2001 OLV 4" Lift Start to Finish w/ Pics

[thegreenmachine]

Yes

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

Yeah, I have wrenches on both sides. It's a 14 on the outside and an 18mm on the inside and all my socket sets skip those sizes, but I have crescent wrenches.

it's just ridiculously hard to move and it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. Maybe it's just because i'm going 1/4 turns at a time and I have to use my leg on the big wrench while holding the little wrench with both hands. I think I'm going to give up for the night

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

I soaked that ***** (upper shock mount nut) in WD-40 and waited overnight and it came off finally. It was hot when it finally fell off! I hope to finish the rear up today:



I got some more parts! It looks like my $19 moog idler arms are indeed for CarQuest!



Also, I got my new lower control arms on Friday. One of their boots are torn and the other the boot was off and the ball joint is seized up. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it yet. They were supposed to be new (other) with scratches on the metal, not seized up/torn boot ball joints. I do like that they already have bolts on the ball joints (which to me says they are in fact used to some degree) but the bushings look new and they were a good price.




More updates to come today....

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

So I see in this thread: https://www.astrosafari.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=57457 That I should get new U bolts for my rear, and I've also seen elsewhere that the OEM clamps are too short to touch each other with my 4+1 springs.

I think I am going to do the lift with the stock parts (reuse u-bolts) and come back with new U bolts and hopefully a solution so I don't have the gap between the clamshell.

Can anyone point me to a good solution to the clamshell gap problem and possibly U-Bolts and nuts to fit my application? I checked my hardware store for the suggested 2 u bolt 7" long x 2.75" round diameter x .50" 8 grade but they don't have anything near that.

[Lumpy]

Can anyone point me to a good solution to the clamshell gap problem and possibly U-Bolts and nuts to fit my application? I checked my hardware store for the suggested 2 u bolt 7" long x 2.75" round diameter x .50" 8 grade but they don't have anything near that.

Sure.

Lose the clamshell and use this -
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Lea ... _1988.html

You can use the stock diameter 7/16 U bolts or you could go all the way up to 5/8 diam.


U-Bolts -

http://www.sdtrucksprings.com/u-bolt-by ... af-springs

Made to the dimensions you tell them. Our axle is ROUND style U-bolt, 2 3/4 wide, length whatever you calculate.

Stock U-Bolt length RWD = 4 1/2"
Stock U-Bolt length AWD = 8"

I can verify all the above except the stock AWD length. That figure is from research, not from measuring. Everything else is real world, at least for my Gen I.


To use the spring plate and pair of U-Bolts, you'll have to do a little grinding on the spring seat. Not much. Just make a little room for the U-Bolt. Area circled in yellow below.




You also have to grind off just a bit of the bump stop seat. I removed the whole thing because the lift is so tall it will never get near hitting. But you don't have to remove it. Just make a little space for the U-Bolt in the inboard side.




My U-bolts are 8" length. With my 5 leaves, angle shim and rubber cushions, it's about 1 1/2 inch too long. So I could have used 7" or even 6 1/2. But I got them long on purpose because I hadn't really settled on how many leaves and spacers I'd use. I'm still not settled..





Lump

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

last night (at 1AM CST... Tired!) I finished up the rear.



Here it is this morning:



This is after the pucks are installed in the front, but no suspension lift yet. It definitely seems really high in the back but the road is not level (nothing I can do about that), so it will probably settle more once driven around and sitting on level ground.

There is a lot of room between the fenders and the stock size tires now!



Now I'm installing the new subframe bushing cups on the front of the van.



The latest problem I've run into is that the center (bigger bolt) subframe mount bolts provided by OLV are not long enough for the poly bushings. They seem to sort of snug up but then they just spin when I try to torque them down. I took everything apart and the bolt looks good, shined a flashlight into the body, threads are good there too. I threaded the bolt into the body and tugged on it and it's solid. I think the bolt is grabbing the edge of the body in the hole (the actual nut in there is recessed) and making it seem like it's threaded. I spent about 10 minutes of this process cursing because I just want the body lift part to be overwith (so done with it).

