DIY: 2" Lift Kit for Under $40 - EASY!

jcilforever · Sep 7, 2010

JCILFOREVER

I don't really think this is Wal-Mart Mentality. These are a quality product made by a company that has been doing this for a long time.

I am not doubting that the springs you have work great, but I just can't justify $150 per spring right now.[/QUOTE]

As said before it was not directed towards you, I understand money concearns as I am unemlpoyed and was in a bad car accident (not my fault) As said before if you do not like them you will only be out
$70 so I wish you the best

mountainfair · Nov 9, 2010

Any updates on how this has held up for a year OP? Im very interested in doing this now that winter is starting...

How is the square tubing holding up?

Also, can you provide more details? How long are the "longer bolts"? How thick is the pipe spacer for the front? What is the red plastic looking thing on the rear spacers?

Did you also replace the strut mounts to add height as shown here:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?p=703226

Anyone tried something like this or other ideas?:
http://www.autopartsdeal.com/catalo...wagen+Jetta+Energy+Susp+Coil+Spring+Insulator

mountainfair · Nov 9, 2010

So, are the square tube mounts needed or not? Sorry if this is a dumb question, but it sounds like maybe not?

Checking out this similar mod in another thread, I dont see any sort of change done to the top mount (but interesting alternative to making the spacers):
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=3140664&postcount=273

I cant see what the mounts with the metalnerd kit look like from the pic though I think thats what the black things in the back are -

http://www.metalnerd.com/cat09.htm

anyone have a better pic? Are they needed? They require drilling new holes?

mountainfair · Nov 9, 2010

timgenuity said:
Anyone have the necessary dimensions for a DIY or the actual dimensions from a MN kit?
In particular it seems I'd need to know the ID and OD for the front spacer, and the two (stepped) OD's for the rear.
I just got my hands on a lathe and I'm excited to turn these parts. I'll make sure to post photos and description of my lift which I plan to be:
Front:
1.5" spacers
Bilstein TC's
(VR6 springs possibly or eventually)
Rear:
2.0" spacers
1.0" strut mounts
Bilstein HD's
(wagon/towing springs possibly or eventually)
Thanks for any help on the dims! Rather only pull my car apart once. And if I sound like a newb for asking for dims it's coz I am! Not new to engineering but new to working on my suspension. Finally have a garage and a flat pad of concrete.

Tim - Have you ended up making some spacers? Id love to see pics of what you have done. Maybe you can make some extras to share while you are at it...

Anyone else out there have equipment to help make up some of these?
Not sure if this is what you meant or if you are still looking for dimensions, but I found that I had this saved from several years ago and it doesnt seem to be online any more. I had planned to weld some up based on these dimensions, and am just now getting motivated to get it done. Cant remember where they came from... Maybe the original poster will recognize them and offer more info:

Pugsley · Nov 9, 2010

ICK.. so that's how the front spacers work. I did a spring lift a long time ago on my Caprices rear. I did that with out changing anything with the shocks. The results looked good but on every decent bump rebound it was stiff and loud. After awhile I figured out that the shocks were being pulled out to maximum length effectively making them limiting straps. So after adding a 3" spacer to the top of the shock to put it back in the normal position it cleared right up and rode much better.

Seeing that spacer in there looks like it will do the same thing, Take the last 2 inches of travel out of the shock. Making it more likely to "top out" and damage the shocks end seals. I could be wrong but my experience with messing with suspension makes me think that.

Tell me I am wrong so I can do this to my Beetle. I have been wanting to raise it a bit for winter. Also so I can put a side pipe on it.

nate379 · Nov 9, 2010

I like the before pic better.

pbbreath said:
(You can Run 205/70/15's while lowered I found out before I did the lift!)

After the lift: 8" of Ground Clearance to the Skid Plate.

coalminer16 · Nov 11, 2010

Pugsley said:
Tell me I am wrong so I can do this to my Beetle. I have been wanting to raise it a bit for winter. Also so I can put a side pipe on it.

