[Gwagensteve]

IN2DEP wrote:

But like i said before, the kit is brought so theres no going back now, so hope it gos well

Actually, right now, there's plenty of going back. You have a kit sitting on the floor that's not in the car. You can sell it.

*Deep Breath*

Once it goes in, the process of standing back and congratulating yourself, then crossing it up on a rut and congratulating yourself some more, Then wiping out a Uni, then another one, then another one, then making a track bar, which tears off and wipes out the rear diff housing, then rolling the diff and the $$ for a CV rear driveshaft, then you start going on harder trips, get it on some spooky angles, start to notice that the guys running 31's without SPOA aren't getting as scared as you, then your car falls over and screws up the panels that you weren't going to cut to run the car lower because you thought a car with cut guards look hack.... and then you sell the car for nothing because it's now rough and not engineered, or put it back to SPUA and cut the guards which is what you should have done in the first place except if you had done it in the first place you would ahve saved yourself all the hassle and still had a straight car.

Phew...

Do you have any idea how many times I've seen this pattern?

Have a very careful look at how much work Alien has done to run a SPOA properly. It's just heaps of work. SPOA is not a straightforward modification.

Listen to the people on here who have built LOTS of SPOA cars and are telling you not to do it.

Within 12 months you'll be figuring out what you have to do to take it out.

Steve.

[alien]

I PM'd him some build pics earlier in the week showing how much work it was and suggesting he consult an engineer before doing anything, even if its not going to be engineered he'll at least get some 'real world' advice from a professional.

IN2DEP - listen to steve dude =) only go down the SPOA path if you have a lot of time, patience, and money. I even had bought a 2nd car to drive while mine was being worked on, and kept that 2nd car for 6months after it was done to ensure the reliability of the zuk... thats something else to factor in on a big build i suppose.

[lockdup]

Mine is SPOA, Done By Joe. He has done a great job, and I tough it would be ok for a daily. ITS NOT... If you go SPOA it needs to be done by a pro, and used only as a trail car unless its engineered and you have spent big $$$ on it. I now have two cars and two rego's because o this. Listen to ppl above and save yourself some money

[bazook]

trust me don't do it i just converted mine back to normal

[ajsr]

mine was a spoa kit and I pulled it out and went back spua.
I honestly cant see any real advantage to spoa except there are no shackle fish plate under the diff to snag

In spoa I bent springs like they were going out of fashon , my diff housing cracked near the spring perch (maybe because my perches are in NT config)
and it was tippy as a bitch

[shep]

Spring under is what the awesom dudes have

[skyman]

Coming from the land where everyone goes SPOA, and actually running one with YJ's now, it;s really not needed for 31's. There are easier ways to get 31's under your rig and stay a bit more stable.

That being said it looks like you are determined to go ahead with it, there;s nothing wrong with it if done right for the tire size you run. Here's a bit of advice from what I have learned.

Use the lowest springs possible, and keep any lift (aside from SPOA) to an absolute minimum. Meaning use the lowest perches, and shortest shackles possible to get the job done. get new bushings, I like poly best for stability, but get some new ones either way.Worn bushings make for a sloppy suspension, and handling

Mount the shocks properly to control axle wrap, and limit uptravel. The more uptravel you have (bare shaft showing) the more the vehicle can lean when on a side hill. for example, if your shocks can only travel 1" up, then your vehicle can only lean over 1" before it stops. If you have 6 inches of uptravel, the vehicle can lean 6 inches ot the side before the shocks bottom out and stop it.

Run stiffer shocks than normal, this will keep the body roll to a minimum on the road and at speed. softer shocks allow too much body roll on road and you will not like the way it handles at speed. Shocks are a trade off with a SPOA, the stiffer the shocks & the less uptravel, the worse the ride, but the more stable your vehicle becomes.

Keep your rear shocks mounted vertical, using a "shock re-locator bar" or similar will lean your shocks in, and reduce their dampening effect. It will also make the venter of your vehicle the pivot point making giving a "rolly polly" effect.

Run the biggest offset (wider) rim you can get. Even if you have to build special guards or flat fender, the width is worth it. I run 3.5" backspacing and 1.5 inches spacers. I still want me zook to be wider.

The high steer is a good idea, and almost mandatory for a spring over, just make sure you get one that is legal where you are at.

Lastly, keep in mind your Zook will handle a lot different from the ones you are around that are spring under. You will have more leverage on the springs meaning more flex, more body roll, and less tire lifting, which is great for traction. But, keep in mind that your zook will off road different. What I am trying to say is that you may be bale to take certain lines that spring under rigs cannot, and vice versa. Just because you see a spring under rig take a certain line does not mean that is the line for you.

