What to do, Suspension lift. *SIGH*

[TravisE]

Iv'e been trawling the forums, and there are so many things that can be done.

I want/NEED a suspension lift in my 93 MU!!!
Currently done the 50mm body lift.

Now with the shock side of things, replacing them wont gain me any height correct?

So the torsion bar wind in the front can give me roughly 50mm, is the ball joint flip absolutely necessary? and will i need to lower the diff?

For the rear, the only thing i can do is replace the leaf springs/add a leaf, is this also correct?

What other things will need doing if i do this? brake lines, clutch lines, diff wedge etc.

I don't want to do anything too expensive, but also want it done properly.

I've been humming and haaring over it for far too long and decided i need to take action so i cant take on the mud!

Currently only have 31s, is it worth going to 35s or are 33 going to be fine. been on a few tracks and bottom out on the diff/fuel tank,
or sit there spinning on my A/Ts as i havnt got any muds yet.

Also what needs to be done to get more than a 50mm lift?

what are some decent tyres at a reasonable price? does anyone have any lying around for sale?

Alot of questions i know, but really cant decide what to do, i want a mean looking mu that will take me anywhere i point it.
any guidance in the right direction would be gratefull

cheers,
Travis

[nb422]

Well since the body lift needs a cert you could do a spring over axle conversion to the rear. You gain roughly 6 inches of lift in the rear but will not be able to level it at the front. The front ball joint flip is to correct the alignment when the torsions are cranked up.

[MrRevhead]

35s are pretty huge for a MU.
For the front, yes it's commonly needed to flip the ball joints. at 50mm a diff drop isn't needed, but it is easy to do. You will need a wheel alignment.
I suggest removing the front sway bar too.

a 2" spring lift won't need anything else on the rear. Just check handbrake adjustment. I can't comment on over 2" as never done it.

Shocks, lots of options, if you can afford it upgrade to rancheros or old man emu etc. Call your local Autolign, I got a set of monroes off them cheap to suit 2" lift.

Tyres, keep an eye on 4wdbits.co.nz I got a set of mudstars in 32" for $900 off them. As for what tyre size, that depends on what you want to do. Is it tyres you need? or driving lessons? Not being a smart arse, but if you are new like me then joining up with some experience people would help you learn a lot of things you didn't know you needed to learn.

[TravisE]

NB422, what sort of cost would that be?

revhead, i gave autolign a call, im not sure what brand but they quoted me $841.80 for replacement shocks to suit 2" all round. should i be replacing shocks first or just crank the torsion flip the ball joint and raise the springs in the rear first?

my handbrake has always been so dodgy, no matter what amount of adjusting and what method, (loosening everything and starting at the calipers) it will only stay right for a week or 2.

tyres are needed, aswell as the driving lessons, i am new to this, that i can admit. but 31 a/t tyres that i have, as soon as i hit a bit of mud goodbye to all traction :/.

are there any members on here around palmerston north? would be good to have a chat and get a bit of guidance, and also someone to go out with!!

ill have a browse of 4wdbits.

cheers

[MrRevhead]

Fit the shocks at the time you raise it.

When I mentioned the handbrake it was in raising it you may alter the cable length, so you should check it to make sure you haven't pulled the brake on. It will probably be fine.

[TravisE]

awesome thanks for the info,

can anyone reccommend me some rear leaf springs? the guys at autoline said to just go to john bates and get them re-tempered?

[geeves]

forget resetting and tempering the springs. Only 2% of them actually stay at the set hight afterwards. Springs I love my Lovel springs but dont know the current agent A search of suspension speciallists and auto stores should find something. Repco used to do Maxtrac which saw good write ups. Dont go add a leaf either You dont need hard springs. Add a leaf is good for heavy loads but little else.
Shocks You will probably find yours are ok but if old its not silly to change them. After you fit your springs disconect the shock at the bottom and lift under the chassis till the wheel is off the ground. If the shock is too long expanded to go onto the mount then they are ok. Fronts are always ok. EFS are also good springs
Front wind the torrsion bars do the ball joint flip get a wheel alignment Job done. Good idea to spray crc or similar on the adjuster each night for a few nights before adjusting Also its easier to get it level if you disconect the sway bar. If its a off road toy then remove the sway bar altogether before certification.

