How to lift your Tercel 4wd

Here's some good repair guides for your Tercel :) Look here for help first!
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GTSSportCoupe
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How to lift your Tercel 4wd

Post by GTSSportCoupe »

Found this on the French forum. Looks pretty dang easy. Course you'll still wear out your CV joints quickly and maybe have front camber issues... Basically it looks like they placed a spacer between the strutmounts and body (and extended the studs), and rewelded/raised the rear axle bottom spring perches. The rear axle will require longer shocks.

Voila, je suis entrain de monter la Tercel de quelques CM depuis mercredi matin et je viens de finir ce matin.

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La voila avant:

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La voila, maintenant:

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Réhausse du train arrière:

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En bleu l'amortisseur AR en poil plus long

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L'amortisseur avant

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Et voila les centimètres avec en plus des roues en "14" et des pneus en 80[/img]
Current:
91 LJ78 Landcruiser EX5
95 A32 Maxima SE
Former:
87 AW11 MR2 Smallport 4AGZE
93 Taurus SHO ATX
86 AL25 SR5 6spd 4wd
90 AE92 GTS
82 KP61 SR5
85 MX73
87 AE86 GTS 4AGZE
85 AE86 GTS
83 AL21
Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

Spacer lifts freak me out........

How horrible of an idea is cutting and having welded in a 1-3 inch extension on the main control rod/ support thingy? I know a surface weld would be insufficient, but if a shop could weld deep enough, would this be a valid step 1 towards a better lift system? Obviously the strut towers need to be lengthened, the springs replaced, the sways modified or replaced, longer CV's.... You know the whole drill, but it'd make a MEAN 3-4 inch lift. Just think... 235/70R15's! 19% error off stock, 27.95 inch versus stock 22.65.. We could be rollin 28's! lol 2.65 inch lift off tire alone (laughs)

http://www.intercotire.com makers of the famous Super Swampers... Their SSR series come as low as 27 high 9.5 wide in 14 and 15 inch rim specs. Recommended rim width- between 6.5 and 8.5 inches.

Man.. You'd need the 4.10 diffs and at least a 4AC to even TURN those suckers...
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
Gasoline Fumes
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Post by Gasoline Fumes »

I have no problem with spacer lifts, but that particular one scares me. :shock:
The rear "thing" looks like it will fold up with moderate force and the front doesn't look too much stronger.

I'd want solid aluminum spacers in the front and longer shocks and springs in the rear.
shogun
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Post by shogun »

i believe that lift could be made much better, how do they compensate to get the alignment right ?? handling on that car would be crap at best
tercel 4wd custom suspension, under drive pulley, vented brakes, cold air intake, and plenty more to come
Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

Yeah.. Everything has to be lengthened to reach out to the lifted position... Even in the back.. Otherwise the axle assembly swings forward too much.

I think a solid piece, or at least a half-inch thick piece in front would be good. I don't like the idea of giving that much play for those severely lengthened studs to bend/break. Oooohhh... I have an idea... We'll see if I remember it through the work day...

In the back, it at least needs 1 diagonal reinforcement. Maybe 2-3 horizontal... Otherwise it looks alright as a start. Or as a way to mount an adaptive spring-pad for a wider spring from another car with longer travel?
I think we need to revise the shock-mounts... I think we need thicker metal studs on the axles and reinforced sheet metal around the mounting points...
Or maybe if we make a tube frame, create a semi-flat spot in the tubing and mount the shock slightly outside the body? Gives some lift, without the extra travel though...
Oooohhh man... My brain is active right now... Too bad I'm already going to be late for work...
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
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My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Post by ARCHINSTL »

terceldude wrote:...the axle might do some 45 degree or 180 degree rotation or something...
Don't axles do 360 degree revolutions?
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
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Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

Arch... Ummm... Wow man... Are you ok? You aren't normally this anal...

More what we were worried about is it pushing sideways and the support tower folding over. A pretty valid concern I'd vote.

I don't think many of us would know how to tell them TD... heh..

Its not really a spacer lift in the back persay... As there isn't a removable insert put in.. The whole thing is permanantly changed. However the front is very much a spacer... And a fairly weak one too....

A large concern is more of the angles created affecting the stock devices TD. CV Joints being too charp of an angle, camber not being able to adjust quite right... Swaybars being stressed a lot. Things like that.


