This man speaks thruth, I'm currently going thru all this crap with a datto 1200 race car, leave the springs stock stiffnes but take that stupid helper spring thing out that johnny was talking about, run some caltracks (kinda like a lower control arm) and mount a panard bar in there aswell if your handy with a welder.
On the note of the shocks, das got a KE70 panel van and we were talking about the rears the other day, we recon that you could make some nice gains by relocating the bottom shock mounts, reworking the top ones and running a shorter shock more vertical as opposed to the shitty, near horizontal when lowered, stock setup. Dad's had no joy in his with shocks coz aswell as not working very well his chews out shocks at a rate of knots, and hes ran everything from shitty monroes to koni's in his van.
Just a thought.
I can see where your coming from sr_rolla. The rear of my ke is fair low now and the shocks look as is there doing absolutely f**k all since there on such a bad angle. Will have to look at re-locating them so that they are vertical. Or maybe even just go coil over eventually.
Alex
coilovering a KE70 P/van/wagon is a pain in the arse, as a starting point tho, look at the front shocks out of pretty much anything that has double a wishbone (holden rodeo, toyota crown, old holdens, hilux's etc) and see if you can get one that has a pin at the top and eyelet at the bottom. Then see if you can get a pair supplied without the telescopic metal dust sheild thingos, so its just a shock and exposed shaft (koni will be able to do this if you talk to toperformance in vic). Then get a coilover kit thats designed for a rear shock (slydar/custom compact should be able to get these if hes getting his coilover kits from where i think he is) and run a real short spring at the rate you want so it all fits under the floor (lovells make a 180mm free height 200lb coilover spring off the shelf that might do the job).
For the 4 link side, i'd get hold of a T18/ra40 T series, even to borrow, and i personally think that if you take the leaves and diff out the lower links off a 4 link T series will go straight into the front leaf spring mount. Then fabricate a box arrangement (like slydars car, no. 11 i think) for the top arms, or just run the short ones as per stock and cut the floor mounts off a sedan, i would put $$ on them fitting to the wagon/van chassis rails aswell. That way u keep your rear seat if you have one.
This isnt the be all end all way of doing it but thats the only way i can think of getting coilovers and a 4 link under a p/van/wags without running towers in the back and losing any carrying space that u have.
I friend ad his rea leafs reset and and one leaf replaced by a spring works for $110 dollars including new bushings for his XF ute. Id be doing that Alex
Thanks Sr_rolla for the input. Ill have to look into getting some sort of suspension setup in the rear along the lines that you pointed out.
The cheapest price i had for springs reset and extra leaf was 200 at springworks moorabbin.
I dunno where your at but if your in sydney, call carrolls springs in smithfield/fairfield area
Alex my mate had it done in Bayswater at a 4wd/truck spring works but they were happy to do cars! Reaaly helpful to us young n00bs.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote