mazda lift

[fairman86]

98+ 2wd front suspension lift spindles or spacers?

hey guys, been searching through tonnnns of threads about lifting my 2wd. now ive heard that the coil assists are garbage, the coil spacers arnt the best, havnt heard much about the lift coils, and seems like everyone has gone with the 3" lift spindles. now ive searched around and the fabtech ones are hard to find, amazon has them i think. doetsch makes spindles but arnt cheap, now my question is this springtech company on ebay sells spindles and coils and so on, anyone know how good of quality these parts are, what are best spindles to get and where? not looking to spend a wack load of money but def dont want to pay for something that is garbage.

and i have also purchased rancho 2.5" lift shocks for the front and rear. i remember shocks actuating on their own, these rears u have to pull them out or push them in, once pushed in (compresses) they stay where you compress them to. is that normal for these shocks?

 

[fairman86]

Bump!

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

the ranchos are probably the rs5000 series, which are HYRDAULIC and not gas charged, so they wont come back out on their own unless they are pulled on. as for the spindle question i have no idea, i refuse to buy a 98+ ranger because i dont like the front suspension.

 

[fairman86]

yes they are the rs5000 series. ok so now that i know that, are they a good shock? I thought they were better than what i had on the truck plus a 2.5" lift capability. I'm in the middle of a build, and still have other things to do in the meanwhile to the frame and so on, but any help on the front suspension and a lil on the rear would help, i have the stock leafs. they seem to be in good condition. i got a set of factory lift blocks for the rear, was thinkin beltech 6400's in the rear as well as some poly bushings. oh yeah, a good place to buy a complete rear poly bushing set for 98+ ranger?

im also in the process of swapping the rear 7.5 to an 8.8, already have the parts just need to get the flip blocks, and is there any trick to mounting the shocks or will i have to cut off the brackets and weld on new ones on at 40deg?

i already have tires and spacers for it, plan on converting over to an 01+ ranger body style. and a 3" body lift as well.. now i do have a tonn of hockey pucks laying around that are almost brand new, maybe i should just use them and then get the shifter extension and make my own bumper brackets?



so let me know what you think, should i get a set of spindles for the front and from, who, is the ebay stuff ok in quality? (springtech) maybe a set of coil spacers or some lift coils??? everyones had their own experience, whats the best way to go without killing my wallet for the camburg kit

 

[fairman86]

bump

 

[mp3deviant721]

I've seen a lot of people use the Springtech spindles without issues. Try to avoid using coil spacers and lift coils, that is a lot of lift for the camber adjusters to handle and you will need different control arms to be able to do something like that. Just get either the coils or spacers.

 

[fairman86]

so if people have used the springtech spindles, well then i think i know the route im going for now, im basically getting the truck ready for winter, and don't wanna spend an arm and a leg in lift parts, if can do it cheap for a few years then once i have either a newer ranger or more coin, then ill camburg the shit outta it, but for now i think the springtech are the way to go, now what about the spindles and coils from spring tech, that sound good with still being able to adjust the camber on the truck once im done.

 

[fairman86]

i think iv'e read somewhere that there are new camber bolts you can buy to get the proper alignment?


ok so what do you think about this guys? in the rear swapped over 31 spline 8.8 with discs, rancho rs5000's in the rear with beltech shackles and 2" bocks?

then the front springtech spindles and lift coils? running the rancho rs 5000's as well, and maybe a new camber bolt kit?

now the only thing im iffy about is lifting it more then 2.5" the ranchos rs5000 series is a 2.5" lift shock, so going higher than 2.5" will probably prematurely wear the shocks.

maybe i should start a build thread what do ya think.

and while im at it, is there any DIY's that we currently don't have in the tech library that you can think of? I'm rebuilding a lot of this truck, so i may stumble across a few items that don't have DIY's.

 

[mp3deviant721]

Well, look at it this way, you are installing a 3" lift spindle which does not require a longer shock. The 2" coil will, that 2.5" longer shock will handle that. The rear blocks are 2", the 2.5" shocks will be able to handle that. I think you will be fine. And if I'm not mistaken, there isn't a write up on how to install 2wd lift spindles in the Tech Library. I'd say start your build thread, submit the spindle install write up and Jim will decide if it will go into the Tech Library.

 

[fairman86]

alright, sounds good

and good to know that the lift spindles dont require a longer shock. so i think that just about settles it for the front, but the rear will be a little shorter if i just use the lift blocks. I already need to get new shackles so i was thinking about the beltech 6400 lift shackles so im thinkin the rear shocks will have to be returned and replaced with a larger lift shock. to compensate forthe 2" blocks AND the lift shackles. darn and i thought i was ahead of the game because i got a set of 4 brand new rancho 2.5" lift shocks for 200$

 

[fairman86]

ok, so ive been deep into thought, and for the shocks that i got, they are the 2.5 " lift shocks, BUT i only have a 2wd, and the shocks are for a 4wd soooo all is fine they will still fit, mounting positions are the same, but the stock 4x4's usually have a 2" lift block in the rear which i do not. so when i add the 2" lift block the shock length is already compensated for those stock, so on top of that i can still lift it 2.5" with no problems. so then belltech's shackles are perfect and i will gain my height back in the rear. So i'm looking at a 5" lift in the front and a 4.5" lift in the rear when all is said and done, which IMO should level out the truck quite nicely. yes no? lol

 

[fairman86]

so before when i was searching the doetsch site, all i could find was their ready to go kits, which i dont want, i was just looking for the spindles and lift coils alone, and found them, well the spindles alone that is.
http://www.doetsch-shocks.com/9.asp

im lookin at $380.00 + shipping & tax which isnt bad at all considering the no-name sporttech spindles are about the same. so why not go with a company thats well known, right?

 

[mp3deviant721]

That should work. I also kind of forgot about the 4wd rear lift shock thing. If the rear shocks are indeed for a 2.5" lifted 4wd, the shock should be enough for the blocks and Belltechs. But actually if you wanted it level, a even 4" in the rear would work better, I believe the factory rake is 1.5" to 2".

 

[fairman86]

yep, i called and checked the part number they are for a 98+ ranger 4x4, and have a 2.5" lift capability, so i believe i am good! and ill just stick with the blocks and shackles, if i end up with the rear end .5 of an inch higher, oh well. that can be fixed later down the road, for now ill just keep it quite simple

but i do have a question about the 8.8 explorer axle i have. I know you have to relocate the shock mounts, but I have read that you can use the flip kit used to lower the ranger, and use it to put the explorer axle into a ranger without having to relocate the spring mounts.

since im looking at (as far as i understand) 6 deg on the pinion angle to swap it in, will the flip kit give me the 6 deg im looking for OR will it throw it out of whack, AND with lifting the truck approx 4.5" in the rear will 6 deg work or will i have to put a little more angle on it? if i do have to put more angle on it and the flip kit does work, i guess just grinding one side of both the flip brackets would give me the angle im looking for (im assuming)? or does the flip kit solve all?

 

[fairman86]

front shocks are in, going to go pick those up tomorrow and if napa is still open when i get off work, ill be getting some dom16