+2" lift...done it, never again...a few tips for you!

[Iain C]

Well, after much swearing and the loss of a few quid and a few knuckles, it's on.  \:D/

I've got quite a few tips which I shall pass on later, but here are some pictures.  If you are wondering "why" then it's because I have some 265/75s to go on.  Seems to drive fine by the way, bit more body roll but steering feels fine (albeit the wheel needing turning one spline or the tracking adjusting) and it actually rides a lot better for the procomps.

Before...




After...









Edited to add the following tips:

Don't even think about it unless you have a couple of jacks, axle stands, spring compressors, decent socket set, 13mm deep socket (for bolting the rear cones to the top plates) & stilsons. HUGE thankyou to Skibum for loan of spring compressors and another bottle jack! O:)

Don't bother fitting boots to the front shockers, they get in the way and you can't see them.

Consider fitting spacer washers to the bottom of the front shockers above the axle to stop the studs hitting the axle.

The rear shockers' bottom threaded bits on the ProComps are not long enough, you may need to re-use your old shocker rubbers, don't sling them just yet!

Consider having some paint to do under the spring mounts etc, you don't want to be waxoyling over your groovy new kit later on. (However, I was not that patient!  I'll paint it one day...) :^o

Be careful when seating springs, as you wind everything back off make sure that you can actually get the spring compressors out from where they are ending up! #-o

Be aware that should a spring retainer break when you are winding it up, the spring will expand with cataclysmic force, removing brake lines/fingers/head/testicles/anything else in it's way, just bear it in mind! :shock:

My kit did not have enough spring retainer plate bolts/nuts, assuming they all want replacing, you need 8, not 4.

Rear lower spring seat bolts...2 sheared, one undid, one rounded.  Problem is, the bolts come in from the top, so there was not actually enough room to get a ring spanner or socket in from the bottom (no clearance between axle and end of bolt).  Didn't have mole grips, and stilsons/grinder would not fit in to hold the rapidly decaying nut.  In fact, the only thing that did fit in there and saved the day was a tap wrench, the thing plumbers use to do up the nuts on the bottom of bath taps, they are a bit like stilsons with no adjustment, just spring loaded, held in place by a trusty size 11 boot!

Spring retainers...the rears had little washers underneath, they fit between the bottom of the retainer and the top of the lower spring seat, only spotted this when I did the second side and replaced with a new retainer, the first side had them rusted to the underside of the old retainer, will need to put back in at some point!

Wire shock retainers...in hindsight best to remove them and just compress the shocks by hand to get them in...my fronts still have bits of wire in there somewhere, will need sorting later!

Braided hoses, I've yet to fit mine, I'm going to change a few slightly scabby brake pipes at the same time, I'll soak everything in WD40 for a few weeks first!  Have some new pipes handy or perhaps a flaring kit.

Bumpstops...re-used the rear mounting bolts, they were fine, however the fronts really are a bit short, no harm in buying four new ones.  Also get 8 penny washers at the same time, did not come in my kit, sure they'll need them to stop the nuts dissapearing up inside the bumpstops.

Time...I was confident I'd do this in a day, it turned into far longer, allow time and don't start on Sunday lunchtime and be reliant on using it for work the next morning! [-X

Hope this helps!!!

[Disco-Ron]

It would appear to have grown in size aswell...!!!

Do you have check straps on the rear?? i made some for mine from old seat belts!!

[Disco_Stu]

Well done. Now get those big tyres before little girls laugh at those puny things :)

[Iain C]

What, like these ones??? :twisted:

[Lord Shagg-Pyle]

I will be atempting this mod on my nephew's defender. Thanks for the tips. Cheers.
LSP

[BigA]

reading that brought back memories of the enjoyable  :?  couple of days i had fitting mine  :lol:

I still need to fit the extended brake hoses, and i am not looking forward to that, and i have check straps to be fitted too ?

Will look great with the real wheels on.

