[swifty_ano]

Quick questions about installing my calmini 3" lift.

The instructions state that you have to replace the bolts in the strut top with the 5/16 bolts. Do I have to? If so, how do I get the old ones out?

Did anyone get the front springs in without spring compressors? I tried but I can't get the bottom to sit in the control arm properly. ( I sat the spring in the top and sat it to where I could on the control arm, started jacking and pushing the spring in the correct direction with my foot but I can't seat it )

[atari4x4]

strut top bolts stay

yes, numerous times

[got_bar_work]

Drop the chassis end of the arm
Put the spring in and jack up the arm

[DarkHorse]

Seat the spring in the control arm and guide it up onto the top mount as you jack it up.

If the springs get close enough that they won't go anywhere and just need a good shove to pop into the groove get everything done and drive it over a speed hump. Will make a horrible noise but should drop in.

[swifty_ano]

Thanks all.

I finally think I have 1 side together. But I have a feeling everyone is gonna make me re do it.
I didn't put that rubber pad that goes between the spring and the chassis... It was the only way I could get it.

My new paint job (control arms) is ruined thanks to my jacking efforts lol

[atari4x4]

did you try swearing at it?

i find it works really well for me & if my neighbours are around i replace shit with struth & cunt with crikey.

you might be alright, but it might end up making funny noises... that rubber pad is wafer thin, surprised you couldn't get it to fit with it in.

oh yeah, mine always gets scratched up, hence using a spray can to paint them black = easy touch up.s

[swifty_ano]

I think it's because my car isn't raised high enough so I couldn't get the jack under the control arm in the right spot.
Think I probably should put that pad in.....maybe haha

My problem is that I have bugger all tools. Right tools make everything 100x easier

[swifty_ano]

Anyone tell me how I can do the upper strut bolt tight? The rubber keeps twisting as I tighten

[atari4x4]

noooooo, please don't do that...

you really need to either remove the complete strut top/strut & put the large thin flat nut in a vice & undo the centre strut nut or if removing them on the car you need to get a big spanner onto that thin flat nut to stop the rubber from being torn when undoing the centre nut.

[atari4x4]

have a look at the bottom of this thread viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35623&p=651942&hilit=strut+mount+flip#p651942

[swifty_ano]

Still going everyone. Half hour every day so far lol
Have it finished tomorrow night I hope!

[atari4x4]

still doing better than Bucket... reckon it took him a month to get his installed.

[Chop]

Hope you've got a front bar or winch organised, swb without some extra weight up front will hammer the struts and be a horrible ride.

[swifty_ano]

It's going to be bloody rough. I was jacking up the spring and the car was lifting before the spring compressed lol
Bumper is on the list

[DarkHorse]

I've got some old shagged ones if you want to swap - will be much softer (and lower and have zero up-travel...)

[swifty_ano]

Finished atlast.
I swear every bolt in that car was seized. All the calmini bushes were impossible to push into the correct place
And my camber was so bad the car was undriveable. I had to trailer it to the tire shop for an alignment.



HOWEVER!!!! It looks farrrrken cool

[DarkHorse]

Nice work Swifty. Good news is the next time you take any of those bolts out it'll be much easier!
Cal bushes can be painful.
You got camber bolts in?


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[swifty_ano]

Yeah I bought camber pins. I had a fiddle but I couldn't get it to a drive able state and considering the tire shop is 15 minutes + on 100km roads, it was safer to tow it there.

The calmini bushes were so tight. Half of them I had to jack into place. That a-arm was the worse to do by myself.
Pics will come my friend, pics will come. Gotta modify the rear tire carrier to suit my 31's.
Next challenge is the transfer gears

[christover1]

May be wise to recheck alignment after its been driven a while and everything has settled in.

[swifty_ano]

So apparently my camber is 5 degrees positive and my camber pins aren't the right ones

[atari4x4]

where did you get the camber bolts from

[swifty_ano]

Low range

[fordem]

Why weren't they the right ones? A Vitara takes 12mm camber bolts (the diameter of the cam) and I'm pretty sure Low Range knows that.

[atari4x4]

fordem wrote:

Why weren't they the right ones? A Vitara takes 12mm camber bolts (the diameter of the cam) and I'm pretty sure Low Range knows that.

+1 whats wrong about them?

[swifty_ano]

I have 5+ positive camber. Apparently the camber bolts are only good for .5 or so.
So now he's asked me to install some kamar camber bolts.

[atari4x4]

and how are his kamar (k-mac maybe?) going to help?

has he got them set up like this for max baseline camber? viewtopic.php?f=17&t=23387&hilit=camber+bolts

sounds like you need a new wheel aligner... get him to set them as above with the little tags horizontal & pointing in towards the centre of the car & adjust it from there. then come back in a couple weeks when the whole lot has had a chance to settle in.

[swifty_ano]

Hes just a know it all. What's odd is the camber and toe in we're terrible.
I took it in and he adjusted the toe in and said he can't do anything for camber. It's the worst he had ever seen rah rah rah. He used to fit suspension And did vitara's at least once a week...,whoever designed the control arms had no idea what they were doubg

[atari4x4]

should have fitted the bolts yourself during the install & just got him to fix the toe while re-centering the wheel by adjusting the tie rods.

once the springs settle a bit the camber wont be as bad, but with no bar/winch/dual batts it's not helping.

pics of camber?

[DarkHorse]

Take it somewhere else.

The only way I can see camber being too bad for the bolts to correct would be if your springs haven't seated properly and the front is sitting 6" higher instead of 3.

That said I had weight over mine and they were pre-sagged when I fitted them, so Gus might have a point.

[atari4x4]

macdaddy spec upside down springs?