Nissan Patrol Lift Kit

[kleiny]

I'm thinking about getting a liftie for the patrol. I noticed at fraser the middle of the car dragging on most soft track's although i didn't get stuck i though with a liftie this would change. i don't really do any other 4X4 ing other than beach so i'm not sure if it's worth it & the car is used daily by the misses to run the kids to school groceries etc so i'm a little reluctant to race into it. but i also want to make it as east to get over the soft stuff also & be more confident to tow other people out. as there where many in need of help at fraser last week. any advise please.
kleiny

[reefraider_II]

what year mate I have done some work to mine and my mate has gone crazy with his.I could help you out i think
-cheers marty

[Big_Kev]

Even just a couple of inches lift does wonders, 33 inch tyres also makes a big difference.
This will still look and handle to an acceptable extent without going for the extreme approach.
Just remember it will be higher for the missus and kids to get in and out and load the grocerys etc. So side steps might be needed as well for a weekly.

[adrian]

i agree with reel hard but make sure that you get 5 tyres not 4 as you can't run different size tyres.

[whynott]

Hi Kleiny,
I have a gu patrol and was up at landcruiser park a couple of weeks ago. Did a bit a damage to both the side steps and have looked into how much a lift is.
A 2" lift will cost about $1300 fitted as gu needs about the least amount of work to be done.
In the meantime, I have removed the side steps to get more height.
Cheers,
Graham.

[zaneg]

I might be totally wrong so I'll pose this this as more of a question but I thought lift kits only raised the body and it's attachments (ie sidesteps). If this is so, would a lift kit make much difference on a beach where your diff and axles are going to be dragging first anyway.

I know for rock hoppers it would help a great deal especially with some of the angels they work with but for general 4wd does it make that much of a difference.

I have been across Aus in a Hilux and decided against a lift kit as the Missus was pregnant, making it hard for her to get in. We spent a bit of time in the Kimberlies and on beach in Broome and considering some of the stuff we crossed, not once did I wish the car was higher. I have never thought of lifting it since.

Zane

[kleiny]

it's a 95 patrol petrol 4.2 efi already has side steps.
Zane on the nissan it has a huge bash guard under the motor & this is what i'm hoping to get up of the sand. My mate with me had a 2000 hi lux dual cab sr5 & he had the same problem but it was 3x worse. the diffs etc will cause minimal drag compared to this.
kleiny

[DALEPRICE]

gday kleiny,
i used to own a 1990 nissan patrol gq
with a petrol. i purchased the car stock standard
and wanted a little more clearance off roadin. i
fitted a 4inch old man emu kit and what a difference.
the car would go anywhere up the beach and often
around a few toyota's ;D. makes a big difference and well
worth the time. i got the kit cheap and fitted myself. pretty
simple and took one day to fit. ill post a pic of her up at landcruiser
park after a run on the rocks.
dale

[DALEPRICE]

after a run in cruiser canyon,
was running no swaybars and 31 inch tyres
killed it !!!!!!!!!

[whynott]

Dale,
Nice photo of your damaged side step.
Cheers.
Graham.

[reefraider_II]

Most patrols start to sag with age ,so by saying 2" lift will actually come up a fair bit but this with 33" tyres will surely be heaps. Just the lift would be sufficient.I am a fan of ARB who sell Old Man Emu but I think its overpriced.I rang around and got a few prices and found Opposite Lock in the Valley was the best priced and I got a price of $900 for 2"lift and Tough Dog shocks worth a try unless your slightly mechanicaly minded then install them yourself.-marty

[FLATHEAD1]

I have done a 40mm lift. I bought 40mm higher heavy duty King Springs and had them fitted for $350 and the local mechanics. You can still use the original shocks. If you go above 50mm you need to replace the shocks, need shims etc. so it becomes quiet involved and costly.

Nearly all the name aftermarket suspension component suppliers use King Springs.

I have since gone from 31x10.5/R15 to 275x75R16 which are about 30mm bigger in dimater.

