Glen's 95 series Prado getting broken in

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

Wow! Great update.

[fridayman Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fridayman]

I'm interested in those disconnects. When you pull the retaining pin out, does it separate or does it just slide in and out while you drive along?

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Cheers guys,
The middle section pulls out entirely, taking with it the heim joint. I'm happy to make more of them but I still need to tweak/improve the design a little.

[nacho.osx Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close nacho.osx]

Hi glen_ep , whats its your standar compression with the trd actually . i want to buy a toyota 95 and have now a trd but i believe that 120 compression psi are a litte bit lower for this model .

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Engine compression:
Engine compression is unchanged, but piston compression may be dynamically altered by boost levels - to what extent, is beyond my knowledge.

Boost in PSI:
I'm running the standard TRD pulley which I believe provides between 5-7 PSI.

[Darran K Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darran K]

Hi Glen, quick question. With your Pacemaker install you said a ratchet spanner works best for fitment. Im puttting the car off the road tomorrow while Bathurst is on and working on the car during the adds and going to be fitting up some Pacemakers and do you think a flexie head ratched spaner would be better or just a fixed one is fine? Im going to buy some tomorrow before the install.

Keen to see if this 2700-3000 flat spot goes as thats where she sits towing our camper around.

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Hi Glen, quick question. With your Pacemaker install you said a ratchet spanner works best for fitment. Im puttting the car off the road tomorrow while Bathurst is on and working on the car during the adds and going to be fitting up some Pacemakers and do you think a flexie head ratched spaner would be better or just a fixed one is fine? Im going to buy some tomorrow before the install.

Keen to see if this 2700-3000 flat spot goes as thats where she sits towing our camper around.

Hmm you're really testing my memory here! Well I did it with a standard ratchet spanner so the angles are possible. From memory the most limiting factor was movement, in some cases only a couple clicks, so the best spanner would be narrow and have a fine ratcheting mechanism.

[Darran K Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darran K]

Thanks mate. Not looking forward to this.

[adds87 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close adds87]

glen..this is my first post on here after I just read this whole build... It is a nice build up mate you have put a lot of effort into her great work!

I have a question as I think you will know the answer

I have 2000 model grande with a 2" OME lift, 32" coopers... The suspension is only about 2 months old and have no complaints, however I'm after a bit more height. I want to install a body lift probably 1.5"... Do u know if it will affect my Srs air bags? I want more height as the 2" lift just isn't enough for the way I want it to look and 1.5" body lift would make it look perfect and later on I can put 33" on. My only concern is the air bags. Also I have a Arb steel winch bar if I would raise it to suit the body lift can I still run a winch, I read that you said it is not recomended..? I'm a fitter machinist so welding and machining parts is not a problem.

Or is there another way to get about 1.5" more suspension lift after 2" OME lift..via Diff drop and coil spacers ? New suspension is not on the cards as my current gears is still new..

Thanks for your help..

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Thanks adds87,

If keeping your vehicle roadworthy is a consideration you won't be installing a body lift. They are not certifiable on vehicles which have air bags. My 50th anniversary just happens to be without air bags, and I purposely purchased it knowing my plans for a body lift. The only legal way is to have them disabled, but then you won't find an engineer willing to sign off that the vehicle is just as safe as it was before.

The bull bar mod issue is from an "engineers" perspective. With your experience you'd understand that the brackets and bar were designed around the various forces which occur, whether it be wobble, impact or winching. The moment something is changed the engineers design is altered with potential implications. In this case the brackets extended upwards, which creates a greater amount of leverage when winching. The maximum load possible before failure would be changed, but by how much would be an involved calculation. Again with your experience you may be confident enough to alter them whilst maintaining original strength.

As for 2"+ options yes there is, but the most ideal would involve changing your existing suspension. Yes you can go the spacer route but large spacers to gain 1.5" will have negative affects on suspension - both ends would be higher but with reduced articulation and greater risk of shock damage. What I'd suggest is buy some 33's which is what really improves clearance and obstacle rollover ability, chop whatever is needed, maybe install some very small spacers if necessary (ie ~5-10mm for half inch extra).

