ZUKIWORLD Online | Suzuki 4x4 Editorial and Forum
ZUKIWORLD Discussion Forum => Build Diaries, How-To, DIY => Topic started by: beatthezombie on May 30, 2016, 04:50:20 AM
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Hello there,
First of all it's my first post so this can be seen as my introduction :).
I got a 2001 Grand Vitara with a 2.5L V6 auto about 3 years ago. The car was in good shape and was stock. Since this moment I wanted to give a little more height and larger tires for some light offroading. I wanted to do it properly with mostly new parts so that it could at the same time replace my old rusty parts.
There are not many options to lift a GV. Either it's a spacer kit with stock parts or a complete overhaul with new parts. I didn't want to go the bodylift route since it's my daily driver. For full suspension kits, I've found obviously Calmini 2.5" kit, 4xfourart 3" kit and FTS kit which has some special parts that none of the other kits have.
I bought Calmini 2.5" kit in February 2015 expecting it around May or June. It didn't go as expected. In October I was still not able to get any delay for the kit so I simply cancelled the order. Selling something that is back-order for 1 or more years is quite dumb in my opinion.
I finally decided to order the 4xfourart 3" kit from Turkey. Since I live in Canada, the exchange rate of USD-CAD compared to EUR-CAD made the kit about the same price, including shipping! I had to pay some tax over that but it's not a big deal. It took 2-3 weeks to get it. I've attached some pictures of the parts.
Installation was quite easy, didn't have any problem with rusted parts. I had some trouble with the diff drop brackets since I forgot to loosen the bolts. For the alignment, it was pretty close but required some camber bolt to bring it back to 0.
It has been 4 months from installation and I am happy with the lift, definitely better than stock. I installed BfG KO2 225/75r16 and they fit very well. I've attached pictures in the second post.
I've had a strange noise since the installation of the kit. At speeds over 100km/h when I coast I hear a grinding noise coming from the transfer case area. It seems like it doesn't come from the lift kit since I've asked multiple persons and none has ever had this problem. Will probably have to get it on a lift and spin the tires to replicate the noise.
Here's a little summary of the mods I want to do in order:
-Install manual locking hubs
-Install front steel diff with stubby shaft conversion.
-Make a front steel bumper, maybe rear.
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Here are the extra pictures:
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Looks like you have been busy. Where did you acquire the stub shaft? Is that your new steel diff?
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Yes this is the new steel diff, I completely disassembled it for sandblasting then painted it. The stubby shaft was made in a local machine shop using the flange of the axle shaft and the stubby axle. It measures 126mm. I tested it and it seems to fit with the diff drop brackets. I had to countersunk the mounting bolts otherwise it would've hit the diff drop bolts. The real test will be when I install the gears and the diff in the GV with the CV axle.
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Compared to the stock suspension components, how is the ride now with the new 4Xfourart suspension on road and off? Is it slightly stiffer? More plush? How well does you GV corner in turns now? Is there more body roll when cornering? What do you like about the new suspension most (beyond the actual lift, of course)?
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Ride on road is quite stiff but it doesn't bother me since I like it firm. It handles very well offroad. Plenty of articulation at the rear and the front without the roll bar. I haven't done any extreme offroading yet but on forest roads with rocks and holes it's easy to drive and alignment was still fine after.
With the roll bar and the stiff springs cornering is barely affected. With the stock tires and the lift I didn't feel much difference. Pretty sure it could handle high speed emergency turns without a problem. Bigger tires made it feel different but it's still plenty safe. However when it's windy it tends to move more side to side.
I really like how the suspension kit is made. The small bolt on the panhard bracket to stop it from loosening is nice. I didn't see many other manufacturers with this bolt. Bump stop spacers are nicely made. There is a spacer for the bolted CV axle to relive stress in the diff. The yellow paint :) . The control arms are a must with this lift height and they fitted perfectly. Having a full 3" inch extented strut instead of a spacer is a plus. Up to now I didn't have any problem with the lift kit.
The only thing I wish was better is the paint. It started rusting because of the road salt.
I'm pretty sure the grinding noise I hear is not related to the lift but I have no solution yet.
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Looks good ,if you don't mind what was the kit worth in can$ as im in bc and I see that you are eastern Canada cause I see no mountains in the back ground.
