Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: '93 LiteAce lift 4x4

  1. #1
    Van Enthusiast
    My Van(s):
    Vandi -'93 LiteAce 2CT, Auto, 4wd, Skylite!
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Tulsa
    Posts
    212
    Rep Power
    1

    '93 LiteAce lift 4x4

    I finally did it after years of waiting and reading.
    read the threads, two or three times & took notes. Tried not to ask to many questions because its all been done before. Thanks to all of you

    Front, used:
    2270-FS - SENSEN Shocks Struts
    qty.2 on Amazon for $60 pair
    You have to grind down the lower end of the shock bolt bushing to fit into the shoulder part (??).
    Torsion bar crank:
    Breaking the locknut was the worst part on the torsion bar/lever looking thing. I used a 7/8" wrench and a 22mm deep socket 1/2" drive on my impact.
    1/2" up on the passenger side (left side)
    5/8" up on the driver side, (right side, has the gas tank on that side, I'm guessing that's why it needed more )

    On full turn it hits up front of the wheel. Thinking about grinding it down because its not the frame but rather a support bracket that has a little extra over hang.

    rear, used:
    Sensen 1214-0190
    qty. 2 on amazon for $34 each
    You have to grind down the lower end to fit into the shoulder part
    Daystar, KT09100BK
    qty. 2 on amazon for $50 pair
    rear was super easy, don't forget to loosen the bolts that holds the e-brake line so when you drop the axle it doesn't pull on it unnecessarily.
    I used a grinder on the Daystar spacer so the original top side spring cushion would fit inside.
    I reused the old cushions on the bottoms of the springs, I'd like to find new ones to drop in there. but oh well.
    You have to grind down the lower end of the shock bolt bushing to fit into the shoulder part on the rear axle.
    The shocks top bolt is a bit too long and will poke a hole in your carpet, so after tightening down I used a hack saw and cut off the excess, seemed to work great. I did have to remove the rear seats to get to the top shock bolts on the van body.
    Don't forget to add a bracket for the rear brake adjuster thingy that is on the rear axle.

    I also had installed General Grabbers, 27x8.5 R14
    Discount tires at $154 each

    Before lift van sat at 28" to the top of the fenders, all the way around.
    tires were 205/70/14 which measured 24" tall

    Now the fenders sit at: 30-1/4" roughly all the way around.
    Grabbers measure at 26" tall

    My shocks looked to be OME and were toast. I wish I would have swapped them out years ago.
    Bumps are much better now.
    Ill get a few pic posted later.
    Last edited by Andywear; 05-15-2022 at 10:14 AM.
    I was a member for 2 years before I bought my van.
    Vandi-

  2. #2
    Forum Newbie
    My Van(s):
    1989 MasterAce Surf Grand Saloon 2CT Auto 4x4
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    Glendale, CA
    Posts
    21
    Rep Power
    1

    Re: '93 LiteAce lift 4x4

    Congratulations!

  3. #3
    Van Enthusiast
    My Van(s):
    Vandi -'93 LiteAce 2CT, Auto, 4wd, Skylite!
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Tulsa
    Posts
    212
    Rep Power
    1

    Re: '93 LiteAce lift 4x4

    https://youtube.com/shorts/zg9q2d1byNQ?feature=share

    To show where it’s hitting at full turn.
    I hear that there is a steering adjustment I can do so it stops before it rubs. I’m going to look into that to correct this.
    I was a member for 2 years before I bought my van.
    Vandi-

  4. #4
    Van Enthusiast
    My Van(s):
    Vandi -'93 LiteAce 2CT, Auto, 4wd, Skylite!
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Tulsa
    Posts
    212
    Rep Power
    1

    Re: '93 LiteAce lift 4x4

    Instead of loading all the pictures thru the site I loaded them to a youtube vid. was much faster... maybe

    https://youtu.be/sOYBhwYfGHA


    I am still trying to figure out what steering adjustment to make for the front rub.
    I was a member for 2 years before I bought my van.
    Vandi-

  5. #5
    Van Enthusiast
    My Van(s):
    Vandi -'93 LiteAce 2CT, Auto, 4wd, Skylite!
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    Tulsa
    Posts
    212
    Rep Power
    1

    Re: '93 LiteAce lift 4x4

    Quote Originally Posted by Andywear View Post
    https://youtube.com/shorts/zg9q2d1byNQ?feature=share

    To show where it’s hitting at full turn.
    I hear that there is a steering adjustment I can do so it stops before it rubs. I’m going to look into that to correct this.
    found in the FSM ('87 manual)

    FSM.FA.31.jpg


    PDF: Of that page.
    FSM.FA.31.pdf




    At least I wont have to grind on the frame.

    took me 2 years to get the courage to do the lift, how much longer till I adjust the steering.....
    Last edited by Andywear; 05-30-2022 at 11:49 AM.
    I was a member for 2 years before I bought my van.
    Vandi-

  6. #6
    Forum Newbie gringo-gaucho's Avatar
    My Van(s):
    1996 liteace 4wd 2.2l turbo diesel
    Join Date
    Aug 2023
    Location
    Alaska
    Posts
    9
    Rep Power
    0

    US vans Versus LiteAce/townace- lift 4x4

    Does the extensive info on lifting a US market 4wd van apply to the later 1990's JDM diesels- liteace, townace, etc?

    The above listed sensen part numbers no longer exist. Per reading all the threads I can find on the subject, and back checking the part numbers above, it would appear that for the fronts, we can search shocks that fit a 2000 dodge durango 4x4, and for the rears, the above numbers reference a 2000 ford f150 rear wheel drive.

    There is also information out there on using tacoma bilsteins- and the most recent part number listed is BSN-24-186056. I cannot find a reference for what tacoma this is. Anyone know-does this shock work on the JDM vans, or what Tacoma is it for?
    Once I get this successfully completed, I hope to make a thorough post on the process for JDM owners with up to date parts numbers.

    Thanks all!

  7. #7
    Forum Newbie gringo-gaucho's Avatar
    My Van(s):
    1996 liteace 4wd 2.2l turbo diesel
    Join Date
    Aug 2023
    Location
    Alaska
    Posts
    9
    Rep Power
    0

    96 liteace lifted- thanks ALL

    So I lifted our 96, with extra confidence in parts ordering- thanks to this thread and others on this site. It seems that the suspensions didn't change much between the US vans of the 80's and the JDM vans into 1996, so the info found on the (5 lug) US vans still applies. Our 1996 is a CR31G frame, NOT the late 96 and beyond "noah" models, which obviously will be much different.
    I used:
    Front: Kyb kg5440 gas-a-just shocks.
    Rear: Daystar KT09100BK plus 24-186056 - Bilstein B6 4600 Series.
    Minor modifications were necessary- I trimmed the rubber on one set of shocks and the steel bushing tube on the other. An angle grinder was handy. It was 1/4" removed from the tube, so a file could do it, but it would be time consuming.

    Up front I cranked in about 7 full turns. This yielded right around 1 inch of lift, which was my goal. Out back, I lined the daystar bushing internally with part of the original upper spring cushion. This held it more firmly in place, that daystar is too big on it's inside diameter.

    The rear adjustable rear brake body height sensor- it has a m10.0x1.25 threads, so a coupling nut and another short bolt with the head cutoff makes a clean solution- I am still trying to get the coupling bolt though...

    We already had the 27" grabbers on there, and this mod was mainly to eliminate rubbing issues.
    front before:29 1/4, after- 30 1/4
    Rear before 29 1/2, after 30 5/8

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •