[Damo]

How many leaves do the stock 323s have?

[norm]

hey fellas, just an update..

i just went to "better springs" to get a custom main leaf made to put on the rear pack.. it is going to be 1150 in length, (same as the 323's but couldnt find one today and i want want it asap) hehe,.

ill be using the front leaf pack still but will be replacing the main leaf with the main rear, so it will be just like a RUF..


can anyone tell me whats the max i can move the rear diff back without adding spacers to the drive shaft... iv already got 2 on it..

[Brett]

think you should be more worried about how far you can move the diff back before it smacks into the tank.

[norm]

oh yhe,,, true hey... i think i might just go 15mm,

[Brett]

find out how much they are and if you can get a discount if you get a few sets.

no one in Canberra makes springs and i would have to get some from sydney or some where any way.

i'd be keen for 1 set with the pin 15mm back if there is 2 mains at 1150mm.

if you get just 1 main you'll end up getting really bad axle warp.

who else is keen?

[BlueSuzy]

My front shocks bottom out everywhere normal road driving.They are way too long.Going to pickpay tomorrow to get sum for the moment, this w'end

I dont have much liftnow in the springs, 33"s (really 32) scrub inside the flares on the original bumpstop, will be cutting flares soon (virtual lift)

But alot more flex with stock ruf, Tested with no shocks. But rear still not enough flex..weird, the old 2" flexed more down but not up

mazda 323 wagons have 4 leaf packs stock

[Hybrid]

BlueSuzy wrote:

My front shocks bottom out everywhere normal road driving.They are way too long.Going to pickpay tomorrow to get sum for the moment, this w'end

I dont have much liftnow in the springs, 33"s (really 32) scrub inside the flares on the original bumpstop, will be cutting flares soon (virtual lift)

But alot more flex with stock ruf, Tested with no shocks. But rear still not enough flex..weird, the old 2" flexed more down but not up

mazda 323 wagons have 4 leaf packs stock

Less droop from longer springs is weird. There must be something binding somewhere. You said you tested the ruf no shocks, was the rear test no shocks too?

[BlueSuzy]

Only test on a ramp up on a drain pipe channel, 45degrees ran out of ramp Ramps are crap for flex i figure..

All springs, with no shocks, stock 323, stock rears, all very bouncy

Shackles are all loose, when put in moved easy by hand, all stock rubber bushes

I thought weird too

It felt very steady, even with 1 wheel off the ground in the test. Even with no shocks. She wanted to climb up the 45 degrees, at a 45 degree angle!

Im yet to test it on flat ground with dropouts, yet to find one in my area only for testing.. Last time it flexed huge only with 2" springs. But now with the longer ones....

[norm]

yo bluesuzy, go up northen rd, just near cranebrook if you want to test out the flex on a gap.. just on the side of the road.. not that deep put should show some indication... or i could take you out to drop zone.. there is a part there i call "the FLEX spot".. the gap is about 2m wide aand close to meter deep..

[BlueSuzy]

the flex spot sounds good!

[norm]

Brett wrote:

find out how much they are and if you can get a discount if you get a few sets.

no one in Canberra makes springs and i would have to get some from sydney or some where any way.

i'd be keen for 1 set with the pin 15mm back if there is 2 mains at 1150mm.

if you get just 1 main you'll end up getting really bad axle warp.

who else is keen?

just getting 1 main made up and using the whole standard sierra leaf pack.. its costing me about 230... EXPENSIVE ASS i know,, but I'm impatient and didn't want to stuff around looking..

[Brett]

thats alot!!

83 zook got his for $66 a side.

[BlueSuzy]

Big test today!! Technical rocks and dropouts perfect ride height, feels like i can take on anything slowly no matter how steep it is. Very stable, no balancing acts etc.
Perfect soft ride on road! Handles well over bumps mid corner etc!

Although the catch offroad is...

* I am bumpstoping out on the slightest sudden divot on dirt tracks etc...Farkin annoying.
Solution: Maybe move the shackle mounts front and back so it lifts her alitte off the bumpstop, If it doesnt work, Add another leaf in the packs

* The front diff is alittle too far forward which makes the tyres pretty much fold hard around the front of the wheelwell in the front. Lucky its all smooth. But annoying also.
Solution: Cant redrill as its too little mm to redrill (Holes will join together) Or virtual lift, new under guard sheeting so there is more clearence at the front.

