How we plan on extending the wheelbase is fairly simple, we had already planned on extending the ball joint/heim joint base like Hagen's:


We aren't going to rotate the spring perches as was mentioned in that article, but instead extend the trailing arms, by cutting them in half and sliding some solid tube steel in the centers of them, seperating the two pieces as fas we we needed to, and then welding back together using the solid tube as a spacer. Sort of like this:


The next question would be what size of driveline spacer I might need. Nate's calculations led him to about 1 3/4 inches.

I called Rocky Road's "tech line" and was told that samurai spacers are the same as sidekick spacers? And that I could get a Samurai spacer that was 1 1/2 inches...

It seems to me that Samurai spacers would be smaller, and not the same.

Can somebody clear this up? And what do you all think about extending the wheelbase this way? Will it work? (I just want to put 33's on her!)

Heather

How many inches are you going to extend the arms? If you move it much it looks like you will have to cut the upper spring mounts off the frame and move them back the same amount. I measured mine and there is 2 1/2" between the spring mount and the tube for the upper shock mount. Mikes mod moves the axle back about 1". It wasnt very hard to grind the welds off the spring seats to move them.

Later,
Bill

I called Rocky Road's "tech line" and was told that samurai spacers are the same as sidekick spacers? And that I could get a Samurai spacer that was 1 1/2 inches...

It seems to me that Samurai spacers would be smaller, and not the same.

Can somebody clear this up? And what do you all think about extending the wheelbase this way? Will it work? (I just want to put 33's on her!)

Heather

Late model Samurai is similar to Sidekick. Most, if not all, Samurai driveline spacers have holes drilled for the smaller and the larger flanges.

Good luck, Eric

Can somebody clear this up? And what do you all think about extending the wheelbase this way? Will it work? (I just want to put 33's on her!)

Heather

I'd suggest fabricating completely new arms but if you're going to extend your old arms by sleeving, at least cut your old link at an steep angle so you'll get more weld and a distributed shear point.

-Eric

33s fit by just doing the axle rotation, and some plastic
clearancing for good measure, but just barley, I got no
rubs in the rear at compresion, that I can think of anyway.

I didn't rotate the rear spring pearches eather, Mike said
the springs would fatigue but look at the front springs, they
get more of a angle than the rears, so I think they will be
allright.