For those of you wanting to lift, a thousand bucks is only about one third of the cost (if you can't do it yourself). Beyond the lift kit components (blocks, spacers, shackles) you will need longer shocks, longer brake lines, bigger tires, and torsion bars are highly recommended to reduce body roll (
Ironman MITS017 are the length and upsized diameter). Those components are anywhere from $500 to $1000, plus another $1000 for tires. Beyond that, mechanical ability or be willing to pay at least 10 to 15 hours of shop time to install (or 20 odd hours for oneself to do it).
Other things I have found since putting my lift in:
1. the brace for the motor mounts has to be modified so the front drive shaft does not rub - expect 2+ hours remove and reinstall and 3-4 hours to modify (cut, weld in pieces, paint) - see Gary's original post for his mod;
2. new off set rims - I haven't done this yet, but the upper arms have rubbed a groove on the inside of the front tires, when the torsion bars are cranked, the wheel moves in closer to the control arms and rubs (I'll try to get some pics later), and offset rims will give a lot more space, besides, you need wider or bigger rims to run bigger tires;
3. new u-joints on the driveshafts (not always required) and it sounds like the new angles on my differential has caused it to need rebuilding;
4. body modifications for the bigger tires;
5. increased fuel consumption (bigger wheels weigh more);
6. increased ferry fees - always over height;
7. no parkades (and it may not fit back in the garage)
On the other hand, the ability to put 33" tires on is really cool (these are 33" x 9.5" x 15" - not mine I hope to run 235/85R16's):
As Jesse says, this is a lot of money for looks only. If all your doing is logging roads with the occasional water bar (cross ditch) the stock Delica is very capable. To increase capability on a conservative budget, I would suggest (as with Jesse's sage advice) :
- rear shackles (I have a spare set of Metal Monkey ones for $100 if anyone wants them);
-
upgraded torsion bars cannot be stressed enough, the handling and ride is so much better;
- run 31's on stock rims.
This all saves a lot of hassles and dollars. Also, in general, modifying the vehicle beyond the manufacturers specs put additional stress and wear on components. I expect to replace u-joints twice as often over conventional and also expect other things to break or wear out faster. Fortunately my van is not my daily driver so I can afford to be without it for a few days or weeks at a time.
Thats my 2 bits.
BTW: I lifted mine for a couple of reasons - first to learn how to do it, and second, I do use mine off road in some ugly terrain.
James
