How much lift?

[bluesphere]

My series 78 is really lifted, im guessing around 6. I live in Panama where it isn't an issue but don't think i could drive it in the states. I want to drop it a bit. Does anyone know what the normal frame hight off the ground is? I think I can go 2" safely over that.

 

[Shayne]

I couldn't know but i was always under the impression that America is quite relaxed about such things .

As far as i can tell state to state its left to the discretion of police officers to decide if a car is road safe ?

 

[bluesphere]

Lift Kit Laws by State: Rules and Guidelines for Lift Enthusiasts | RealTruck

Learn everything you need to know about state lift kit laws, including bumper, frame, and suspension height restrictions for your lifted truck.

realtruck.com

What i want to know is high the frame (stock) of a 78 troopie is off the ground?

 

[Shayne]

We live and learn . Lift kit laws by state got me wondering how perceive the laws when traveling through states North to South or East to West which killed a couple of hours on this sleepless night as its a topic that pop up on many an American forum . General consensus seems to be if tyres don't stick outside bodywork to far and you have mudflaps nobody cares . Even a number of cops saying hey never gave out a ticket for it drive sensibly and you will be safe .

I can well imagine most wouldn't want to chance being stopped in a foreign land though so take a look at this Vehicle specification - [Leaving Land Cruiser Club]

If you have the stock roof height to compare with yours and subtract however much bigger your tyres are over stock then you should be left with a fairly accurate idea of what size lift your truck has fitted .

 

[bluesphere]

Thank you for that very helpful. At the current lift hight I do feel a bit top heavy cruising down the highway. Will drop it a bit and extend the wheel base. I must say though off road the hight is really nice. I appreciate your time and response.

 

[Shayne]

Caster correction is hugely important when you go over a 2" lift . In simple terms as you go up the front and rear axle get closer together which ruins handling at speed .

Bottom of my 80's stock bumper is about 30 inches high and I have 35" mud tyres but caster is good and my truck is also considerably wider than Toyota intended so 100mph feel no different to 50mph which is to say one finger on the steering wheel relaxed .

The top heavy issue figures significantly in my preference to combine body lift with suspension lift , a double decker bus can recover from a 45 degree angle and maybe more because the the bulk of weight chassis and engine is kept very low .

 

[Shayne]

I lied - its 28 degrees

 

[nycmikadoz]

My series 78 is really lifted, im guessing around 6. I live in Panama where it isn't an issue but don't think i could drive it in the states. I want to drop it a bit. Does anyone know what the normal frame hight off the ground is? I think I can go 2" safely over that.

Your lift doesn't look like 6 inches.I doubt anywhere in the states will bother you .I have a 2.5 inch lift running 33's and it's really almost the perfect height for overlanding where I've been .

 

[nycmikadoz]

My series 78 is really lifted, im guessing around 6. I live in Panama where it isn't an issue but don't think i could drive it in the states. I want to drop it a bit. Does anyone know what the normal frame hight off the ground is? I think I can go 2" safely over that.

2.5" lift with 33's - yours does not look like a 6 inch lift and at the height in your picture noone will bother you in the states

 

[HDJ79R]

Caster correction is hugely important when you go over a 2" lift . In simple terms as you go up the front and rear axle get closer together which ruins handling at speed .

Yup, my 79 has a 2" lift and the wheel aligner said that gave castor : left - 0 degrees, right - 0.5 degrees (RHD)

The arms i bought for it are 4 degrees corrected and 15 mm longer to account for the reduction in wheelbase the lift gave it.

 

[Shayne]

My thoughts are if caster is off it will feel a lot better to drive once corrected which would incline him to keep the lift .

Something else that causes an unbalanced feeling is worn rear control arm and panhard bushes . Took me a long time to work that out given there is no adjustment at the rear .

Just the tiniest amount of rear wheel steering the truck felt great most the time but at highway speeds 70+ on long sweeping bends in a short wheel base I got a floaty feeling that set of alarm bells in my head though nothing untoward was happening . Hard to explain because it was sort of intuitive - like a ghost sat in the back seat

 

[HDJ79R]

My thoughts are if caster is off it will feel a lot better to drive once corrected which would incline him to keep the lift .

Yes, it make a huge difference. At first, with the lift but without the correction it used to feel like it wanted to wander and although it was controllable, i had to learn to not over steer it and just let it do it's "thing". The correction made it feel civilised again, and it seems now to not wear the outer edges of the front tyres so much.

 

[Grimbo]

Anything over 2.5 inches and it's worth adding adjustable panhard rods..... just to get the axles tracking exactly in the same wheel track....not so much on tarmac but in sand and loose surfaces it can give the same "floaty" feeling.... do you have the usual 70 series issue where the rear axle track is narrower than the front anyway ?
Your 6 inch lift could be a combination of suspension and body lift.....

 

[Shayne]

Adjustable panhard rods are a bit of overkill in my view , you adjust them once and never again so why not just cut and weld it to make it a fraction longer .

 

[HDJ79R]

Adjustable panhard rods are a bit of overkill in my view , you adjust them once and never again so why not just cut and weld it to make it a fraction longer .

LOL. welded by who?

 

[Shayne]

While working on fishing boats I've witnessed up close incredibly strong steel structures torn down and its never the weld that fails .

The one that sticks in my mind most was a spreader lug just above the pivot at least 3/4 and probably an inch thick solid steel tearing like paper 10" length ways just above the weld .

I think that was welded by Terry when he was about 70 having spent his whole life fabricating stuff out of metal without qualification , but possibly Michael did the job , known to all as an unapologetic alcoholic I learned only at his funeral he had learned to weld as a young man in the Navy .

Both friends long gone now but i like to think there are such people still around if you look for them .

 

[HDJ79R]

While working on fishing boats I've witnessed up close incredibly strong steel structures torn down and its never the weld that fails .

The one that sticks in my mind most was a spreader lug just above the pivot at least 3/4 and probably an inch thick solid steel tearing like paper 10" length ways just above the weld .

I think that was welded by Terry when he was about 70 having spent his whole life fabricating stuff out of metal without qualification , but possibly Michael did the job , known to all as an unapologetic alcoholic I learned only at his funeral he had learned to weld as a young man in the Navy .

Both friends long gone now but i like to think there are such people still around if you look for them .

Yeh well, god his bless his soul... In my country not legal

 

[Grimbo]

Adjustable panhard rods are a bit of overkill in my view , you adjust them once and never again so why not just cut and weld it to make it a fraction longer .

Unless like many you then change the lift or the ride height in the future....
Nothing wrong with good welding... it should be as strong as the material welded and you do have the question of who welded the adjustable suspension links ;-)
I would buy only from a known good supplier or company .