[adds87 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close adds87]

Thanks mate for the reply. I completely understand your opinion
I am very tempted still to do the body lift as all the air bag sensors are on the body and won't affect there operations. it's purely a legal thing which I'm not that concerned about. If the model without Srs can get the ok for a body lift I don't see why the other cant, I'm pretty sure it's because the engineered say no because it's in the too hard basket category I'm 90% nothing affects their ability to operate.

Agreed on the bull bar thing although I'm pretty confident I can make it just as strong if I were to raise it.

Hmmmmm to Lift or not ? Haha very tempted...but still thinking....stupid air bags they probably don't even work anyway. (Every 10yrs the have to be checked)

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

You're probably right regarding the too hard basket. From my experience with engineers they tend to be extremely busy so can choose their work.

I definitely rate body lifts - they're easy for people with the skills such as yourself, very cheap, very reliable (as long as it's too high), makes fitting bigger tyres easier, lifts the rear tank and lifts the body sills away from damage. I always hit chassis and rear tow hooks, nothing else. The best and most reliable is a balance of everything - 1" to 1.5" bodylift, 2" suspension and as much guard cutting to get 33"s in as necessary.

I'm working on mine to improve articulation both ends but it's very easy to hit limitations in the front. Existing kits such as OME actually do a good job of getting the most of the front within it's limits, but an aftermarket UCA is a nice addition. As an example, my front tyres can articulate 7.5" at the front with OME, or 9.5" with OME+UCA, and currently 10-11" with modified shocks - but limiting straps are required to prevent them going beyond 10" as extreme CV binding occurs from there onwards. As you can see from those numbers, not much was gained by pushing beyond good 2" kits + UCA (and OME's are at the better end of the scale for flex, compared to other products for 90's).

[adds87 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close adds87]

Yeah that's a good point..

So your saying OME lift + UCA nothing else will increase front articulation a further 2"... That's pretty interesting!

So I decided to go ahead with the body lift I'm going to go with the 1.5". I'm also thinking about a diff drop but not sure it is nessarsary with only 2" lifted suspension.

I did notice both front CV's are leaking grease at the wheel bearing side.. Do u think it's worth re packing with grease and new boots or just whack some new ones in? Not sure if the lift has caused this or the 350,000kms they have lasted!!

And for the record.. I just rang a engineer I have previously used for race cars and he will approve the combined 1.5 body lift + 2" OME + 32" tyres ( and also 33" later on when I get them) he confirmed what i thought and said all sensors are on the body and will not hinder their operation, so I can happily do this and be insured, happy days !

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]

Yeah that's a good point..

So your saying OME lift + UCA nothing else will increase front articulation a further 2"... That's pretty interesting!

So I decided to go ahead with the body lift I'm going to go with the 1.5". I'm also thinking about a diff drop but not sure it is nessarsary with only 2" lifted suspension.

I did notice both front CV's are leaking grease at the wheel bearing side.. Do u think it's worth re packing with grease and new boots or just whack some new ones in? Not sure if the lift has caused this or the 350,000kms they have lasted!!

And for the record.. I just rang a engineer I have previously used for race cars and he will approve the combined 1.5 body lift + 2" OME + 32" tyres ( and also 33" later on when I get them) he confirmed what i thought and said all sensors are on the body and will not hinder their operation, so I can happily do this and be insured, happy days !

Small diff drops are good for the CV's in any lifted situation, but they can interfere with the fitment of bash plates. With this in mind, I recommend them for certain situations: front locker=definitely, above 2" lift=definitely, no locker and 2" lift=nice to have, but only worth doing if you're handy enough to modify the bash plate to ensure fitment without losing clearance. PS: I make kits, PM me if interested.

Original CV's are better than any aftermarket one, so keep em as long as you can.

That's great news regarding the engineer. If you could PM me his details I'd appreciate it (for my future en-devours that is).

[glen_ep Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close glen_ep]