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Sure, it's worth 1300$ CAD, then add about 600$ of shipping and 150$ for the taxes. Indeed I live in Québec. No mountains for us :(. The shipping is quite costly. It had a full insurance and tracking number with TNT express.
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ok thx something to consider when I what to go higher... but all I really want is the A-arms cause it moves the front forward
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It's possible to order parts separately. Also note that there is 2 kit available, the one I got keeps the same wheel base and the roll bar. You can get the other kit with extended wheel base for about 200$ more with extended front control arms and rear trailing arms.
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You can get them separately? I'll have to look into this. Calmini refuses to sell theirs separate, and it's really the only piece I want since I'm on a budget. Lift looks good, very clean and tidy.
Another question for you OP, I assume the ball joints are one that can be obtained easily from most sources, maybe the same PN as a sidekick? Having the option of a bolt on ball joint in enough for me to buy these. I HATE the way the lower ball joint is part of the whole control arm.
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I'm pretty sure the ball joints are the same as a sidekick. Looking at the pictures from the kit and the OEM ball joint I don't see any difference. One way to be sure is to ask them directly by email.
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Well... your GV looks great and I am pleased the parts were well engineered and made.
As far as rust goes... all the metal components, when exposed to flying gravel, sand, salt and everything else the bottom of our vehicles encounter leads to rust. I think the only coating the manufacturers could paint these underbody metal components with so they would be more durable is giving them a base coat of POR 15 (or a similar coating) THEN applying their signature color of paint over the top.
I have spent a lot of time (in the past) cleaning and attempting to keep rust at bay on the frame, arms, and underbody of my vehicles. My Rubicon's entire frame, arms, underbody, axles, inside fenders, battery box and inside the bumpers is coated in POR-15. Around where I live POR-15 costs right at $60 per quart. A little goes a long way though.
Depending on where you live, it can mean the difference of five years of continued structural viability to twenty years. A POR-15 coating doesn't stand up to UV rays though, so you have to coat the POR-15 with regular paint to ensure protection where the surface is exposed to sunlight. I live in an area where apparently salt and salt brine is considered the answer to winter roads. Salt is about the worst for corroding metals. Probably right up there next to battery acid.
New vehicle manufacturers don't appear to mind the advanced frame and body rust though. Rust just ensures more new vehicle sales.
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Interesting product, looked up on Canadian Tire and seems like it's about 60$ too. When I repaint the trailing arms I will make sure to apply some! I really like when the parts I replace are protected by paint but it's frustrating when you have to redo it every year. Thanks for the idea!
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Given your forum name... you should consider one of these for your truck!
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If you opt to try the POR-15, be sure to wear old clothes you don't intend to use anymore, a long sleeve shirt, rubber gloves and a face shield. POR-15 is extremely thin and runny, it will/DOES drip easily if you apply too heavy of a coat... and if you get it on your clothes it is permanent. If you get it on your hands, arms or face it will have to wear off.
If you want to keep your garage or driveway spotless, lay down a drop cloth first as well. Depending on the temp, it takes anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before applying a second coat and it takes about 24 hours to completely set up. Good stuff.
I used two coats of it down in the floor boards of my Rubicon as well, where friction from feet on the fabric had worn the paint off the sheet metal.
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This stuff seems pretty strong. Can I apply it on rust or I must remove it beforehand?
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As I recall... you CAN apply it over rust and it "seals" reduces additional rust from forming. I have always knocked all the surface rust off I could with a wire wheel, then wiped the area down that I'm going to cover in POR-15 with Xylol soaked on a clean rag to clean the surface of any oil or dirt residue, then I give the area two coats of POR-15.
The manufactures of POR-15 market another product you apply to bare metal that "etches" the metal chemically and helps the POR-15 bond to the surface even better.... but I've never used it. When you use the chemical etching agent under the POR-15, you should be able to beat the metal with a hammer and it doesn't flake or crack off the metal. It just sticks to the metal as it becomes more and more deformed.
Obviously, if you paint the POR-15 over existing paint, the bonding will only be as good as the paint to the metal is. Still... the POR-15's resistance to salt, sand and gravel is impressive. Much better even than powder coating.
The other nice thing about POR-15 its texture is MUCH smoother than Herculiner (with the tiny rubber bits in it) or even Monsta liner that paints on really thick and leaves a texture to it. POR-15 is really thin, paints on smoothly and the finsihed surface is as smooth as you can lay it on. I suppose you could shoot it in a spray gun too. Clean-up would suck though and you definitely would want to wear a properly graded respirator if you did.
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It's a bummer that I have already painted my diff. Maybe it will be worth removing the paint I have applied to give a couple of layer of POR-15 before repainting it. Since I don't plan on buying new bearings this summer I may have time to do it. Probably going to apply it using a brush. If there is any drop I can simply sand it off to make it smooth.
It's a pain to remove all the residue in the diff after sanding. I don't want any dirt/paint chip getting in the oil. Now I definitely need to get my hand on 2 more trailing arm to paint them properly :D.
For the underbody, each year I go to a place where they put grease everywhere and it helps for the frame and floor but any other part is still vulnerable to rust.
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If you have a front skid plate, your diff should be good to go the way you have it now or with a coat of POR-15 on it. I try to paint those areas that come into heavy contact with road debris or salt slush or spray. Control arms, axle diffs, underbody, inside fenders and around the battery tray areas. I think that would be the best bang for the buck. One quart of POR-15 will cover a lot of surface area. The important part is to be sure to remove any oil or grit residue so the POR-15 has a clean surface to adhere to on whatever you paint it onto. If the surface/s aren't clean... it won't stick as well as it could have which defeats the purpose of spending the extra bucks on it.
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To provide an example, I replaced my rear lower control arm bushings last year. When I had the arms off, I ran a wire wheel over them, sanded them, cleaned them and then coated them with THREE coats of Rustoleum semi-gloss black (of course). This spring I had some rust appearing on those same freshly painted control arms. When they are down in on the bottom of the suspension, they just take a beating from the elements.
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So for anyone who is interested I looked into obtaining the control arms separately. They were very quick to respond and very polite, which was nice. Here is the breakdown of cost given in the email:
Hello Perry,
Our kit is designed for vehicles up to model year 2005.
The parts that you will need for the control arms are as follows. (Pls see photo attached).
You will also need the ball joints so I have included those. I do not know if you would be able to find equivalents for these in Canada so best to be on the safe side.
- Control arms : 2 x 50 euros = 100 euros
- Bushings for control arms : 8 x 5 euros = 40 euros
- Coil bases for coils : 2 x 18 = 36 euros
- Ball joints : 2 x 30 euros = 60 euros
- Total : 236 euros
Shipping was another 150 euros (reasonable considering where it's from)
I'm not a fan of the $90 CAD (plus duty) for 2 ball joints, even though I asked for part numbers. I emailed them back again to see if there was any way they could disclose that info, as there is no way they manufacture those as well. This is one of the main reasons I want this kit so if he can't give me the PN it's a bit of deal breaker. As you said they look very similar to sidekick ones. I notice you also installed longer tie-rod ends, any chance of measuring that for us? :)
That you so much Beat for being a trailblazer on importing these products to Canada, this could be the start of something great!
I also noticed they don't use visa or paypal. I assume this was the same for you Beat? Wiring money half way across the world without safeguards like paypal and visa also makes me very nervous, but you seemed to have had good experiences
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I will get a measure of the tie rod as soon as I head outside :). I was also worried about the payment method but I went to my bank office and from there I sent the money and it went surprisingly well. Took about 3-5 days to get it there and there was no problem.
I did a lot of search about the company and the people and found nothing suspicious. There was some problem with gears like a bad batch but it was resolved and otherwise everything is fine.
Slight note: if you plan on using TNT as the carrier, here is my experience: Got the kit quickly, no payment at the door( no tax or duties even if the box had been opened at the border). Got a letter 1 month later asking for a signature for the brokerage. I went to the border office and told me it's the way they proceed so sent them the paper by email and got my bill like 2 month later. 150$ of taxes and duties for a 2000$ package. Now that I know how it works I wouldn't hesitate to order other parts.
EDIT: I measured and it's 21.5 cm from the end of the cylinder shaped ball joint housing to the end of the tie rod, right before the bolt. 18.5 cm from the beginning of the cylinder shaped ball joint housing to the end of the tie rod, which makes about 20.0 cm effective length. I don't have the OEM tie rod anymore so I can't measure if it's different.
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Thanks for being so quick with that, I'll compare it mine. They got back to me with the details on the ball joint. The claim that the ball joints are made in house. Details:
We make the ball joints ourselves here in our plant. Most of the joint is ours and we assemble the parts in house. They carry the 4xfourart logo too.
They are stronger than stock joints.
