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Home made 4" lift for 1990 loyale quistions


Prwa101
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I'm getting ready to do a lift in my 90 wagon ea82, soon to be ej22. I've seen people make them using Just 2x4x.25x1" blocks, and putting them anywhere where they are needed. Such as 4 to drop the subframe with the motor, couple to space the tranny and rearend, and suspension. And then the stearing exstention.

I've looked at sjr's lifts and it seems like that's all you really need they just make them look a little fanceyer and put there name on it. I do give it to them though they make some sweet stuff!!

 

In a 90 loyale, is it just spacing everything the 4" I want? Nothing fancey has to be fabed?

 

Stearing exstention, it's just 4"?

 

Thanks!

-PRWA

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  • 3 weeks later...
This makes sence! So the strut blocks will be cut an an angle, so it there's no camber change?

 

Yes, cut your strut blocks/tubes to 17 degrees for no camber change on an EA82. I cut mine to 18 degrees to compensate for the 1" suspension lift and add a bit of negative camber. The strut blocks are the hardest part and require the most thought, if you get things wrong, the castor and/or the chamber can be different one side to the other or be the same, but in a direction you don't want. Don't copy the first one exactly..I made two left strut tubes and had to tear one apart to make it a right hand :banghead:

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  • 2 weeks later...

3/16" is not thick enough unless you reinforce it by tieing the blocks together or by boxing the sides in partially. I have seen 3/16" thick blocks bow outward on the sides after heavy off-roading. 1/4" wall thickness is minimum for individual blocks without any further reinforcement IMO. With proper reinforcement the 3/16" will work but it doesn't sound like that was your intention.... welding required.

 

GD

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3/16" is not thick enough unless you reinforce it by tieing the blocks together or by boxing the sides in partially. I have seen 3/16" thick blocks bow outward on the sides after heavy off-roading. 1/4" wall thickness is minimum for individual blocks without any further reinforcement IMO. With proper reinforcement the 3/16" will work but it doesn't sound like that was your intention.... welding required.

 

GD

 

well shoot, yeah i dont have a welder at my house but could go to a freinds to do that if i have to.... although i have two 25"x3x2 3/16" bars right now that i prolly cant take back to trade in... so would instead of just using 2"x3" blocks for the front, could i just cut the steel as a long block, i think last time i measured the front crossmember bolts it was 6" or so so about 7 or 8". so it will be a 8"x3"x2" block so ill only need 4 of thouse for all the spacing in the front? will that be strong enough?

 

im referring to this picture (insted of haveing 4 blocks id just make thouse two long ones)

 

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ZY8ImyyIBsQ/S6rqpXF78KI/AAAAAAAACDQ/choRJDoBIzk/s640/PICT0002.JPG

 

thanks!

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instead of just using 2"x3" blocks for the front, could i just cut the steel as a long block, i think last time i measured the front crossmember bolts it was 6" or so so about 7 or 8". so it will be a 8"x3"x2" block so ill only need 4 of thouse for all the spacing in the front? will that be strong enough?

 

im referring to this picture (insted of haveing 4 blocks id just make thouse two long ones)

 

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_ZY8ImyyIBsQ/S6rqpXF78KI/AAAAAAAACDQ/choRJDoBIzk/s640/PICT0002.JPG

 

thanks!

 

thats how id do it one continuas block at the crossmember and also one long ans one short at the radius tranny mount, at the radiusrod link them together,

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thats how id do it one continuas block at the crossmember and also one long ans one short at the radius tranny mount, at the radiusrod link them together,

 

 

yeah i actuilly show the steel guys a picture of your lifts and the 3/16" is what they gave me. id buy one from you but im poor and paying for school out the ***... and am trying to buy a forester, why'll im working on my loyale.

 

thanks for your help! you guys are awesome! :clap:

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okay i was just thinking about the front suspension blocks today, would a 4x4" or 5x5x4" 1/4" steel tube stood up right, cut at a 17d angle with tabs welded on so it can bolt and go over the rubber on the strut?

 

 

and why in every picture i see the strut blocks, looks like the strut mount is always cocked/spun one way so it dosnt line up at the 17b angle? could just be me... and the way the picture is take..

 

http://www.sjrlift.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/0_4__Lift_Kit_EA_4b144fd82d8c1.jpg

 

http://www.sjrlift.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/4__EA82_Front_St_4b144d943dede.jpg

 

 

thanks

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Having the strut top spun like that makes it easier to bolt together. You can just reach an extension with a wobbly down to get at the strut top bolts. And probably mainly for clearance. When I made my 2" lift blocks with camber correction I had to turn the strut tops so a flat side was on the inside to clear the strut tower.

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Having the strut top spun like that makes it easier to bolt together. You can just reach an extension with a wobbly down to get at the strut top bolts. And probably mainly for clearance. When I made my 2" lift blocks with camber correction I had to turn the strut tops so a flat side was on the inside to clear the strut tower.

 

 

that makes sence,

Do you know how much it's spun?

 

Prwa

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that makes sence,

Do you know how much it's spun?

 

Prwa

 

It shouldn't be spun at all..the struts have bearings in them for turning, but the strut block doesn't rotate. All your doing is moving the strut mount down 4" using a 17* angle, because the strut mount is at 17* degrees from horizon. Its important that the angle points straight towards the center of the rig so you don't have a change in castor. Castor isn't adjustable, so if you get it wrong, your stuck with it. Take your time with your strut blocks and understand what your doing and how it affects your suspension, like I said earlier, the struts blocks are the hardest part. If its too much for you to deal with, used blocks come up for sale, or you can buy them new.

 

I used 4" dia. schedule 40 grade B pipe for my strut blocks and 1/4" plate for my tops and bottoms. Because I went with a 18* instead of a 17*, I had to massage the inside of the towers with a baby sledge, but I'm %100 happy with the results.

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Johnson;1050845']Honestly' date=' if you're bowing 3/16" steel blocks, your car body/suspension is going to be damaged somewhere. As you will be hardpressed to find any piece of the subframe where the stamped metal happens to be thicker than 3/16" of an inch. Not even the metal on the bumper is that thick.[/quote']

 

Its true the unibody is thin all over, but the whole design of a unibody is to disperse the forces over the entire body. The bumper is the same thing, a unibody design, its made from very light metal, but bent and welded the way it is, it certainly holds up to road use.

 

The lift blocks focus all the forces on just the contact area of the lift block and leverage becomes severe. 1/4" may look big on a Subaru, but the lift blocks aren't unibody design and rely on their dimensional size for strength. I wouldn't use 3/16" on anything bigger than a 3" lift unless its a mall crawler that never saw trail time. I've seen pictures of bent 3/16" blocks and heard enough stories to risk it.

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Well if my calcs are right a 1x2x3" 3/16" piece of steel can hold just over 450lbs.

 

So I started making the the crossmember 3" block I made them 7.5" long, and just one of thouse babys will hold over 4000 lbs. I think I'll be just fine with what I got.

 

Scott, I'm going to try and make onE and if it dosnt work out or I can't fond the time, i'll forsure buy one from you, don't have the money right now, trying to buy another car, as is mine is dieing...

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  • 5 months later...

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