Mighty short cruiser
- Thread starter Gib009
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #63
Check out the article about my truck in 4x4fever.
4X4 Fever - 4WD news, reviews and photos
4X4 Fever - 4WD news, reviews and photos
- Thread starter
- #66
Bit of an update:
Longfields are in
Swivel Hub rebuild was done at the same time
Extended the diff breathers to under the bonnet
Lifted the rear (swapped 2 leaves from a 2inch lift 60 rear pack into my existing pack)
Tie rod ends and relay ends are booked to go in today
I just used the old connections for the diff breathers at least they are high up under the bonnet
The redder leaves are the lifted leaves, i am pretty happy how it turned out, it lifted it pretty much exactly the amount i wanted.
Here is how it sits now. Much better
Still to do:
1 or 2inch body lift (still rubs at front when turning and flexing)
Needs some width (rubs slightly at the rear on inside guards)
Im thinking either wheel spacers or more neg offset rims but not sure yet. Does anyone know the widest 15x8 available? Ones i have now are -22mm
Exhaust
Shocks
Convertor
Locker(s)
And i still wouldnt mind extending the wheelbase 3 more inches but ill have to get the front driveshaft lengthend and im not sure how expensive it will be.
Longfields are in
Swivel Hub rebuild was done at the same time
Extended the diff breathers to under the bonnet
Lifted the rear (swapped 2 leaves from a 2inch lift 60 rear pack into my existing pack)
Tie rod ends and relay ends are booked to go in today
I just used the old connections for the diff breathers at least they are high up under the bonnet
The redder leaves are the lifted leaves, i am pretty happy how it turned out, it lifted it pretty much exactly the amount i wanted.
Here is how it sits now. Much better
Still to do:
1 or 2inch body lift (still rubs at front when turning and flexing)
Needs some width (rubs slightly at the rear on inside guards)
Im thinking either wheel spacers or more neg offset rims but not sure yet. Does anyone know the widest 15x8 available? Ones i have now are -22mm
Exhaust
Shocks
Convertor
Locker(s)
And i still wouldnt mind extending the wheelbase 3 more inches but ill have to get the front driveshaft lengthend and im not sure how expensive it will be.
- Thread starter
- #67
Check out me and my truck in this video, 'A day on the dunes' by 4wdtv.
YouTube - Perth Dunes
YouTube - Perth Dunes
Whats this about a "secret place 100klms north of Perth" ? Looked like good ol Lancelin to me
Great video,good to see some local territory on yootube now and again
Have you colour co ordinated your shovel like Ken Ramsey.
I saw his shiny waeco blue shovel at the 4wd show a couple of weeks back.
- Thread starter
- #69
Nope it was Ledge point. That main dune has got to be steeper and taller than the biggest one in lano. Steepest dune i have ever been down actually quite scary in the shorty thats why i didnt go up it!! Real nice drive i am going to camp in the dunes there soon the beach was real nice too.
Lol yeah the blue 'waeco shovel' how is that advertising at its best.
Come to think of it i havnt got a shovel in my shorty
must get one
Lol yeah the blue 'waeco shovel' how is that advertising at its best.
Come to think of it i havnt got a shovel in my shorty
must get oneHi Graham,
Here's a shot of the BJ74 before the 1" and a bit body lift:
Its got 15x8 Alloys turning 33x12.5x15 Cooper STT's. Since the pick i have also put on 2 inch wheel spacers. The spacers are the reason for the the body lift cause the tyres are scrubbing on the rear of the front guards at full lock.
The reason I used the wheel spacers was that the rims and tyres were chewing out the boots on the tie rod ends and on the left side the steering arm from the knuckle had ground off parts of the weights for the wheel balance. Not pretty! When I did the knuckle rebuild the passenger side was the worst. The knuckle bearings were badly worn and the steering arms were loose.
After the knuckle rebuild and tie rod end and draglink replacement my steering was pretty bad so I went and got a wheel alignment. These guys reckond they knew about 4x4's....what a joke. They reckon I needed to adjust my castor. Thanks to the local 4x4 shop the problem was diagnosed as the bushes on the suspension were knackerd and the draglinks a bit loose. Replace and tighten and everything is sweet.