You can buy them from us separately if you need them.
Interesting. Here is a pic too.
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so perry is that for the ones that push your front forward? and I wonder if shipping to the states would be cheaper? I wonder if the AE A-arms would fit the 2 gen there only $800 Canadian with everything they say. So what is all that for pricing in can. funds ......Im lazy to covert :laugh:
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The ones that move the front foward don't have the roll bar mounts as far as I know. So yeah the picture above shows the A arms that move 1 inch foward.
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The quote I included was for the regular kit a arms. The ones that change the wheelbase are 10 euro more each, I asked after. The total for 2 (wheelbase-altering) a arms shipped to my door in Newfoundland is 406 euros, so 595 loonies. (as Beat mentioned this is likely subject to tax too). So the AG ones might be a competitive option if they fit.
What do you guys think of the ball joints? I feel like they may just be re-branded with a stamp... It seems like the salesperson would not let me have the arms without them. I know I'm asking a lot of you beat but is there any way you can snap a pic of the ball joint close up maybe next to a ruler or something? If I can't find a OEM balljoint that fits the A arm I can't buy this is good faith.
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No problem I will go take some pictures and measurement if I can get a ruler in there. Maybe if you have the bolt pattern you could be able to measure it on a sidekick ball joint. I would be very surprised that they are custom made ball joint. My bet is that they are made in house as he says but using the mold of a sidekick ball joint. Also let me know if the tie rod ends are longer if you find out!
EDIT: Here are the measurements I was able to get:
-Distance between the 2 bolt closer to the ball joint: max 71mm min 49mm so distance between center holes is 60mm
-Distance between furthest bolt and closest bolt to ball joint is 70mm and 46mm so center hole are 58mm appart
-Diameter of the balljoint housing is 50mm
-Width of the ball joint at the 2 bolt level is 90mm.
These measure are not 100% precise but I'm pretty sure if you compare it to a sidekick and it's close it should fit.
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You are THE MAN!!! Thanks for these, I have saved them all. This is perfect. I should be down to the garage tomorrow so I can see the difference in them tie rod ends. I had some sidekick parts around but I recently tossed whatever I didn't need, so I don't think I have a ball joint on hand. I'll try pop into one auto-parts stores near me and see if they have one in stock I can pull some measurements off.
P.s. loves getting some measurements in metric, we are the minority around here lol!
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Today I fixed the passenger side diff leak problem on the GV. I had to install the nylon support bearing that Suzuki made. Installation is straightforward, except that it's really annoying to remove the wheel hub and strut to get to it. While having access to the diff, I tried the stubby shaft I had made and it actually fits with the 4xfourart diff drop. I have attached a picture of it. I then proceeded to compare both CV joint and it appears that the mid shaft of the passenger side is about 70 mm shorter than the driver side. Hence I end up with a CV joint that is about 80 mm longer. (10mm of extra for the stubby shaft mod, will compensate for the lift). I'm pretty sure this is too long to fit. I think it would cause problems at full compression when the CV is the shortest.
One solution would be to use the passenger side outer part with the midshaft, then use the inner part of the driver side CV hence having a bolt on shorter axle. The only bad thing about it is that I would still have to carry 2 spare CV joint, while still keeping the easy removal.
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I know someone who is running a 3/8 spacer with his stub shaft (3.75 vs your .393). A trade may solve both your issues. Let me know if you are interested.
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I'm not sure I understand, he runs a stubby on a GV with the driver side CV on the passenger side and with a shorter stubby shaft?
What is troubling me is that the flange CV joint is 2" longer with the stub so I doubt it will replace the stock CV joint. I have a 10mm (0.393") play I can accept because of the extended control arms but that's about it. I don't think changing for a shorter stubby would actually fix the problem, however tell me if I'm wrong, I may have missed something.
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I misread what you were saying.
I read " (10mm of extra for the stubby shaft mod, will compensate for the lift). I'm pretty sure this is too long to fit." Thinking that I knew where there was one 3/8" shorter, which would give you more room.
Are you saying that a fully compressed DS CV with PS stub is 2" longer than a fully compressed PS CV?
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Sorry about that, my statement was not very clear. I will use the attached image as reference. All measures are done when compressed.
-I measured the original Suzuki driver side CV joint, which is 21 7/32 " long, as written in the picture.
-The driver side CV joint with the stubby shaft of 126 mm measures about 26.2" long.
