Adding 1" lift to a Quigley van?

[outopawn]

Originally Posted by Belltownbikes

Looks like there are a bunch of us doing the same research. I also wanted to wait for Agile's kit, but his backlog seems too long for me to wait. Great for him!

The Moog springs seemed like the way to go, but I was stumped on the shocks to use.

In another thread, Alta825 provided this information:

Here is what I ended up replacing my 12yr old leaking Fox 2.0's with.. (which were also too long for a Quigley...)

Bilstein 5165 Reservoir Shocks
front #25-177497
rear #25-177480

But, he stated that he kept the stock springs on the front. If you go to eshocks and look here:

http://www.eshocks.com/bil_ORsb.asp?Ser ... &SubChar=Q

You can see some specs on those shocks. It appears to me that the 25-177480s have a collapsed length 1" longer than the 25/-177497s - which apparently are the ones to use with a stock spring.

Anyway I think I'm ready to drop some money on the springs and four of the 25-177480 shocks (replace the rears while I am at it).

Thanks everyone for posting their information and experience here! Good day - B

I saw Alta's post but was not sure if his Van and my newer 2009 had the same specs. Waiting to hear back from Shane. His first @Bilstein email got bounced back. Tried the other email I found on the forum for him - I'll let you know when and if he responds.

[macdadmorgan]

Originally Posted by outopawn

Also in the same boat, I need something to get me by til my number comes up for the rip kit. Still contemplating a dequigley ujoint set up, it a hard pil to swallow as it almost defeats the purpose of paying a premium for a converted van. When I pulled the trigger on mine, I knew about the rip kit, just didn't know what kind of lead time it had. Oh well.
Keep us posted if you here from bilstein. Thanks.

[ert01]

I'm just waiting for my springs to arrive too. Shocks will be the next hurdle for me also so anything you guys find out will be a big help!

I don't want to de-quigley my van... I'm happy with the coil suspension/4 linked front axle. I think it's a better solution than leafs even if it needs some refinement. Independent or TTB front would be even better but also even harder still to dial in correctly.

[KTMRIDER]

I have the 3/4 Agile RIP kit on my van and love it. Previous to having Ramsey install the kit I had non-res Bilsteins all around. They were a huge improvement over the stock Quigley setup for sure. I then upgraded the two fronts to the 5165 Res Bilsteins to help prevent them from getting so hot mostly on washboard type dirt roads. I have the 7.3 so it is heavy up front. This made a slight improvement over the previous non-res Bilsteins in the front but mostly I was just looking for less fade.

Of course just after that Ramsey came out with the RIP kit. I was in his area and was able to have him look over my van. He decided to go custom valved Fox shocks in the rear to help with the airbags and then progressive springs in the front along with the sway bar drop brackets. After test driving the van around with these mods he didn't feel it necessary to put on the front Fox shocks. I would guess it would make a difference but not sure how much.

I can say the van rides so much better with the progressive springs up front and the custom Fox shocks in the rear. The van corners MUCH better on mountain roads, amazingly better. It is also much more compliant on bumps and off-road. Those of you waiting on the RIP kit might see if you can go with the proper progressive springs and Bilsteins if you can't get the Fox shocks for now. Make sure you get the right spring for the weight of your van. I have dealt with Shane from Bilstein and he has been very helpful.

The only reason I was thinking of doing something different would be to run 35s instead of 33s for more off-road clearance. Otherwise I am pretty happy with how it rides now. It still isn't going to be as smooth as the TTB setup of Ramsey's off-road at speed but it is a dramatic improvement over the stock Quigley setup.

Let me know if you have any questions that I can help with.
Eric

[outopawn]

Here is the email thread with Shane at Bilstien.


OK….thanks,

As you probably know, we don’t have an official specific fit application for your van.* Below is what I recommend but unfortunately these will not be covered under our warranty.

*Front:**24-186018

Rear: 33-176840

*Both of these shocks are zinc plated but the front shocks come with a black boot and the rear shocks come with a blue boot.

*Another thing to keep in mind, we offer a revalve service which will allow you to customize the damping forces in these shocks.* Revalves are performed in our Poway, CA headquarter and lead time is usually 2-3 weeks.* Cost is $75 each.

*I doubt you will need to make a valving change…* but it’s something to keep in mind.