Your wrong (does it have to be truth). Yes it can cause the car to bottom out the struts length wise. I haven't had the issue though. They do make rear spring spacers now as well other then from metal nerd. I can't find who does the rear spring lift

Kerma has a 1 inch kit for pretty cheap.
http://www.kermatdi.com/servlet/-strse-624/1”-Lift-Kit-For/Detail

Pugsley · Nov 11, 2010

I am not worried about Bottoming out, I am worried about Topping out. You hit a bump. the wheel goes up, then the whole car moves up and then all the weight comes off the front wheels because they have reached the end of travel (topped out). You would end up with a bad bounce this way.

79TA7.6 · Nov 11, 2010

mountainfair said:

Could someone who has an extra set of rear springs tell me what the inside diameter is of the lower portion of the spring? Should be the same as the spring perch. I have a machinist at work who might be willing to make these up for me.

coalminer16 · Nov 11, 2010

Pugsley said:
I am not worried about Bottoming out, I am worried about Topping out. You hit a bump. the wheel goes up, then the whole car moves up and then all the weight comes off the front wheels because they have reached the end of travel (topped out). You would end up with a bad bounce this way.

Sorry, I was meaning topping out when I said Bottoming out length wise. I didn't really know how to say it and getting late so wasn't thinking at 100%.

I could measure sometime on a set of wagon springs waiting for install.

79TA7.6 · Nov 11, 2010

That would be great. Thank you.

coalminer16 · Nov 13, 2010

2 inches inside diameter is best I could come with.

NewTdi · Nov 14, 2010

pbbreath said:
Although the Metalnerd kit looks VERY well made and overall not a bad deal for what you get I didn't want to jump through all the hoops to get one.

Soooo.....I fabricated my own kit. VERY little fabrication is needed for this kind of a lift and I found some very user friendly durable solutions.

DISCLAIMER:

I take full responsibility for the kit I made for ONLY my personal vehicle. Should anyone decide to make a kit similar to the one I've made below they take onto themselves full liability for its structural integrity, build quality and correct assembly.

Parts List.

2 - 4" to 2" Black Hex Bushings - $14 Each
2 - 2" Pipe Threaded - $3
4 - 2 1/4 inch long 1x1 Box Tubing or Solid Stock. - $4
4 - Longer Metric Bolts for Factory Upper Shock Mounts - < $1
4 - Longer Metric Bolts with Nylock Nuts for Upper Shock Mounts - < $1
2 - 1" Pipe 2" Long - < $1

Tools Required

Spring Compressors
Impact Gun - for spring compressors
Grinder - (Die Grinder, Bench Grinder or Angle Grinder)
Drill & Bit assortment
Basic Mechanics tools
Jack & Jack Stands

Optional Parts

VR6 Springs or Shine Racing Springs (I used VR6 springs)
This will give you another 1/2 to 1" of lift

Bilstein TC Shocks (I'm using Stock VR6 for now and getting TC's in the spring)
I highly suggest Bilstein shocks and struts, I don't think there's a better manufacturer out there.

To start with I wanted to test the structural integrity of the 4" to 2" Hex busing. I took plate steel a 20 ton Jack the bushing and a 15 Ton Grove Crane and proceeded to lift up a corner of the crane on 1 bushing. Knowing I could lift 10,000 pounds at least on it makes me confident it can hold up 1 corner of my golf.

2" Long 1" Pipe was tested in the same fashion for the front without failure.

The 2" Pipe for the Rear Blocks has to be turned or ground down to about half its original thickness for the springs to slide over them snugly. I did this with a bench grinder in about 10 minutes until they were perfect.

The Front Spacer Goes in between the spring cap and the busing right below the strut tower bearing. Compressing VR6 springs an additional 2" takes a LOT of force so make sure you are using a nice set of spring compressors. Harbor Freight **** not advised. Re-Assemble suspension as normal. DONE.

2" Long Blocks of solid or 1x1 Box tubing Need to be drilled at 1 1/2 inch spacing, make the holes slightly oversized in case your drilling isn't perfect on the car. The Car will need holes drilled the same size and spacing below the original nutserts. You will Bolt the blocks to the car first by the OEM upper bolt holes then the upper strut mount and strut to the car by the lower bolt holes. The is tricky as there is limited space to hold the (Nylock) nut behind. If you have access to a nutsert kit you could use steel nutserts instead of nuts in the back to make the job a lot easier.