* And she leans alot to the right, Thinking of swapping spring sides

I love the look of tyres in a guard under flexing

[Damo]

BlueSuzy wrote:

* I am bumpstoping out on the slightest sudden divot on dirt tracks etc...Farkin annoying.
Solution: Maybe move the shackle mounts front and back so it lifts her alitte off the bumpstop, If it doesnt work, Add another leaf in the packs

I think the only way you're going to fix that is to up the spring rate a bit. That means more leaves, or thicker leaves. You would have to try a little bit at a time to tune it just right, so you still have a nice ride and good travel, without the bottoming out.

BlueSuzy wrote:

* The front diff is alittle too far forward which makes the tyres pretty much fold hard around the front of the wheelwell in the front. Lucky its all smooth. But annoying also.
Solution: Cant redrill as its too little mm to redrill (Holes will join together) Or virtual lift, new under guard sheeting so there is more clearence at the front.

Can't see that being a big drama, just chop it til it fits.

BlueSuzy wrote:

* And she leans alot to the right, Thinking of swapping spring sides

That might work, but you'll find upping the spring rate will help too.

[BlueSuzy]

Flexxy pics as some will like ... ...Tested today also





A mate being abit cheeky on that last pic

Suzy now flexes as much or more then a stock 08' jk

Found out the rear right main 323 leaf is bent up, Dont know how it happened, may be a freak thing. This is why it leans heaps in the rear on flat ground.. Dont know what to do for the moment..

[BlueSuzy]

As the problems in my buildup have risen... (The bent leafs)

Im am now wondering what to do about the main leafs.

I think im going to be rebending the mazda main straight again and keeping it as a main..

I have found some other leafs the same width and length but the curls for the bushes are the wrong size so i was going to cut them off and use as a 2nd leaf for support with redrilled hole for the locator. They are out of a Ke55 rolla

[royce]

I had corolla in mine, the pins are miles off the right spot

HR holden shackle bushes are the right OD for the spring and ID for the shackle

[BlueSuzy]

Hr holden? Even more rarer then the mazda springs!

Ok so you had corrolas rears with different bushes..The redrilled hole was going to be in the spring if i use it as a 2nd leaf.

I'll be supporting the main leaf again though, dont want to bend anymore!!! But the corrolas are more common at my wreckers!!

[royce]

for what you want to do with corollas would be perfect

[BlueSuzy]

ok sounds awesome like it may fix me! Or suzy

I will be using the mix of the mazdas and corrolas to up the spring rate abit also, keeps bottoming out

And my rufs with some stocko front leafs in..Hopefully it will fix all 4 corners bottoming out and give me cruiseable comfort

[BlueSuzy]

I have done my front with stock springs as ruf, Redrilled 25mm back but kept diff 25mm forward also.... better height so she wont scrub out in normal driving...

Yet to try the mazda springs again, I reset the mazda main leaf to reuse again..It hopefully will give the same ride height as my ruff cos i will be using another main out of a ke55 roller under the mazda, then maybe another rolla main, or rolla leafs mixed with mazdas leafs. Im hoping the arch in the leaf will hold better with 2 or 3 main leafs...then 2nd 3rd etc etc..

[BlueSuzy]

Well.. Snapped my rear right main mazda leaf today

And all i was doing was parrllel parking (cig locker wouldent help)

So now i am in search of something same but different.

It snapped because where i have the diff location, its not in the middle on the diff plates..its on the front edge almost. So the spring has been twisting around the location bolt and snapped. Lucky my 2nd leaf supports the whole pack and bit more! Crawled home..

Man so many dramas in so little time.. I need it driving in 2 weeks!! I am moving!!

[BlueSuzy]

In my front, Ruf.

In my rear, I have been running Ke30/55 rears with 1 ke70 wagon leaf supporting the main. Rear hangar moved, and extended shackles, Still Hilux shocks.

Has been running well with no wrap problems since April 09' (5 leaf packs)

[5ierra]

Grave Dig sorry.

I'm looking at spring options atm... Thinking of using Mazda 323 springs in the rear and 2"rears in the front.

Brings me to my question. how much lift do the 323 springs give? 0? 10"? lol

Can anyone recommend any longer leaf packs for the rear?

Cheers, 5ierra

[BlueSuzy]

Mazdas and corolla's were probably 0 lift straight of the car.. Even -0 probably..

Both sets that i ran i cold reset in a bench press by eye... Then did other pack to match.. by eye..

Unless you can grind and weld, Keep the longest 2" springs you can find..

Corolla's and mazda's are getting rare!

Another option is hilux leafs, but wider. There is a few threads somewhere on here about them.

[JrZook]

As BlueSuzy says those springs are getting rare to find. You do have the option of getting custom mains made up as well tho. What do you really want outta your car? Is it a daily? Do you ever carry loads in the back (ppl included). Took me a while to nut out a setup that worked for teh last two points. Check out my build thread and have a descent read

[5ierra]

Mainly daily driver, dont really care about comfort, i just enjoy driving the car

Will be using it to compete in also...

Reason behind the longer leaves, other then the obvious articulation gains is to soften the ride abit and bring my shackle angles down abit.

At current, i'm running 2" kings all round with boge shocks with WT axels and NT spacing. Works a treat. Shackle angle could be ALOT better though.

Looking at moving the front hanger forward 30mm or so, leaving the front rear hanger in same location and not redrill it. Seeing how that goes. If i get binding in the steering i can move the diff back on the spring perches i have about 25mm.

I carry prett minimal loads (even when camping) so huge capacity springs are not needed. Just after length.

[Highway-Star]

5ierra wrote:

I carry prett minimal loads (even when camping)

Bollocks! You carry a mobile carport!!!!


I have one of Tanshi's CJ-7 front springs on the floor in the shed at the moment, have been playing with it and an LJ81 chassis. 5ierra your welcome to come over and have a look.

I think I will be needing about 70-80mm extra distance between hangers on the chassis (working from 975mm Standard Suzuki rear). I say think, as I have the chassis dimensions of a CJ-7 but don't know the length of the standard Jeep shackles...
Packs are of about 7 or 8 leaves (so ample to play with). Lift is hard to predict, though I am going to buy brand new standard heights for mine, which I think will give me vaguely 30-60mm lift... If they give me more I'll pull them out and reset them lower...
2" lifted and 4" lifted are also available but notably more costly (and taller than I want).

[5ierra]

Highway-Star wrote:

5ierra wrote:

I carry prett minimal loads (even when camping)

Bollocks! You carry a mobile carport!!!!


I have one of Tanshi's CJ-7 front springs on the floor in the shed at the moment, have been playing with it and an LJ81 chassis. 5ierra your welcome to come over and have a look.

I think I will be needing about 70-80mm extra distance between hangers on the chassis (working from 975mm Standard Suzuki rear). I say think, as I have the chassis dimensions of a CJ-7 but don't know the length of the standard Jeep shackles...
Packs are of about 7 or 8 leaves (so ample to play with). Lift is hard to predict, though I am going to buy brand new standard heights for mine, which I think will give me vaguely 30-60mm lift... If they give me more I'll pull them out and reset them lower...
2" lifted and 4" lifted are also available but notably more costly (and taller than I want).

5 poles and a tarp is hardly a huge load

I'll pop over on saturday if your not working?

[Highway-Star]

5ierra wrote:

Highway-Star wrote:

5ierra wrote:

I carry prett minimal loads (even when camping)

Bollocks! You carry a mobile carport!!!!


I have one of Tanshi's CJ-7 front springs on the floor in the shed at the moment, have been playing with it and an LJ81 chassis. 5ierra your welcome to come over and have a look.

I think I will be needing about 70-80mm extra distance between hangers on the chassis (working from 975mm Standard Suzuki rear). I say think, as I have the chassis dimensions of a CJ-7 but don't know the length of the standard Jeep shackles...
Packs are of about 7 or 8 leaves (so ample to play with). Lift is hard to predict, though I am going to buy brand new standard heights for mine, which I think will give me vaguely 30-60mm lift... If they give me more I'll pull them out and reset them lower...
2" lifted and 4" lifted are also available but notably more costly (and taller than I want).

5 poles and a tarp is hardly a huge load

I'll pop over on saturday if your not working?

Its allot of effort to put up though!

Working arvo/night as usual....