LUVTruck.com

I have seen where doing a SOA in the rear of the LUV's is mentioned plenty of times. What I am wondering is what all do I need to do this? I have seen where Boonie Buster posted that you could do the SOA in the rear and not have to relocate shock mounts and such. He mentioned posting up some pics and everything...but I haven't seen them. So if he, or anyone else for that matter, wants to enlighten me and post some pics...have at it. Thanks.

Cam

_________________
1980 Chevy LUV 4x4

This is how i plan to lift the rear of my Luv, all parts bolt in. No cutting or welding, easily reversable.

_________________
1980 4x4 KBD40 ISUZU/Chev Luv
Factory Fitted c190 Diesel Engine, ARB BullBar, Ramsey Winch, Custom Tilt Tray,

So the shocks bolt to the SOA bracketry...I like that. Where can I find those brackets that are in the pics? Those would make things hella easy. What about brake lines and such? Any thing else need to be modified?

Cam

_________________
1980 Chevy LUV 4x4

i will get some pics tomorrow... basically you take and put the spring pads on top, put the pads on the opposite side them came off and bolt it all back together as i recall.... depends on how your shocks are mounted though... looking at that picture i might have a different setup on my luv trailer....

EDIT:

found an old pic form when i first got one of the luvs, i didnt do this, but it looks the same as the way i did mine....

_________________
"I'll take 'The Rapist' for $1200 Alex..."
"That's 'Therapist' Mr. Connery"

make sure to WELD those black pieces in... I had a set on my S-10 and had the metal they rest on fatigue and fold under the axle wrap/torque

_________________
"I'll take 'The Rapist' for $1200 Alex..."
"That's 'Therapist' Mr. Connery"

I was wondering if I had to buy some other stuff; or if I could just use what's under there already. That is what I wanted to know. I guess I will have to look at the shocks. Thanks Boonie Buster. I think that this is more of what I want to do. You can post some pics of what you have also though.

Cam

_________________
1980 Chevy LUV 4x4

Remember you're not supposed to re-use U-bolts...so you might buy new ones

You got it. Any recommendations...or just whatever?

Cam

_________________
1980 Chevy LUV 4x4

Well if you find some that are designated as axle u-bolts that will fit in terms of axle tube diameter and length...I would say you can use them. The auto parts store sometimes has them, a 4x4 truck store will definitely have them, and if all else fails there's always Summit Racing. It's like bolts, I think you need appropriate tensile strength, e.g. Grade 8 if it were a bolt; you can see in the pics from OzLuvTrucker that they are a golden color, that's the color Grade 8 bolts usually are. But any u-bolt from a reputable suspension company (Skyjacker, Rancho, Superlift, Warn, Moser, etc) should suffice.

At the risk of being lengthy in my reply, I feel new u-bolts are in order first of all because if the old ones were overtorqued at all previously they are now stretched and so cannot be reused (they won't torque up properly); and also since you are putting lift in your truck you might go with bigger tires later, which increases unsprung weight and means you might want the piece of mind of having new axle attaching hardware. My 0.02, and how I'd do it if I were doing a spring over.

Will something like these suffice then? http://www.trail-gear.com/flip.html

Cam

_________________
1980 Chevy LUV 4x4

I forgot that you have to buy a new spring pad anyway to mount on top of your axle...so if they match your axle tube diameter then yeah that looks like it. Is that a 4x4 shop that's near you?

No, it isn't near me. Just had plans to use a bunch of their stuff when I had my toyota. Since I still have a toyota front axle that I plan to put under the front of the LUV...I figured that I may still use some of their stuff. I will probably end up using a toyota rear axle too. Thanks for the help.

Cam

_________________
1980 Chevy LUV 4x4

I'm actually in the process of doing this. I pulled everything off today, and now I'm curious... How, in this picture, are you preventing axle wrap? Is that block in between you axle and your leaves cut to a half-moon and welded in?

I'm not preventing axle wrap in any way... that's another topic here I can't remember if on my setup if i had to weld new perches on or not..... it's been years since i put it together... If you do, no biggy, go to your local offroad shop and get some weld on perches and go for it!

_________________
"I'll take 'The Rapist' for $1200 Alex..."
"That's 'Therapist' Mr. Connery"

So, small problem that I don't know if yall ran into or not.... I have to modify one of my crossmembers. The driveshaft won't go low enough, so I need to cut out the crossmember, drive it to a welding shop, and get a modified crossmember welded in... Awesome.

I haven't gotten into it yet, so I don't know. I was planning on getting started on it sometime soon, but have been thinking of putting it off until my girlfriend moves in...which should be in July. Then I will have a little bit more expendable income and not have to watch my money so closely. I will post up in regards to the driveshaft when I get a chance; but mine will probably be very different. Mods to come are: SOA rear, SAS up front, 350 or 4.3 Chevy engine, 700R4 trans, NP208 transfer case (I think), and then the driveshafts will be modified or custom made.

Cam

_________________
1980 Chevy LUV 4x4

It's easy to cut the stock spring perches off the housing and reuse them. If the retaining / shock mount plates are all bent up, then I'd be suspect on the bolts and check the threads. Other wise they be fine. Point the pinion down just a little. Do not make the angle straight or pointed up. Also check to be sure the driveshaft yoke goes into the tranny far enough. SOA will cause the drive shaft to be a little short, usually not enough to be a problem, check to be safe. That's not the end you want to fall out.

_________________
The light at the end of the tunnel, may just be a train coming!