Install the Springs and Spacers just as you would stock and re-install lower rear shock mounts just as stock.

Throw your wheels back on and you're ready to go. My friend and I did the entire lift in about 3 hours. I'd bet it could be done faster now that there's nothing to figure out.

Here's the Before and after Pictures.

Car on Bilstein Sport and H&R Sport Springs, Lowered 2" with 18" R32 wheels holding 225/40/18's.

(You can Run 205/70/15's while lowered I found out before I did the lift!)

After the lift: 8" of Ground Clearance to the Skid Plate.

I was thinking about lifting my car for the winter since I will be going to the mountains every week-end! Looks like an easy mod and well within budget! Thanks for posting it!

NewTdi · Nov 15, 2010

79TA7.6 said:
That would be great. Thank you.

Did your machinist make you the set? If so did you install it?

79TA7.6 · Nov 15, 2010

I have not had time to finish modeling these up in SolidWorks yet. If I find the time to finish them, I need to wait until he has time to work on them as we just got swamped at work. When I get them done I will post. Not sure when that will be though. I need to finish up my HIDs first. Been working on those for way too long.

TDIJetta99 · Nov 15, 2010

I took a pair of large timing belt rollers (no shortage of used rollers in my shop) and put them on the top of the upper spring seat in the rear. They just about fit like they were made to go there.. Lifted the back of my car about 2.5"... The front was about an inch higher than the rear anyway, and I was about to embark on a 1500 mile round trip with a heavy trailer, so I stuffed them in the back to pick it up for the trip.. I'll take a few pictures of them when I pull them out in a few days..

NewTdi · Nov 15, 2010

79TA7.6 said:
I have not had time to finish modeling these up in SolidWorks yet. If I find the time to finish them, I need to wait until he has time to work on them as we just got swamped at work. When I get them done I will post. Not sure when that will be though. I need to finish up my HIDs first. Been working on those for way too long.

If you want to send me the solid works file I will have my machinist make an extra set for you!

79TA7.6 · Nov 15, 2010

Alright. I hope to have something done up by the end of the week. I am trying to squeeze this into my work schedule, along with doing homework and studying too.

shizzler · Nov 16, 2010

This is terrific. Thanks to everyone's contributions here. I plan to model .prt files in Unigraphics NX5 of the front and rear lift blocks, so I can share when I'm done, too.

Except I am designing just a 1" lift for my own machinists to fab me. Not trying to go 2" up, and I hear the ESP (traction control) freaks out. Is that really true? Anybody lifted 2" without disabling traction control?

My main question right now: Can I lift the rear 1" without extending/relocating the upper shock mount? I can see why you guys are wondering about "topping out" for a 2" lift... but for one inch, probably ok? Would wagon rear shocks fit? (i.e, is the only difference for wagon rear shocks the total length, or are the mounts physically different?)

Thanks for any insight.

OlyTDI · Nov 16, 2010

My understanding is that wagon rear shocks are simply longer shafted.

79TA7.6 · Nov 16, 2010

DISCLAIMER: I have not installed these on my car, I have only modeled and drawn up prototypes. I have never bought, handled, or seen anything that Metalnerd has made for their lift kit. This is just a representation of what I would like to install on my car someday when I get the chance to have them built. I am not responsible for anything that may happen to you or your car if you use this design as this design has not been tested or verified.
Now on to the details. I had a chance to finish modeling these up tonight. I made drawings of them, but I do not have any nice border or title block on the drawings as I do not want to represent my company for making something we do not produce.
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Shock_Spacer.pdf 4 needed
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Front_Spacer.pdf 2 needed
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Rear_Spacer.pdf 2 needed
These are the drawings I came up with. I went with a 3/4" pocket and 3/4" tall step for the spring and spring perch. As I do not have my car apart I am unable to verify these dimensions, or that they will work. Also for the shock spacer I assumed the mounting bolts for the shocks are M8x1.25. If this is incorrect please let me know and I will fix it if you give me the proper bolt size.
Again, I have no idea if these dimensions will work, not do I know if these spacers will work. This is all based from information I have gathered from this site and from the rest of the internet.

Growler · Nov 17, 2010

79TA7.6 said:
DISCLAIMER: I have not installed these on my car, I have only modeled and drawn up prototypes. I have never bought, handled, or seen anything that Metalnerd has made for their lift kit. This is just a representation of what I would like to install on my car someday when I get the chance to have them built. I am not responsible for anything that may happen to you or your car if you use this design as this design has not been tested or verified.
Now on to the details. I had a chance to finish modeling these up tonight. I made drawings of them, but I do not have any nice border or title block on the drawings as I do not want to represent my company for making something we do not produce.
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Shock_Spacer.pdf
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Front_Spacer.pdf
http://pics.tdiclub.com/data/500/Rear_Spacer.pdf
These are the drawings I came up with. I went with a 3/4" pocket and 3/4" tall step for the spring and spring perch. As I do not have my car apart I am unable to verify these dimensions, or that they will work. Also for the shock spacer I assumed the mounting bolts for the shocks are M8x1.25. If this is incorrect please let me know and I will fix it if you give me the proper bolt size.
Again, I have no idea if these dimensions will work, not do I know if these spacers will work. This is all based from information I have gathered from this site and from the rest of the internet.

so you need 4 of the shock spacers, and two of the other two items, correct?

shizzler · Nov 17, 2010

Ok at first I was getting confused over the rear shock spacers. Since the bar is only 1" thick, I first thought, ok if I only raise 1" then I probably don't need these. Then my education kicked in and I realized that with 1.5" bolt spacing and 1" thickness, the effective shock flange is moved 1.8" (hypotenuse, duh). I presume the OP at least crudely analyzed the geometry to ensure the angle of the flange still ensures it sits flat on the new spacers?

If a vendor could jump in and tell us the effective rear shock length difference between the sedan and wagon (or if the mounting is different) that would be awesome.
__________________________________________
EDIT: Never mind. I see that only koni reds have a wagon-specific shock, so otherwise they must be common to the sedan. Also, metalnerd does not supply rear shock mount relocation spacers with their 1" kit, so I suppose I'll be fine.
Also, bummed to learn that you can't use the bilstein HD's with the front lift because of the larger front piston shafts! Damn, anyone have a spec on the HD piston diameter?
__________________________________________

And yeah, Grolwer. 4 shock spacers and 2 each of the front and rear lift blocks.

Growler · Nov 17, 2010

I can tell you i have the same Koni FSD shocks on my wagon I had on my 2001 golf.. no issues. no funny noises.

gioTDI · Nov 17, 2010

mountainfair said:
Tim - Have you ended up making some spacers? Id love to see pics of what you have done. Maybe you can make some extras to share while you are at it...
Anyone else out there have equipment to help make up some of these?
Not sure if this is what you meant or if you are still looking for dimensions, but I found that I had this saved from several years ago and it doesnt seem to be online any more. I had planned to weld some up based on these dimensions, and am just now getting motivated to get it done. Cant remember where they came from... Maybe the original poster will recognize them and offer more info:

Can some one please translate this dimensions in mm im going to Europe in December and i have some people that can do that for a very decent amount of money

Growler · Nov 17, 2010

multiply every number by 25.4 >>BANG<< mm measurements

and if you have mm measurements, and want inches, multiply by 0.03937

79TA7.6 · Nov 17, 2010

Growler said:
multiply every number by 25.4 >>BANG<< mm measurements
and if you have mm measurements, and want inches, multiply by 0.03937

Or divide by 25.4

. I do these conversions all the time at work.

79TA7.6 · Nov 17, 2010

Growler said:
so you need 4 of the shock spacers, and two of the other two items, correct?

That would be correct. I will go back and revise my post to say this.

79TA7.6 · Nov 17, 2010

Can someone tell me if the 3/4" is going to be too much for the rear spacers? If it is I will revise my print. Also any input on the bolt size for the shock mount?

If someone gets some of these made up before I do and has input on anything please let me know. I would like to have these prints as correct as possible.

Thanks

Shenandoah · Nov 17, 2010

Rear shock mount

79T,

The rear shock mount bolt is an M10 (at least on a 2005 Beetle).

Eric

DIY: 2" Lift Kit for Under $40 - EASY!

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