The body lift went well.... no worries. The Cruiser has a smoother ride now I reckon. The only thing that needed adjustment was the earth lead from the battery to the engine, pretty tight, and the PTO selector stick in the cab doesn't quite slip into gear. Should be fixed with some boot cutting. I didn't have to reposition the radiator shroud which I thought I may have to do.
Next is to move the front diff forward to clear the wheel arches. It still rubs a tiny bit and off road I would be ripping the flares and mud flaps off. Next set of tyres will probly be 10.5 not 12.5 and with a front diff move should be sweet as.
Cheers Mate,
Thanks for the info and I like your rig.
Gav.
Here's a shot of the BJ74 before the 1" and a bit body lift:
Its got 15x8 Alloys turning 33x12.5x15 Cooper STT's. Since the pick i have also put on 2 inch wheel spacers. The spacers are the reason for the the body lift cause the tyres are scrubbing on the rear of the front guards at full lock.
The reason I used the wheel spacers was that the rims and tyres were chewing out the boots on the tie rod ends and on the left side the steering arm from the knuckle had ground off parts of the weights for the wheel balance. Not pretty! When I did the knuckle rebuild the passenger side was the worst. The knuckle bearings were badly worn and the steering arms were loose.
After the knuckle rebuild and tie rod end and draglink replacement my steering was pretty bad so I went and got a wheel alignment. These guys reckond they knew about 4x4's....what a joke. They reckon I needed to adjust my castor. Thanks to the local 4x4 shop the problem was diagnosed as the bushes on the suspension were knackerd and the draglinks a bit loose. Replace and tighten and everything is sweet.
The body lift went well.... no worries. The Cruiser has a smoother ride now I reckon. The only thing that needed adjustment was the earth lead from the battery to the engine, pretty tight, and the PTO selector stick in the cab doesn't quite slip into gear. Should be fixed with some boot cutting. I didn't have to reposition the radiator shroud which I thought I may have to do.
Next is to move the front diff forward to clear the wheel arches. It still rubs a tiny bit and off road I would be ripping the flares and mud flaps off. Next set of tyres will probly be 10.5 not 12.5 and with a front diff move should be sweet as.
Cheers Mate,
Thanks for the info and I like your rig.
Gav.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #73
Hi gav nice looking 74 you have there. How anoying is it once you do one thing you always have to do something else to counter the problems caused by the thing in the first place! How much body lift did you do and is that picture with the BL in? Nah i say keep the 12.5's i would even say next set go 35's. Once you relocate your diff forward and your body lift then i dont think you will have a problem. No point in going 10.5's unless your going back to 31's.
Hi Graham,
Got the photos post lift and spacers. Rides better and looks meaner.
This is how the front mount looks. I kept the lower rubber mount to act as a shock absorber and switched out the top rubber mounts for the new poly body blocks.
The lift went well and it was pretty easy. 2 inches would definitely require new flexible brake and cluch hoses, radiator shroud repositioning, gear stick mods and possibly fuel filler lengthening... possible other stuff. 1" is easy. 120 bucks all up.
The spacers have caused the bulk of the problems. They have made the front wheels rub. The lift has eased some of the pain but I still need the front diff moved.
Speaking of every mod requires 3 mods to fix the first 1..... Did u have any probs or other issue moving your diff? The steering geometry would be the same on our cruisers so I thought I'd ask. Do u just redrill the diff mounts and bolt it back together and your right to go.
Cheers mate.
Let me know how u get on with the build up.
Gav.
Got the photos post lift and spacers. Rides better and looks meaner.
This is how the front mount looks. I kept the lower rubber mount to act as a shock absorber and switched out the top rubber mounts for the new poly body blocks.
The lift went well and it was pretty easy. 2 inches would definitely require new flexible brake and cluch hoses, radiator shroud repositioning, gear stick mods and possibly fuel filler lengthening... possible other stuff. 1" is easy. 120 bucks all up.