Anyway I think I'm going to shop around for new center bolts. I also got a little nervous about torquing to the spec since my van has some rust underneath. I think I'm going to settle for loctite and slightly less than spec torque on those bolts. I will be revisiting all my work two or three times every 100 miles.

Today I hope to finish the subframe spacers, install my new sway bar and get started on the front suspension lift.

Edit: After further consideration, I have some alternate theories as to why the bolt is spinning. I applied threadlocker to the other side of the van and had no problems with the center bolt.

1. The van isn't on a level surface and that is causing the space to be too great for the bolt to hook up. I can test this when I'm ready to test drive by going to a level location and trying to get it to hook up better.
2. The bolt is stripped and my "check if it is stripped tests" are not good tests
3. The nut in the frame has somehow become pushed back into the body and is not as far forward as it should be. I don't know if this is possible or not, but I saw a thread where someone said the nut is attached to a small piece of sheet metal and just floating in there.

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

I got 5 wheels, center caps, lugs in the mail today. Sway bar is installed I smacked the rivets out of my new upper control arms and relocated them to the bottom, but I haven't installed them yet.

Here's a mockup with a wheel and no tire:



I think they sent me too many center caps though...

[Philly758]

Nice progress! That's great that you are doing the work in the street, I don't have the balls for that.

Regarding the lower control arms you ordered, I assume those are Mevotechs from Rockauto. I had some similar and additional issues with mine, see this post: viewtopic.php?f=41&t=64234&p=575074&hilit=control+arm#p574874. When I did my lift I replaced my the ball joints with Moog. I recently had to replace them because they boots were torn and worn, and ended up using the original Mevotechs because they were free. Hopefully they hold up.

Nice wheels, look just like mine! Did they by chance send you 8 center caps, all black? If so, any interest in trading one set for a brand new set of chrome ones? Pretty please.

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

Philly758,

Thanks! I originally planned on doing it in my drive in basement/garage but the van barely fit on stock tires with no lift so that wasn't going to happen. I live on a low traffic circle drive and there is a cul de sac directly across from my house so there is enough room for two opposing cars to pass each other while i am laying on the ground on the street side.

The lower control arms I got were new (Other) raybestos from an ebay seller. They sent me two driver's side parts, and the boots were ripped up. They offered me a return with them paying shipping, and I ordered mevotech ones from carid.com for $89 each.

You aren't going to believe this, but in the above picture, each of those boxes is a box of 10 black center caps... The kid doing the warehouse picking must have grabbed the whole box thinking it was a single item. I would normally return this for ethical reasons but the lug nuts I ordered from that vendor on my last project all started breaking after being removed and reinstalled from the wheels only one or two times. PM me a shipping label for a small light box and I can ship you 4 of them.

I just got my van mostly put back together last night. It was a late night. I am trying to get the van roadworthy by Saturday morning for a backpacking trip, so I have cut some corners. Most of my steering components are in a box in my basement. Right now the status of this build is: rear 4" lift complete, front body lift complete, new upper control arms and relocated new ball joints installed, replacement sway bar installed, torsion keys installed. I need to get the van on a more level surface and crank the torsion keys then get an alignment hopefully later today. Also I haven't tackled my parking brake bracket yet (can't get the line disconnected).

[SilverBullet1997]

Looks good!

I got the same rims to, mine came with silver center caps also. That's nice you got a lot of extras, what size tires are you going to run?

[Corsemoto]

Looks nice Tanvan and gonna look even better with the black wheels!

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

I took off work this afternoon and got it to the alignment shop. I use Big O Tires because all the guys who work there have jacked up trucks so they pay attention to lifts and understand how to deal with lift related problems rather than tell you to go away. They aligned the van with no problems and complimented me on the van!

Unfortunately I've been hearing some weird noises from the rear of the van. It really freaked me out at first but it turns out it was just the exhaust dragging on the right passenger side leaf spring. It's at the muffler shop getting extended as we speak

[SilverBullet1997]

<snip> I use Big O Tires because all the guys who work there have jacked up trucks so they pay attention to lifts and understand how to deal with lift related problems rather than tell you to go away.<snip>

That didn't answer my question....

<snip> what SIZE tires?<snip>

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

So I am having problems. The alignment guy cranked the living **** out of the torsion bars and said that the tires would be cambered in if it isn't. It took me a while but I now realze why this is. With the bars cranked the way he did get the alignment right, I have a printout of the alignment. Unfortunately, although the van looks awesome this high, it rides like ****, makes clattering noises and I can hear the right CV joints or something in the front awd drivetrain making a horrible grinding noise at 55-70+mph. I lowered the torsion bars about 6 YEAH 6 cranks and the van is still pretty tall. The noise went away on my 3rd intestate loop but now the front wheels are cambered in (I think this is right, the top is out, the bottom is in).

So in answer to your question SilverBullet, I originally was going to put 31" Goodyear Duratracs on the van. Since that requires the 4" lift and trimming, I have changed my mind. I think in light of these front end issues, I'm going to drop the front end back to stock (ball joints back on top, stock torsion keys back in, jump down to the upper shackle setting (highest shackle hole, smallest amount of rear lift) and get 30x9.5" tires.

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

Alright, it's picture time...

Lifted van (for now):



Front left wheel well:



Rear left wheel well:



Front of van:



Passenger side IFS, note CV axle angle:



Driver side IFS, note CV axle angle:



Alignment spec sheet showing it was in alignment earlier today before I lowered the torsion bars:

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

So this weekend I took a bunch of my buddies in the van on a nice 15 mile overnight backpacking trip from Johnson Shut Ins to Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri. This trip had over 2 hours of 55-65mph windy country roads each way and about 30 minutes of gravel (also 55-65mph LOL) and from this trip I think I've come to reconsider dropping it down. Here is a picture of everyone right before the hike! I am the third from right with the black shirt and sunglasses.



I have also decided that the rear sway bar is a must. The van is much more maneuverable with no one in the back and with the back 5" higher in the air, six heavy bags with camping gear, and six 200lb adults it really teeter totters in the rear when changing directions on winding roads.

Essentially, I am at a crossroads and in need of some advice from someone who has done an AWD 4" Lift or two.

Questions:

1. How far above the top of the rim should the wheel well be with an alignment-friendly 4" (2body+2suspension) lift?
2. Is my van way too high in the pictures (see previous post)
3. Is the angle on my CV axles too extreme (see previous post)
4. What are possible causes for the drivetrain noise I hear at 55-75mph? Could it be my mismatched tires? I have the AWD fuse pulled, also note that the noise mostly went away after dropping the front of the van down.

Thanks in advance for everyone's help!

[thegreenmachine]

Get new tires.

Atc fuse pulled or not. Mismatched tires are a no-no

Noises are inevitable. Any time you change the stock dynamic it's not going to feel the same.

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

I'm going to put on my new steering components, lower ball joints and lower control arms. I've decided on going with 30x9.5r15 General Grabber AT2's, so I'll put those on and see if that changes the noise. It looks like my existing front tires are cupped badly so that also might be the noise.

While I'm doing my steering components I am also going to check my CV axles and wheel bearings for noises and play.

[tanvanmanwithaplan]

Got the new tires put on yesterday! I've driven it around some. Looks cool. Lots of amazed looks, especially from some of my off-road neighbors, especially the one with 3 yotas and a buggy in his yard. Lots of bump steer. Lower ball joints are complaining. She's still a work in progress

[Lumpy]

Hooray for the 'nuther lifted van...

Think about cut and bending up those bottom shock mounts in the rear.


Lump