As many of you already know, there aren't too many Mighty Maxes on the road. The thing I have noticed about the ones I do see is they're all 'bagged different; few are 'bagged the same. I talked it over with Steve, and he came up with a system to bolt the 'bag into the existing cup on the Mitsu. It works great, we didn't even have to cut too much of the existing metal. With just the right amount of cuts, we managed to get enough lift to clear our 20s.
1. We started by ripping the...
1. We started by ripping the front end apart. We pulled out the shocks and springs then removed the sway bars and everything else in the way to prepare for the cutting.
2. Before we removed the strut...
2. Before we removed the strut rod, we measured from the body mount to the center of the ball joint. We're going to build a custom strut rod later on.
3. We now measured from the...
3. We now measured from the ground to the bottom of the crossmember.
4. Since our ground measurement...
4. Since our ground measurement was at 12 inches, we knew that with a 27-inch tall tire, we needed to get to 25.5 inches to lay. Our ball joints were binding here, so we knew we had some cutting to do.
5. We started by pie cutting...
5. We started by pie cutting our upper arms.
6. Then, we marked and cut...
6. Then, we marked and cut the lower arms.
7. We cut it like this because...
7. We cut it like this because of the bracing on the lower arm.
8. We remeasured to see where...
8. We remeasured to see where we were. Cutting the arms solved our binding problem. We know we prepared to cut the spring pocket.
9. Next, we cut the spring...
9. Next, we cut the spring pocket by using a torch.
10. Once we had acquired our...
10. Once we had acquired our desired measurement, we were ready to weld the arms back together. Leave the suspension bolted together and jacked up while you weld these to ensure they don't move.
11. Using the torch, Steve...
11. Using the torch, Steve heated then pounded the pocket with a sledge hammer to make room for our Slam Specialties airbags.
12.
13. Steve used an airbag that...
13. Steve used an airbag that was laying around in the shop to test for clearance.
14. At this point, we were...
14. At this point, we were ready to torch the lower arms to make room for our 'bag mounts.
15.
16. Steve made a template...
16. Steve made a template of our upper pockets to make mounts for our airbag. One mount would be welded into place then the second would bolt to the 'bag and the plate.
17. Here, we were tracing...
17. Here, we were tracing out our lower 'bag plates.
18. We ground down our work...
18. We ground down our work area then tacked our lower bracket into place.
19. Next, we drilled our upper...
19. Next, we drilled our upper brackets. We also counter-sunk our Allen bolts to hold our plates together.
20.
21. Here's a good before-and-after...
21. Here's a good before-and-after shot of our brackets. We also welded nuts to the upper bracket.
22.
23. Steve was tacking the...
23. Steve was tacking the upper bracket into place. Please note that before we put this bracket in, Steve went through and added welds to all of the seams for additional strength.
24.
25. We bolted our bracket...
25. We bolted our bracket onto our airbag for a test fitting. We then used our Allen wrench to put it into place.
26.
27. We made one more test...
27. We made one more test fitting before the final cuts and welding. You can see the marks Steve made for the final cut. We also checked for clearance, and even though it's hard to see in the pictures, the 'bag fits great.
28. Here's the finished product,...
28. Here's the finished product, minus the 'bag.