-The passenger side CV joint, assuming the value on the image is true, is 24" long.
Hence the stubby shaft mods gives me a CV joint which is 2" longer than the original joint. I can neglect the .2" as the 4xfourart control arms are longer.
I then proceeded to compare both shaft section and I noted the following:
-The stubby shaft with the inner cup are about the same size as the passenger side inner cup including the shaft.
-Outside cups are identical
-Midshaft of the driver side axle is about 2" longer compared to the midshaft of the passenger side.
So yeah, driver side CV with stubby axle is 2" longer.
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How close to the diff drop brackets is your new stubs flange? Most have a very minimal clearance, and some have used countersunk bolts to hold the flanges together.
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I use countersunk bolts for the flange, but not on the diff drop bracket. They are pretty close, however I don't have a measurement. I could still gain about 0.5" by countersinking the diff drop bracket bolts and shortening the stub.
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I might have found cheap sidekick 4dr 5.12 third members for about 40$ each. Does anyone know if it's a direct swap between the sidekick third and the GV (front and rear) or I must interchange the gears from the carrier? I have manual locking hubs at the front so I could install a "regular" diff carrier without the air actuated 4wd.
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thirds should bolt right up but you will have to use your CV's. the banjo part of the front diff is the same, but just remember that your shaft splines are different from early trackicks 89-95 run 22 spline and 96-98 trackicks run 26 spline.
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Just a quick update:
Thanks beagle..t about the info but I decided not to install 5.12 gears as the difference is negligible compared to 4.88 gears. On the speedo I only gain about 5% and not much torque at the wheel. I prefer to wait 2-3 years to get 5.85 gears to run 33" tires.
I salvaged some outer CV joints with the shaft from the passager side of GVs and they are actually shorter by about 45-50mm (1 3/4 to 2 inch) hence if I make a hybrid cv axle I get a total length of 622mm ( 24.5" ) including the stub. This means that I have only a difference of 12mm (1/2 inch) with the original axle and should probably fit. The only problem is if I break a CV axle, there is no off the shelf replacement, I will try to gather enough parts to make 3 shafts.
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I finally made a hybrid cv axle. It is actually 1.5 inch shorter. I hope this is short enough as the next step is to make the stubby shorter. I probably won't try it out this year as uni is taking all my time but in spring I should try it out. Here is a picture:
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Looks good!
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Hey fellow Canadian! Nice looking rig, now let's see some wheelin' pics! Any particular reason you went with the 4x4art kit over the AlterEgo kit? I like that the 4x4art kit has longer struts instead of spacers. Are they actually 3" longer than factory or are they closer to 1.5" longer like the OME and Low Range HD struts?
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When I bought the kit, Altered ego didn't have the 3 inch lift out. I can't wait to see their 4 inch lift. I didn't measure the struts but they are probably 1.5" longer as 3" longer struts would give too much travel and maybe break the CVs.
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well emailed 4xfourart and asked a bunch of questions shipped to the lower 48 states was 1410 Canadian for the lift and with the shipping was 1650 Canadian. Not bad I thought considering what you get and with a 10 yr warranty. I don't think AE has extended A-arms and its 1300 Canadian so for 350 bucks more I think imo would be a better deal. Now I need to save up the funds for it maybe by spring I can convince the wife ;)
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::) A slight note about the warranty, it doesn't cover the bushing, shock boots and ball joints as they are wear items. I had both front shock boot that dried. I still got a free replacement after some emails but I had to pay shipping + super expensive turkish border inspection. I'm trying to find some aftermarket boots, maybe the procomp green ones, sold on jimnybits.
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Any updates on the passenger CV situation?
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I think I've got a plan to make it work. After much reading, the GV center has a 10 mm offset to account for the air actuated clutch inside the diff, so the passenger stub is 10 mm longer and the driver side axle is 10 mm shorter compared to a vit or a sidekick. A 125 mm stub shaft for a vit would need to be 115 mm for a GV. Mine is 126 mm so I have to cut 10 mm off.
The combination of the passenger side outer CV and axle with the driver side inner gives an axle that is almost right. Without the lift I don't think it would be safe to run it, but as the lift gives 10 mm extra length, it should be good to go.
Here's where I am stuck: I'm not sure that a 115 mm stub will clear the mounting bolts of the diff bracket. To test this I will need to get a new stub made, or fab one myself. I have to find a shop that does that kind of work and find a inner passenger cv or reuse my old one. I might have to countersink the lower mounting bolt, which would be a pain.
