7 inches of "out of the box" lift

[VXorado]

I just installed a 3" body lift yesterday & thought it would be a good opportunity to show how much lift you can get out of a VX without major modification.

First off, sorry for the dirty VX. I did some test driving on a bumpy dirt road to check for noises & rubbing.

3" body lift + 4" suspension lift (IFS has no downtravel left) with 35x12.5x15 MTR tires.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/106_2159.JPG
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/106_2162.JPG
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/106_2166.JPG


7" of lift makes the 35s look small-ish, I'm pretty sure Boarzhead has a similar amount of lift to fit 37s.

I took pics after the bodylift to show the amount of "out of the box" lift you can get but I don't recommend running your VX with 4" suspension lift. The IFS with no down travel makes the ride extemely rough & the increased angle will wear out ball joints and CVs quickly. To fit 35" tires, you need about 4-5" lift without extreme wheel well cutting. IMO adjusting the vehicle's height with a body lift & suspension lift is a best way to go.

Today I adjusted the suspension lift down 2", which should give me 5" of total lift. I have a 2" diff drop so the CVs are completely level. Now the rear axle has a reduced pinon angle that should stop u-joint vibration I was getting with the 4" of lift.

The 35" tires fit nicely & I have the same ride quality that I had with 32" tires. I left a little rake to anticipate some extra weight in the back.

The end result with 5" total lift:
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/106_2173.JPG
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/2/IMAG02011.jpg
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/106_2174.JPG

[H3_VX]

Awesome! I like how it looks in the final pic. Congrats on a sweet rig!

[VXorado]

Thanks, my VX has been a work in progress for a while but its getting there...

[nfpgasmask]

So wait, do you have a diff drop? How the heck do you have your CVs so straight?? Looks good. How hard was the body lift? Does it mess up your shifter or steering at all? What does it entail?

Bart

[VXorado]

So wait, do you have a diff drop? How the heck do you have your CVs so straight?? Looks good. How hard was the body lift? Does it mess up your shifter or steering at all? What does it entail?

Bart

The cvs are flat because i have a 2" diff drop & 2" ifs lift.

The body lift is not hard it just takes some time. I took pictures of the whole process and will post a how-to soon.

[twalker920]

Awesome! Nice job. Wen need to have a little Denver/Front Range meet up sometime soon.

Can I ask what brand/model lights you have in the rectangular slots by the front plate? The big ones are Hellas, right?

I was thinking along the same lines to have some small driving lights and big fogs on the front. Right now my headlights just don't quite cut it.

[RickOKC]

Both 7" & 5" lift looks great, VXorado!

But I gotta ask... how tall are you?!? I "lifted" my VX 1.5" by adding bigger tires and I can *just* get in comfortably. When I read 5" & 7" lift, I immediately pictured myself climbing in head first & crawling across the driver's seat until I could upright myself. A dopey image, but it made me laugh! :)

[Ldub]

D U D E...:thumbup:

[BigSwede]

I had a similar experience with 4" suspension lift...I didn't mind the ride so much (then again, the RS was not my daily driver), but the rear driveshaft didn't like it. It is much happier at 3".

Did you clearance your lower control arms a bit to make a 2" diff drop?

[VXorado]

Awesome! Nice job. Wen need to have a little Denver/Front Range meet up sometime soon.

Can I ask what brand/model lights you have in the rectangular slots by the front plate? The big ones are Hellas, right?



The big lights are hella 500 & the little ones are cheapo autozone lights that fit nicely & work surprisingly well.


Both 7" & 5" lift looks great, VXorado!

But I gotta ask... how tall are you?!? I "lifted" my VX 1.5" by adding bigger tires and I can *just* get in comfortably. When I read 5" & 7" lift, I immediately pictured myself climbing in head first & crawling across the driver's seat until I could upright myself. A dopey image, but it made me laugh! :)

Ha thats funny because I'm 6'6" and I was just saying how easy it is to get in the VX now that it's "sized correctly"

[VXorado]

Did you clearance your lower control arms a bit to make a 2" diff drop?

no but its close, anymore than a 2" diff drop and the green cup will hit the control arm at upward travel.