You will notice more than 40mm lift if you still have the original springs because they sag quiet a lot.

Above 50mm you will also have problems with insurance as well.

Cheers
FH1

[Needmorerum]

Don't forget about caster correction either when lifting it up.

Dale, what springs do you run to get a 4" lift with OME? Would they just be unladen 864's?

Corry

[DALEPRICE]

gday corry,
not to sure on what brand spring
brand as a mate who was sponsered
by a mob gave me the kit as it was to
low for his truck. good point about the
caster correction corry as i had a lot of
trouble getting the correct degree. caused
me a lot of grief when the hubs were locked.
even had plates fitted and still no good.
heres a pick of my mates truck on that famous
stump in the pig pen at cruiser.

[DALEPRICE]

running 35 baja claws and a 5 link.
should have no worries in the sand with
this lift kleiny.
dale

[kleiny]

thanks for the help guys, i think i will go 2inch with old man emu looked at it a while ago. i'm not mechanically minded but do have friends that are that owe a couple of favours. i'll post pics when done might be a while have to convince the wife now.
kleiny

[GBC]

G'day kleiny,

didn't see you up Fraser last week.
2" will keep you legal and out of trouble on Fraser...
Just finished doing 7" lift to a GQ bobbed ute - 5 link front, A frame rear, locked with 35" claws - will be doing comps soon. Capable but not too legal - or cheap...
I will try to attach a photo of my old 80 series on the same stump as the ute. It had 2" ome lift and 285r 16 st's only.
A few of the boys here have seen it do camp road, hilux hill, telecom hill, and even 2/3 of the claw without lockers....
Gave the old girl to the old man and he is going to tow a van around Oz with her.
Other photo is of the work ute and the boat up Fraser last week.

[finding_time]

G'day kleiny,

, and even 2/3 of the claw without lockers....
.

yep my back , the big fellas back, daves back, stue's back, and your back have never been the same since !!!! I wish we had looked around the corner first >:( >:(

[Big_Kev]

Klieny just take care with the brakes.
As the rear axel in the Patrols will have a brake bias valve attached.
It senses the load on the rear axel, or in laymans terms- how much shit you have packed in the cargo bay.
Lift it up and it will sense it has less weight in the back.
It will need to be readjusted after the modification, as it will sense no load or even negative load in the back.
Unadjusted and you will get the feeling that your brakes are not working as good as they should be or you may even run into something you don't want to.

Cheers Kev. :)

[Needmorerum]

That's a good point there Kev. This is quite often overlooked by those that do the mod themselves at home, or get someone without the knowledge to do it.
Can be very dangerous when not adjusted correctly.

Corry

[kleiny]

i will be getting a proffesional to do it so happens he needs his store signwritten & i need lift if you get what i mean.
kleiny

[old_fisho]

You can lift the body to any height but you have to remember to drop the radiator and you will prob have to get a special steering shaft as it goes up also you just cannot weld them no good if you want to know heaps go to www.outerlimits4x4.com
heaps gonig on there. Hope this helps.

Cheers Perry.

[whynott]

kleiny,
A couple of days ago, i got my GU Patrol FITTED WITH A 2" OLD MAN EMU kit. I did a lot of shopping around and ended up paying only $1150 installed. Drives like a dream.
Cheers,
Graham.

[kleiny]

Whynott have mine booked in for exactly the same on next thursday can't wait.
kleiny

[Needmorerum]

You'll surely be happy with it Kleiny, let us know how you go. The exchange of physical efforts is a great way to get some mods done.

