Calmini 5" 2nd Gen Installation Tips

After undergoing the installation in my own garage (with temps ranging from 5 - 28 degrees!) the lift is finally done. I intend to share as much as possible as a compliment to the Calmini instructions. Please feel free to add or comment to this thread as it pertains to the CALMINI lift so that others can learn from the different installation tips.

The kit recommends a mechanic to install the kit. I am not a mechanic however this is not my first lift kit installation - with some over the phone assistance from Calmini (yes, they do have good customer service if you are courteous and respectful). It took me over 2 weeks due to the low temps and no heater in the garage, overall about 25 hours. Being that it was my first install, a repeat would probably range from 8 - 12 hours with the proper tools, temps, and help.

The kit at times requires 2 people, however there is plenty for a 1 man band to putt along with.

The following tips are based from trial and error. Some people may not need the tips as they may already know the ins-outs of working with a wrench.

General note: PB Blaster is your friend. Use it, use it some more, and continue to use it.

REAR INSTALLATION.

1. Yes, jack it up and use jackstands just in front of the spring perches. Remove tires and rest the axle on another set of jacks. Unbolt the U-bolts.

2. Unhook the driver's side ABS (electrical) line from the different clamps. The brake lines connected to the axle can also be disconnected (via bolt) from the axle.

3. Remove shocks, they will cause the axle to rotate during the install, not good and a pain to fight.

4. With axle floating, remove the stock leaf springs... it is a lot easier to get the rear bolts off the shackles by completely removing both side plastic bumpers. Easy job, only 3 minutes per side. Reinstall when done. Remove the front spring bolt. These guys are heavy, get some help to move them around.

5. Reinstall the leaf springs... trick here is to use a good lube before you smack the bushings into the leaf spring holes. Then with some help, lift them into place, I preferred doing the fronts first then the rears. During this time, the axle is out of the way by being up high on the jacks.

6. The leafs are directional, as in the centerpins are biased toward the front. If you measure from the perch to the shackle holes, then perpendicular to the bump stops you will find that the axle sits toward the front, approximately 2". Note that the centerpins are towards the front, so install the leafs in the correct direction. Also, you will be drilling out the holes on the axle, this will help you determine which holes to clean out. The forward pin will go in the center hole on the axle.

7. With the leaf springs connected front / rear, place the axle over the supplied shims. Fat side toward the front so that the axle rotates toward the center of the vehicle. This will eliminate vibration during speeds of 32 to 45 mph. Note that you have 2 centerpins, and will need to have 2 holes in the shims... the pins align with the holes in the bottom flat spot of the axle.

8. Brake lines... easy, but if you have never bled the brakes do a quick search. The last thing you want to do is pump them incorrectly. Just remember to keep your foot on the brake while you open / close the bleeder.

9. Shocks only install with the boot toward the bottom, not sure why but the 1st batch has the rubber bushings so that they only fit upside down. Oh well, no biggie if you don't get into too much water.

10. Install the spacers for the rear brake lines after the X is on the ground. This will allow the lines to not hyper extend or snap due to the axle weight on the parts.

FRONT INSTALLATION

1. I chose to the rear first, this is not a big deal but I felt it was easier to do it in that order.

2. Follow the instruction, loosen everything prior to removing it completely.

3. The Upper Control arm ball joint is a pain. Undo it half way, then smack the stock spindle until it lets go. This may seem easier said than done, but just keep smacking it. When it let's go the nut will catch it.

4. The axle nut is a big boy - 32mm I believe. FYI you can purchase replacements at Nissan for under $4 and also at Infiniti (same Nissan part). I damaged the threads on one bolt because I was using it to hit the axle / CV out of the hub. TIP: use an air hammer with a tip and use the hole in the center of the axle to help pound it out. I wish I knew this one. TIP: when doing the Lower Control arm ball joint... you MUST remove the entire bolt and nut in order to let the joint come apart. The ball joint shaft has a gap in it to prevent it from coming off. This joint also needs to be smacked... except that you will be not have a safety to keep the spindle from falling to the ground.

5. The entire front dif comes off, no biggie... except that some of the bolts are freakin tight. Use a double wrench technique and another body to help break the nuts. Also, the instructions says to mark the drive line... this is so that you can re-align the drive line in the correct position with the dif...

6. Grinding your dif mount... not a big deal. The instructions give you good dimensions, just go to town.

7. When installing the rear crossmember drop... on the passenger side... the first batch kits have 3 holes. ONLY 1 hole is used. It is the one that connects via the stock camber bolt hole. Only 1 bolt per side is ok. Abandon the other holes as they are not needed. 2nd batch kits will not have these extra holes.