Anyhow I will look into it this spring as I also want to get a hidden winch plate and winch, maybe a dual battery set-up, all the wiring and maybe some kind of way to override the air actuated diff to be able to do 2wd low range.
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still have the vibration?
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Still having the vibration. I though that the 1/2 inch driveshaft spacer fixed it but it's the weight in the vehicle that did the trick. I will have to cut the rear springs to 29 cm as the guide says and add some more weight in the front (winch) to balance it out, hoping that it will fix everything.
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I think I've got a plan to make it work. After much reading, the GV center has a 10 mm offset to account for the air actuated clutch inside the diff, so the passenger stub is 10 mm longer and the driver side axle is 10 mm shorter compared to a vit or a sidekick. A 125 mm stub shaft for a vit would need to be 115 mm for a GV. Mine is 126 mm so I have to cut 10 mm off.
The combination of the passenger side outer CV and axle with the driver side inner gives an axle that is almost right. Without the lift I don't think it would be safe to run it, but as the lift gives 10 mm extra length, it should be good to go.
Here's where I am stuck: I'm not sure that a 115 mm stub will clear the mounting bolts of the diff bracket. To test this I will need to get a new stub made, or fab one myself. I have to find a shop that does that kind of work and find a inner passenger cv or reuse my old one. I might have to countersink the lower mounting bolt, which would be a pain.
Interesting. I am running into a similar issue. I just did the shift-on-the-fly elimination by swapping my XL7's diff internals for those out of a Sidekick, and came across an undocumented parts difference between the CV axles. The XL7 uses a slightly larger CV joint and halfshaft, so I was not able to make the hybrid CV like they tell you to in the SOTF elimination instructions on the main page. I think for my purposes it will be adequate to run a Sidekick Sport CV axle at a very slight strength disadvantage, but I was hoping you had figured out how to make the 3-bolt flange work on the passenger side WITHOUT any track-widening mods so that I could just run a driver's side CV on the passenger side. So far I don't know of a single case where a driver's side CV has been successfully installed on the passenger side on a 2nd gen, with or without widening. I believe we are both caught at an "impasse".
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To make the driver side fit without any widening, you will need to shorten the CV axle from the middle section and make a 115mm stubby out of the XL7 inner cv. Then you should end up with a 2 part CV axle with the stock length. The inconvenient thing about this is increased CV angles and parts availability. There is no way to fit a stock driver side axle in the passenger side of a 2nd gen as is. Either you have to make a hybrid CV and have some kind of widening mod or cut the CV to make it shorter. I wish they didn't change the axle length going from sidekick/vit to grand vitara. Would've made all these mods easier.
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It's sad, for the amount of work and messing around, it's almost more worth your while to convert the CVs to Toyota ones using a kit like this one: http://www.zukparts.com/Suzuki-Vitara-to-Toyota-Hilux-CV-Conversion-Kit (http://www.zukparts.com/Suzuki-Vitara-to-Toyota-Hilux-CV-Conversion-Kit)
(that is from a NZ website so when they say "Vitara", you should hear "Sidekick")
I am heading to a well-reputed local welder tomorrow to have the longer Kick stub welded onto the bigger XL7 cup. I won't be making a 3-bolt flange setup though, just keeping the same crappy design and hope I never blow a passenger CV on the trail.
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Anyhow I will look into it this spring as I also want to get a hidden winch plate and winch, maybe a dual battery set-up, all the wiring and maybe some kind of way to override the air actuated diff to be able to do 2wd low range.
2WD low range is as simple as inserting a switch into the circuit - either between the 4WD switch on the transfer case and the 4WD controller or between the controller and the pump.
If the switch is between the transfer case switch and the 4WD controller, it prevents the controller from knowing when 4WD has been selected so it never turns the pump on, if it's between the controller and the pump, it will prevent power from reaching the pump - either way, the pump is not turned on so the freewheel clutch never engages to send power to the wheels.
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This seems pretty easy to do, I will look into the circuit diagram to see where the connectors and wires are located, great idea!
That conversion kit seems very nice, I would really like to get my hands on one, but it will have to wait a couple of years :-\, maybe I will do it at the same time as installing a front air locker or LSD, I have heard that the stock CV's break often when using a locker in the front.