The spacers have caused the bulk of the problems. They have made the front wheels rub. The lift has eased some of the pain but I still need the front diff moved.
Speaking of every mod requires 3 mods to fix the first 1..... Did u have any probs or other issue moving your diff? The steering geometry would be the same on our cruisers so I thought I'd ask. Do u just redrill the diff mounts and bolt it back together and your right to go.
Cheers mate.
Let me know how u get on with the build up.
Gav.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #75
Hi gav, you have got me thinking with that 1inch lift. I might try it, i am having problems sourcing the front two bolts what length bolts did you need? I read on this site that i need 220mm (for the front two, and 150mm for the back ones) for a 2inch lift so i will just need 195mm bolts for a 1inch lift is that right? What size where your other bolts at the back. I may try the 1inch first and then if thats not enough i can always put the factory mounts on + the 2inch blocks... a bit more work but it will be worth it because i am not keen on the 2inch BL i just want 'enough' and nothing more.
Also i am thinking of getting spacers, what problems are you having? I might try the 1inch spacers thats all i really need to get the rear wheels out from the chassis a bit.
No probs moving front diff, only i had to loosen, twist and retighten a clamp on the steering arms (see 'how to fit 35's on a bj74' thread) because it was just nicking the dirt of the other steering arm. Like i said in the pm as long as you dont go over 25mm you will be fine.
Also i am thinking of getting spacers, what problems are you having? I might try the 1inch spacers thats all i really need to get the rear wheels out from the chassis a bit.
No probs moving front diff, only i had to loosen, twist and retighten a clamp on the steering arms (see 'how to fit 35's on a bj74' thread) because it was just nicking the dirt of the other steering arm. Like i said in the pm as long as you dont go over 25mm you will be fine.
Hey mate,
I pretty sure the bolts I used were 200mm for the front and 175mm for the rest. What I did was replace the mounts on one side then take the bolts down to the local bolt shop and bought the bolts + 1" or as close as I could get. I ended up using nylock nuts too. The original set up has a retaining nut and a locking nut so using nylock nuts will reduce the amount of thread you will have to use on the bolts. All the bolts I got fitted well and weren't poking out beyond the chasis mount.
As I said in a previous post I discarded the top mount and used the bottom one as the shock absorber for the body. The only thing you would have to do if you reused the original mount is to drill out the new blocks to fit the crush sleeves that are on the stock ones (see previous post photos) or cut the crush sleeves off cause they may not fit otherwise. The front mounts are actually set up differently to all the other ones but this is no concern when doing the lift.
As far as spacers go you shouldn't have any probs with the back. It may effect the articulation of the back suspension tho cause once the tyre is out past the rear fender it might hit the fender before the bumpstop does its thing. At the front is were i have had issues with the 33x12.5 and I reckon your tyres might rub too. A couple of things you have going for u is the extended shackles and the 1" diff move.
Do the extended shackles give much lift? I want to get some of these too. I need more room for tyres up front. A spring reversal could be an option on the front for me. I haven't measured mine yet but on some suspension set ups if you reverse the front springs u can move your front diff forward. This would probly cause probs with the steering and then I would have to mess about with that as well.
Just trying to find the easiest option to fit the tyres really.
Hope the mods are going good Graham. If you haven't sourced the body blocks yet let me know and you can checkout were I orded mine from as they were good quality and real good value.
Gav.
I pretty sure the bolts I used were 200mm for the front and 175mm for the rest. What I did was replace the mounts on one side then take the bolts down to the local bolt shop and bought the bolts + 1" or as close as I could get. I ended up using nylock nuts too. The original set up has a retaining nut and a locking nut so using nylock nuts will reduce the amount of thread you will have to use on the bolts. All the bolts I got fitted well and weren't poking out beyond the chasis mount.
As I said in a previous post I discarded the top mount and used the bottom one as the shock absorber for the body. The only thing you would have to do if you reused the original mount is to drill out the new blocks to fit the crush sleeves that are on the stock ones (see previous post photos) or cut the crush sleeves off cause they may not fit otherwise. The front mounts are actually set up differently to all the other ones but this is no concern when doing the lift.
