G’day all. I recently did some work on the nav that required removing the torsion bars and crossmember. Though I marked everything so I could put it back the same as it was, it had me wondering what the factory ride height and method for achieving this was.
Sorry if this procedure is already here somewhere, couldn't find it.
Scouring the net most people seem to take a measurement from the centre of wheel to the guard before and after, but I did find various discussion and a “how to” based on the specs and procedure outlined in the manual. This is for a 4wd, the 2wd is also in the manual but specs are different. Here it is.
All you will need is a good flat surface, a jack, tape measure and a couple of 19mm spanners.
First, park on a good level surface. Then make sure all tyres have the same air pressure. Measure from the ground to the centre of the lower control arm pivot bolt (in the manual it says to the centre of the “lower link spindle”). This is measurement A. Then measure from the ground to the bottom of the steering stopper bracket. This is measurement B.
Subtract B from A and see what you get. To be in spec it should be between 45.5-49.5 mm (I got about 40 mm on either side, probably because the torsion bars have sagged). If not within spec, jack the front up, undo the lock nut on the torsion bar adjuster and adjust torsion bar (if <45.5 mm it will require tightening/more tension on the torsion bars).
Then let the jack down, bounce the car up and down a few times to settle it and retake the measurements. Keep doing this on either side until you get it where you want it and both sides are the same height.
I used a length of angle on the ground to measure from (to take out the little hollows/imperfections in the slab) and left mine at about 48mm either side, which surprisingly made quite a big difference. The front is noticeably higher, the steering and handling feels better and it is obvious that there really are shocks on the front now lol. It must have been riding too close to the bottom bump stop.
Only problem now is that it looks more obvious that the rear springs have sagged also. So maybe a set of rear springs to lift it a bit will be in order. Anyway I will leave it for a little while and recheck it, then it will be time for a wheel alignment. For those that are intentionally out of spec because they have a lift, this procedure could also be useful for ensuring that both sides are at the same height.
Sorry if this procedure is already here somewhere, couldn't find it.
Scouring the net most people seem to take a measurement from the centre of wheel to the guard before and after, but I did find various discussion and a “how to” based on the specs and procedure outlined in the manual. This is for a 4wd, the 2wd is also in the manual but specs are different. Here it is.
All you will need is a good flat surface, a jack, tape measure and a couple of 19mm spanners.
First, park on a good level surface. Then make sure all tyres have the same air pressure. Measure from the ground to the centre of the lower control arm pivot bolt (in the manual it says to the centre of the “lower link spindle”). This is measurement A. Then measure from the ground to the bottom of the steering stopper bracket. This is measurement B.
Subtract B from A and see what you get. To be in spec it should be between 45.5-49.5 mm (I got about 40 mm on either side, probably because the torsion bars have sagged). If not within spec, jack the front up, undo the lock nut on the torsion bar adjuster and adjust torsion bar (if <45.5 mm it will require tightening/more tension on the torsion bars).
Then let the jack down, bounce the car up and down a few times to settle it and retake the measurements. Keep doing this on either side until you get it where you want it and both sides are the same height.
I used a length of angle on the ground to measure from (to take out the little hollows/imperfections in the slab) and left mine at about 48mm either side, which surprisingly made quite a big difference. The front is noticeably higher, the steering and handling feels better and it is obvious that there really are shocks on the front now lol. It must have been riding too close to the bottom bump stop.
Only problem now is that it looks more obvious that the rear springs have sagged also. So maybe a set of rear springs to lift it a bit will be in order. Anyway I will leave it for a little while and recheck it, then it will be time for a wheel alignment. For those that are intentionally out of spec because they have a lift, this procedure could also be useful for ensuring that both sides are at the same height.