You will know them by the way they hold their tools.
Canada Spring.JPG (115.91 KiB) Viewed 19225 times
08:00: I arrive at Canada Spring. I have made my mind up and the Miss Lil' Bitchi is getting a fortified rear suspension. I carry a lot of weight all the time and the current leaf springs are sixteen years old.
The Jack Goes Under.JPG (117.96 KiB) Viewed 19223 times
No sooner than I arrive that I am backing my baby into the garage and out comes this big pneumatic jack. Garyo told me that this is the place to go.... I bit my lip and smile.
Upsy Daisy.JPG (115.97 KiB) Viewed 19216 times
Up she goes and out come the tools.
Off Come The Boots.JPG (91.87 KiB) Viewed 19215 times
Zip, zip, zip ~ the rear wheels are off.
An Embarrassing Moment.JPG (140.31 KiB) Viewed 19213 times
I stood outside for a moment and looked at her, bravely keeping her composure... Okay ~ too much drama.
Anti-Sway Bar Detached.JPG (122.24 KiB) Viewed 19210 times
Gerry was very informative, explaining everything to me as he and his assistant, Joe, were dissembling the rear suspension ~ here the anti-sway bar is detached.
All The Bits.JPG (106.45 KiB) Viewed 19206 times
Everything was systematically executed. Parts grouped in appropriate places.
(cont.)
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
Detaching The Straps.JPG (115.94 KiB) Viewed 19185 times
In order to take the leaf springs out (to modify them), there are these two steel straps, or braces that need to be detached by heating them up and bending them. And yes I was looking at how close one of them was to one of the fuel tanks.
Springs Are Out.JPG (108.86 KiB) Viewed 19185 times
It's amazing how much you can see when the leaf springs are out of the way.
Boring Holes.JPG (101.06 KiB) Viewed 19182 times
Joe bores the appropriate holes in the new leaf.
Shaping The Leaf.JPG (107.01 KiB) Viewed 19181 times
Gerry takes the leaf and shapes it to the correct arc that matches the other leaves ~ by eye.
Introducing The New Leaf.JPG (102.65 KiB) Viewed 19177 times
They are then assembled into the bundle that makes the rear suspension.
The New Spring.JPG (119.02 KiB) Viewed 19171 times
The new leaf spring is then inserted to it's mounting position.
Putting It Back Together.JPG (86.41 KiB) Viewed 19165 times
And putting it back together requires heating and bending the steel straps. It really was remarkable watching a man with the years of experience that he has (like most in the shop) manipulating these pieces of steel into a working spring system.
(cont.)
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
On Go The Wheels.JPG (105.33 KiB) Viewed 19159 times
On go the wheels and down she comes off the jack.
Sitting Pretty.JPG (107.5 KiB) Viewed 19156 times
The Miss Lil' Bitchi's aft end is now sitting one inch higher than when she came in and is better supporting the weight that I typically have in my wagon.
Gerry & Joe.JPG (108.77 KiB) Viewed 19157 times
It was now just gone 10:00hrs and it had cost me $544.92, which is money well spent. These guys are amazing, they really know their work. I didn't expect that big of a difference in the performance of my wagon but as I carried on driving around with the rest of my day I was floored at how smooth the ride had become. I was driving a lot in the outside lane, over the rougher part of the road with all the uneven manhole covers, potholes, collapsing tarmac and she just glided over it all. For the paved road I keep my forward shocks set stiff (7) and my aft shocks relatively soft (4) and with the short wheel base what it is, it was still a big difference in how she handled in the corners, &c., an' more cowbell, baby!
Tailgate.JPG (86.91 KiB) Viewed 19157 times
I am really impressed.... two thumbs up.
Falco.
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
jfarsang wrote:They do a great job. I sent two guys with Jeeps there last year.
Nice narration.
sasquatch-hunter wrote:I had springs made from them for my Suzuki before. They are cheaper and just as good as the National Springs (from the States).
Thanks, Jesse, Seb ~ I was also impressed with the machines they have in the shop. One of them dates back to the late thirties. It was great hearing about their interests, too, Great people to do business with.
Falco
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
Falco, Nice post, thanks for the shots and the information. And further more to all of the people on this website that take the time to take pictures and post them for the rest of us.
I have been wondering about replacing the rear shocks or leafs and have heard mixed reviews now. My boss is a bit of a motor head and seriously recommended against doing the leafs for the reason that it would ride like a dump truck.
The other option which I have be considering more and more is just doing the rear shocks with KYB's. The reason for doing this upgrade for me would be taking a van of people down to Mexico. But I would also like to do something for me about the spongyness of the ride.
So my question is it looks like you've already done your rear shocks and now the leafs and you say it rides smooth and not too stiff pick-up like?
Life is not just what you make of it, its what you make it.
I carry a bit of weigh in my cargo bay, namely a steel cargo bay shelving unit, which may make a difference. Also, I added one leaf, not more. One guy the day before warned me much the same as your boss: "Get air bags, man". However, I go off road from time to time and air bags have been know to burst in an off road scenario ~ although I understand they are quite good for forest service roads.
One thing to remember is the Delica is not a pick-up truck and the weight displacement is different, they are a mid-engine and typically weigh more than a pick-up, too. I also like to feel the terrain I am on, it's nice to know what the terrain is doing under my wagon. I like thinner soled shoes as well.
At this moment I am not sure if there is an air bag kit for the Starwagon, although I figure that there must be a similar kit out there somewhere. Right now with my new leaf and the Rancho shocks I think I have a pretty nice balance. Having said that, I have yet to try the new leaf in a softer setting, FSR scenario.
Cheers! Falco.
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
nice post falco, im gonna go there after i lift the front do the same and get them to put my shackles on.
have a good thanksgiving i got the outlaws coming so cant make it to the meet.
Cheers, Irish ~ when you go to Canada Spring be sure and get their opinion on shackles & springs, they have been doing it for years and their wisdom maybe useful to you. Also, since my last post I have had the Miss Lil' Bitchi off road, with softer settings on the Ranchos (2) and she performs wonderfully!
Falco.
Sent from my smart pad, using a pen.
Seek Beauty... Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
...... Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare. ~ Japanese Proverb
Good Ship Miss Lil' Bitchi
, I did that just for the photo shoot ~ style, you know... but subtle.