[nb422]

http://www.4x4wire.com/isuzu/tech/SOA/isuzuSOA3.htm
Costs the amount to weld new mounts on, remount the shocks and bumpstops and maybe a driveshaft if the cert guy isn't happy with the amount of exposed slip. Most expensive part is the cert. We have a trailer truck with this done and it rides fine on road, handles well, and articulates amazingly well in the rear. If you did go down that road talk to a certifier first to see what they want for it to be legal, I had a chat to two in Hamilton.. one said no it cannot be done straight out, and the other said he is fine with it as long as driveshaft slip isnt excessive, shocks are suited etc.

[geeves]

super high lifts are hard to cert now and in the near future could be verboden. SOA on a Mu is a super high lift. If you go this way talk to a certifier first and get it finished quick before any rule change.

[nb422]

Yeah. Do you know when this ruling will happen roughly Geeves? I want to do mine too but first need to fit a 3.1 box to get rid of the slip yoke..

[isuzurob]

my 3" lifted retemped leaves havnt sagged at all in 3 years in my bighorn, place in hamilton are the lovell importers into nz, i got a set at the start of the year (dont recommend them was a muck around alot) shackles are the easiest way to lift it but also need a cert to be legal

[isuzurob]

also look around for other shocks that fit that are far cheaper, i have commodore shocks in the rear of my bighorn and terrano shocks in the front rears where around 80 a pair heavy duty gabriels and fronts around 120, hilux shocks fit rear of mu

[geeves]

re cheap tyres. Try and find a buisiness up your way that used to be TK retreads. They changed there name to revolve or rotate or something but retreaded tyres work out quite cheap esspecially if the main use is off road

[MUwith35s]

Hi all i have a 92 mu and i have put 35s on it. I want to know how to get a suspension lift out of the front tho? i have done lifted leaves and shackles on rear to get 65mm lift, also done a 50mm body lift. Have also put 35mm spacers on all wheels to try clear more. But jacking the torsions up front to suit the rear lift works but its a reeeeally bumpy ride. Do i need to replace the shocks with coilovers and use torsions as well as coilovers? Its a mu ute and looks mean on the 35s but yea its not really driveable with torsions so high haha

[geeves]

bump ride is because you are hitting bump stops.
Things to fix this
Reposition upper ball joint below A arm. You can also add a 5 to 10mm spacer if needed. Taper the spacer
Calmini or similar A arms. Realy do much the same as the above mod
Trim upper bump stop
All this puts extra strain on cv joints. You can lower the front diff by adding spacers to reduce cv angles

[MUwith35s]

Ok cool yea for me its only the severely bumpy ride that is annoying. I have already repositioned ball joints and yea it helps a bit. Wondering if anyone else knows about or has done coilovers with torsion bars? Just that i seem to have tried most usual tricks and still cant fit the 35s practically speaking. Ill try the bump stop adjustments. Cheers

[geeves]

Reality is only a handfull of Mu owners have ever fitted 35s to a Mu. Most have gone the Hilux front live axle way with leaf springs up front. A couple have opted for a Nissan Safari axle with coils 2 by mating a Mu body with a Patrol chassis (one also lexus v8) and the last by severly engineering a Mu chassis to fit ( he ended with a ramp test number of 1200 plus and 36 inch tyres) truly magic truck
Some have fitted 35s to the ifs but few have remained ifs. There are too many weaknesses once you go that big.

[MUwith35s]

Awsome thanks for the advice. Ill go away and make aplan as to what i want to swap to. I can have 33s on it comfortably but dont want to sacrifice the look of 35s! Ill share my result when im complete. Cheers

[MUVIT]

matey would the 2.6 petrol hold 5th with 35s?

[MUwith35s]

I've had 33/12.5s running on it and it still went a lot better than the desiel mus I've had. There was definitely a difference but yea hoping the 35s don't drag it too much. I'm quite impressed with the performance of the 2.6 petrol, goes better than I thought it would. Anyone else out there got a 2.6?