I actually refer to the full axle housing+internals assembly as the "axle" personally... The axle SHAFTS however are a different story. Just one mans opinion on the matter, whether wrong or right its how I do it and I'm very much entitled to that opinion. We'll try to due'ly note your opinion on the matter as well.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
Mac
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Post by Mac »

a simple solution would be to box in the rear spring perches, then you have no chance of them folding over.

as far as the front, i think using 4 crappy pieces of metal is asking for trouble, especially trying to lenghten the studs on the strut mount with bolts. replacing the studs and making a spacer out of something solid (large piece of polyurathane or metal) would be a better idea.
Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

Or to lengthen, perhaps have the existing screw into the lift attaining apparatus and have the new bolts come out of the top of the spacer, permanantly attached?
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
kamiphloj
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lift rear spacers

Post by kamiphloj »

I put new springs/struts on the front of my terc.These restored stock ride height in the front.The sagged rear springs became a problem.I could not find a source for replacement rear coils.Would love some heavier ones.Ipulled the ones ou of my parts car.They were better.I still ended up taking a chunk of 7 or 8 inch aluminum round stock and machining a spacer to fit the top spring seat recess in the body.It is tapered and radiused and not a piece of cake but they are good.I think they are about 11/2 in.My pusuit was stock level height.Ground clearance is good but everything has a price.Rolling is not good.I am running 185/70 -13 tires with 4.10 gears.Its good.3.73's were a little tall for the clutch.5th gear was only for sometimes. Taller tires would bring that backTo me,the terc is a pretty sweet spot of balanced design.Yes,I like my 4ac and the Weber is an interesting thought . ,but I can't find a good place to hang a cupholder kamiphloj
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Goldie Forever
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My tercel:: Goldie is a 1986 SR5 attualmente con Weber/also owned the first T4WD in STL in late '82
Location: Kirkwood, a 'burb of St. Louis

Re: lift rear spacers

Post by ARCHINSTL »

kamiphloj wrote:but I can't find a good place to hang a cupholder kamiphloj
Oooohhh - Oooohhh - Oooohhh ! Me first ! Me first !
Check out this link; several suggestions, but of course I am partial to my solution...And it still works great!
viewtopic.php?t=1518
Tom M.
T4WD augury?
"Oh, do not ask, 'What is it?' Let us go and make our visit."
T.S. Eliot - "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock"
"Now and then we had a hope that, if we lived and were good, God would permit us to be pirates."
Mark Twain
Typrus
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Post by Typrus »

Well, first off, that'd be an Off Topic question. Second off... Look under your Profile settings.
RIP 10-07- 1984 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

RIP 04-05- 1986 Toyota Tercel SR5 4wd Wagen 6 speed

1st Terc- 1987 Tercel SR5 4wd Wagon 6-speed, Sadly cubed

1985 Tercel Standard 4wd Wagon w/ 3-speed auto, Living a happy life in Boulder last I knew
Gasoline Fumes
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Post by Gasoline Fumes »

Slugger Kanesha wrote:How do I set an avatar on this board? ;)
Spam?
kamiphloj
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Lift safety-Bump steer

Post by kamiphloj »

Refer to Old Hot Rod Book" How to make your car handle"
Was riding in a Durango being sanely driven on a gravel rode.A little chuckhole produced a really exagerated yaw out of the vehicle.15 degrees or so.Near loss of control.I was unimpressed.Terc would not have done it.
Pondered bump steer.If rear axle traling arms are near horizontal.axle centerline describes an arc during travel.The chord of that arc is near vertical,so the chordal height defines the smallest possible change in wheelbase as the suspension travels.Small,insignificant changes if the arms of the 4 link are near horizontal.If a lift causes the arms to slope down to the axle,the wheelbase is shortened as the arms swing down.This increases the change in wheelbase as the sprigs are compressed.Hit a bump,and the axle moves to the rear as it moves upward.The problem is bumps often occur only on one side.As the wheelbase one one side gets longer than the other,the rear axle turns under the car The bumped wheel toes out.The rear axle steers the car's tail end to the bump side.Something to think about.kamiphloj
Like my old Volvo 544 with 4wd.I seldom regret neversieze or threadlocker
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Post by takza »

I get a little "bump steer" with my wagon with 2 donuts per spring...probably due to the weak front struts vs the new Monroe shocks in back.
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