Rocha Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 I searched and I searched.... but still my question remains... check out my thread to see my current ride. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=82814 The car is a 1983 Brat GL with A/C. I am going to put a 4/3 or maybe a 3/3 lift on it. Later it will get some 14" rims with something under 27" for A/T tires. It is my daily driver and will have mostly road miles, but I take it offroad plenty. My question is about my AC compressor interference. What will I have for problems with a 4/3 or 3/3 lift? I would prefer a 4" front, but if it takes a lot more fabrication, it is not worth the extra inch to me. So I have seen the mount someone made in the USRM to raise the compressor. And I have read in the old BYB instructions about cutting off some studs hanging off the bottom, and then bashing under the compressor on the wheel well a bit. Were those mods for the 4" or 3" lifts? Could someone here tell me what they had to do to fit the AC and lift? Any personal or firsthand experiences with a 4" or 3" lift would be appriciated! Thanks for the help!!! If you can find a thread where this was covered in detail, please post the link, I could not find any that answered my question. On a side note, I will most likely be making my lift. I just can't drop the cash for a premade lift right now. If it was complete and the price was right, I would, but having to buy new shocks and the mod some things anyways, I might as well do it myself. I'd be spending over $500 with shocks and all shipped, daaamn. I know steel ain't cheap, either are bolts, but I have access to a full machine shop, and I can certainly cut and drill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 With a three inch front lift it takes a lot of bashing with BFH to make room for the compressor. I did it and kind of regretted it. Much better to move the compressor in my opinion. Or get a smaller compressor if you can manage that. There's a really small and light a/c compressor out there (from a toyota car I think) that works really well for onboard air systems as well as for making cold air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archemitis Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 i hear ya on the lift rocha, if you can find the bolts and steel localy, it wont cost too much. i used chevelle rear shocks, and they were 15 bucks each, 4 inch longer and fit with minimal modifications. just buy the strut tower extensions from SJR, the hundred bucks or so is well worth it, it took me several days, and a few tries to get it right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocha Posted December 10, 2007 Author Share Posted December 10, 2007 Thanks for the replies... anyone else out there have any lift/AC experience??? I won't have any trouble getting a good deal on bolts and steel, it is just a matter of finding the right size bolts, haha. I want to do this all in one sitting, and prevent as much running around as possible. I've e-mailed scott at SJR a couple times, he has been friendly and helpful, but could not answer my AC fit question. Archemitis, the strut tower extensions are just the problem... the rest of the lift is pretty standard. SJR is only selling 4" strut extensions, and if I can only fit the A/C compressor with a 3", then I am going to have to make them myself. Either way, I am not scared off by it, I just need to know the right angles/offset. I can drill/machine/weld all I want. But you are right, I would rather buy one from SJR if I was sure it would work. I just want to make sure it will fit with my compressor first, hence the thread. I know AC is for sissies.... but i live in the northeast... and man it gets hot/humid here. This will be my first car with stock/working A/C. Mike W, my AC already works fine, I would rather not switch the compressor out, its not worth the time/$$. Do you think the bracket pictured here would have worked on your 3"? http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49969 The post doesn't say much .. well it doesn't say anything at all.. so I have no idea. THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike W Posted December 10, 2007 Share Posted December 10, 2007 Yeah something like that is what I should have done. If you're a fabricator you could probably find a sexier way to relocate the compressor up a couple of inches. I ended up tossing the A/C and putting a second battery there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocha Posted December 12, 2007 Author Share Posted December 12, 2007 Anyone else want to help with A/C questions in the winter... ???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 If your up for building your own sturt extensions and lift...............Put in the lift you want, then build a bracket to relocate your compressor. Something like in those pic's. Then measure for belt length and get a belt that will fit, done deal. That bracket is not going to add a lot of time or work to the project. Or if you want 4" in front. Buy strut extensions from SJR. With the time you save not having to make the most time consuming part of the lift, you will have pleanty of time to build an A/C bracket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted December 13, 2007 Share Posted December 13, 2007 . SJR is only selling 4" strut extensions, ! I can do 2-1/2" in Aluminum or 3" in steel no problem Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.