96 prado lift question

[2roky]

giday im going to lift my prado

im using the 80series front springs in the rear

and was wanting to know how big i need to make the front strut spacers to get it sitting even,

cheers guys

[nova499]

what i would do if your using second hand springs put them in the rear and messure how much more lift u would need to level the front up then make or buy the spacers u require.
hope that helps a bit.

[2roky]

yeh i thought that but thats going to require alot of buggering around or just have to put up with the front being lower than the ass end for a while lol

[nova499]

lol no pain no gain lol

[rokhound]

So how far do you want to lift it?
Like this?


This one has had 2" suspension and 2" body lift.

[2roky]

was thinking bout 2'' suspension and maybe a 1'' body

[rokhound]

If you are doing any body lift on these be aware that to do it to the full effect you need to lift front and rear bumpers, fuel tank bash plate, radiator surround and you will need to alter the steering rack by blocking the rack to column by the amount of the lift.
All this is quite straight forward, but it all takes time. Mine took a couple of days of shagging about with it to sort out the suspension and body lift with all the bits and bobs.

[2roky]

yeh giday i was aware of having to to the radiator and bumpers, and was going to do the tank as well as it hangs down far to far for my liking,

didnt know about the steering rack though.
what else needs to be moded for the body lift?

if its too much i might just do the suspension for a start off

[rokhound]

It's pretty starlight forward. Where the steering column connects to the rack you need to machine a peice of 90mm alloy bar to the same thickness as the lift you are doing. Ie 2" lift, 2" block. Have a look at it and you will see why it needs to be done.
Also watch out for the weak as shit ctr diffs on these trucks, don't do heavy loads in reverse (snatch towing etc).

[Petemcc]

what size tyres are you running there rok?

Cheers
Pete

[NJV6]

was going to do the tank as well as it hangs down far to far for my liking,

The tank is attached to the body on these so it will lift with the body lift

[rokhound]

what size tyres are you running there rok?

285/75/16. Equivalent to about 32" I think. They make a big difference to fuel economy on a DD, used to get 700 odd kms out of a tank, now get 550-600 and that is allowing for differences in rolling stock ratio. Haven't had a chance to tow the mutt yet with these tyres on, but they look cool

[NJV6]

Rock - you'll find they measure larger than a 33 inch BFG so there a bit bigger than you think! Hence the fuel consumption!!!

[rokhound]

Yeah that would make sense. I haven't measured mine at all,(I lost interest when I blew a diff and transfer case on a relatively easy cross axle situation) but they could easily be 33" +.

[NJV6]

Yea they are very similar to the 185 surf running gear, a chap down here has beam axled one, a bit of a misssion given the passenger side transfer case drop.

[rokhound]

kzn 185 surf and this model prado are interchangeable. When my transfer case blew, I used a surf one with the solid spacers and relay rods from the Prado to make a good unit. Surf one was $300 cheaper as well.

[2roky]

well ive done it lifted the truck with the 80 coils in the arse which gave me a wopping 90mm lift
new struts in the front giving me just on 50mm

the rear still sits too high though can i go a bit higher in the front or would i be best to scrap the rear and go for the correct 2'' lift coils to level it out?

cheers cam

will take a few pics tomorrow

[rokhound]

Did you use std 80 series FRONT coils in the rear of your playdoh?
Unless you are contemplating a diff drop in the front, you will stress out the factory CV's too much by going any more than 2" lift.

I combined a 2" lift with 2" body lift to get 285/85/16 (33"+) MT's on. You also need to get a good wheel alignment done and get the guys who do it to wind the lower arm adjustment forward as much as possible so tyres clear the firewall with plenty of room.
Also watch out for innergaurd plastics, if you ditch these (as I did) all the wheel well spray fills up the park lights and roots them

[2roky]

giday im pretty sure that they were front coils that i used as i bought them off trademe

they seem very tall though as they have given me the 90mm lift in the rear.

i looked at the front cv shafts and they dont seem to be on too much of an angle


with lift in


drive cv angle


new coil beside old coil

[NJV6]

Your permanently driving downhill

[turoa]

Your permanently driving downhill

better fuel economy

[niblik]

head winds are advantageous to ya..

[Sadam_Husain]

Your permanently driving downhill

put some smaller wheels on the back and she'll level up ok

[2roky]

yeh na all those thoughts crossed my mind, think i might just splash out and get a set of lifted coils that match instead

[smurf182]

If you ditch the 80s coils then I wouldnt mind them for the rear of my Surf if I keep it.

[2roky]

yeh no worries consider them yours send me a pm