So, I've heard that the independent4x 3" susp lift for rodeos/amigos is just as good as the calmini lift. Is it true the new upper control arms, etc. are absolutley unnecessary that are included in the camlini lift. the independent4x lift is cheaper, and i'm sure its b/c it doesnt include all of the extra parts, not b/c the quality is less. another good thing about the indy4x kit is it comes with the manual locking hub conversion. i guess what im asking is if going with the indy4x lift would be my nest route or not. thanks in advance <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The upper control arm is unnecessary. Do a search on this forum (or Planet Isuzoo) on ball joint flip and that should correct any camber issues you may have.

The Independent4x kit is great but if i were to do it again, i would rather piece everything together myself. The Indy4x stuff is on the pricy side. Add-a-leafs and 6" long shackles (or make your own)... thats it. If you want more goodies you can get shocks, shackle bushings, diff brake line extension, etc.

To answer your question..the Indy4x lift is just as good, and IMHO better then the Calmini. The A-arms in the Calmini lift are designed to more easily get your vehicle aligned back to spec. They don't do much beyond correct the geometery to allow spec alignements. The balljoint flip accomplishes the same thing. It allows for spec alignement without the A-arm.

2 main reasons Indy4x's lift is better then Calmini's:
1) Customer Service....Calmini is terrible with their CS (I am a purchasing manager for a vendor of their product and they treat us wholesaler/retailers just as bad as their customers) I have yet to hear of anyone having a good experience with them. I can also attest to the poor Customer Service from a Resalers perspective. Not too mention that Calmini will probably leave you waiting for a good 6+ weeks for their product. Matt most likely has most if not all parts available quickly and will get you the kit within a very timely manner. Not to mention that Matt(owner of Indy4x) is great to talk to on the phone if you have questions, and proudly supports the Isuzu market and has for years.

2)Quality...while Calmini overall makes a quality product, it is more in lines with what their products lack. For example...the replacment crossmemeber. It is designed to be straight, and not have the curve design of stock. This is a PIA because it gets right in the way of the oil when you drain it. Also, their A-arms have a tendency to go through bushings regularly as well as squeak a lot. Then there is the issue, that quite a few people I know running the A-arms have issues with their alignment shims slipping out over time. I can't say it is directly related to the A-arms, but I only here of it with people who run them, and not those running stock arms with a balljoint flip.
Matt's kit will include all the parts you would NEED to do the lift. You can build your own in reality, but Matt has spent the time and put together a package the comes with all you would need for a complete kit. You can piece it together and only use parts you truely need to get the lift done, but a complete kit is a better way to go. It is like throwing a 4" kit on a JK...sure you can do it without long arms..but most people will tell you, if you can afford to get the long arms..do.

So, all in all, the kit Indy4x sells is just as good, and in most Isuzu enthusiasts eyes better. Mainly for what parts it doesn't have since in reality they aren't needed and seem to cause more problems down the road anyway.

Matt at Independent4X knows Isuzus and his products are excellent. Call him and he will take care of you. I've bought from Calmini and Independent4X, and my preference is Indy4X.

Good luck with your build.

<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

i heard its not good to do a ball joint flip on the 98+ rodeos/amigos. if thats true, isn't it possible to get the allignment corrected after cranking the torsion bars without doing the flip?

yes you are correct, it is NOT a good idea on a 2nd gen. but you can get the tires back to spec. you will need to make sure the allignment shop you go to alligns both camber castor and toe-in. many shops allginment shops do not - because the computer won't tell hem what to do.

bah. find a better shop.

x2 on not doing the flip. It will make it easier to break the rack & pinion steering. I spent alot of time tracking down longer upper control arm mount bolts which some have had to use to get theirs back into alignment. Ended up not needing them. 2nd gens have longer control arms so really isnt that hard to get them back into alignment if the shop knows what they are doing. I suggest taking it to an actual alignment shop and not a tire store or chain store that happens to also do alignments. The specialist shop will have a better idea of what to do.

I originally just bought the springs and brake line extender from Matt and pieced mine together over time. In the end I spent about the same as I would have just buying the whole kit from him when you figure in shipping charges and such. I recommend just buying the kit and doing it all at once. Plus if you have a problem or warranty issue with something you dont have to remember who you bought that part from and deal with their customer service.