Forum for Mitsubishi Delica owners and enthusiasts.
http://www.delica.ca/forum/
). If you re-index you should also remove or cut your upper bump-stops which will greatly increase ride quality and wheel travel.jfarsang wrote:A lot of questions/threads about suspension and handling.
Here's my experience with rear leaf/front IFS vehicles.
FRONT SUSPENSION :
(Cranking Tbars) To raise the front end, you turn the nuts to increase preload on the bars. The rear anchors acts as a lever.
(Re Indexing Tbars) To stiffen the front end, looking toward the front of the truck from the torsion bar, you have to rotate the torsion bar clockwise on the left (our passenger) side by one or two splines and the same spline count for the right on our drive side (turn counter clockwise).
Visually, the rear lever anchor will hang down further now to give room for more adjustment = stiffer ride.
A few important things to remember when doing either :
Make sure you have the weight off the front tires.
Work on a level surface (preferably flat/shop concrete).
Have properly inflated tires. This is imperative because you must be accurate when lifting.
For reindexing, make sure you have the front of the bar seated all the way when you put it back together.
Once done, lower your Delica and drive it back and forth at least 10 feet. This will allow the suspension to settle so you can correctly measure your ride height. I prefer to drive it around some pot holes so that the suspension will flex and settle a bit more.
Be sure to replace your suspension bushings as well. Even though they may 'look' good on the outside, the compound may have broken down inside and will act like a steel washer instead of an energy/rubber dowel.
REAR SUSPENSION :
Some rear ends I've seen on Delica's are either sagging to one side or drooping.
Re-arching or adding a leaf to the rear packs will cause the rear end to be more 'spring' responsive.
Why ?
Vehicles like these (front heavy) tend to sag (IFS/Torsion bar setup) from the factory within a few years of use. Re-indexing and adjusting the ride height is normal.
Just be aware that re-indexing the front torsion bars and/or adding a leaf pack in the rear will make the ride more 'harsh' compared to the 'soft/sagging' ride most Delica's come over with.
A good example would be driving on a highway at 100 km/hr with old shocks, old bushings and sagging leaf springs/torsion bars. Delica would be all over the highway and feel like an uncontrollable wet noodle/brick.
1- Replacing the suspension bushings and shocks will improve the bounce response and the vibration/control over bumps, irregular and uneven driving surfaces.
2- Re-arching or adding a leaf to the rear packs will cause the rear end to be more 'spring' responsive.
3- Re-indexing and level out the torsion bars on the front will cause the front end to have a much more firm response.
Combine all three above and the almost uncontrollable heavy/wet brick/noodle on the highway at 100 km/h will feel like a planted SUV.
#2 is not a necessity. Only if you find the rear either sagging side to side or drooping.
After doing all the suspension (above), my Delica at 120 km/hr feels just as planted as my Jeep and Pajero. I feel confident driving at highway speeds in the US, running beside large rigs and in cross winds (coq hwy).
An average price point to do it all.
4 shocks (gas charged) = $250 / 350
Re-index/level Tbars + alignment = $120 / 240
R&R suspension bushings = $50 /160
$420 (doing it yourself) / $750 (paying shop to do it)
These are average costs which can go down/up depending on what/how/where you get it done.
My total came out to $560.
In my opinion, the low cost trade off for the superior handling makes it a mandatory service item.
Hope this helps some of you contemplating doing it or wondering how to improve your Delica's handling.
Just remember that a spongy, swaying brick is not normal handling for the Delica from the factory and can be unsafe.
Jesse