Lifting the SVX

[Ben Up North]

So I'm getting closer to trying to get the SVX on the road.
Assuming it passes the roadworthy (need another pair of R003s on it, at the minimum) the next step will be to improve the clearance, as without a lift it's not going anywhere apart from very flat tracks. At the least, I'd like to be able to get through the 4wd only section of Black Mountain Road and do the bloomfield track (which is easy)

At best, I'd like to be able to get it up to the tip of cape york, which as long as I give the OTT a miss, should be quite doable.

With a lift, I might be able to get over the sort of stuff an outback in stock configuration can get over, maybe even a standard forester - probably have to put illegal tyres on it to get to that height, even with the lift it will still only be about 185mm clearance. My forester at standard height used to get through the 4wd section of that road easily when dry.

Anyway... enough of the rambling.

Rather than getting strut top spacers made for it, I am considering putting in longer struts, with coilovers (which will probably end up being more than double the cost of the car!!) as another SVX owner has done.

By using coilovers, I'm hoping that I will be able to have the car's clearance for general use at 50mm higher than what it currently is in a 'lowered' configuration, and the ability to lift more when overlanding.
Is that feasible assuming I'm not over-stretching the CVs?

Current clearance at rear diff is about 150mm and the CVs are pretty parrallel to the ground. from what I've read here the SVX CVs have a wider range of movement than the forester CVs so I'm hoping it's possible.

Any thoughts and suggestions greatly appreciated, even if you think I'm mad.

 

[scalman]

Why you need that poor svx offroad and why coils? Its not good car as it is?
It wont have enough clearance still not as forester anyway . so you wanna have long travel on it and drive fast on offroad tracks. ? But its your money sure.

 

[NachaLuva]

What coilovers are you thinking of using? Most are very poor for offroad, with mega stiff springs & bad travel. Offroad coilovers are great but uber expensive. They are also illegal & are one of the things that cops know to look for



Why not fit longer Subaru suspension? It will look factory (because it is...kinda) & will give you the lift you need, combined with good handling, nice ride & good articulation offroad). I don't know the details of fitting Forester struts to a SVX but if you can fit coilovers you can fit those

 

[Ben Up North]

What coilovers are you thinking of using? Most are very poor for offroad, with mega stiff springs & bad travel. Offroad coilovers are great but uber expensive. They are also illegal & are one of the things that cops know to look for

Ahh.. The other SVX owner put dobinsons in his I think.
Mega stiff and bad travel is definitely not what I'm after!


Ooh. found some piictures of his baby, you might recognise this spot..?

Sorry about the image size.

Why not fit longer Subaru suspension? It will look factory (because it is...kinda) & will give you the lift you need, combined with good handling, nice ride & good articulation offroad). I don't know the details of fitting Forester struts to a SVX but if you can fit coilovers you can fit those

That's a good idea, and probably a hell of a lot cheaper, cheers!

 

[Kevin]

Big Red - awesome! Did they go out there to play or actually cross the Simpson?

As it's a classic I'd keep it as a daily driver and spend my dollars on the Foz :iconwink:

 

[Ben Up North]

Going to get the SVX off the ground tomorrow with any luck, might see if we can get a strut out of the front and rear and start investigating.


I do like the idea of fitting longer subaru struts in it. A lot.

 

[Ben Up North]

Big Red - awesome! Did they go out there to play or actually cross the Simpson?

I'm 99% sure he's crossed the Simpson a number of times in it. As of 2015 it had 700,000kms on the clock and a fair chunk of that would be offroad.
(username Dessertrunner on SVX forums - which I'm guessing is either a spleking(!) error or a play on words).

As it's a classic I'd keep it as a daily driver and spend my dollars on the Foz :iconwink:

But where's the fun in that?



It would cost me a fair amount to restore (body's straight but paint is a bit iffy so would need a respray, radio is shot, getting an original would probably be more expense than it's worth, rear seats have perished at the top a bit, the sunrood mounts are rusted out at the front, the list goes on..)


If you want to see more of this beast, there's a dropbox album here
he makes it up the hill with ease by the looks of it.

 

[jf1sf5]

Because you want to have fun, I would go with long travel coilovers.

The struts have the same design as the other Subarus from these years, mcpherson on all four corners but the hubs are larger on the SVX, you have to check if they fit (spacing between the bolts and width of the lower strut mount, could be 30mm vs 25mm for the Forester)

Except for the approach and departure angles, it would probably be a beast off road and as you stated, the SVX cv's give much more angle, at least the fronts I have...

NachaLuva, my coilovers are anything but harsh and give me plenty of articulation....:iconwink:

 

[Ben Up North]

Because you want to have fun, I would go with long travel coilovers...

...NachaLuva, my coilovers are anything but harsh and give me plenty of articulation....:iconwink:

I was thinking of you and the videos I've seen when I started thinking coilovers.


Hotbits would be awesome. :ebiggrin:


Been reading a bit more about Dessertrunners modifications, and he has strut top spacers in his, do you have spacers on yours, or just the coilovers?