As far as spacers go you shouldn't have any probs with the back. It may effect the articulation of the back suspension tho cause once the tyre is out past the rear fender it might hit the fender before the bumpstop does its thing. At the front is were i have had issues with the 33x12.5 and I reckon your tyres might rub too. A couple of things you have going for u is the extended shackles and the 1" diff move.
Do the extended shackles give much lift? I want to get some of these too. I need more room for tyres up front. A spring reversal could be an option on the front for me. I haven't measured mine yet but on some suspension set ups if you reverse the front springs u can move your front diff forward. This would probly cause probs with the steering and then I would have to mess about with that as well.
Just trying to find the easiest option to fit the tyres really.
Hope the mods are going good Graham. If you haven't sourced the body blocks yet let me know and you can checkout were I orded mine from as they were good quality and real good value.
Gav.
- Thread starter
- #77
Hi mate thanks for the info. Yes i have 8 2inch body blocks i got them from ebay for about 70bucks shipped. Hmm i might look for 200mm bolts then see if i have any luck. I already have 6 150mm bolts i just dont want to start ripping things out and then not be able to finish it.
The extended shackles gave me barely any lift because i had such saggy springs. If yours are in good nick they should give you 1inch lift i probably got about 10mm.
Yep a spring reversal will move the diff forward about 45mm which will make the steering arms interfere with one another. Just redrill the spring perch it is real easy and it will give you heaps more room.
Thanks mate i have to say your 74 is looking mean as with that stance.
The extended shackles gave me barely any lift because i had such saggy springs. If yours are in good nick they should give you 1inch lift i probably got about 10mm.
Yep a spring reversal will move the diff forward about 45mm which will make the steering arms interfere with one another. Just redrill the spring perch it is real easy and it will give you heaps more room.
Thanks mate i have to say your 74 is looking mean as with that stance.
Hey mate,
I had 10 body mounts under mine. The shorty must have 8 aye...
Do you have a bolt shop near you. I have a bolts and fasteners shop in town and thats all they do. I'm there all the time getting stuff to replace the old stuff and for installing new bits in the cruiser. The ones for the front must be pretty big cause the guy at the shop was like, wow do you really need a bolt that long. Anyway they had them, the high tension 8.8 or whatever. I was gonna buy them before hand but your better of getting the ones off your cruiser and taking them down the shops and using them as a reference for the new ones. Just to be sure. might save some muckin around. Cost me about 35 bucks for bolts and nuts.....
Hope it all goes well. Keep me up to date and I'll let you know how I go.
Cheers,
Gav.
I had 10 body mounts under mine. The shorty must have 8 aye...
Do you have a bolt shop near you. I have a bolts and fasteners shop in town and thats all they do. I'm there all the time getting stuff to replace the old stuff and for installing new bits in the cruiser. The ones for the front must be pretty big cause the guy at the shop was like, wow do you really need a bolt that long. Anyway they had them, the high tension 8.8 or whatever. I was gonna buy them before hand but your better of getting the ones off your cruiser and taking them down the shops and using them as a reference for the new ones. Just to be sure. might save some muckin around. Cost me about 35 bucks for bolts and nuts.....
Hope it all goes well. Keep me up to date and I'll let you know how I go.
Cheers,
Gav.
- Thread starter
- #79
Yeah i have a few bolt shops that specialise in just fasteners and they didnt have the longer ones that i needed. Ill get onto it this weekend, i might do what you say and just bring the bolts to a shop and get exactly 1inch longer.
Right now im totally rewiring the convertor, the last one i drowned because it was screwed to the floor and all the wiring is a mess. I think ill just rip it all out and start again
Right now im totally rewiring the convertor, the last one i drowned because it was screwed to the floor and all the wiring is a mess. I think ill just rip it all out and start again
Try West Coast Fasteners in Balcatta,thats where the auto parts shops shop