Thanks
*

Shane

****
Hey Shane,

Thanks for the reply.* The lower shock mount bolt is a 14mm.Steve

Steve,

If you can tell me what size the bolt is on your lower front shock mount I can give a recommendation.* It will either be 12mm or 14mm.

Thank you,
Shane


Shane,

*I got your email from the Sportsmobile forum and they believe you would be the one to inquire with about replacent shocks.

I recently sold my 2006 Sportsmobile 4x4 diesel and purchased a 2009 E350 4x4 Quigley extended 10 passenger. *It has the stock Quigley suspension all the way around. I am looking to replace the stock Quigley (Ford) shocks front and rear. *I have replaced the front springs with a set of Moog cc880s variable rate coils. It added about 1" of height to the front end and improved the ride greatly. I would like to *complete the upgrade with a set of Bilstiens front and rear. What do you recommend? *

Steve

[derJack]

Originally Posted by outopawn

So I decided to put on 285-70r-17 (33") tires and wheels on the new to me Quigley 2009 E350 EB 10 passenger van. I had to cut the fender wells ever so slightly to get them to fit. They still rubbed on a hard left turn into a driveway so I was looking for a solution. I also experienced the dreaded bump stop hit on every speed bump and dip. I just sold my 2006 SMB and with 35" tires it did not have this problem. so after reading this post I decided to give the Moog CC880s a try. Ordered from Amazon for $90.15 and got delivered free in two days with Prime. Installed yesterday and after spending a whole day on them over speed bumps and dips it never once hit the bumps stops. I also could not get the tire to rub on a hard left turn. So I would say the problem is solved. I gained just over an 1" in height but the variable rate springs feels so much better than what was on there. I am now in the market to find the correct shocks to replace the stock Quigley. I would like to get the Fox shocks that Ramsey is revalving but that does not look like it will happen for awhile. I have an email in to Shane at Bilstien to see if what he recommends for the new Moog cc880s coils. The install was not that difficult as long as you can lift the vehicle high enough with out using the axel for a lifting point. I removed the front bumper that is only held on by four bolts and the grill that only has one screw and the rest are clips. I put the high lift inside the frame and got it plenty high. Once I got the tire off I used a bottle jack to raise and lower the axel. this made it easy to remove the sway bar bracket and I did not have to unbolt the shocks. I removed upper clip and lower bolt and had plenty of clearance and the coil fell right out without any type of coil compressor. I hear about people getting hurt with the compression method. I took a little over two and a half hours by myself to do both side. So for 90 bucks and a couple hours of time I couldn't be happier to not feel those bump stops anymore.

Steve

Hey Steve

Looks like your Quickly configuration is much different to mine 1993. I know Quigley changed from my square to round arms but yours is different in the mounts at the frame as at the axle.
Do you have more details or some more pics?

Is there an improvement in the newer design?

[outopawn]

Jack,

The Quigley conversion is new to me and I am learning lots from this forum. I was an 8 year SMB owner and pretty well versed in that conversion. I actually like the ride of the Quigley better once I got rid of the bump stop problem. Have you seen this thread from Alta? Looks like his van had the square arms and he is doing a complete redo of his 2002 Quigley.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15429

Steve

[derJack]

Originally Posted by outopawn

Jack,

The Quigley conversion is new to me and I am learning lots from this forum. I was an 8 year SMB owner and pretty well versed in that conversion. I actually like the ride of the Quigley better once I got rid of the bump stop problem. Have you seen this thread from Alta? Looks like his van had the square arms and he is doing a complete redo of his 2002 Quigley.

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/viewto ... =3&t=15429

Steve

That thread is new to me, looks interesting... Thanks.

[outopawn]

Ok so now I am looking for what everybody thinks is the best way to get rid of the rear being about 2" lower than the front. Add-a-leaf, Bigger block, New spring pack? I'm very close to Deaver but probably looking for something a little less pricey. What have others done and how did it change handling and overall ride? How are the ones that have got the RIP dealing with this?

Steve

[ert01]

I don't have a definitive plan yet but I'll assess it once my front coils arrive and get installed. I do have a set of airbags that can help a little bit if need be but I'll most likely be searching for a different leaf spring pack altogether, or adding in a few leafs to the stock pack