Dave's 'New' Grand Vitara "Build Thread" and subsequent use, etc...

Thanks R2D

Just finished the lift, photos coming...

So, to the lift...



Here's the 2" lift kit from Richard Fox t/a Suzuki Mods... so rear coil spacers, rear shock spacers (same as Jimny ones?), front strut spacers, and camber adjustment bolts...



Eibach 20mm wheel spacers and the rest of the three Wolfrace locking wheel but kits I bought (they were only £5.99 off eBay).




I looked back at some old photos of e=the lift on the red NGV for reference..



So, up in the air, axle stand under the "chassis" :lol: (they're monocoque bodies, so no proper chassis, and a trolley jack under the rear hub, bolt the wheel spacer in place...



Hmm, shock has seen better days? Bottom shock bolt removed (captured nut on the other side)



This is the shock spacer that fits at the bottom (hmmm, thinking about it, I hope it's meant to go at the bottom? There's no instructions supplied with the kit, although it does say that on the eBay listing, but he's there to offer advice if needed)...



Insert an old Suzuki jack and wind the hub assembly down, and remove the spring...



This is the rubber spring seat...



Pull it off



And this is the spacer that goes between the two original components



And I used spring compressors to get the spring into place...

And the repeat for the other side, having had a cuppa inbetween of course

Next, the front then....

Onto the front then...



Again, axle stand under the "chassis" and trolley jack under the hub... wheel spacer on...



Undo the three bolts that hold the strut top in the engine bay...



Take the anti rollbar drop lonk off the strut
Disconnect the brake hose from the strut (just a bolt)
Disconnect the ABS sensor wire (mine wouldn't come off, so I took the U shaped loop bit off the back of the innder wheel arch - that's why the strut isn't completely out as in my old reference photos)



Bolt the strut spacer on top using the original nuts from within the engine bay...



Go indoors and drag the wife away from the Emmerdale Omnibus (her Sunday guilty pleasure) and ask her to pop one of the washers and nyloc nuts on whilst I lie on the floor and lift it into position, then to the three nuts up, as she returns to the telly... :laugh:



There's the spacer looking up from inside the wheel arch

And then ressembly is the reverse of disassembly as the old Haynes Manuals used to say... :lol:
(Only the wife was doing her nails by the time I got to the other side... but the youngest (22!) daughter was home by then so I roped her in!)

That's in then...?

Part Three coming up...:

Then... stand back, and think if you've done everything?... wheel nuts all tightened?, everything bolted back as it should be. etc...

Ok, go for a test drive... smile widely...

And then take some more photos!...



.





Yup, super happy with that!

The number plates are obscured as I'm still waiting for the V5 to come from the DVLA so that I can put the age-hiding "S2 NGV" registration on... hopefully that will come soon?!...

Oh, one more...



Loads of clearance!!!

Must take it out and do a local long scenic greenlane soon for some more photos... when the registration is finally on... :laugh:

Back to the buggy again soon then?

Bit more information...

I started at 10am and finished about 4pm, so 6 hours to fit the lift, but I did stop for tea breaks between each 'corner' of the GeeVee...

Although saying, that, this is my third NGV lift, so with the reference photos to jog my memory, I suppose it was a little easier for me fitting it?...

Again, I haven't used the camber bolts supplied, as with the other two lifts I've done in the past the camber looks to be okay? But I will book it in for an alignment to check everything...

That scabby rear shock was just the dust cover, it still worked fine, but I will probably replace both the rear shocks with longer ones in the future rather than the shock spacers...?

All in all, I'm super chuffed with how it looks!

Just needs that roof rack basket altering to size and fitting when it arrives, but that's it for the mods to this daily driver I think...! You'll notice it's had some Heeko wind deflectors fitted? And there's a boot tray in the back, no snorkel on this one... So I think that's about it?! But I will update this thread now and again with any maintenance, mods, and it's day to day use...

Dave :woohoo:

That looks well. Makes our 5 door look so low.

Lambert wrote: That looks well. Makes our 5 door look so low.

LIFT IT Lambert!





You know you want to!

Just ordered some +2" rear "Black Raptor" shock absorbers from JimnyBits to replace the old ones...



As the nearside one has a rusty dust cover, and a small leak...

I would but it's not mine and it's on borrowed time, it was bought for towing and people transport but it's a bit light for towing, uses a lot of fuel and none of us are really at home driving it, so beyond the next mot I don't think I'll be spending any more money on it.

"Horses for Courses"... they're not really work-horses...

No they're much better suited to wafting up the motorway with the cruise control on. Lovely car just not for me.

A couple of parcels arrived today



Oooh... :woohoo: Wander what they are?...

Ahhh...



A pair of Black Raptor rear shocks from that nice man Russ at JimnyBits... After seeing the state of the nearside shock on Sunday I quickly ordered some replacements, and they arrived next day delivery... usual fantastic service from JB It also meant I could take the shock spacers out and sell them on eBay to recoup some of the price of the shocks

What's in the big box then?...



Ahh, it must be the...



Special black edition roof rack basket, a £75.99 eBay bargain mentioned earlier in the thread...

I had hoped...



... by the item description that said it "would require assembly", that it would be a sectional design that I could therefore shorten the length to suit the NGV, as the width was spot on to fit just nicely on top of the existing longitudinal roof rails, but as supplied it was just a bit too long... So those are the black plastic end-caps, so I can shorten the black aluminium extrusions supplied to suit my needs...(And then make some custom low feet to attach it)

More on that soon