Do-it-yourself UAZ body lift
It’s hard to look at such a car with indifference. When meeting her, bikers honk their horns in greeting, police officers begin to smile broadly, and jeepers click their tongues knowingly.
Ulyanovsk SUVs have long had a reputation for not being very reliable cars, but this is to some extent compensated for by the cheapness of spare parts. The design, allegedly copied at one time from the Land Rover Series III, is morally outdated, but simple and repairable. And most importantly, in capable hands, a UAZ is capable of competing off-road with most of its foreign classmates. And this despite the fact that they put him on absolutely “oak” and not too big tires, and the tread pattern leaves much to be desired. Meanwhile, the vehicle's cross-country ability is half dependent on the wheels. This, as Ostap Bender used to say, is a medical fact. It turns out that if a car drives well in mud on mediocre tires, then on good tires it should work wonders. So there is a reason to put a domestic rogue on the “correct” imported wheels. True, in order for them to fit into the arches, you need to work hard and raise the body above the frame - in special terminology, perform a body lift, “lift”. The option that one of our good friends used is interesting for its downright extreme cheapness.
HOW IT WAS
To install wheels with a diameter of 35 inches on his UAZ 31512-32 (modification with military axles), its owner had to install spacers between the frame and the body. Their function was successfully performed by hockey pucks, two for each of the 12 mounting bolts. Before drilling the holes, the washers didn’t even have to be marked - their surface is slightly convex, and on the way from the factory to the store, a small abrasion forms right in the middle. The process of supplementing standard cushions with “homemade” spacers was very simple. First, the radiator mounting rods were unscrewed. Then came the nuts and bolts that secure the body to the frame. And then, with the help of two hydraulic jacks, the body was alternately lifted from the rear, front and sides, inserting washers. Of course, the standard mounting bolts had to be replaced with longer ones.
Another small modification is the installation of longer spring earrings from the Gazelle. The only difficulty that arises is that the standard “Gazelle” bolt for fastening the earring is smaller in diameter than the holes in the rubber bushings of the UAZ. Therefore, we had to put pieces of water pipe on the bolts. Once the body was bolted back to the frame and the new earrings were in place, all that remained was to adjust the angle of the radiator. Now the 35 wheels simply asked to fit into the widened arches. Note that all the work was completed by one person within 2 days.
HOW IT ENDED
On the new tires the car began to look very impressive. The ground clearance, which is 30 centimeters for a UAZ with military bridges, has increased by another 8-9 centimeters.
After starting the car, it became clear that the gas thrust was too high, and the engine growled at high speeds without outside intervention. However, there was no need to drill an additional hole; there was already a hole in the right place!
During test maneuvering, it turned out that the reverse gear did not engage - the body rose and the groove of the gear shift lever shifted. The problem was solved with a little work with a file. And that's all, no more side effects. But one of the advantages of the “lift” is the fact that the gas tanks have risen to the level of the frame and have become more protected.
As a final touch, the owner of the UAZ decorated it properly. For example, I attached a shovel to the hood of a car. The fasteners for machine guns, borrowed from the military Ural, were perfect for this purpose. The spartan-designed dashboard was enlivened with a sign with a built-in red light and the caption “No oil pressure.” For those interested, let us explain that similar signs can be found on border patrol boats. Further in approximately the same spirit.
High-profile off-road tires on chrome wheels transformed not only the appearance of the car. The UAZ began to behave differently even on the asphalt, silently swallowing potholes. Of course, because BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain tires are famous for their softness. And on off-road, if you lower it, it spreads out and gives a wide contact patch.
A LITTLE BIT OF ACCOUNTING
So, we were talking about the unprecedented low cost of the project. Let's do some simple calculations:
- Hockey pucks, 24 pieces, 6.50 rubles. Only 156 rubles.
- Bolts, 12 pieces for 19 rubles. Only 228 rubles.
- Earrings from “Gazelle”, 4 pieces for 35 rubles. Only 140 rubles.
- The total is 524 rubles (about 25-30 dollars).
- The UAZ of 1992, even with low mileage, is unlikely to cost more than $1,000.
- BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain 35x12.5 R15 tires can be found for $220 if you really want to. Four pieces and a spare wheel will therefore cost $1,100. Add to this 5 15x7 wheels for a total cost of $750, and it turns out that you need to shell out $1850 for the wheels.
If you add together a “hockey gazelle” body lift kit, a used car and new wheels, you get about $2,880. If you are mentally prepared for breakdowns of your iron pet, then the picture that emerges is quite acceptable.
PAY
It is clear that it is possible to lift the body above the frame using washers not only on UAZ. And in general, the idea itself is not new. There are imported branded body lift kits that cost about 200 dollars. Why do the imperialists spend that kind of money? The fact is that factory kits are made of special plastic that is resistant to vibration, shock, and heat. Such spacers undergo testing and mandatory certification. But nothing concrete can be said about the washers. It is unknown how they will behave upon impact, how much hard braking they will withstand, and in general how long they will last. The author knows of cars that have been in operation for several years with a raised “little loss” body. But a few cases are not statistics. So be careful with free gingerbread cookies.
Loaf: body lifting
The loaf is no less popular than Hunter. Lifting is often carried out on this semi-truck as well. The standard Bukhanka wheels coming from the factory are 225/75 R16. In some cases it may be 235/70 R16. In order not to carry out lifting, but only to increase ground clearance, you can install tires on wheels with a height of 29-30 inches. The design of the UAZ allows you to do this, but no more.
Tuning kit
To achieve real off-road “mayhem”, you need to install larger wheels. They will not be able to fit in without upgrading the design. For this reason, lifting is carried out.
It is always preferable to start with the body. A set of nuts and washers is being prepared, as well as 12 cushions (we will place them under the bolts).
It is recommended to always remove the terminals from the battery in order to completely cut off the power. Also, to ensure safety, it is recommended to remove the mass from the starter.
So, all twelve bolts securing the body are disconnected. To lift the body, use a regular car jack. As a rule, the height is selected depending on individual preferences, but for the Loaf there are restrictions. It is not recommended to raise the body more than 80 mm.
After the cushions have been installed and the body has been lowered from the jack, you can begin bolting.
UAZ suspension lift
And now I’ll talk a little about the UAZ suspension lift. It has both pros and cons, like any off-road tuning. I would say that the main advantages of lifting the suspension on the UAZ are the improvement of the geometric cross-country ability of the UAZ, due to the fact that the wheels remain in place, and everything else rises up, except for the axles, of course. Frame, body, components - after the suspension lift, all this will come into contact with the surface of the earth, or even with a stump innocently sticking out in the woods, much later than in an unlifted state. And this is quite logical.
I consider the second important advantage to be the possibility of installing wheels of larger diameter, which did not fit into the arches of the UAZ before the suspension lift. I would not recommend limiting yourself to the suspension lift alone, since the suspension lift also has a minus, which is an inevitable increase in the angles of the universal joints. The cardan shafts begin to work out of whack, and if you step over the fine line between bad and not very good, then the cardan will let you down, rest assured.
Lifting UAZ Patriot and Hunter
Due to the standard suspension travel of the UAZ Patriot, driving comfort is ensured only on city roads. But a trip over rough terrain will be deprived of its attractiveness and comfort, since it can lead to breakdown of the main elements of the suspension and transmission. At the moment of a high-speed collision with even a minor obstacle, a breakdown of the suspension is possible. To avoid this, the UAZ Patriot needs a suspension lift. Most car owners recommend lifting the UAZ in any case, whether driving in urban conditions or outside the city.
Every car enthusiast associates a UAZ with an all-terrain vehicle that has significant power and maneuverability. It must be said that the UAZ Patriot is no exception, and the model has an attractive appearance and is quite comfortable.
But you shouldn’t be surprised that the owners of this car are striving to improve its capabilities - install larger diameter wheels, modify the suspension travel. The UAZ Patriot equipment allows you to install wheels that are not much different from the standard ones. Before thinking about wheels, it is worth lifting the body and suspension of the UAZ Patriot.
The skillful hands of a master can always turn a UAZ Hunter into an SUV that will not see any obstacles in front of it. For many car owners, a UAZ Hunter lift with your own hands is not something incredible, so improving the vehicle’s cross-country ability will not be any problem. Installing large-diameter wheels on the UAZ Hunter will give the vehicle additional lightness to overcome obstacles of various types. This result is achieved by increasing the ground clearance under the frame and axle. Lifting a UAZ can be done in two ways:
- raise the body above the wheels and free up as much space as possible for them;
- lower the suspension of the UAZ Hunter slightly lower.
Do not forget that by improving the off-road qualities of a car, you can worsen its other characteristics. In particular, maximizing ground clearance causes the center of gravity to shift upward. There is a risk of tipping over if the side tilt is too strong. Sometimes, when carrying out a body lift, they somewhat loosen its attachment to the frame. In this case, the height of the elevator makes it possible to fall off the frame, which will lead to breakage of the high spacers, which have a large lever.
Hunter's lift with improved suspension
Yes, if you lift the UAZ, you can achieve improved geometric cross-country ability. This indicator is important when driving on uneven terrain. Undoubtedly, it is preferable to combine a suspension and body lift; this will allow many components to be preserved during operation.
You can install the UAZ elevator yourself. Even if this work is labor-intensive, it is not difficult, and the resulting result will allow the driver to be proud of himself and his iron friend.
UAZ suspension lift: Bridge-spring spacer
It is also possible, without disturbing the design of the springs, to slightly raise the UAZ suspension using a spacer between the axle and the spring. In this case, there is no need to wait for a large elevator, because... I also don’t recommend going crazy with this. Well, of course, when making such a spacer, I recommend thinking about fixing it in its installation location, and also making sure that the length of the spring ladders is sufficient.
In addition, it is possible to forge old springs or buy new ones. There are tuning products, but they are all very expensive.
How to lift a UAZ 469 by changing the suspension design (options)
There are several methods for changing the suspension design. All of them are aimed at increasing the distance between the frame and the axles. The modernization method is selected based on the owner’s personal preferences.
Extended spring earrings
For the elevator, spring earrings from the Gazelle are installed on the UAZ 469 car. They are longer and will increase the distance between the frame and the axles. You can use products from other vehicles. When choosing spring earrings, you should not opt for products with excess length. A very large distance between the spring eye and the mounting bracket will negatively affect the stability of the car.
To ensure that the earrings of one eye do not move relative to each other, they must be firmly fastened together. You can connect them using a bolt, after installing a metal tube between the earrings. A piece of pipe is necessary to prevent deformation of the earring during screeding.
Installing the axle spacer
The front and rear axles of the UAZ 469 are attached to the spring with stepladders. A spacer is provided between the spring and the surface of the axle housing. To avoid longitudinal displacement of the spring when the car is moving, the insert is equipped with a spike connection.
UAZ suspension lift: Spring springing
Springing springs is actually not very tricky, although people act smart after doing this operation. Many people do this not for the sake of a suspension lift, but so that the suspension on the UAZ finally starts working, absorbs irregularities, and becomes relatively soft. Many have experimented with this for a long time and tediously, but everyone has the same opinion - little has changed. I say this based not on the opinions of virtual theorists from forums, but based on communication with real people who did all this in their UAZ. Yes, better. Not much
