Lifting a Tercel!?!

Guest_offroadTercel · Post by **Guest_offroadTercel** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 4:22 pm

This probably sounds nuts, but my brother and I have a dream of lifting the 1987 Tercel 4x4 enough to get 27" SuperSwampers on it, Suspension Lift only!
Anyone have ANY suggestions?
Of course, noboby makes a lift kit for it, so the offroad store said they wouldn't help.

We are going to visit some junkyards tomorrow and see what we might dig up.
I am thinking it is doable if we get suspension off some truck.

If it comes to it, we are willing to get special parts machined.
Though we aren't sure what we're doing yet, we're determined. This site looks to be the best thing for support online, YES!

icE · Post by **icE** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 4:34 pm

man!! I wanna lift my tercel up so bad! We took it in the dirt pit a few times, and just a stock setup it does awesome. But with huge tires and a huge lift, we can do anything

Have no idear how to go about doing it though. Maybe some older toyota trucks that have lift kits can be used on the tercel

icE · Post by **icE** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 4:34 pm

I probably wouldn't go 27 inches though, maybe 20

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 6:56 pm

Got a welder? As a beginning mechanical engineer, I can offer my support. That is, after my exams are over in 3-4 weeks.

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 7:02 pm

Nothing will fit the Tercel unless you just slap the Tercel bodyshell on the truck chassis. Then you might as well keep the truck engine and tranny and it will be a Toyota truck with a Tercel body. What I'd be more interested in doing, is using the Tercel unibody and adding structural support to the suspension mounting points, and designing custom suspension parts to lift it. That would be much more interesting to me, and more appealing to my taste. If you have the mechanical ability to do the dirty work, and some money to put in (not necessarily a lot) I will do the design work. It's what I love to do.

sacwac · Post by **sacwac** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 11:10 pm

What about making it such that when you press a button, the ENTIRE body lifts up and off of the frame, lifting you 6' into the air. I saw that in some 80's teen movie. Oh. wasn't a unibody, so I would be hard to do with the tercel.

Seriously.... Wouldn't a quick and dirty way to do this would be to get long struts and springs, and just swap them in? It would be like when you lift your car up off the ground, but low enough for the tires to still be on the road. Probably really bad for the car though.

offroadTercel · Post by **offroadTercel** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 7:07 pm

Cool!!
Uh, we're in Tacoma, I don't know where you are 3acpower.

Yeah he wants 27 inch tires, so that would necessitate lengthening the suspension bars in the back, as well as longer bars and drive shafts in the front. The wheel wells could be scooped out in the front a bit more, if the wheels are moved forward a bit. The back will be tougher, because of the doors and the gas tank, but I am not as concerned with that at the moment.
So in the front, since there isn't an axle, we probably want the wheels to come out a little farther from the car with slightly longer drive shafts, and the longer steering rod. Of course it still doesn't have power steering, but we're tough...
So with a little more clearance for steering in the front, and a little creative cutting in the back, i still think it's doable. :ph34r:

icE · Post by **icE** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 8:10 pm

That would be so awesome...then you can use that 4WD to the fullest!

offroadTercel · Post by **offroadTercel** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 4:32 pm

Ok, so he wants to put the biggest engine that will easily go in, for more power.
Somebody suggested the 22RE.

Power steering actually sounds like a better idea now, too.
Didn't they make 4x4 tercels with power steering?

tercel4wdrules · Post by **tercel4wdrules** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 9:08 pm

Of course they made Tercel 4WDs with power steering, my dad's 83 doesn't have it, but I think in 1983 when the car was introduced it was a $150 option (I think as the price goes)!

offroadTercel · Post by **offroadTercel** » Fri Apr 09, 2004 11:16 am

There's a TOY!

A company named Stomper made a toy that is a battery powered 4x4 Tercel lifted with huge tires!

There are a few on eBay, just look for "stomper tercel"!!!

takza · Post by **takza** » Sun Apr 11, 2004 4:13 am

Guest_offroadTercel wrote:This probably sounds nuts, but my brother and I have a dream of lifting the 1987 Tercel 4x4 enough to get 27" SuperSwampers on it, Suspension Lift only!
Anyone have ANY suggestions?

If you search the word "tercel" on some of the Google Toyota groups, there was a guy a while back who claimed he had done what you are wanting to...he got no responses at the time.

DaveG1 · Post by **DaveG1** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 10:35 pm

What about having custom springs made up by a company like national spring in CA?

3A-C Power · Post by **3A-C Power** » Fri Apr 23, 2004 10:50 pm

Custom springs would definitely be the way to go. The tricky part is suspension hardware. New stuff would need to be designed to put wheels that big on. Bending loads at the hub and axle would be increased by the outer tire size when cornering or hitting bumps that bump the tire sideways. It may be a process of using original parts and replacing whatever breaks with stronger stuff.

Thereminator · Post by **Thereminator** » Sat Apr 24, 2004 2:33 pm

How-bowt measuring and determining the larger-size you want,then looking for ones that already exsist(theres alot out-there,right?).Then(and this is the tricky-part),you Dont put 27" tires on it,you put 15s or even wide off-road 14"s.THEN...(Pay Atention),You Dont change every-other component because you rather spend that money off-roading,camping and enjoying what is,Fundamentaly,a nice little off-road vehicle.So if anyone has imfo. on practical lifts,Id love to here it.I got nothing against an engineers challenge,but Im a little woried that turning Tercels into what might-as-well-be-Hummers is going to heavely distract,From those who are(in large numbers I would think) actualy planing on doing a Lift. This Non-Personal and Politicly-Correct Rant,is sponcerd by the Fine Folks at Pepto-Abizmal. :blink: