12" LIFT!

[johann_peralta]

12" lift all finished up! i just finished tonight so the pics arent so greatt... i will post more tomorrow! cv angles are perfectly flat, needs a alignment, vlears the 35s easy and will clear the 37s also! no trimming required.

 

 

 

[ryan88pathy]

Can't wait for the how to!

SWEET.

[CDN_S4]

Holy.... Wow that's impressive. Does this mean you are no longer selling it with the 9" of lift?

[johann_peralta]

its being sold with the 12" lift and it also comes with a running and driving spare 97 pathfinder.

Original http://i58.tinypic.com/bhx0zt.jpg



Original http://i59.tinypic.com/317bkba.jpg

Edited May 5, 2015 by RedPath88
Replaced pics with ahardbody's

[ahardb0dy]

Rotated your pics for you:

Edited May 5, 2015 by RedPath88
Thanks - Removed pics and added to pos above.

[Kingman]

How will that handle a hard tire impact?

[Kingman]

I don't mean to sound like a dick but I see no additional bracing for load impact/twisting, missing large washers on the lower bolt heads, not even grade 5 hardware (8 minimum or 10.9), and a way over clearance drilled hole on the upper through-bolt that allows entire movement of the structure. Sorry but it freaks me out. Especially getting sold that way possibly to an unsuspecting buyer.

Edited May 6, 2015 by Kingman

[NovaPath]

How will that handle a hard tire impact?

From the looks of it with a torn off lower control arm. I hope I'm missing something but those bolts look way too small to handle that type of load. Also, is there any cross bracing inside of the subframe drop?

 

It is obvious the OP has much better fabrication skills than I do, so I would assume this has been thought of, hopefully the pictures are just painting a bad image.

 

I definitely admire the ingenuity and originality of this post, but I would like to hear that it is actually safe as well.

[johann_peralta]

none of those silver bolts are the final bolts... they are only there to hold the place of the gold grade 8 bolts that i will be buying soon. hopefully that clears thing up a little. the bolts will be 9/16" and will be big enough to hold the load. also no the holes arent overcleared... as of this moment the bolts are just the first i could find to maintain the structure together, that being said they arent 9/16" so they do not fill the entire hole up. i can assure you there will be proper bolts with washers in before this car ever moves an inch from the driveway. the last thing i want is to endanger anyones life because of my choises. yes there are cross bracing on the rear portion of the a arm/ control arm. and also in the strut tower... the first testing of this lift will be in my own fenced in backyard. if it isnt safe, it wont be leaving the yard. i hope this cleared thing up, the pictures posted werent that specific so they were slightly misleading...

 

I don't mean to sound like a dick but I see no additional bracing for load impact/twisting, missing large washers on the lower bolt heads, not even grade 5 hardware (8 minimum or 10.9), and a way over clearance drilled hole on the upper through-bolt that allows entire movement of the structure. Sorry but it freaks me out. Especially getting sold that way possibly to an unsuspecting buyer.

 

 

From the looks of it with a torn off lower control arm. I hope I'm missing something but those bolts look way too small to handle that type of load. Also, is there any cross bracing inside of the subframe drop?

It is obvious the OP has much better fabrication skills than I do, so I would assume this has been thought of, hopefully the pictures are just painting a bad image.

I definitely admire the ingenuity and originality of this post, but I would like to hear that it is actually safe as well.

 

Edited May 6, 2015 by johann_peralta

[hawairish]

Yeah, I gotta echo Kingman's concerns while trying to not be a dick. Even after those points he mentioned are addressed, you've added a lot more leverage by lowering the control arm points. The pictures don't give nearly enough details as to how, but it doesn't look like there's anything that improves how the subframe is secured to the unibody, like lateral tie-in bars that connect further under the chassis to reduce flex or distribute load. It just seems like a house of cards waiting to topple.

 

Since you had previously stacked SFD spacers (and consequently added additional hardware), you've really just put a lot more stress on those components. My worry is that a good forward bump at the wheels will just pop some nuts off (best case scenario); this could be as simple as coming down a hill and meeting flat surface, where much of the body weight is focused over the front suspension. If those don't give, the unibody pays the price by flexing more than it was intended to.

 

If you're selling it, though, why put the extra energy/money into lifting it more, anyway? I mean, I hope you find the right buyer, but I think you may already be limiting your target audience. Is it also a package deal that they take your other PF?

[johann_peralta]

Yeah, I gotta echo Kingman's concerns while trying to not be a dick. Even after those points he mentioned are addressed, you've added a lot more leverage by lowering the control arm points. The pictures don't give nearly enough details as to how, but it doesn't look like there's anything that improves how the subframe is secured to the unibody, like lateral tie-in bars that connect further under the chassis to reduce flex or distribute load. It just seems like a house of cards waiting to topple.

 

Since you had previously stacked SFD spacers (and consequently added additional hardware), you've really just put a lot more stress on those components. My worry is that a good forward bump at the wheels will just pop some nuts off (best case scenario); this could be as simple as coming down a hill and meeting flat surface, where much of the body weight is focused over the front suspension. If those don't give, the unibody pays the price by flexing more than it was intended to.

 

If you're selling it, though, why put the extra energy/money into lifting it more, anyway? I mean, I hope you find the right buyer, but I think you may already be limiting your target audience. Is it also a package deal that they take your other PF?

i totally understand your concerns. i fixed the bolt/washer issues and took it for a test drive in the yard. it held up fine and nothing got bent or thrown out of shape. every new idea has to start somewhere and then improve along the way right i know there are lots of different ways to improve it in a more strurdy way. im completely open to suggestions and helping tips to improve it. im no pro lol

[hawairish]

I'm glad you're open to the suggestions and constructive criticism here. And definitely don't get me wrong...I totally applaud the effort.

 

We'd need to see better pics of how you did the strut spacers, subframe spacers, and rear control arm blocks to give good feedback.

 

I'm particularly curious to see how you spaced the rear control arm bushings. Did you just do individual spacers, or a full-length tube between the two? The latter would be a good way to achieve the 'missing link', but could also be a tie-in point for running support tubes to some point near the transmission crossmember mounting bolts. I think you basically just need a way to support your stilt-like stance, evident from the front-side pic. That's the pic that shocks me the most.

 

[XPLORx4]

While the strength and reliability is undoubtedly questionable, I'm really curious to find out its road manners with the tie rods at such a severe angle relative to the A_arms. As the front wheels encounter road imperfections, the tires will toe out and in, causing a lot of bump-steer.

 

What do you plan to do to lift the rear 12"?

[johann_peralta]

the rear a-arm bar is one bar that goes from one a arm to the other. it has a big curve in it to go over the front driveshaft. i know a little bit of bump steer will ocure but not too much hopefully. fot the rear i plan to put a little spacer in the driveshaft and extend the links out a little less than an inch. also get new longer coils. i will need a longer diff breathing hose and also a longer drop panhard drop bracket.

[Rebelord]

It's a interesting concept. Like you said gotta start somewhere.

Just need to build up, test, thrash. Find weakness and improve.

I feel the same way about subframe drops. They kinda stilt down the front in a way that I am wary of them. Maybe a 2" isn't so bad.

 

Sent from fat fingers on S6

[hawairish]

the rear a-arm bar is one bar that goes from one a arm to the other. it has a big curve in it to go over the front driveshaft. i know a little bit of bump steer will ocure but not too much hopefully. fot the rear i plan to put a little spacer in the driveshaft and extend the links out a little less than an inch. also get new longer coils. i will need a longer diff breathing hose and also a longer drop panhard drop bracket.

 

The front driveshaft doesn't articulate, and is above the plane between the control arms' rear mounts...so why'd you go over the driveshaft? I also agree with XPLORx4...I think you will have a lot of bumpsteer and it will track poorly, with high probability of bent tie-rods.

 

Still, why go through all this effort if you're trying to sell it? I really think you've reached the point of diminishing returns. We'd get it if you were planning to keep it and wheel it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

To be frank, I've not seen anything that would make me trust your setup, and nothing about this post or the previous 9" Lift! posts seems to make sense to me. I want to be awed, but it hasn't happened. I totally get what you're trying to do and how to accomplish it, but I have serious concerns that it's being done correctly or safely, and I think (hope) the community feels this way.

 

You're flaunting that you've got some ungodly amount of lift on a vehicle that responds poorly to, and is simply not designed for, ungodly amounts of lift without real fabrication. Yet you're completely vague on the details, and the pics just leave us hanging. Either you lack pride and ingenuity in your work, or you secretly acknowledge it might not be safe, but hey: 12" Lift!

 

Again, I really don't want to sound like a dick here (and maybe it's too late for that), but I hope this doesn't see action on the road anytime soon.

 

If my intention was to sell two trucks, I'd be returning one to stock height, selling both separately as-is (or scrapping the donor), selling a tire/wheel package for a pretty penny to some Chevy/Toyota guy, and scrapping some steel. In a dream world, I'd have sold the donor truck, pulled the subframe, and begun SAS'ing it.

[johann_peralta]

 

The front driveshaft doesn't articulate, and is above the plane between the control arms' rear mounts...so why'd you go over the driveshaft? I also agree with XPLORx4...I think you will have a lot of bumpsteer and it will track poorly, with high probability of bent tie-rods.

 

Still, why go through all this effort if you're trying to sell it? I really think you've reached the point of diminishing returns. We'd get it if you were planning to keep it and wheel it, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

 

To be frank, I've not seen anything that would make me trust your setup, and nothing about this post or the previous 9" Lift! posts seems to make sense to me. I want to be awed, but it hasn't happened. I totally get what you're trying to do and how to accomplish it, but I have serious concerns that it's being done correctly or safely, and I think (hope) the community feels this way.

 

You're flaunting that you've got some ungodly amount of lift on a vehicle that responds poorly to, and is simply not designed for, ungodly amounts of lift without real fabrication. Yet you're completely vague on the details, and the pics just leave us hanging. Either you lack pride and ingenuity in your work, or you secretly acknowledge it might not be safe, but hey: 12" Lift!

 

Again, I really don't want to sound like a dick here (and maybe it's too late for that), but I hope this doesn't see action on the road anytime soon.

 

If my intention was to sell two trucks, I'd be returning one to stock height, selling both separately as-is (or scrapping the donor), selling a tire/wheel package for a pretty penny to some Chevy/Toyota guy, and scrapping some steel. In a dream world, I'd have sold the donor truck, pulled the subframe, and begun SAS'ing it.

1 ...my front drive shaft does spin regardless of it being in 2x4 or 4x4... 2, my driveshaft would block the rear a-arm bar because i did a diff drop... so i had to go above it... ive taken it out on the road multiple times now and bump steering is yet to become a real thing. just saying. i dont mind if you or anyone trusts it... to each his or her own opinion. i wont judge. correct me if im wrong but i dont think any vehicles are designed to be lifted. or am i wrong? if i am doing harm here just let me know ill just stop posting stuff.

[hawairish]

Again, sorry if I came off harsh. Definitely not my intention, just saying that this thread and the previous haven't really shown us anything. You've lifted your truck, but it's a mystery how, and I'm puzzled what the point really is if you're not willing to share more details.

 

But you see how details just kind of trickle out, right? There's been no mention of dropping the diff. I'm very familiar with what it takes to drop the subframe, and many other components, having done all that work personally (a couple times actually). I'm very curious to know how you've accomplished it...not to bash you on how to did it, but because I'm genuinely interested to know how you solved this or that problem. I spent months hammering out tiny details just for a trivial 2.5" SFD, but I don't question its integrity at all. I think there's an upper limit using this approach, though.

 

Ok, so you dropped the control arm points and the differential, but obviously couldn't drop the steering rack any further because it sits above the crossmember. But why did you go this route instead of just redoing the subframe spacers? At that point, you have far more room to "safely" brace components. I'd imagine that you could build LH and RH frames (as opposed to individual spacers) that also lower the strut tower position (tied into the OE perches). By keeping the subframe completely intact, you wouldn't have to play with the OE geometries, but now you've got geometries that might be out of spec. It's good you're not seeing bumpsteer, but I'd still be cautious.

Those full-size large 6"-8" lift kits are fundamentally no different than a subframe drop:

Big brace = subframe spacers

New spindles = strut spacers

Nothing about the stock geometry changes, which I think is the best way to approach it if you just want lift.

 

As for no vehicle being designed for lifting, I'd disagree. As for vehicles being designed to be lifted 9"-12", I totally agree for just about anything lacking straight axles (except older Fords with the I-beam style front axles like Rangers and Explorers). Nothing impossible, just some ways are better than others.

 

In all seriousness, I'd love to see more pictures and have this be something we see more of down the line. Again, it's the whole "building it up for the next owner" thing that baffles me. When I sold my Jeep...I pulled off lift springs, sliders, guards...everything...because they added nominal value to the trade-in. Then I sold everything to Joe Jeeper for as much as I paid for them (if not more). That's where the diminishing returns comment came in. Wouldn't it be reasonable to focus your energy and money on the next project?

 

[Rebelord]

Can you imagine if someone made spindle designed for a lift for the R50? That would be something, wouldn't it?

Just not popular enough to warrant it.

 

Sent from fat fingers on S6