Suspension spacers to raise car - Completed!! Lots of pics
stampern
Senior Wagonist
Guys - I have a small problem I've been working on for a while. This summer when I go to Dune Fest in Aug I have to get my wagon and my trailer out into the sand to camp (we're not allowed to park in the parking lots if we are camping overnight). My wagon is lowered at least ~3 inches give or take. This obviously causes a little bit of a problem when trying to get through the sand. Now granted I have coilovers and could easily just raise the car. Since they are shorter struts I'm not sure they will go high enough. So I had an idea. What if I could space the struts up temporarily for the trip then remove the spacers when I get back. This would elimiate 2 things - 1 save me from having to re-level the car and 2 the car wouldn't need an alignment cause the coilovers haven't been touched. I've been working on a simple design in my head that would only add 1 bolt per strut and I could raise the car easily and quickly. See pic:
On the front I would get 2 different size high grade steel pipes - the smaller of the two would slide into the front forks and have the factory bolt secure it. The larger pipe would be welded to the top of the smaller one and the strut will slide into it. I would most likely weld something like what the fork has to squeeze the pipe together and hold the strut in place - whalla - instant raise - no adjustments.
The rear is quite simple, just another "C" style bracket with a heavy duty steel tube welded to the top for the strut bolt. The tube has to go the opposite direction so the spacer doesn't just fall over. So the strut will have to be turned 90 degrees (no biggie).
Do you guys think I would have any problems with this setup if done right?
On the front I would get 2 different size high grade steel pipes - the smaller of the two would slide into the front forks and have the factory bolt secure it. The larger pipe would be welded to the top of the smaller one and the strut will slide into it. I would most likely weld something like what the fork has to squeeze the pipe together and hold the strut in place - whalla - instant raise - no adjustments.
The rear is quite simple, just another "C" style bracket with a heavy duty steel tube welded to the top for the strut bolt. The tube has to go the opposite direction so the spacer doesn't just fall over. So the strut will have to be turned 90 degrees (no biggie).
Do you guys think I would have any problems with this setup if done right?
Comments
Just measure from a common point on the shock somewhere to the bottom spring perch, note all measurements.
Then wind the coilover up the same amount and all 4 corners and measure from that same point to check each corner has gone up the same amount.
When your done, wind them back down to the original point, wont need an alignment as its straight back where it was to start with and you wont have changed anything else
No matter how you cut it, the alignment's going to be out if you raise the car.
I may well be wrong here, but to me the only alignment change you should get when changing the height is camber.
Ive lowered a few cars and not had an alignment straight away, when it has gone for an alignment the only measurement that has been out has been the camber (obviously due to the height change) is this just dumb luck? or do I have skills so secret I dont know about them?
I dont guess alignment will matter too much if your driving on sand for a short distance anyway.
ive been looking to do this on my RT4wd...
but I need to find someone that can make this
wow thats all.... U make it sound simple... but I dont know anyone with a drill press or where to get the materials to make a pair for the front.. gonna swap the rear with a DA ( hoping for the 2 inch or more )
i used to do this for cheap raising on a truck for my uncle. but we sold the drill press and the metal cutter machines.
so yeah....Good luck lol
this is how a lot of the new toyotas are lifted.....
What do you guys think?
Glad to see someone that's not just blowing their pipe dreams in our face, but rather going to the garage and getting shit done!
that looks like it belongs on there.... :!:
like your tow hitch..... :shock:
:arrow: Man I would LOVE to see pix of your ride height differences .....
With the way you designed the rear spacer, the spacer is allowed to rotate in 2-axis, something the original design doesn't account for.
The front is an interesting design, but I think the spacers on top is a more sound design as it spreads the load much better.
Though, as it's pictured above, I'm not all that excited about. With that much material, instead of extending the length of the stud, I would make offset holes with another set of studs, much like the wheel spacers pictured below: