DIY Short Bus Suspension Lift

[Goatherder]

Recently bought a 2004 6-window E-450 based Collins. This thing sat really low, especially in the front... apparently to allow easy entrance for passengers and such. My mission is to turn this bus into a back-road capable expedition/camping rig, so I need to get it up out of the dirt. I plan to install 32" A/T tires, so a small suspension lift is in order.

I went looking for components to make this happen, and found almost nothing available specifically for E-450. So I bought what I thought I could adapt and made the rest.

On the front I started with a leveling kit made for 2WD F350: Ford F250 F350 Super Duty 2WD 2" 2 0" Leveling Lift Kit FB2 | eBay



To adapt this kit to the bus required purchase of a pair of 20mm x 200mm grade 8 bolts (course thread),4 washers, and a pair of 18mm locking nuts. I Also needed a 20mm x 2.5 tap...which I just happened to have laying around.

This big 20mm bolt replaces the factory bolt that fastens the longitudinal radius arm to the I-beam axle. It goes in from the bottom and the factory 20mm nut goes on top. The stud extenders screw down on top of that nut, then the aluminum spacers sit down over the stud extenders. A washer & 18mm nut on top of the stud extenders fasten the spacers down. Stud extender thread is 18mm, so I had to run a 20mm tap down the internal threads to hog it out to 20mm. Thread pitch is the same for 18 & 20, so it worked just fine.

This leveling kit is advertised as 2" lift, but I gained at least 3". Wheel alignment will now be necessary to correct camber. Factory shocks seem long enough to accommodate this lift.

[Goatherder]

For the rear I wanted about 2". I found a fabricated lift block that cost $150 + shipping. So for about $20 I made my own. It came out to about 2.25".

I bought a pair 1.5" slices of 3"x 6" x .250 wall box tubing from a local welding shop, and a pair of 5/8 x 3" bolts. Two pieces of 3/8 x 3" flat bar cut at 6", and another two cut at 9.5".

Bored 5/8" holes in the centers of all four flat pieces, then slid the 5/8 bolts into the 6" pieces and welded the bolt heads down. These bolts will get sliced off so they only stick out about 1/2" on the bottom side of the block, and form the pin to locate the bottom of the block on the axle housing. Next I set the box section on top of this bottom plate and welded around the inside perimeter. Then I flipped this assembly over on top of the 9.5" top plate, centered it up so the holes were aligned, and welded the perimeter.

Completed block (upside down). Note the locating pin: in this pic the pin is too long; I had to cut it down to about 1/2"


I had a local spring shop (Rite-Way Spring in Tacoma) make me some U-bolts; they bend them while you wait ($67 w/ nuts & washers) These are 5/8" x 13" for a 4" axle tube.

[Goatherder]

Before:



After:

[2kool4skool]

Lookin' good!

[sdwarf36]

Where did your sway bar go?

[Goatherder]

Originally Posted by sdwarf36

Where did your sway bar go?

Back on the bus this morning, after I repaired the frame mounts. Both mounts were bent forward as far as they could go. Some idiot apparently thought they looked like jacking points. OR...maybe the suspension was at full droop and the bar ends slipped out of their bushings and then the bar stabbed into the I-beam arm and bent both the mounts forward.

This sway bar setup is cheezy. Need a bar with proper end links. Maybe Hellwig.

[Mudbuscamper]

20160521_112507_zpsmm4h3zez.jpg Photo by Mudbuscamper | Photobucket

Here is my lifted shorty. Not sure the details because i got it this way from a buddy, but lifted busses are awesome!

[Goatherder]

Originally Posted by Mudbuscamper

20160521_112507_zpsmm4h3zez.jpg Photo by Mudbuscamper | Photobucket

Here is my lifted shorty. Not sure the details because i got it this way from a buddy, but lifted busses are awesome!

That is AWESOME! Tell me about your tires. I'll be in the market soon; my intention is to get 235/85-16 Duratracs.

[sdwarf36]

Originally Posted by Goatherder

Back on the bus this morning, after I repaired the frame mounts. Both mounts were bent forward as far as they could go. Some idiot apparently thought they looked like jacking points. OR...maybe the suspension was at full droop and the bar ends slipped out of their bushings and then the bar stabbed into the I-beam arm and bent both the mounts forward.

This sway bar setup is cheezy. Need a bar with proper end links. Maybe Hellwig.

I dunno if you want too tight of a sway bar if you are going to be doing any off roading.

[Mudbuscamper]

Originally Posted by Goatherder

That is AWESOME! Tell me about your tires. I'll be in the market soon; my intention is to get 235/85-16 Duratracs.

Mine are 235/85-16 firestone destination mt. Thats the biggest i could get due to the bud spacing of the duals. I might do rear spacers and go up a couple sizes but these tires are brand new so it might be a while.

[Goatherder]

Originally Posted by Mudbuscamper

Mine are 235/85-16 firestone destination mt. Thats the biggest i could get due to the bud spacing of the duals. I might do rear spacers and go up a couple sizes but these tires are brand new so it might be a while.

Been researching tires. 235/85-16's are about 32" and will fit on my 6" narrow rims. (maybe you have 6.5") 255/85's are 33" and will fit on 6.5's. I've heard of people mounting 265/75's w/ spacers but these are not recommended by mfr for any rim narrower than 7".

[Mudbuscamper]

A buddy of mine has an early 2000's chevy 3500 with 285/75-16 on factory rims with a 2" spacer in the rear. Dont know if the rims are wider, but if they are, i will just have to get new ones for the bus!

[Goatherder]

Originally Posted by Mudbuscamper

A buddy of mine has an early 2000's chevy 3500 with 285/75-16 on factory rims with a 2" spacer in the rear. Dont know if the rims are wider, but if they are, i will just have to get new ones for the bus!

Yeah. You would think it would be that easy. But unless you want to mortgage your house and have wheels MADE...wider dually wheels are like unicorns. I can't find them anywhere...

What you CAN do, (at least on the Fords) is swap out the front rotor/bearing hub thingy with one from a non-dually (singly ?), then buy a 8 or 10 inch wide wheel and put some tire on the front. That, combined with the 470mm of tire you already have on the rear...should be adequate flotation to drive on the beach.

My bus, at some point, wants to go to Baja.

[Mudbuscamper]

My bus has the chevy 1 ton frame and drive train (including rear axle) just for giggles, we tried his wheels on my bus yesterday and they fit! Now to find some factory wheels off a chev 3500 and bigger tires (with a spacer of course). For some reason, his rims are 1 inch wider, dunno why

[Tango]

Are those 3500 rims 10 lug 19.5" by any chance?

[Goatherder]

Nice. I think I'll be stuck with the pizza cutters.at least in the rear. But at some point I may swap out the fronts for something much wider.

[dopamine16]

Love it.!! can't wait till i get my front end sag fixed.

[Goatherder]

Another note: lifting the front end will require an alignment to correct the positive camber caused by the arc of the I-beam. There are bushings in the upper ball joint mount (I think) that have an offset hole. These bushings are rotated to affect camber and caster settings. Different bushings offer different ranges of offset. Napa sells a bushing which appears to offer the greatest adjustment range...and it's like $35/side. Moog sells them too:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/m...FVBffgodiKkEug

[Low594]

Ive been considering going with one of the WeldTec kits.
Your rig is looking good, seems like we have similar ideas!
Are you on Expedition Portal?

[Goatherder]

Originally Posted by Low594

Ive been considering going with one of the WeldTec kits.
Your rig is looking good, seems like we have similar ideas!
Are you on Expedition Portal?

Yeah. Just.