Manual for UAZ “loaf”: how to lift a car

The famous loaf quite often undergoes various upgrades, since it has significant potential for this, and also does not cost the owner that much. Tuning a UAZ 452 with your own hands is quite possible if you approach it responsibly and competently. This is exactly what we will talk about: we will learn a few tips that will help you do the right lifting.

Preparing for the Loaf Elevator

Lifting options for UAZ Bukhanki

Owners of Bukhanka, when starting to tune this car, first of all ask themselves the question: “How to raise a UAZ loaf?” We will try to answer this question in this article. So, first of all, let's look at the UAZ elevator methods. It could be:

• UAZ body lift
• Loaf Suspension Lift

Both options have both advantages and disadvantages. Thus, the Bukhanka body lift is easier to implement and also has a greater degree of safety. This is explained by the fact that this method of lift only slightly shifts the car’s center of gravity, which helps ensure the Loaf’s stable behavior on turns and other difficult sections of the route.

If we talk about the suspension lift, then there is some danger here due to the increase in the center of gravity. But at the same time, this method significantly changes cross-country ability for the better.

Choosing a kit for the UAZ loaf elevator

As we can see, there are several ways to raise the Loaf. Therefore, it is possible to determine which UAZ Bukhanka lift kit will be needed only by deciding on the choice of lift method. If you plan to do the lift yourself, you can buy a lift kit from a store. Such kits differ in the composition of the parts and elements included in them.

Thus, a kit for a Loaf elevator may contain:

• spring-frame spacers;
• spring-frame spacers
• bolts;
• nuts, etc.

Changing wheels

As you know, the cross-country ability of a vehicle directly depends on the wheels. Considering that the UAZ wheels are covered in fairly hard and not too large rubber, before proceeding directly to the elevator, it is necessary to mention the wheels. In addition, the tread pattern on the Bukhanka tires leaves much to be desired. All this suggests that it would not be superfluous to install suitable imported wheels on the legendary car.

As an option when choosing new wheels for the UAZ Bukhanka, you can use BF Goodrich 33×10.5 R15 tires, and, accordingly, wheels with a diameter of 15 centimeters. As for the choice of discs for them, it depends on the wishes of the owner. These can be alloy or cast wheels. Or you can leave the regular standard wheels.

However, you should not stop at this stage, because such tuning makes it difficult to control, since on sharp turns the front wheels catch the edges of the steering rods, and when the effect of crossing the axles appears, the wheels are located directly on the sides of the arches. This causes friction between the tires and the fender. Therefore, an indispensable stage of tuning after installing the wheels is the UAZ Bukhanka body lift.

When turning the bridge

• The rear suspension lift leads to a change in the distance between the gearbox output shaft and the rear axle receiving flange, the front suspension lift leads to a change in the distance between the axle and transfer case flanges. With such changes, the cardans begin to operate at maximum spline overhang. In this case, it is necessary to replace the driveshaft with a new one or compensate for the length of the driveshaft using a driveshaft spacer
• the shank rises up, the cardan shafts begin to break, and the cardan cross begins to operate in critical modes. This leads to parasitic vibrations on the cardan. When driving at certain speeds, an increase in vibration is felt and, as a result, accelerated destruction of the crosspieces
• castor decreases - the angle of inclination of the wheel turning axis to the vertical. An incorrect castor angle not only leads to poor handling of the SUV, but can also damage various components of the vehicle. How to change castor yourself is described in detail in this article.

Read more about the operation of the cardan after installing the suspension lift kit and treatment methods here

Source

UAZ Bukhanka body lift

No matter how strange it may seem, the UAZ Bukhanka frame is attached to the body using ten furniture bolts, six of which are located in the area of ​​the passenger seats, two behind the front wheel arches, and two more at the feet of the driver and passenger. The bolts are secured at the bottom with second nuts.

Before you begin removing the bolts, you need to disconnect the battery, disconnect the ground from the engine - behind the hood compartment and raise the car on a lift.

Next, in order, we carry out the following steps:

• Disconnect the wires from the starter;
• Disconnect the radiator mounts from the bottom or top;
• We unfasten the transmission lever drive rods and the brake booster rod;
• Drain all the coolant and remove the hoses that are connected to the UAZ Bukhanka heaters;
• Disconnect the brake pedal linkage to the vacuum booster;
• Disconnect the tube leading to the tank control valve.

The last point may not seem so important, but failure to comply with it can lead to the plate bending under the fastener, as a result of which it will have to be leveled.

Next, we proceed directly to unscrewing the nuts. You should start with the six rear body bolts, then slightly loosen the front bolt nuts.

When lifting a UAZ Bukhanka with your own hands, be careful and careful, since the fasteners on such a car are usually rusty and outdated. If the bolt turns in the body, it will not be possible to hold it. This creates additional difficulties in welding a nut or bolt to it.

