poll on rro / calmini; bolt on spoa for samurai

[zukpirate]

i bought a 87 sami. and i'm looking to buy a (BOLT-ON)spoa set-up. i see rro & calmini both sell one. i'm wondering if anyone here has bought one or seen one installed on a rig? would i be better off making a homemade kit? quality of the kits offered for the price? what have you done to get spoa on your rig? thanks [img]images/graemlins/40BEER.gif[/img]

[Hulkzuki]

I have the RRO Bolt on SPOA kit. Bought it of Ebay for $411.

Other than it taking a week longer to arive than I was told (shocks not in stock which I added to the package so can't be too upset).

I have been VERY happy with it's performance. The instuctions were difficult to follow and some extra grinding and drilling were involved that I was not expecting but in all I am very satisfied. I did not have access to a welder and installed it myself with hand tools. It took about a day and 1/2 total because I did not know what I was doing and it's more than just spring pads. Shock mounts, ext break lines, etc all add up on the install time.

Here is a pic of my rig with the RRO bolt on Kit installed and Rear springs up front.

http://www.rocky-road.com/boltonspoa.html

I got the RRO also a delay but was told up front, The kit was very easy just took alot of time, did it by myself in a good full day with no help, very impressed with quality of kit only problem was the front shock hits the leaf springs on a down flex I am currintly working it out. other than that very impressed.

Later [img]images/graemlins/givemebeer.gif[/img]

[zukpirate]

have you seen the calmini spoa bolt-on kit? if so- why did you choose rro over calmini? if not- looks like a better kit IMO seeing how you get everything you need, new springs included nothing to weld,...i'm looking for a opinion on the calmini kit. thanks for the reply guys on the RRO kit. it looks like a good solid set. just wondering which would be better...

[blue_zuk]

another option would be to have a vendor send you front and rear axle tubes bare with their spring pads already welded and profesionally installed. you could also send your bare axle tubes to one of the vendors to have pads welded on.

just another option for someone who might not be able to weld their own or trust a compatent welder to get everything right.

[zukpirate]

i have a 87 sami, that more than likely has stock springs along with everything else...bushings shocks etc. this is a big factor for me, to look more closely at the calmini kit. $1,000.00 for the calmini kit <thats just about what it would cost to replace everything just stock> any input here? i heard most sami owners are just flip flopping &amp; switching the plates around on top the axle and welding them in place. anyone here do that? [img]images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[DesertZuki]

Don't know about the Calmini, but if you get the RRO, beware a few things. One, make sure you get the instructions in the box AND that they are readable, ie. not having holes rubbed in them by the parts in the box. Should it go that way however, Glen will e-mail you the instructions which was better anyway, because I could change the font and make it big enough to read easily.

Second, know your sway bar is coming off. There are no provisions for quick-disconnects nor extensions to make it work. (It's mostly ok on the road without though.)

Third, know you have all the right parts. Make sure you get the proper sized U-bolts. Make sure you get both and left and right sided plates for the front (the two in the back are the same). Make sure you get two brake lines if you have the older zuk (you'll pay for 'em when you order 'em anyway - just make sure they arrive). Again, should this go south, they'll send you the right parts if you let them know.

Fourth, you'll have to fabricate some type of bracket if you want to keep your parking brake mounted to the tub.

Fifth, you'll probably have to bend that plate forward that's on your rear axle that holds the brake lines. If it's not forward enough, it'll rub on the right-rear shock.

(What number am I on?) Know that the brake line fittings are not an exact fit for the brackets that hold them, especially in the back. I had to tie mine down.

All the hardware will be SAE, so if you don't yet carry metric and english tools, get ready to.

And, if you're considering getting the Over-The-Top (OTT) steering, know this: You'll have to drill into the top of the right knuckle, to enlargen the holes that hold on the bearing cap. Then you'll have to tap the new, larger holes. Then you'll have to make sure you didn't get any metal shavings in the bearings. You'll have to make sure you seat the new provided studs all the way down and you'll have to pray you got them straight and didn't strip them putting them in. If they're just a little off from being straight, close your eyes, because you're about to have a nightmare getting on that new steering arm. Oh, and because the holes in the new steering arem are just a little bigger than the new studs, if it's not absolutely tight (I can't make mine tight because of the aforementioned problems) it will shift on you everytime you turn -- maybe an eighth of a steering wheel's turn worth. In other words, I screwed mine up -- should have taken it to a machine shop. I saw the Petroworks one -- mounts the in the same way but intelligently uses the same bolt holes without modification -- a much better design for ease of install. It says on the RRO site that this steering mod will handle 44" tires. I wonder about the stress on the knuckle though because so much of it has been removed, there is little left between the new holes.

Good luck with what you decide,
WB

[zukpirate]

UNLESS I HEAR SOMETHING DIFFERENT( [img]images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]) i won't be buying anything for my sami from RRO! you just made it real clear for me! now let's hear about those other guys kit, humm? [img]images/graemlins/40BEER.gif[/img]

[ZOOKED]

I believe the Calmini Kit will run you nearly twice the price as the RRO kit.

[Yankee Tim]

Apples and oranges, apples and oranges.

the CALMINI kit includes all new springs, specifically reat springs that are designed to vastly reduce spring wrap. If you use stock springs, you will need a rear traction bar just like any other weld-on SPOA.

4 new springs is 4 new springs. That would add $$ to the RRO kit.

Does the RRO kit include bumpstop extensions? This is important.

The CALMINI kit includes the CALMINI K-link steering linkage, which is a big plus as it elimiates bumpsteer. Z-style drag links do nothing for bumpsteer (and you will have lots of it with 6" of lift).

Shocks, bushings and everything comes in the CALMINI box. While it costs more, it contains a lot more. Expecially nice whn you have an older Zook that needs a lot of things to be replaced simply because they are worn out.