Done right, they are an excellent modification. Spoa gives great flex, a great ride, and wheel really well. Done wrong they are a night mare, and no fun to drive.

You've bought a nice kit, it looks like it is manufactured by spidertraxx. Make sure it's installed correctly. Take your time to get used to the way it handles before you push it's limits, and you should be fine.

Here's a link to a Trail Tough install kit. The instructions are for a YJ kit, but almost all of the install will apply to you. Sorry for writing a book. There's just a lot to doing a SPOA right, and probably have not covered half of it. If anyone sees a mistake, or disagrees, feel free to set me straight. I hope it helps.

http://www.zukiworld.com/month_050104/f ... nstall.htm

[alien]

^^ thats a pretty good post.

not sure about the uptravel thing though... mines got about 6-7" up travel before the bump stop catches it (shock does not bottom out) and its got about 8" downtravel (just guessing)... i find this almost 50/50 flex to work really well, side angles i slide down the face of the hill before i pick up a wheel, and my layed down shocks are fine thus far.

the big difference in mine though is running a different spring, hilux front leaves on all 4 corners rather than sierra leaves... this means my leaves twist less (theyre wider) but flex more because theyre longer... to my mind i feel it gives a more controlled articulation, as the diff moves the springs tend to not want to twist as much, so their rate gets stiffer as it flexes (sort of) - so its more controlled flex... that and running quite stiff shocks works great on the road.

heres a vid of my zuk passing the 'lane change' test required for engineering:
http://www.youtube.com/user/alieninvasi ... CC2bTANUiQ

this is at 100km/hr - and while the camera dips away, it goes sideways through the last cones and doesnt lift a wheel... in the same test a stock standard AU Falcon lifts a wheel and fails (its in a police report somewhere - google it).

[IN2DEP]

Hey skyman

every bit of info is good info, so that post was good reading, just to let every one know im not going to do the conversion myself lol thats just stupid

im getting the local 4x4 specailest from melton to do it they have worked on sierras before and have had a few comp sierras in there time so they should be capable to do the work

So the job will be done right like i said ive got to get a few more parts then i can get it dont over the hoildays

cheeers
keith

[JrZook]

IN2DEP wrote:

Hey skyman

every bit of info is good info, so that post was good reading, just to let every one know im not going to do the conversion myself lol thats just stupid

im getting the local 4x4 specailest from melton to do it they have worked on sierras before and have had a few comp sierras in there time so they should be capable to do the work

So the job will be done right like i said ive got to get a few more parts then i can get it dont over the hoildays

cheeers
keith

Are these the blokes that you got your SPOA info off?

[ajsr]

...

[Gwagensteve]

IN2DEP wrote:

Hey skyman

every bit of info is good info, so that post was good reading,

how about this bit of the post?

Quote:

it;s really not needed for 31's. There are easier ways to get 31's under your rig and stay a bit more stable.

I know there's a bunch of us harping on about this, but seriously, for 31's, the disadvantages of a SPOA outweigh the advantages.

At 33 or 35", MIGHT make a difference to the decision, it wouldn't for me, I'd still stay SPUA, but it's easier to argue for a SPOA if you actually need around 4" of lift. That's not the case for 31's though.

Have you had a quote from the workshop you're planning on using? How many SPOA conversions on sierras has the workshop performed? Have you spoken to the owners of some cars converted by them to find out how they are going for spring and uni joint life, steering considerations etc? Were they engineered? Even if you don't want to engineer your car, you'd be advised to use a workshop than knows what's required to engineer a SPOA conversion.

I'd reckon they are going to hit you for the best part of 2 days labour. With some miscellaneous parts, you're easily going to be up for $2K for the job. You need to discuss this conversion with them at great length. Otherwise, expect them to throw your kit on, watch you drive out the door, and take no responsibility for the way the car behaves or lasts.

JoeBlow has probably SPOA'd more cars than anyone else. He's converted lots and lots of cars over the years and makes all his own parts for the conversion. I'll vouch that he has the conversions pretty well dialled in and even he's telling you it's unnecessary for your tyre size, and not to use the kit you've bought.

I'm only banging on about this because I can almost guarantee you're going to be unhappy with the outcome. Not immediately, but given time you'll want a lower, more stable and more streetable car.

Steve.

[TZAR]

shep wrote:

Spring under is what the awesom dudes have

Listen to the awesomeness master. He knows the biz......