8. A nice big pry bar will be key at this point. Things eventually line up, trust me. Use a pry bar to move things around.

9. The front diff has 3 attachment points. The front ones lined up easily. The rear one lined up but the bracket it was supposed to slip passed was a bit on the small side. I ended up grinding the sleave in the vibration dampner so that it would fit. Not a big deal either. Just grind about 1/8" on either side. This sleave just keeps the brackets from self collapsing and is only there to transfer vibration with the rubber dampner.

10. The struts that support the control arms are a pain. Lots of leveraging... be patient. Prior to installing, do a quick dry run with the rear brackets and the bolts that go through them and the strut. Note the clearance. If the washer isn't going to fit, then don't use it when you attach it to the crossmember on the X. Really, do a quick test...

11. Skid plate up front almost was a home run. 5 out of 6 holes aligned perfectly. I used my dremel to enlarge the last hole. Only a 10 minute distraction.

12. Don't forget to install the rear bumpstops. Note how tight everything under the X became. If you don't install them you may hyper extend a line. I will do some testing once the weather gets nicer and determine if I will run the stops.

13. No sway bars for me right now. Just don't drive it like a race car. I am not recommending people to do this, just my crazy preferance.

14. Oh, and don't forget to tighten all your tire lugs... or you may loose a tire on the road.

I think that's all I can think of for right now. Very tired here, been up since 6am... I have some pix to post but it will have to wait until tomorrow or so.

Again, feel free to PM me if you want my number. I am happy to answer after hour calls concerning the lift installation or other topics.

As far as the alignment, the shop I took the X to was very impressed with the quality of the kit. These old guys have been around for a long time and really admired the kit. It aligned without a problem!

The kit rides nice. The front seems stock while the rear has a more stiff feel. Probably because the springs are new so some settling is to be expected. The overall ride is great, I will post any other findings on the ride and handling as time progresses.

Overall, very satisfied with the kit... more pix to follow.

Robert

Here are some pix giving more detail to how the miscellaneous parts all come together. I have tagged some with red arrows, these are areas that have been discussed in the post above.

I have tagged the frame bracket that gets cut, the bolt at the bottom of the spindle and lower control arm that MUST be fully removed in order to make the ball joint pop off, and the single bolt (both sides on rear cross member drop are the same, only 1 bolt using the stock camber bolt hole).

If you need any other specifics, send me a PM.

One more pix... the max allowed on XOC is 8 per post.

Excellent write up, Rob

Thanks, Fastdrmr. I owe ya one.

Robert, I am in the midst of doing my lift. I did the rear first. I like how that worked on your truck.

For the rear, I would add that the spring plate will need to have a second hole drilled in it at 1.5 inches from the stock one, towards the rear. This will allow the springs to sit flush on top of the spring plate. I did mine at 3/4" to make sure it was large enough to allow the nut on the rear spring stud fit.

Another idea on the rear is that the instructions say to enlarge the rear hole on the spring perch to 9/16". I did that and had a bit of an alignment problem due to the curvature of the springs. I then stepped it up to 5/8" and with teh shims, it all came together.

Final on the rear...I installed the front spring bolt first, then held the rear up with jack stands and lowered the diff down to the springs, careful to not hyper extend stuff. I then tightened the U bolts, and worked the rear spring eye to the shackle. I used white lithium spray grease on the bushings and steel sleeves...worked like a charm with a little plastic mallet work.

On the front so far:
The air hammer in the CV worked incredibly well. 15 seconds per side.

On the lower control arm ball joint, I used a small pulley puller (two arms and a center twist pin), careful to stay clear of the rubber dust boot. It came out nice and smooth.

On the upper ball joint and the tie rod end...it took a few blows on the steering knuckle, but no huge problems.

You can add any of this to your post as hints and delete this post. I will post more as I progress. I am four stinking drive line bolts away fron dropping the diff, then it is cutting time and reassembly.

Great post by the way.

OK, more progress and a couple of tips to add to the front:

For the bump stop install, the bottom hole uses the self tapping 1/2" bolt. There may be a piece of metal just within the hold. The instructions say to tap the hole, but you need to drill it with a 7/16" or 5/32" drill bit. Then the bolt will go right in with no tapping.

You may need to have a 9/16" nut and 2 washers sent for the rear diff mount. Robert, I don't recall if you had to pick one up. I messed up and asked Calmini for them, but asked for 1/2", so I am dead in the water today.

On the rear bracket for the stut mounts, you will need a 2.5 or 3" 1/2" bolt instead of the 2" bolt with the kit. You can get the nut started, but it will only go a few turns. This is for the passenger side. The 2" works for the driver's side OK.

