Coil Spacers (info & install)

[Whitfield]

Zuwharrie Supporting vendors such as these listed below sell coil spacers made specifically for your IFS Suzuki or Geo 4wd application.   

      Rocky Road (4) 1 1/8" for $76   http://www.rocky-road.com/kicksus.html

      Sky Manufacturing (4) 1 1/2" for $80   http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/
     
These kits should give the advertised lift and allow you to achieve factory alignment specs. 


Jeep Coil Spacers:        How to make them fit a Suzuki

By: Scott Trester
1996 Suzuki X-90 4WD
http://RockPile4x4.tripod.com/X90.html

 Written in reference to his X-90 but applicable to all IFS Suzuki 4wd Vehicles. 

For about 1.75" of lift, Daystar recommends their Jeep #KJ09100 spacers (for TJ's F+R, Cherokee F, and GrandCherokees F+R) to be used with some 'minor' trimming. You'll need 2 sets (4 spacers). The inner hole is only 2.125" in diameter and needs to be 2.5" to fit on the X-90. A simple hole-cutting bit for your drill works great. On the rear you only need to drill it down about 1.25" into the spacer and cut out the excess. This allows the lip to remain for the coil to ride in. On the front, you'll need to drill completely through the spacer, then use the factory spacer (which is about .25" thick, black rubber) to give you that lip so the coil doesn't clank against the housing. (I also trimmed .25" off the spacer to achieve an even lift with the addition of the factory piece. You could use the factory spacers on both front and rear, without cutting anything off, for a total of 2" lift if desired.)

WARNING:
Installing Jeep Coil spacers may cause alignment issues.  Your steering CAMBER alignment may not be correctable with standard factory type adjustment.  Please research the alignment issue further and consult your front end alignment shop for their solution.  Some methods discussed in open board may not be considered safe for on road use and may not be supported by your local shop.  Please consider this aspect before committing yourself to the jeep coil spacer install. 

[Whitfield]

I installed a set of 1.5" coil spacers on the front of my 1998 2dr conv Kick last night. 

Here is what I did. 

1.  Jack up and support vehicle

2. Remove both front wheels.

3. Unbolt sway bar from lower control arm.

4. Unbolt strut mount from top, (3) 12mm nuts on each side under the hood.

5. Pop inner axle shafts out of the housing about 1-2"   (Gives them room to move)

6. Install 6' pry bar thru lower a-arm and under frame (leverage to assist getting the springs in)

7.  Remove front spring.  (Pull kick pry cuss ect...)

8.  Remove upper spring mount rubber isolator.

9. Install 1.5" spring spacer  (Make sure it seats in the upper mount correctly)  Mine need some adjusting with a hammer and bench grinder, But mine were made by a friend at work.

10. Re-install rubber upper mount isolator under the new spacer.

11. Set spring into the upper mount.  Place bottom into the lower a-arm as far as it will go (Usually you can get it to just start in the outer most edge of the pocket).

12.  Have some one sit on the end of you pry bar, thus holding the lower a-arm down while you give the spring a good mule kick.    (a spring compresser might work well here too)

13.  Cuss, kick, scream, yell, and repeat 12 until it goes in place, might take a few times to get the combo right.

14. Remove upper strut mount nut from the strut shaft  (The big nut in the middle).

15. Pull the upper strut mount from the strut shaft.  (My rt. side was seized)

16.  Press the 3 studs from the strut mount (the little ones that the 3 12 mm nuts were on.

17. Flip the mount and press them back in from the side opposite of their originall orientation.   (This will move the strut travel approximately 1" down)

18.  Bolt the strut mount back onto the strut shaft getting the 2 washers, mount, and lock washer arranged in the proper order.   

19. Using a floor jack under the ball joint / a-arm lift the lower arm and strut assy into position.  If the spring begins to lift the truck off of the jack stands before the strut mount fits into place you can use two floor jacks on the front or even install the wheel onto the side you are working and lower the truck down on to the wheel.  The tire/wheel is out further and has more leverage to compress the spring.   

20.  Work the floor jack to lower the frame down to where you have enough strut travel to guide the upper mount 3 studs into the proper locating holes.    I could not bolt the strut to the mount on the Kick.  I found it necessary to remove the mount from the truck and bolt it to the strut, then move the whole strut and mount  assembly into position.   Otherwise I could not get the strut shaft up thru the mount plate.

Tighten strut mount plate, top of strut shaft nut, install wheel, and reattach lower sway bar link.   As you prepare to lower the truck down check and guide the inner axle shaft back into place.  My pass side was out about 3" and drivers side about 2",  Realign the innershaft and get it to snap into the side gears properly. 

Thur the installation I never removed the brake caliper, brake lines, rotor, and never unbolted the lower shock mount.   For me this was the quickest and easiest way.  Unbolting the 3 bolts on the inner CV axle drivers side probally would have allowed the drivers lower A-arm more drop and made spring install easier.  Drives side was tough, but it eventually went into place using the method in steps 1-20 described above.

[Whitfield]

Another nice Coil Spacer install Write up by BrotherJack


Tools you will need to follow this How-To:

Spring compressors (the kind that clamp on the outside of the spring).   In Canada, you can borrow a set from any Canadian Tire for free.   They run about $24.99 if you have to buy a set.
Metric socket set (preferably with a long handled wrench).
If you're using Jeep spacers, a reasonably torque-y drill with a 2 1/2 (2.5) inch hole saw bit, and a knife.
A jack (floor-jack is preferred), and something safe to use for jackstands (like real jackstands).

