I received my 3" Calmini lift today and am planning on doing the install this Saturday. I've read through the directions a few times already and it seems fairly straight forward, but I know any time you start a project, something unexpected will pop up. Is there anything I should look out for or that will make life easier on Saturday?

I am planning on getting some PB Blaster and spraying the bolts every day starting on Thursday. The only things that I am a little fuzzy on are bleeding the front brakes and finding a way to get access to a bearing press for the bushings on the UCA...

You'd be time ahead to have new UCA bushings in hand and take them with you along with your old UCA's to a shop and let them do the removal and install of the center piece and the new bushings into the Calmini uppers.

Word of caution, there is another guy on here that tried installing the Calimini kit and never got the upper control arms to work.

Joe

yeah, I've read of a couple of people having problems. I'm hoping that I won't run into that.

So, what kind of shop would be likely to be able to do the UCA's? Just any old mechanic shop, I guess? The city I'm in (Pulaski, Va) is kind of small, so there aren't a whole lot of choices.

Dude, you're only about an hour (or-so) down the road from Joe & me (in Bluefield)!

I don't want to get ahead of myself (or more to the point: speak for him - since it's not my time or garage, and I have absolutely no idea what his schedule looks like) - but you might be able to talk Joe into helping you do it - and for a whole lot less than ANY mechanic would charge you. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />


What say you, Joe?


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

I'm one of those guys that couldn't get the UCA's to fit. I called Calmini about it and sent them pics that I took, they said the welds on the UCA's might have "walked" a little during the manufacturing, so they sent me a brand new pair, The second one still didn't work, so I gave up and ended up selling the UCA's for $150 just to try and recoop some of my losses.

Hope yours will work fine, but if they don't, you are SOL cause calmini will only send a new pair that is exactly the same. No refunds...

There are lots of good threads on this. It would be helpful if others would give you the best links - there are so many out there.

I had to disconnect the upper trailing arms in the rear in order to get the old spring out and the new one in out. But, Rob G. wrote up something once that explained how he did it without disconnecting the upper trailing arms.

Here is an explanation Chase gave me describing the rear suspension. It is helpful to know what parts people are talking about.

The sway bar runs parallel with, and is attached to the axle. There is a Link that runs perpendicular to the ground, that attaches it to the frame. The Control arms, or trialing arms, there are four, two upper, and two lower, they are attached to the frame, and the axle. There is a track bar, that is attached to the axle on one side, and attached to the frame on the other. Their functions are as follows...

Anti-Sway Bar; torsion style spring, that distributes load from side to side during cornering, also known for limiting articulation

Control Arms; do just that, they control the movement of the axle front to rear, and up and down...and SOME side to side...

Track Bar Controls lateral movement of the axle in Link type suspensions (2nd gen. rodeos fro example), in other words, they are responsible for the side to side motion.

Pete

I say I have a non running truck in my garage right now, that's been awaiting me to fix her. i have all the parts and teh supercharger is mounted on the engine.

I just need some time to finish all the small stuff like vaccum hoses and extending some of the sensor wires and whatnot.

I'd not be able to help any on the UCA bushings, you need a press for that. But again I'd compare the new ones to the ones on your truck right now, before I'd remove the old ones.

I don't know why exactly the Calmini uppers are not fitting on the second gen trucks, but I would swear that I have seen some people that have the Calmini lifts in their sigs.

Maybe in a few weekends, I'd be free. I have about 10 trees I have fallen and need cut up and the limbs hauled off. I'm in the middle of our softball tourny and I'll have games till we're beaten.

I'd be happy to assist as Jordan put it. But, it may be the middle of August before I can clear some time.

Joe

My Calmini UCA where too small. The "eye" where is swivels from that you put the bushing in were about 1/2" closer than the stock UCA's. Hopefully someone understands what I am trying to say and can use the real terminology for the parts. But basically, if the UCAS were mounted, there would have been 1/2" play Left to Right because of the smaller width between the two "eyes" where the bushings go. Hope it helps a bit....

Thanks for all the replies. I have kept my eyes on this topic for several months now as I have been deciding between the different lifts out there. However, there is always something that could have been discussed that I didn't see, so that is one of the reasons I started this thread. From what I have seen (and from doing a quick search here and on planetisuzoo) the fit problems seem to be mostly on the 2000 and newer 2nd gens. I'm not sure what the difference is, but I seem to remember reading somthing about a small change that was made halfway through a production year?? I have also seen problems documented on 94-95 era isuzu's as well. I think there is also a fitment issue with some Troopers too, but I'm not real sure.

I guess I am hoping that since mine is a '99, that the '98 that the lift was designed for is the same as mine. I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyways and will definately do a visual check before I start removing the old arms.

As far as the help offered, I appreciate it, but I have a couple of friends that are going to come lend some extra hands Saturday in exchange for steaks and beer! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" /> Anyways, if I am going to make it to Callalantee this month, I need to get this thing installed!

Is this what you are talking about?


The whole thread can be seen here:
http://forum.planetisuzoo.com/viewtopic.php?t=7341&highlight=calmini+uca