[beatmasterdave]

great work! looks really good, what size tyres are on it now? looks good as is, but the bigger tyres will be better. i was a it worried about lifting it 2 inches with my 235/70 muds, i gues i could roll like that for a little bit. im planing to put 33/12.50's on it after the lift 8)  :D
thanks for the tips too! i think im going to get everything at the same time. looking at a kit from MM4x4. nice work, get those tyres on!!!!!! :twisted:  :D  :D

[Iain C]

I've removed one of my "tips" :oops: re nuts and bolts, the supplier in question had supplied me the right bits, I just assumed they were for elsewhere!

However, probably worth having a new set uf spring retainer bolts front and rear all round, just in case they shear/round (which they will!!)

[Iain C]

Well, the whole point was so I could fit these... :twisted:





So I went for a play... :D



Did'nt want to cross up anymore than this until I've fitted my braided extended hoses... :?



Er...and I think a camel cut might be required!! :shock:

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[birdy]

Body lifts are a lot of trouble but worth it in the end
but once you start it never ends
so did a 2" body lift
3"font lift
4" rear lift
wide arches
33" boots

[Iain C]

Nice!!!!! :twisted:

[muddymart]

looks really good !! now im getting excited and i want to do mine  :D  :D  :D

[Jamin]

I finished my lift this weekend too. Found the fronts real easy as i was replacing the turrets (You can see my boots :D ). However the rears were a pain as the springs would just not go in even with my spring compressors. Screw driver as leverage and rubber mallet got them there in the end  

I would advise that you soak all nuts for a few weeks with Water Dispersant 40 as this seemed to help alot. The ones that i didnt (rear spring retainers) ended up with the angle grinder treatment for the reasons already mentioned :(  

The rear shockers' bottom threaded bits on the ProComps are a bit short but i got mine on using the new bushes by giving them a good squeeze, good job as the olds were a bit ....well old :shock:

It took 5 hours to do the fronts and a whole day, broken socket ratchet (takes ages to use copressors with a spanner!), broxen axel stand, half the skin off hand and the gilfriends patience for the rears.





pics taken before the rears were done and  on phone cam. (girlfriend "tidied" my digital camera 2 yrs ago!)

[DiscoCWK]

Spring Compressors are a nightmare and imho opinion dangerous!

When I did mine I Jacked the car high enough (supported on 3t axle stands) and then used the bottle jack to lower the axle enough to just lift out the spring which is far safer and saves a lot of time. I did my first rear spring with the compressors and that was enough to convince me to seek and better method. Incidently my kit was missing the front spring retainers!

[Iain C]

Blimey, were you not stretching your brake hoses doing it that way?

[DiscoCWK]

Blimey, were you not stretching your brake hoses doing it that way?

They were 'tight' but I had the extended ones ready to go on anyway  

[stageonesimmo]

Quick tip is to undo the nut holding the 'T' peice on at the top of the rear axle when doing the rears - then when you jack the axle down, as I had too even for a 1.5" lift! - the flwxi will move as far as it can then it gets a bit extra by flexing the copper pipes - its not so far as to bend them beyond the natural give in them, but it lets the axle move down a lot further.....

As for the fronts - I just looked at mine as I was jacking the axle down and thought, "Oh wel,,never mnd...."

[Iain C]

Couple of weeks have gone by and after trundling round with the MTs on the modulars, I've deciding that "yes I can live with them" and "no I can't be bothered to swap between off road and on road setups" so I got the MTs taken off the modulars and put on the freestyles.  I know that the modulars are better off road, but to be honest I'm going to be seriously unlucky to break an alloy and I think the looks are well worth it.

I have to say, I reckon it looks the badger's nadgers!!!!  :twisted:

[sparkyshep]

its not too bad a job i used a 2 poster ramp at work took 2 of us 6 hours to fit all of it and a winch bumper and winch including the wiring would not advise it without air tools and a ramp landys are heavy if they fall on you best of luck with your mods :D  :D [/list]