wanted-front strut spacers

Need a car part and don't know where to get it or how to install it. Look here!
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Marty
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Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:56 pm
Location: Port Angeles, WA

wanted-front strut spacers

Post by Marty »

I would like to do a 2" lift with a riser on the top of strut setup and air springs in back. Anybody have a set of front risers?

Main reason is so I can put more aggressive tires and a bit more height for my off road travels.
email me at

marty@steelheader.net

Thanks
marty
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simon84
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Posts: 306
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:18 pm
Location: Banff, Alberta, Canada

Post by simon84 »

I made a spacer from a rubber donut spring spacer. I just cut off the top and bottom groove off with a sharp knife. Careful when doing this, go slow and take your time and you won't chop off any fingers. A vice can be helpful to hold onto it sometimes. Basically you end up with a big rubber split washer.
Then I drilled 3 holes through the rubber and put it above the strut mount. You also need to pound out the 3 bolts that attach the strut into the strut tower and put in longer ones. I welded the heads of the bolts to the top mounting plate of the strut assembly since the old bolts were pressed in and you can't get a wrench in there when you are installing it. This only gives about an inch of lift. I got some more lift when I put new springs in. Another guy I know (tercel Calgary) put the donut inside the strut assembly instead of new springs which gained him some lift.
Be prepared to replace your Cv axles, as they will ride at a different angle post lift and may make a rubbing noise. You will also want to redo your alignment. I think the camber needs adjusting.
Check with Tercel Calgary if you want more info. He also put the air shocks in the back for lift. I went with spacers above and below the rear springs.
Check your brake hose to the caliper for length. Mine seems to be fine.
I now have 205/70/14 tires. I like the ride much better. Check in the gallery section for the pumpkin.

Good luck with your lift.
Simon
Driver: 87 Tercel SR5, white, 4ac, weber carb (aka the Tercedes)
Road Tripper:95 Mitsubishi Delica L400 2.8L Turbo Diesel
Motorbike: 94 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6
Project Car:Red 68 Plymouth Sport Fury III
Previous Tercel:Orange 84 Tercel 4wd (aka the pumpkin)
Marty
Newbie
Posts: 11
Joined: Thu Apr 27, 2006 2:56 pm
Location: Port Angeles, WA

Post by Marty »

Are you wearing out those cv axles still? One time t hing? How much do those cost normally?
Sounds like its bacically get some rubber donuts and go to work :)
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simon84
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Posts: 306
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 2:18 pm
Location: Banff, Alberta, Canada

Post by simon84 »

I had replaced the cv axles once already. Then I put about a hundred thousand kms on them (60k miles). Then came the lift and they were making some noise so I replaced them. Maybe a couple of hundred CDN$.
Apparently jeep cherokee springs will fit in the back. Could be a good way to lift the back end.
When I put the rubber spacers in the back, I had to come up with a way to use the spring compressors in a really tight space. It involved loading up the back of the car with as much weight as I could find (big rocks and car batteries) and then fitting the spring compressors on there. Then unload the car, undo the shocks and jack up the car. I also had to cut the groove off only one side of the rubber donut and carve them down just a little to help them fit.
Let us know what you decide to go with for the lift. Pics would be cool.
simon
Driver: 87 Tercel SR5, white, 4ac, weber carb (aka the Tercedes)
Road Tripper:95 Mitsubishi Delica L400 2.8L Turbo Diesel
Motorbike: 94 Kawasaki Ninja ZX6
Project Car:Red 68 Plymouth Sport Fury III
Previous Tercel:Orange 84 Tercel 4wd (aka the pumpkin)
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