So, again, feel free to incorporate what you want and then delete my posts.

I am uploading these pix to show how I re-routed the front ABS lines. Enjoy!

OK, done with my 5" install...mostly anyway.

Here is a link to my photo album:
http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s2/jtaoj/2005%20X%20Lift/?start=all

I have a pretty good rear drive shaft vibration to work out. From about 20-40 MPH it is quite annoying, but settles down a bit at speed. Problem is, I drive around town alot and that is about 30ish or so. Anyway, something to work out.

All in all, very pleased. I had lots of problems with stuck stock bolts, etc. I figure it took me about 20-25 hours. The install work wasn't hard nor time consuming...it was tear down. The rear surpisingly was the most challenging part for install for me.

Got it aligned yesterday and the shop said it aligned perfectly and that the lift is well built. They were impressed to say the least.

I started to round the brake lines on the front, where the flex meet the hard lines during take off. I got them to finally break loose using lots and lots of PB blaster and a very small pipe wrench. I read about the pipe wrench on an F150 forum after searching for some help on the web.

Ride is stiffer, but not bad. The vibration sucks, but hopefully that can be worked out OK.

I have a slight (3/4 inch?) rake to the front. This is due to my Shrock bumper and Warn winch. Hopefull with some weight on it, the rear will settle a bit.

So, to sum it up. I am not a mechanic. I am kind of mechanically inclined from the school of hard knocks over the years, but this is the biggest auto project I have ever done. Other than the cutting on the front diff rear cross member, this is truly a bolt in kit. I did probably 75% of the work myself (alone). My neighbor and son helped me with putting the diff in and some of the torquing and other lifting, so I had help for the other 25% of the work.

I have an ER bill to pay (see pics). Also, I was torquing the front sway bar bolts. First one got in, then I think over torqued (based on the 2005 service manual they are 105 FT LBS). I didn't torque the others, just cranked them on. I need to figure out what to do on the stripped bolt.

Also, I need to figure out how to mount my Shrock front bumper skid. The sway bar relocation makes the skid mounting bracket useless. PRG sells front sway bar links for Titans with lifts that may work. Another $90 though.

My truck looks awesome...need bigger tires and to figure out the vibration solution. I used shims, but still have it.

Nice to have it done and the truck looks great.

Oh, and Dave at Calmini was a great resource. I didn't need that much help, but when I did email, he responded back within 12 hours, meaning, I worked on it at night and weekends and he got back to me sometime the next morning. Sweet, sweet!!

Robert, I wasn't sure if this was the place to post this, but it seemed like it.

the lift pics look great....how is the ride quality...what kind of winch do you have?

nice pics! care to explain this?

Holy Crap! that's alot of Blood

Jeff was in the middle of double wrenching the bolt/nuts on the driveline to the front dif when they slipped and pegged him on his forehead.

More info Jeff?

Stitches are out, but most importantly he got right back to work after getting back from the hospital... why waste a perfectly good Saturday!!???

I always use a grease impregnated rag for that. Hides the blood better and helps seal the wound.

The driveline bolts were really rusted on. It took several shots of PB blaster. I finally gave up on it one Fri night, then woke up early Sat so I went out and started to work the bolts again after letting the PB soak overnight.

Anyway, long story short...as Robert said, I was double wrenching and all went well with two bolts. They were really tight, but came loose. The third fought back, then started to spin. I had to hold the bolt with one wrench, then double wrenched the nut and the double wrench slipped and nailed me. It took four stitches, but not before trying for a while longer. When I got home, i got the cutoff wheel out and cut the bugger off Then dropped the diff to the ground. I had the crossmembers and diff in before stopping that day. I finally had to stop because I was missing one bolt.

Miles: The ride quality is really good...stiffer in the rear, but the truck handles well. I have a driveline vibration that I need to get into but haven't had time to do so. My winch is a Warn 9.5ti. I bought my 2005 several months back used and the bumper and winch were part of the deal.

One thing for anyone who has the Shrocks bumper and plan to do the Calmini lift. The front Shrocks skid plate won't bolt back up to the sway bar mounts. I am going to see what I can figure out and will share that when I get through it.

My shop is about finished with my installation now as well, and has been following this string. Its been a big help. The front Shrock skid plate will be an issue for me as well. I am very concerned about that drive shaft vibration though. Surely Calmini would have discovered that and made us aware if that was going to be a problem? Did you shim the rear axle properly? He is checking with Calmini on the rear shims that sit on the axle tube, as the pin seems to short and could be a safety issue.

Front bumper and winch go on today

Lloyd - I'm surprised you didn't do the install yourself???!!! I thought you were a veteran wheeler... no time? If so, I understand.