Look forward to hearing what you think,

Corry

[lloyd67]

hi guys
this is my first post on forum
zane, technically your right lift does not give hieght under diff, axle, etc. :-[
but it does allow the room to put bigger tyres on, giving you more wheel clearance.
this means bigger obstacles are cleared, as your wheels drop into the rut your body does not follow as close (bent steps), & the larger wheels you can now fit give you the extra diff/axle clearance. ;D
hope this clears thing up about lifts. not trying to sound smart on my first post
Lloyd

[darren]

Hey guys where are ? did u get them done :)cheers Darren

[kleiny]

Darren i'm from Maryborough
& it's booked in this thursday.
kleiny

[Mick81]

G'day, fellas, as i have been driving 4by's for a while now, i have a gu ute and now driving in competion and started of with 3inch. I would really suggest most people that want to tour and just go up the beach get a 3inch lift. Why? because 1. 3inch is not that much more expensive because you will find shocks around the same price as 2inch and springs not more than 50 bucks more. 2. If your worried about not enough clearence well, you will find 2inch will eventually sag back down to 1inch so you havn't acheived much in that sense, then you will spend more money going bigger again. 3. you are aloud 75mm lift before you start running into insurance trouble and legalities and you do not need castor plates or caster bushes for 3inch either. 4. Brake lines are good still you do not need to extend them and yes you do have to adjust the back load sensor for your brakes. 5. You will find that you have much more travel for mild off road driving and also it is still not to high for kids to get in and out.
6. You have much more room for bigger tyres and thus will lift your axel and diff off the ground so it will not drag along the sand as much, you will find 33's on a 2inch lift will scrub in a wagon in the ass end. 7. 3inch lift should not set you back more than $1000 if you are paying more than that you are getting ripped off. ;) 8-) and one last note once you go any higher than stock height you have to extend your sway bars or if you don't you will lose travel.

Well there is my two cents worth i hope this has open some minds to whether you get a 2inch or 3inch. Happy to give other people advise if need be. If you ever want to get more advice from other 4bying people go to either www.patrol4x4.com or www.outerlimits4x4.com

[Needmorerum]

Mick81, I am currently going through looking at differing suspension set ups for my 80, and talking to insurance mobs checking acceptability. I couldn't find one that would put it in writing that a 3" lift will still be covered (QLD). I believe that this is also why ARB won't fit their 3" springs in their workshops.
I have to disagree that a 2" lift will sag back to a 1". If this happens then I would be questioning the quality of it. I am currently running OME and it hasn't sagged at all after many trips to the Cape and nearly 5 years.
I also currently run 33x10.5's. BFG Muds 305/70. I don't have any trouble with scrubbing on the back or the front. I did have to modify the mud flaps, but if not going 10.5 wide, this wouldn't be necessary. Only time anything has scrubbed is when I fitted my old 38/18.5 Boggers to the wagon, but shite it looked the part, pity it couldn't get out the driveway.
I would also recommend the fitment of caster correction of some description when fitting a 2" or a 3" lift, hence why any reputable suspension kit includes some form of correction.

I think it all comes down to what individual requirements are, and what type of load etc. is going to be carried. Most springs will have a load rating, the advised lift will be at this load.

Cheers
Corry

[Mick81]

Yes it does come down to what you are going to use it for ;) But as i said about 2" dropping to a 1" i am talking about softer coils that will allow you to flex through holes with less restriction, but then you compromise the allowable weight ::) You are correct about the tire size you can't go wide but can go skinner (no more than 10.5 wider) if you did want to fit bit bigger than 33's. I really think shocks have a big part on flex aswell and for holding weight. Last time i checked with insurance was a little while ago so things could have changed ::) Damn insurance companies >:( Anyways have fun what ever size you go :)

[Needmorerum]

Damn insurance companies

You got that right, none of them have a sense of humour. I rang one and asked if I could insure one of my shorty 40's with a 454 Auto and 38x18.5 Boggers on it and they asked me if it was petrol or diseasel, and is the tyre size a factory option. I wasn't even going to go into body lifts and other mods.
They need to get out and grab a life.

