x8x12 is designed for a 6?" rim. if you mount it on a 4" rim it will be taller, the tread will wear in the middle more than anywhere else and won't have the "flotation" it's designed to have. tires have a minimum rim width recommendation for a reason, i have seen a lot of problems with this in the past, not just on mini trucks.

    my tires are about 23" tall and really improved the ride, i'm mostly on road, but took it in the dirt today and they do pretty well, i'd like to try them in the mud before i make any real claims.
     
  11. Mighty Milt

    Mighty Milt Active Member

    here's what i've got.

    static measurement on the suspension from the top of the tire to the top of the front wheel well is 2.75" with little to no compression. and i had my door open watching it going down a dirt road, it seems to only droop and has almost no upward mobility.

    when i jack it up, that distance increases to about 5.75".

    i looked all around underneath and didn't see any bump stops that it was hitting, seems like it is just reaching the capacity of the strut cartridge? someone correct me if i'm wrong please.

    so i guess what i need is to go with a spring that will give me about 1.5" and then consider a strut spacer later?

    as i raise the truck, obviously i have to have it aligned, will they correct the wheel center on the wheel well with the radius rods or is that something i have to do? or is 1.5" not enough to even worry about the steering geometry?

    i'm not trying to build a monster truck here like greg, just trying to get some decent travel out of the wheel without tearing tread off my tire or sheet metal off my truck.

    i would also like to look into changing the strut cartridges, i'm assuming that with 100,000k they are pretty well used up. that might be my first place and a little longer spring with the same spring rate? or do i need to get a heavier spring?
     
  12. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member

    Honestly not knowing how its going to work with a longer spring I would just get the 250# spring. When I took my strut apart I found that it only had about 6" of travel. Two of which was consumed by a variable rate bump stop. Most of the time the truck is only riding about 1" above the bump stop. Lots of rebound but no compression. This is why the ride is so rough. There is no adjustment to the radius rods. I lengthened mine. You can get an idea of what the camber is going to look like by jacking the truck up an 1" or 2". It probably wont be off much. I haven't found anything on this side of the pond as far as replacement struts go.

    -Greg
     
  13. Mighty Milt

    Mighty Milt Active Member

    i've got a buddy of mine with strong ties to KYB looking for struts for me. is there an internal bumpstop in the strut? that would make a lot of sense. i remember those inside the old shocks. can you send me a link to the 250lb springs so i can get those on order? i really thinnk that's all it needs, and to exted the RR that's about an hour's work, no problem.

    thanx greg
     
  14. greg0187

    greg0187 Moderator Staff Member

  15. xroadsimport

    xroadsimport Member

    Yes the 3" kit does not fit on the 1999 & newer Daihatsu. We try and not let any go out for the newer trucks but it happens. We do send the 2 1/4" kits for them though. We can install the lift here in the shop. If you call in Keith can talk you through the 3" installation if you are fairly technicaly advanced and have the tools.
     

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