On the Shrock note, why would Calmini want to coordinate with them if they have their own front bumper? That's kinda pointless...

Editted to add: shims are required with fat forward, and the pin should fit in the hole... there are 2 pins, and I removed the one that did not align with the center hole in the axle.

I'm happy to answer any other specifics that the shop may have. PM me for a number.

It is all done now, Calmini offered to ship longer pins but he just made some. Shrock bumper and T-max winch are on also...skid plates next....goes together quick when you pay someone

Lloyd, did the shop end up eliminating the vibration? Can you verify what degree shim they used?

I have one pin that made it thru the shim into the spring plate. The other ended up flush with the shim. For my vibration, I think I will need to use a different shim. I have thought about using a longer pin. Any details on the shim, etc. would be helpful.

Robert is right on the bumper. It would be like GM providing parts to add ford parts to their vehicls. That is why we are all here...to make sense of this hobby.

I do have some thoughts on the skid however. Rather than highjack this thread to discuss non-Calmini topics, I just pm'd you with some info.

Picssssssss...where are the picssssssssss

Pay someone... hope you have that someone with you when you need help out on the trail!

Besides, money is for mods on the X, not for help to install them!

Just a note to anyone headed down this road. It appears a custom driveshaft will have to be made. Why this vibration problem was not caught in development, you got me. So bank on the time and money for that as well.

Why don't you quit bitching for a minute. Jeez you're a whiner!
Because they didn't hire you, the almighty and all-knowing Lloyd! Borer of the engineers, saviour of the Isuzu, wheeler of wheelers and man among men!

I do not have the same vibration that you guys are talking about. In fact, the more I load the rear to get it to come down the 5" lift (since the springs come with more like a 6" lift to account for settling) the more the vibration completely disappears.

SHIMS - fat side faces forward to raise the pinion angle.

The shims are in right, we confirmed that. They come drilled the opposite way, but we both caught the problem and re-drilled them to face the right direction.(Fat side forward)As well as fixed the too short stud.

The vibration is 20-40MPH, then goes away again.

So you are saying you have a vibration problem as well, but it dissapears when you load it down? Is the 6" lift permanent or temporary? I guess what I am getting at is it always 6" so when you load up for a wheeling trip it drops to 5"? That sounds great on paper, but not if it means a vibration when not loaded all the time.

Calmini has the vibration as well on their test mule. They have swapped out shims in differing sizes. They are looking at other alternatives such as a cv driveline. They effectively have their angle at 0 degree at the diff...than means the angle issue is at the upper u-joint.

Lloyd and I have the front bumper which I am sure is pulling the front down and lifting the rear a bit. That will be an issue for anyone who adds an aftermarket bumper with a higher lift, regardless of lift brand. Yeah, load it down and it takes the angle out of the upper joint...but carrying 500 lbs at any given time isn't an option.

Lloyd's post is a good FYI for others out there. Hold tight until a solution is figured out, but if you plan to do a higher lift, be prepared for the vibration. Robert is the only one I know of who is not having the issue. Actually, he is, just not quite as bad. I have swapped an email with a n experienced 4x4 driveline shop and will be calling them next week to see what they may do. A cv driveline will fix the issue, but it will cost some bucks. The Xterra driveshaft is a whack job and not conducive to lifting so it will need to be sorted out. I honestly think that when this is sorted out, it will help anyone with any higher lift on a 2nd Gen, regardless of lift brand, so for those of us who have or want to do a higher than 2" lift on our 2nd gen, the work Calmini and the rest of us will be a big positive.

Right now, the Calmini 5" is the only 2nd gen lift that has been installed on more than one truck...that I know of, so we will all have to work on a solution as bugs pop up.

JTAOJ, PM'd you.

Why not see if the diff yoke from a Frontier (D40 of course) will work on your diff and just get a double-carden with a normal u-joint on the diff side? Our local driveline shop does them all day long for the Fords and Jeeps for under $200. Just give them a static length and they can have in under a day.Static would be from the normal position of the slip yokes u-joint centerline to the new centerline of the diff side u-joint, on the ground.

I too plan to buy the 5 inch lift from Calmini. I just want to wait till they have the vibe problem solved and also have a solution for the need for stiffer springs and shocks on the front end with the Calmini bumper and winch weights.

Just a comment on a cv joint at the t/case. I actually tried this on another slip yoke vehicle and it caused the fluid to leak out due to the slight wobbling effect of a CV. Not sure that would be a problem with our t/cases or not, but it is possible.

Cyclemut, that is pretty much the idea. I didn't know about the Fronty diff yoke. Do you work for Nissan? If so, can you verify if that will work?