Corry

[Mick81]

At least they asked you if it was a petrol or desiel ;D you could have told them anything with them askingn if 38's were a factory option :D :), i do not really know why they are worried,i reackon if it is engineered correctly, i wold have the confidence to say that the vehicle is stronger than stock and nearly safer (depending on persons driving ability of course ::) )

[DALEPRICE]

38x18.5 boggers 8-)..... on the cruiser corry,
be like a kid in a lolly shop with a fat ;D ;D ;D
havent got a pic of it whilst they were on.........
be awesome cruising down the road with that
sort of rubber
dale

[kleiny]

Finally remebered to bring the camera to work so i could put a pic up
this is a side on view after have a mess around in some bush tracks afer some storms last week.
kleiny

[GBC]

Looks like Wongi area? :P

[kleiny]

wrong GBC it was of boonooroo rd.
nice try though.
kleiny

[whynott]

Went to Levuka on Sunday, being the first trip since getting the 2" ome lift and the Patrol went so well.
Cheers,
Graham.

[kleiny]

looks the goods, where's thw mud all over the car, looks a bit clean ;D
kleiny

[finding_time]

Went to Levuka on Sunday, being the first trip since getting the 2" ome lift and the Patrol went so well.
Cheers,
Graham.

It kinda looks like mine !
Ian

Please give me more oportunitys to post pics of yours truly getting GBC out of mire ;D ;D ;D

[whynott]

kleiny,
That pic was early in the day. The truck got a bit muddier later in the day, but their was not that much mud there. It would be a different story now as reports that there was a lot of rain down that way.
BRING IT ON!!!

finding_time,
Yes they look like twins. Ours is a 98 4.5 ltr petrol manual ST. What is yours? It goes great and we are very happy with it.

Cheers,
Graham.

[finding_time]

Whynott

Mines the 4.2 diesel but since it has been optioned up with pretty much everything GBC doesn't call it a nissan anymore he refers to it as the ARB Patrol !!! He's just sh!tty that it's me that keeps helping himthrough the tough stuff.

Ian

List of options.
OME 2" lift
Front and rear air lockers
Roof rack
Protection steps
Kamar rear bumper+ light
Black widdow storage draws


Ps. yes i have a problem but the vehicle goes good. :D

[Needmorerum]

38x18.5 boggers 8-)..... on the cruiser corry,
be like a kid in a lolly shop with a fat ;D ;D ;D
havent got a pic of it whilst they were on.........
be awesome cruising down the road with that
sort of rubber
dale


Nah Dale, never did, didn't have digi camera then. I've got to get another set soon as the Shorty I'm planning on using for comps next year should be finished by Feb. Not sure what size to go with it at this stage though, depends on the final decision of suspension, been looking at the Dobbin Hydraulics, but see how things go. If I go that way, will probably look at something more along the lines of 44's, gotta check the budget when the new shed and house renovations have been finished.
Really need to stick to one sport, between two boats and 3 Cruisers, it all keeps me pretty occupied, and keeps a hole in the bank account.

Corry

[GBC]

Are we talking just adjustable height or rear steer as well? Listen to me.....just adjustable height with 44" boggers - Glenn's ute is a magnificent piece of engineering and it'd be a great (read expensive) achievement to come up with another truck on par with that one or even better?. Good luck Corry, and like big kev mate, I'm excited.

[Needmorerum]

Probably just start with adjustable height first, with Hydraulic Steering. Would be looking at going around 2/3rds of the height adjustment that Glen has currenlty got as I beleive that both Glen and Peter A are going to far with the height thing. Even using cardinal joint tail shafts, or the custom CV joints, there is too big of a weak point in the them. Look at the last Tuff Truck, both did damage to something due to extent of mods.
Will look into rear steer as well, but I've got more homework to do on that as yet. The hydraulic side is the easy part, rear steer is the challenge along with reliability and strength. I'd like to spend the Winch Challenge and All Terrain Challenge next year testing different bits and pieces.
I'm pooring the concrete for my shed and workshop this weekend, so then all the fabrication will start. Along with the recoveries off steep arse hills when things go bang.

Cheers
Corry