[ZEUS]

Yeah the 5" lift looks great! What mods did you have to do to fit the body pucks? Radiator and fan working alright together? Steering shaft? Shifters? Gas filler? Could you also lift the fuel tank or would it hit the frame?

[VX KAT]

But I gotta ask... how tall are you?!? I "lifted" my VX 1.5" by adding bigger tires and I can *just* get in comfortably. When I read 5" & 7" lift, I immediately pictured myself climbing in head first & crawling across the driver's seat until I could upright myself. A dopey image, but it made me laugh! :)



Ha thats funny because I'm 6'6" and I was just saying how easy it is to get in the VX now that it's "sized correctly"

:thumbup: Looks great in the end shot, looks just right. Rick, he's a frickin' giant (well, compared to you and me :laugho:).... in Moab in 2009 my flag pole on my Yakima BASKETwas sagging, and the metal connector kept coming unthreaded....I ask Jon for some help, after trying to jump up at it to fix it...since it's about 9" above the roofline....Jon walks over and tightens it all up, and it was basically at his arm level! :freek: Sure appreciated his height that day! :thumbup:

[pbkid]

HAHAHA!!! its done sir... good job. :thumbup:

:clap:

we still on schedule to go test it out? :)

[Grif]

That looks fantastic. Almost "too high" tho. Perhaps more offset would balance the look.

Awesome job, look forward to your "How I did it"

[RickOKC]

Ha thats funny because I'm 6'6" and I was just saying how easy it is to get in the VX now that it's "sized correctly"

LOL! That's hilarious! :laughing:



Rick, he's a frickin' giant (well, compared to you and me :laugho:).... in Moab in 2009 my flag pole on my Yakima BASKETwas sagging, and the metal connector kept coming unthreaded....I ask Jon for some help, after trying to jump up at it to fix it...since it's about 9" above the roofline....Jon walks over and tightens it all up, and it was basically at his arm level! :freek: Sure appreciated his height that day! :thumbup:
Tall people make me so jealous! But it does keep me grounded in reality - I'm just so enormously, gigantically tall for my family I keep wondering if I'm adopted. But, the averages indicate "probably not!" ;)

[Triathlete]

7 inches out of a box...I have read about those pills but never thought they really worked! :D

[VXorado]

Yeah the 5" lift looks great! What mods did you have to do to fit the body pucks? Radiator and fan working alright together? Steering shaft? Shifters? Gas filler? Could you also lift the fuel tank or would it hit the frame?

Surprisingly the VX is much easier to body lift than a Trooper as I was able to skip most of the steps & have a lot of left over parts. The gas filler hose is long enough but the shifters & radiator need some adjustment. I'm writing up the how-to this weekend so you'll get the full install soon. The fuel tank is mounted on the frame so it cannot move up


HAHAHA!!! its done sir... good job. :thumbup:

:clap:

we still on schedule to go test it out? :)

Sounds good, I want to see how it does on a trail.


7 inches out of a box...I have read about those pills but never thought they really worked! :D

:laughing: Beware of side effects...

[espidus]

The lift looks great. Some questions for ya: What offset and rim width are you running? Also, was getting the linkage extended for the auto-tranny hard with the 3" BL? Planning on upgrading gears or already have?

[VXorado]

The lift looks great. Some questions for ya: What offset and rim width are you running? Also, was getting the linkage extended for the auto-tranny hard with the 3" BL? Planning on upgrading gears or already have?

I thought the wheels were 0mm but I bought a 5th wheel/rim with 0mm and it doesn't match the rest of the wheels. I'm pretty sure the rims are 15x8 with -12mm offset. Having more offset has helped with getting the front wheels to fit while turning.

You dont need to extend the auto linkage, just adjust & its very easy. The transfer case shifter needs to be extended and there are a couple ways to do this.

I haven't re-geared yet & can still get up to 75mph on the highway pretty easily. I have a 12 bolt 3rd sitting in my garage with an ARB locker and 4.56 gearing that I'll install next spring along with a matching front 10 bolt.