 

[NachaLuva]

NachaLuva, my coilovers are anything but harsh and give me plenty of articulation....:iconwink:

Yeah for sure! I mentioned offroad coilovers (like Hotbits) are great but very expensive. It's the typical coilovers that are harsh with very limited travel. Fine for driving around town but no good offroad

 

[Kevin]

But where's the fun in that?

Fun like this gorgeous hunk of metal: https://gosfordclassiccarmuseum.com.au/surplus-car/subaru-svx-1992/

 

[El_Freddo]

The svx suspension is somehow different to other subarus. It could be in the lower strut bracket spacing as mentioned already and I've heard the top mounts are different - but the hat could probably be used in a new configuration.

As for resto, while that's a small list it's certainly not a write off by any means - just the usual stuff for a resto or even a little less

Either way, it's yours and there are others to restore. You're just bumping their value
That svx pictured - I've heard the same about it and I think I've seen a pic of it on larger wheels too.

Cheers

Bennie

 

[Ben Up North]

Yeah for sure! I mentioned offroad coilovers (like Hotbits) are great but very expensive. It's the typical coilovers that are harsh with very limited travel. Fine for driving around town but no good offroad

what makes the Hotbits illegal?

 

[jf1sf5]

Been reading a bit more about Dessertrunners modifications, and he has strut top spacers in his, do you have spacers on yours, or just the coilovers?

I have no spacers, only maximum wheel travel :iconwink:

 

[Ben Up North]

I have no spacers, only maximum wheel travel :iconwink:

Cool. I've sent Hotbits an email, see what they come back with. I might be able to afford them after a year or two of saving. :ebiggrin:
Assuming the'yre not too illegal..!
I managed to stick a lift in my forester without even considering about legality until after it was in and I started reading the threads here, only to discover it is. By the sounds of things, that lift is never going to be legal according to a couple of engineers I've spoken to.

So.. in for a penny in for a pound as they say, even if it is a different car.

It would be great if I could work out a way of having as many parts as possible 'interchangeable' between the cars without too many modifications so that I can return either of them to stock if I ever decide to sell one. But I doubt it's possible.
It would be pretty cool to be able to swap the gearbox, diffs and supsension between the two without major modifications to the original bodies. If could, Hotbits would be first on my list, Followed by DCCD and rear locker and perhaps a 6speed STI box, if I could get a super low first and second in it.

Yes, I'm a dreamer. Probably just as well I'm not fiilthy rich.


I'm still interested to know why long travel Hotbits aren't legal..

 

[NachaLuva]

Fun like this gorgeous hunk of metal: https://gosfordclassiccarmuseum.com.au/surplus-car/subaru-svx-1992/

Nice!!

what makes the Hotbits illegal?

All adjustable height coilovers are illegal here, you're not allowed to have adjustable height suspension unless it's from the factory (already passed ADRs). It's not a big deal, plenty of people have them, but it is something cops know to look for

Cool. I've sent Hotbits an email, see what they come back with. I might be able to afford them after a year or two of saving. :ebiggrin:

PM me, there's a guy on Facebook who is the Australian distributor for Hotbits. It will be much cheaper going through him

I managed to stick a lift in my forester without even considering about legality until after it was in and I started reading the threads here, only to discover it is. By the sounds of things, that lift is never going to be legal according to a couple of engineers I've spoken to.

That's bollocks! You've been speaking to the wrong engineers, some are scared of anything they haven't seen before!

A 2" lift kit is completely legal & you've only gone a little higher than that while maintaining factory suspension travel. Anything 50mm 2" to 125mm 5" lift is legal if mod plated

 

[Ben Up North]

Nice!!

It is, but it hasn't sold.. It's all well and good having a pristine car in a showroom for sale, but if no-one want's to buy it what's the point?!

PM me, there's a guy on Facebook who is the Australian distributor for Hotbits. It will be much cheaper going through him

I emailed the official Australian distributor, is there more than one? - I still need to get in contact with the other chap you mentioned in a PM. Might get on to him tomorrow.

That's bollocks! You've been speaking to the wrong engineers, some are scared of anything they haven't seen before!

Oh, ok. The last certifier I spoke to was adamant that all the 4wd's up here with 4" lifts were illegal.
Will find some more engineers to speak to, it would be great to get the Foz compliant, if only for SWIMBO's peace of mind!

I've certainly got no complaints about the lift I've got, it's great!
I'll try different engineers, a guy I know has got an old Chevy (or is it a Ford?) truck he's built up into a bit of a hotrod, he told me once where he had it engineered but I forgot who it was.

 

[NachaLuva]

Oh, ok. The last certifier I spoke to was adamant that all the 4wd's up here with 4" lifts were illegal.

Yes, a 4" lift is illegal until you get it engineer certified (mod plated), even a 5" lift can be certified


Lift Regs QLD 03b by Matt Chaplin, on Flickr

 

[Ben Up North]

Yes, a 4" lift is illegal until you get it engineer certified (mod plated), even a 5" lift can be certified

Lift Regs QLD 03b

Exactly. As you can see, even when getting certification for a 5"lift, the maximum suspension lift allowed is 50mm.

So technically you are correct, you can get a 5" lift certified but only with a max of 50mm suspension lift.

 

[NachaLuva]

I see what you're saying, but you can still get it certified. Just a matter of finding an engineer who isn't scared of doing it