Parts you will need:

Coil spacers  (I used .75 inch Jeep spacers for the front, and 1.75 inch jeep spacers for the back).
2 rear shocks from a 91 Crown Victoria (actually, I think anything from 70-something to 98 will work)


Directions:

Jack up the rear of the truck by the frame till the rear tires are a good ways off the ground, and put in jackstands.
Remove rear tires.
Remove rear shocks (1 horozontal bolt at the bottom, and the threaded stud at the top)
Remove rear springs.
If you're using Jeep spacers, drill out the center of the spacer with the 2.5 inch hole saw bit.  Drill almost all the way through, but stop before you cut off the lip at the bottom.   Take your knife and trim out the center you just cut loose with the hole saw.   Note:  a cordless drill will take FOREVER doing this job - ask me how I know.   Get a plug-in drill with some torque.
Install spacer on bumpstop.   
Re-install spring.   On my truck, I needed to use the spring compressors to compress the springs about 2 inches before they would fit back on.   
Bolt in the top stud on the CrownVic shocks.   Then, using the jack under the axle, bring the axle up till the bottom holes allign, and bolt them down tight.   If you don't use CrownVic shocks (or some other longer shock), you will soon get used to the sound of your stock shocks hitting full extention on every little bump in the road.   Ask me how I know.
Put the tires back on, and lower the rear back to the ground.   The rear is all done.


Now for the front.

Break loose the front lug-nuts before jacking it up.
Jack up the front, and install jack-stands under the frame or the front crossmember.
Remove tires.
Turn wheel left or right to allow you better access to the spring and lower strut mounts, depending on the side you are doing.
Put the jack under the A-arm so it doesn't flop around once you do the following:
Take loose the lower strut mount (two bolts).   You'll have to be careful and wiggle the lower one to get it out, because it hits the bleeder on the brakes (but you can get it out without removing the caliper or anything, just have to be careful and wiggle it a bit).   You may need to run the jack up a little bit to stop the bolts from binding as you remove them.
Put a spring compressor on the spring, give it enough turns to tighten it firmly, and then lower the jack.   Spring should either pop right out, or be very close to poping out.   Use spring compressor a little more if necessiary.   Since you will need more spring compression to re-install the springs than you will to un-install the srpings, it might be a good idea here to just mash the snot out of the spring, as it's easier to crank the compressor with the spring still mounted than it is with the spring just loose later (ask me how I know).   
If using Jeep spacers, drill the center out entirely.   Try to keep it centered as you drill, as the front spacers may have trouble fitting in behind the steel lip on the front spring towers if you don't (ask me how I know).   If you don't get it centered enough, a dremel/rotary tool with a sanding bit will fix you right up so they'll fit correctly (ask me how I know).
Remove the thin rubber pieces (coil isolators) from the coil tower.   Slide your new spacers up, making sure they fit inside the lip.   Put the stock coil isolator back on below the spacers.
Re-install springs.   You will probably have to fiddle with the spring compressors a bit, and it really helps to have a friend to use his feet to simultaneously push down on the A-arm, while using his other foot to shove the spring into place.   
Put the jack under the A-arm, and run it back up.  Loosen and remove the spring compressors.
Use the jack to allign the holes of the strut mounts, and put the bolts back in, but DO NOT TIGHTEN YET!
With bolts in place, but not tight, lower the jack.   Run the jack up at the end of the hub, which will tilt the rotor assembly ever so slightly in the right direction to correct for the camber problem.   It worked out enough on my .75 inch spacers that the camber was within factory spec's because of this little trick right here.   If you're using anything larger than .75 inch spacers, I don't think you'll be so lucky.
Tighen strut mount bolts.
Replace tires, and lower front.
If you want to do a strut mount flip, other people have documented this better than I can.   I didn't do it on mine because the lift I did was pretty slight (doesn't appear to be any problem with the struts bottoming out a lot), and because I didn't necessiarly think more downtravel was a good thing for my CV joints.


Notes:

After the allignment (which is when I found out my camber was still within spec's, presumably from that micro-fudge I pulled when re-bolting the lower strut mounts), I ended up with the following amounts of lift:

1.35 inches in the front.  (by using .75 inch Daystar spacers)
1.75 inches in the back. (by using 1.75 inch Daystar spacers)

My CV angles still look vaguely sane, and my 235/75/15's fit with room to spare.   I have a little over 10 inches of clearance at the front crossmember, 11 inches at the frame in the front, and 12 inches at the frame in the rear.   The ride seems unaffected in any way - it's just a little taller.


It took me 8 hours to try a bunch of junk that didn't work to learn all the stuff I've suggested above.  Now that I know what I outlined above, it would take me about an hour and a half.   I am a total moron with a wrench in my hand.   If I can do it - you can do it!   


Before and After pictures are coming, but it may be a while - my wife is out and about in the truck, so I can't take 'after' pictures, and we're getting ready to be gone for a few days.   


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Here we go - pic's:

Before (already with 235/75/15's on it - I don't have any similar angles of it while it was still stock)


After (oh yeah, much better, eh!):


Some before and after by the tape measure at the front fender






Some more before and after by the tape measure of the frame