[nfpgasmask]

I have a 12 bolt 3rd sitting in my garage with an ARB locker and 4.56 gearing that I'll install next spring along with a matching front 10 bolt.

So you're going with an ARB Airlocker and a set of 4.54s out of an old Trooper?

Bart

[espidus]

By my calculation your tires should stick out about 3.4" more than stock. Would you say that is right? You dont happen to have a front pic showing how much the tires stick out of the cladding do ya?

[VXorado]

So you're going with an ARB Airlocker and a set of 4.54s out of an old Trooper?

Bart

You got it, I found a great deal about a month ago on craiglist. I think i'll buy a 10 bolt with an ARB from Indy4x rather than having an open diff front.


By my calculation your tires should stick out about 3.4" more than stock. Would you say that is right? You dont happen to have a front pic showing how much the tires stick out of the cladding do ya?

Thats probably about right on the difference from stock. I can take a picture a post it after work tonight.

[espidus]

Thanks, I want to make sure that my ride looks good after the planned upgrade. It will help me decide on rims. I do not want to have the mentioned "offset from hell" look talked about here on the forums ( Tom4Bren, no offense ).

[LittleBeast]

Either way you go, that looks awesome and I am sure with the lower angle the CV's will perform and hopefully last better and longer :-) Nicely done I am a huge fan. My next car will probably be an Ironman VX :-) Makes me impatient on ordering my 35's though. I still need to wear my 33's down a little more, haha!

[VXorado]

Thanks, I want to make sure that my ride looks good after the planned upgrade. It will help me decide on rims. I do not want to have the mentioned "offset from hell" look talked about here on the forums ( Tom4Bren, no offense ).

I took some pics with my cell & i'll post them tonight if the quality is okay, otherwise I will use a better camera & post some pics tomorrow. To be honest, I plan on buying rims with 0 mm or +6 mm offset in the near future. I like the tire to be at the wheel well edge or just slightly past it and my tires stick out a bit to much.


Either way you go, that looks awesome and I am sure with the lower angle the CV's will perform and hopefully last better and longer :-) Nicely done I am a huge fan. My next car will probably be an Ironman VX :-) Makes me impatient on ordering my 35's though. I still need to wear my 33's down a little more, haha!

Yeah those mud grapplers last a surprisingly long time.

[Etfren]

Looks great at 5" of lift. I usually dislike body lifts, but that looks good and the decreased wear on parts has me considering it now. If I have trouble clearing my 35's when I get 'em I'll probably look into a small body lift and dropping the suspension down just a bit.

[Ldub]

What's going on here...:_wrench:..:_thinking

Or am I looking at it wrong?

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/106_21741.JPG

[Triathlete]

Looks like that crown nut is way to short and the bj shaft has walked down the spindle a bit. When the nut is tight the cotter pin should be in one of the slots not sitting on top as it is. My aftermarket bj had the shorter nut so I reused the stock nut on mine. Wow, that was a lot of talk about bj's and nuts!

[VXorado]

What's going on here...:_wrench:..:_thinking

Or am I looking at it wrong?

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/106_21741.JPG


Looks like that crown nut is way to short and the bj shaft has walked down the spindle a bit. When the nut is tight the cotter pin should be in one of the slots not sitting on top as it is. My aftermarket bj had the shorter nut so I reused the stock nut on mine. Wow, that was a lot of talk about bj's and nuts!

Bravo, very astute. I was wondering if anyone would notice that ;).

I purchased the ebay special ball joint kit when I was doing my diff drop work earlier this year and found that they sent me the wrong kit because the lower BJs were shorter than the ones needed for a VX. I then ordered a higher quality set of lower BJs & kept the ebay uppers. When installing the uppers I noticed the cotter pin was too low to lock the castle nut, so being anxious to get the VX on the road I used some thread lock to secure the nut & decided to replace the uppers at another time.

