5 Lug mid travel????

I'm pretty sure I've got a head gasket leak or a chacked head but it drives well enough for now and my suspsion has a pretty bad clunk again I'm not sure from where but I'm gonna get new LCAs to go with the UCA lift. So maybe some fresh bushings will fix things. What's the good news??

 

Use a garden hose with your ear against it you should be able to find the leak

 

Explain further? My coolant system is constantly under high pressure even after the car has been off for days, I'm low on power, and it also burns coolant. Also I've got a bad misfire for a few seconds after I start the car from sitting all night

 

My bad i read that wrong

 

No prob, sounds like a HG or cracked head huh?

 

Do a leak down test on all cylinders

 

Okay, so @Sperrunner I have to say you were right about those 2.5" springs and the coil buckets. Here's what I came up with when I measured:


Smallest diameter to largest diameter. The 4th and 5th photos are pretty close to specs for stock coil spring inside diameter, and I tried to show that you may be able to go with something a little less than 3.3". I wanna say you might be able to squeeze 3.0" springs (standard size) in there, but not certain. If so, it wouldnt rest all the way to the top of the coil bucket.

 

I forgot the size but lowrs truck guys run gm springs. These are alot shorter but right diameter. Mini truck guys run 8” tall gm coils with qa1 shocks

 

I haven't road tested anything yet, but I have one side put back together and the other side taken all the way apart... just waiting on some paint to dry and I ordered some ball joints that arrive tomorrow. I pretty much did what some would call a "Downey refresh". I found that the Bilstein used in the Downey kit had the same travel specs as a currently produced Bilstein 5100 for a 2nd gen Nissan Xterra/Frontier. I obtained the Coilover sleeves suggested by @TacoBunny in a previous post and sent the shocks to Bilstein to have the snap ring groove placed lower on the shock body. I toyed with a few ideas regarding the top-hat and what-not, but really the best way is going to be to either use the coil bucket for what its there for, or flip the shock upside down and go with something different (like a real coilover). So that brought me back to the coil spring issue. I was forced to use the weathered Downey coils for now, but still searching for something currently produced (other than QA1) that will work to help out the 5-lug community (you guys... haha). In order to make the 2.5" coilover sleeves' spring seats adapt to the 2.75" non-standard inside diameter of the Downey coils, I ended up ordering some adapter from PAC racing springs: PAC-300412 . I then had a local machine shop put them on the lathe and mill it down to fit inside the springs. That's a funny story for another time, but involves a Russian guy and some Budweiser... lol

 

I still think you could convert lower arms and reproduce the Downey kit with currently available parts. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel basically. One of my next goals will be to do just that with all the extra parts I have now.

 

I guess currently you could:

1.) convert lower arms
2.) use qa1 camaro springs
3.) use whatever coilovers you like, or convert shocks/struts using sleeves
4.) use pac springs seat adapter for gm springs

 

In theory a qa1 conversation that mini truck guys use can work on a lifted application same as a downey kit. Just would need the proper length shock. Something with the same strock as the Doestch shocks or downey shocks used in there lift with what every right length coil

 

I would buy stuff to test out my threoy but im to broke for that lol

 

I heard that... luckily I still have enough money to finish what I started. I am on kind of a time crunch, though. My wife gets her last paycheck next month, and then having a baby girl in November, so there wont be much left for these kinds of projects after that. whew! just enough time...

 

Yeah i need a locker and alcans before i worry about the front anymore

 

I know! I want to go to the beach, but scared I'll get stuck without a locker. Oh well... sand tracks it is.

 

Notice I am on the lowest setting, so there's more lift to be had if I cut the bump stops mounts off the frame. I was surprised at the amount of lift. Just keep in mind I have a 2" Body Lift as well.

 

What do you have in the rear? Does it sit level or does it squat in the rear. Because I assume you have like 6”ish of lift up front

 

OH! Body lift... that reminds me. The reason those cross shafts on the Doestch upper arms wont work with a body lift is because they will contact the steering spacer on the drivers side. I would imagine if you are able to do like a 1.0-1.5" Body Lift and not use the steering spacer, you might be in good shape but not certain on that. It could still come in contact with the steering column.

 

I still need to install my doestsch coils and ucas up front just been waiting till i get alcans because i dont want my ass to squat even more