Lloyd, I am not sure what else to do on the wobble and potential leak...if it leaks, then we need to figure out what else needs to be done.

This is all great info and help, so thanks.

I'm not able to do verify it at this time. I don't have the newer FAST cd to compare the parts. If the pinion gear was the same and the seal was the same part #'s, then I would hazard an educated guess that it was interchangeable.

And we put DC's on slip yokes all the time. Jeeps may develop a leak if the t-case bearings are old and have play in them. With a newer vehicle, I wouldn't hesitate.

Ok, Calimini now says I am the FIRST to complain about the vibration and they are surprised about it! You guys need to call so they know what is going on. I am calling them back with some more info, angles, and such.

Ask for Dave Kampa. He knows what is going on. He was very helpful to me while I did the install. I have had great luck with them and Dave in particular.

I suggested to them that we may need a driveshaft spacer on the pinon, such as with the 6" FJ kit. That would be a cheap, down and dirty fix. My mechanic is convinced it is the driveshaft hanging too far out of the t/case. We may just go ahead and machine one up...

Be careful...I read somewhere about another guy who had a lift installed (not a Calmini lift...I forget which one...) To fix the vibration, he had someone from the shop mill a spacer out of billet aluminum, yadda, anyway, they did that, charged him lots of cash for the R & D, and then the spacer and it made the vibration worse. The drive shaft needs to be balanced, and if that spacer isn't part of the balance, it can make it worse overall. If your shop knows what they are doing, they may be able to fix the issue and not have the same problem. The shop the other guy used seemed to be a tad clueless.

The guy added diff/spring shims as was instructed by others on the thread I was following and it fixed it after pulling the spacer. I want to say the lift was a coil over in front and new springs (Alcan?) in back.

I do not disagree with you that the issue may be the slip yoke. I also know that Calmini is working on it and if their timeline is doable, I will wait a tad longer. If it is out there a bit (more than a couple of weeks), I am going to do the drive shaft with a double cardan set up. It will wipe the angle issue out completely and add length to the shaft.

If you do the spacer and it works, share the wealth!!

Hi,

Did you get any meaningful feedback from Calmini? I really wanted to get their lift kit until I read this thread... Now I am concerns.

Ciao~

I would hesitate on a spacer. I've seen several spacers fail on Chevy Colorados, causing drivelines to self destruct. Have the spacer and shaft balanced together, if you're going to do it.

No response yet. They pretended it was a new problem. At this point I have to give up on them and find a solution as I dont have the time to wait. A 5" lift is serious on any vehicle, and this one must have atleast a dozen problems or more. Many of the problems are serious, but very simple to fix, some are nothing. The driveshaft one I hope to be simple due to the limited vibration speeds. I asked them about the stock front springs supporting a bumper and winch./...they again pretended they never heard of it...but are working on an upgraded coil over

Wow, a dozen? I honestly didn't have a dozen. A few based on the instructions (poor instructions on a few items), and a few items that were taken care of with a little mechanical understanding and creativity. The driveshaft is the most complicated one for me and all it takes is money. If you can't wait on Calmini, and I understand completely, have your install shop recommend a driveline shop. Have a CV type driveline built. They will lengthen the driveline to compensate for the slip yoke pulling out a bit and the cv should fix any angle problems. The driveline will cost $250+.

On the front coils, that isn't a Calmini problem. Mine sagged under the weight of the bumper and winch long before my lift. You can buy replacement springs.

I am in the same boat on wanting this fixed. Who have you talked to with Calmini?

Ok, I picked up the truck today and the vibration has dulled to almost nothing. Maybe the suspension settled down?

what all did the mechanic do?

All he did was pull the driveshaft out and stick it back in....Which could not have fixed it...

You sure Nissan isn't using a rebranded Microsoft Driveshaft?

Asside from my above safety post....After a few days wheeling the front will HAVE to be lifted more, it dragged non-stop. Also the compression struts will have to go, or be modified. Both are bent like horseshoes already...

Pics of the horseshoes?

Yeah, pics plz..

I am without a digital camera right now, but the Golden Crack should be a good place to get a good look at the horse shoes next month.

JTao- Pmd ya..

Thought I should add one last tip / piece of info.

You have read that I have a rear driveline vibration issue since the lift install. I know several others do as well. Calmini has been working on a solution. They have it done. It is essentially a double cardan type of joint at the top of the driveline. JE Reel did Calmini's. Calmini will be adding to their sales literature that this may be something others will have to do if the vibration is present.

I called and confirmed with JE Reel and they have made two thus far. One for Calmini and one for a Calmini vendor. Not cheap.