I recently notice I have too much positive camber which must be from the upper balljoints as I didn't have any problems with camber prior to their install. I'll actually be installing new uppers this week & then taking the VX for an alignment since I just adjusted the torsion bar lift.

[Ldub]

Bravo, very astute. I was wondering if anyone would notice that ;).

I purchased the ebay special ball joint kit when I was doing my diff drop work earlier this year and found that they sent me the wrong kit because the lower BJs were shorter than the ones needed for a VX. I then ordered a higher quality set of lower BJs & kept the ebay uppers. When installing the uppers I noticed the cotter pin was too low to lock the castle nut, so being anxious to get the VX on the road I used some thread lock to secure the nut & decided to replace the uppers at another time.

I recently notice I have too much positive camber which must be from the upper balljoints as I didn't have any problems with camber prior to their install. I'll actually be installing new uppers this week & then taking the VX for an alignment since I just adjusted the torsion bar lift.

OK, that makes sense...:_wrench:

Just didn't want no bad ju-ju happening to you or your VX because of a possible oversight.

[tom4bren]

Thanks, I want to make sure that my ride looks good after the planned upgrade. It will help me decide on rims. I do not want to have the mentioned "offset from hell" look talked about here on the forums ( Tom4Bren, no offense ).

None taken. I don't mind being the only one with proper offset!!!

[Ldub]

7 inches out of a box...I have read about those pills but never thought they really worked! :D

:laughing:

Did'ja hear they're introducing the blue pills in liquid form?

It'll be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one...:rotate:

A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-aaaaaa...:laughing:

Ldub,

The funny farm

[RickOKC]

7 inches out of a box...I have read about those pills but never thought they really worked! :D


:laughing:

Did'ja hear they're introducing the blue pills in liquid form?

It'll be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one...:rotate:

A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-aaaaaa...:laughing:

Ldub,

The funny farm

But, remember.... BE SAFE! If it lasts more than four hours, consult a doctor. Immediately afterwards, open a Twitter account so you can tell the world and then make t-shirts and pass them out. :laughgray

[samneil2000]

But, remember.... BE SAFE! If it lasts more than four hours, consult a doctor. Immediately afterwards, open a Twitter account so you can tell the world and then make t-shirts and pass them out. :laughgray

ok you guys took this way o/t but i gotta ask... Did that happen?

[tom4bren]

First one to say "pix or it didn't happen" is gonna get a visit from Achmed.

[Cobrajet]

But, remember.... BE SAFE! If it lasts more than four hours, consult a doctor. Immediately afterwards, open a Twitter account so you can tell the world and then make t-shirts and pass them out. :laughgray


ok you guys took this way o/t but i gotta ask... Did that happen?

What? You never heard of Anthony Weiner - The Peter Tweeter (http://www.yankeesdaily.com/post/23756)? Guess you don't watch enough late night TV talk shows.

[samneil2000]

Oh... I know about Weiner-gate, but didn't know the blue pill was involved.

[VXorado]

First one to say "pix or it didn't happen" is gonna get a visit from Achmed.

Please don't PM me pics for the walkthrough, I'll take your word for it :eek:

...and on a more serious note, I should have the body lift walkthrough posted in the "How-To" section this weekend.

[CrnCnn]

I am very interested in your write up. I am in need of new tires soon and if I can do this lift and get bigger tires, that would be awesome.

[VXorado]

I submitted the body lift How-To today. Its not posted yet becuase it needs to be reviewed for approval by admin.

I have driven about 500 miles & 2 offroad trips since the lift with no problems. The drivetrain felt very smooth offroad & I imagine my CVs will last much longer with their new 0 degree angle.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

[JoFotoz]

Dang it man...now ya got me thinking B/Lift too....
...drop the diff, and wind her down a bit!

Just love the straight CV's.

What did the B/L cost?

Thanks..I love the look!

jo

[BigSwede]

Could do that...then you lose some ground clearance of course.

[JoFotoz]

Yup, for sure...


Could do that...then you lose some ground clearance of course.

I'm doing the diff drop anyway....and ( touch wood ) I have rarely dinged the pumkin,
and I'm thinking the trade off relative to CV's may be worth it.

