Lift Kit (thoughts?)

[bull]

Just throwing a feeler out to see if there would be a market for complete lift kits for the 45 series including the troopy.

I know you can get a few kits already like OME and parobolic (spelling?).

I was thinking of putting together a kit for

SWB
LV
LWB
Troopy 81 and before
Troopy 81 and later


kit would consist of 2" or 4" lift leaf springs, OME or Bilstein shocks, u bolt kit and hardware, bushings.

 

[Crruisercharlie]

If the price is right... need this or soa

 

[merbesfield]

Bull, i have gone thru this and just bought the OME kit after much research and talks with Matt who used the Parab. and said they "suck" and would recommend OME if he had it to do over again. The full suspension kit has been delivered and is on the shop floor now. i will post some pics. the only prob. i am having now is the supplier, MAF did not have the greaseable shackles and SOR does not have them either. have had conversations with Paul at SOR and need to caliper some stuff tomorrow and then make a few more calls to get to the bottom of the shackles deal. more on that later. to me if you are going to lift it and have a quality ride, the only way to go is OME. but they do cost. but hey you can't take it with you.


edit:

can someone out there answer some questions?

1. Are the rear shackles/bolts on the 45lpb different than those of the rear of a 45LV?
2. Are the front shackles/bolts different size than the rear shackles/bolts on the LV, or are they the same size F&R?

Paul at SOR is saying they are different front vs. rear? MAF is saying any shackle as long as they are "stock size" will work? if i remember, all the bushings are the same size and are all in one or two bags from OME? if that is the case than logic would be front and rear are the same size, no? Help.

 

[cruiser_guy]

I got greaseable shackles and pins as well as the poly bushings from SOR last spring for the '67 FJ45LV. The ones I got fit well without any slop. A whack with the mallet and the bushings went in and another whack with the mallet and the pins and shackles went in, snug like it should be but not beaten in. I used a set of stock LV springs from another 'mudder (the ones on my truck were a bastardized set from who knows where). We'll see how the ride height is once the truck is finished.

I think the front and rears were different but I'm not where the LV is right now. It's in Central America and I'm in Canada! I can let you know when I'm back down there in a month or two.

I did have some bad luck with a greaseable shackle on my '60 from SOR. The bolts ovaled out the holes in the shackle and required replacement after 2-3 years. This only happened on one side. Maybe it wasn't tight enough or it was a bad shackle, I don't know. We'll see what happens with the LV and the '55.

 

[merbesfield]

thanks cruiserguy, SOR is saying they are different but i bought all new springs from OME and all the bushings i believe are the same so i think that is where the confusion may be? SOR is saying they are different, but MAF says no?

 

[cruiser_guy]

Does OME still make springs for the LV?!? That is a little hard to believe. I'm looking for springs for the '55 and am having a hard time and we both know there are way more '55's than 'LV's.
I know SOR has them but I'm looking at other places too.

 

[bull]

You can get the OME lift for the SWB,LV and LPB?

Bull, i have gone thru this and just bought the OME kit after much research and talks with Matt who used the Parab. and said they "suck" and would recommend OME if he had it to do over again. The full suspension kit has been delivered and is on the shop floor now. i will post some pics. the only prob. i am having now is the supplier, MAF did not have the greaseable shackles and SOR does not have them either. have had conversations with Paul at SOR and need to caliper some stuff tomorrow and then make a few more calls to get to the bottom of the shackles deal. more on that later. to me if you are going to lift it and have a quality ride, the only way to go is OME. but they do cost. but hey you can't take it with you.


edit:

can someone out there answer some questions?

1. Are the rear shackles/bolts on the 45lpb different than those of the rear of a 45LV?
2. Are the front shackles/bolts different size than the rear shackles/bolts on the LV, or are they the same size F&R?

Paul at SOR is saying they are different front vs. rear? MAF is saying any shackle as long as they are "stock size" will work? if i remember, all the bushings are the same size and are all in one or two bags from OME? if that is the case than logic would be front and rear are the same size, no? Help.

 

[fogblanket]

one option that has not been brought up yet is Alcan springs you can get a custom set made up for less thea the OME springs.
I have run OME springs on several different landcruisers and while they are nicer than most out there I am ready to try some custom springs for my lv. one thing I have noticed is that OME don't offer as much lift as they advertise.
on an earlier post some one was asking about shackles. man-a-fre can get you stock shackels for front and back the front being a stock fj40 front and the back being a larger diameter pin. they do not have antiinversion or longer shackles for the rear SOR does and while they are nice there shackle are not nearly as nicly built as the man-a-fre ones. tough call but I would go and am going with man-a-frestock heavier duty shackles front and rear and a 4" alcan spring lift with Bilstein shocks. to me that is getting the most for my money with out going SOA
HTH Jason

 

[merbesfield]

one option that has not been brought up yet is Alcan springs you can get a custom set made up for less thea the OME springs.
I have run OME springs on several different landcruisers and while they are nicer than most out there I am ready to try some custom springs for my lv. one thing I have noticed is that OME don't offer as much lift as they advertise.
on an earlier post some one was asking about shackles. man-a-fre can get you stock shackels for front and back the front being a stock fj40 front and the back being a larger diameter pin. they do not have antiinversion or longer shackles for the rear SOR does and while they are nice there shackle are not nearly as nicly built as the man-a-fre ones. tough call but I would go and am going with man-a-frestock heavier duty shackles front and rear and a 4" alcan spring lift with Bilstein shocks. to me that is getting the most for my money with out going SOA
HTH Jason

Jason, i agree with what you said, but for me I definitely did not want a 4 inch lift and the Alcan's are more money, I called and got a quote, so the OME was a good fit. As for the shackles, are you sure MAF has the stock "greasable" shackles bc when I talked to them they said they did not have them. I asked about the more expensive tri a anti-inversion ones and they were out of those as well. He had nothing stock size to offer. I guess I need to give them a call. SOR does have the stock size greaseable shackles in the stock style, but Paul thinks they will not work with my OME springs and there in lies the confusion.

 

[osagecruiser]

i am following all the suspension lift threads....very confusing for a noobie to the 45 world...someone put together a shopping list if you will kinda like the guys did on the fj55 weather stripping....now that would be nice!...of coarse a kit would be nice to...but first i have to locate some new front spring hangers...mine are all cobbled up by the po.

osagecruiser

 

[merbesfield]

i am following all the suspension lift threads....very confusing for a noobie to the 45 world...someone put together a shopping list if you will kinda like the guys did on the fj55 weather stripping....now that would be nice!...of coarse a kit would be nice to...but first i have to locate some new front spring hangers...mine are all cobbled up by the po.

osagecruiser

easiest thing is to get the OME kit from MAF. I may have hangers, post up a pic of what you need. someone surely has one?

 

[cruiser_guy]

but first i have to locate some new front spring hangers...mine are all cobbled up by the po.

osagecruiser

Front hangers are identical to the FJ40's, I know, mine were also messed up by the PO. In my case the PO installed two FJ55 hangers, both either left or right sides and welded them on. They were out by nearly an inch!!!
I ground them off and bolted on FJ40 ones using the same bolt holes as the original hangers rivets. Much better now.