Certainly food for thought..dreams!

jo

[VXorado]

True but with 35s I still have plenty of clearance. Last weekend I went out on the trails twice & didn't even come close to bumping anything. I have 11.5" ground clearance at the front dropped crossmember (lowest point) & have about the same from the rear pumpkin which can only be increased with tire size.

Jo the kit costs about $230-240 after tax/shipping or you could just buy the spacers & bolts seperately from Indy. I didn't use anything in the kit except the spacers & bolts. There are some things you may need & I include those in the how-to.

[JoFotoz]

Thanks !!


Jo the kit costs about $230-240 after tax/shipping or you could just buy the spacers & bolts seperately from Indy. I didn't use anything in the kit except the spacers & bolts. There are some things you may need & I include those in the how-to.

Sounds like the calmini lift kit..many surplus bits!

I look fwd to reading your "How To"

jo

[Bob Barker]

I can't wait to read the how to. I was talking with Boarzhead a bit a few months ago about doing the body lift, seems like your write up will be all that's left to convince me to get it done! I imagine with the body lift, then taking out the rear spring spacers and lowering the front back down I will still be around 4 or 5" if lift and have those so desireable flat half shafts!

[VXorado]

Body Lift How-to is posted. Feel free to PM me with any future questions.

[tom4bren]

Nicely done.

I posted a couple of comments in the How2 so that they'd stay with the writeup.

[BigSwede]

I don't think the diff drop costs much ground clearance, seems like the oil pan hangs down lower than the diff anyway (in stock config). I actually feel the lowered diff protects the oil pan somewhat...

[LittleBeast]

BigSwede I agree.

[VXorado]

Nicely done.

I posted a couple of comments in the How2 so that they'd stay with the writeup.

I read & replied ;). I like the idea of posting questions to the How-to rather than through PM.


I don't think the diff drop costs much ground clearance, seems like the oil pan hangs down lower than the diff anyway (in stock config). I actually feel the lowered diff protects the oil pan somewhat...

The kilbys crossmember killed my front ground clearance because I had to drop it the full 2"+ to get the front skid plate to clear the diff. A stock crossmember wouldn't need to be mounted so low & would eliminate the clearance issues.

[tom4bren]

The kilbys crossmember killed my front ground clearance because I had to drop it the full 2"+ to get the front skid plate to clear the diff. A stock crossmember wouldn't need to be mounted so low & would eliminate the clearance issues.

The Kilbys are stout enough that you could lose the crossmember entirely. Just hafta make some hangers for the Kilbys using the crossmember mounting points & maybe a piece to cover the seam between the plates.

[VXorado]

The Kilbys are stout enough that you could lose the crossmember entirely. Just hafta make some hangers for the Kilbys using the crossmember mounting points & maybe a piece to cover the seam between the plates.

The problem isn't actually the crossmember but the front skid plate clearance with the pumpkin. If I made the crossmember higher, the skid plate wouldn't be able to be mounted any higher because it would hit the pumpkin. Oh well... there is still plently of ground clearance.

[tom4bren]

sawsall????

[BigSwede]

Back when I was looking at installing the Kilbys on the RS, I was thinking of cutting a hole in the front skid for the pumpkin to protrude through...it is pretty tough on its own, and doesn't move in an IFS setup, so it seemed like it would work. Never did install, though.

[VXorado]

Thats a pretty good idea guys, I think I would need a plasma cutter instead of a sawzall...Tom :rolleyes:

If I start dragging the front end, I know what to do for that extra needed clearance. Probably wont find out until Moab next year :_steering

[pbkid]

you work next weekend jon? maybe we could do a little light snow/mud wheeling before the season is up?

[VXorado]

I'm off this weekend Jack but I have family in town. I'll let you know if I can make some plans for Sunday.

[Vehi-Cross-Az]

Looks good
would be neat to see it parked next to a bone
stock Vx too for comparison.

[VXorado]

:thumbup: I'll try to snap a pic next time I hang out with one of the local VXers!