To do everything correctly, you need to hold one nut with a wrench, while unscrewing the locknut with your head, and only after that the main nut.

Next, you should lower the car onto its wheels, since there will no longer be a need to perform work under it. We also disconnect the steering column and unfasten the boot on the floor. And you can start lifting the body over the frame. The lifting must begin from the back of the Loaf. The lifting height should ultimately be about 10 centimeters.

It would be a good idea to secure it by placing a wide wooden beam between the frame and the body.

We unscrew the standard bolts and increase the holes for them to 12 mm by drilling. Next you need to do some work with the spacers. An inexpensive and suitable option for spacers are ordinary hockey pucks. The next steps will be to insert spacers, bolts and tighten nuts gradually, starting from the rear of the body, continuing in the middle and ending at the front.

As a result, the body will rise by 6.5 centimeters. All that remains is to secure everything and you can install large wheels.

UAZ elevator: characteristics, options

In order to increase the vehicle's cross-country ability, the right solution is to install wheels with a larger diameter. At the same time, the clearance increases. And the greater the distance between the road and the bottom point of the car, the better the car’s passing qualities.

In order to significantly increase the diameter of the wheels, modifications to the car will be required. Otherwise, the wheels either will not fit into the arches, or at the moment of turning and during certain irregularities they will cling to the body. To avoid these problems, it is necessary to lift the UAZ.

Lifting a UAZ involves a set of changes that must be made to the design of the vehicle in order to make it possible to install wheels of larger diameter. Many argue that a lift can increase a car's ground clearance. But this opinion is wrong. A clear understanding is necessary that increasing ground clearance is only possible by installing wheels of larger diameter, and the UAZ elevator is a help in this endeavor.

Set of stands for body lift “loaves”

The UAZ elevator can be of two options.

1. Bodylift. Possible for frame cars. In this case, the body is lifted above the frame using spacers. This is the simplest type of lifting. In this case, the car will not need further modifications.
2. Suspension lift. It is done both on framed (possibly combined with a body lift) and on frameless cars. In this case, longer springs or spacers are installed under the standard springs. The advantage of this method is that parts located underneath the car are lifted above the road. This results in a reduced risk of possible damage.

Suspension lift UAZ Bukhanka

Pros and cons of a suspension lift

Now let's look at the next way to carry out a UAZ Bukhanka lift - a suspension lift. As already mentioned, this method has both pros and cons. There are two main advantages of the suspension lift on the UAZ:

• improvement in the cross-country ability of the Loaf, ensured by the fact that the wheels remain in place, and the other part rises up;
• the ability to install large wheels, which before the suspension lift did not fit into the arches of the UAZ.

Well, the main disadvantage of this method is the inevitable increase in the angles of the universal joints. In this case, the cardans are put into operation for wear.

There are several options for carrying out a suspension lift. Let's look at some of them.

Installing longer spring shackles

The simplest and most affordable option is to install longer spring shackles. When carrying out a suspension lift in this way, you should not get too carried away with it, so as not to install too long ones. Spring shackles that are too long can negatively affect the performance of the suspension and affect handling. To avoid problems with handling, it is recommended to tighten the earrings with a tie in the center.

General characteristics

Despite the fact that many all-terrain vehicles manufactured by well-known American, German, Asian and other foreign automakers are inferior to the UAZ in terms of cross-country ability, even a domestic “loaf” can get stuck in serious off-road conditions. In this regard, many car enthusiasts strive to endow their “iron horse” with all the best qualities of an SUV. One of the many options is a DIY UAZ “loaf” suspension lift.

Since the UAZ is quite simple in technical design, it provides many opportunities for tuning, including suspension . The easiest and simplest way to increase ground clearance is to install new wheels on your car. By placing wheels of greater width and height on the “loaf”, you can achieve the most uniform distribution of pressure on the soil. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to overcome wetlands and drive over large stones and bumps without touching the suspension. The only drawback of this method is the need to change the car body, namely to expand the arches, cutting out the wings and replacing them with new ones that match the enlarged wheels.

The higher, the better the cross-country ability

But in order to significantly increase ground clearance, changing wheels alone will not be enough. In this case, most motorists perform a UAZ “loaf” suspension lift with their own hands. There are some recommendations that, if followed, will allow you to avoid many mistakes and perform the lift correctly.

To begin with, it is worth noting that there are two ways to raise the UAZ. One of them is a car body lift, the other is a suspension lift. The first method is the easiest and at the same time safe. This is explained by the fact that with a body lift the center of gravity is practically not transferred, allowing the vehicle to remain stable when cornering and off-road. This tuning is carried out by placing spacers (usually aluminum) between the car frame and the body. By performing a body lift, you can increase the ground clearance by a maximum of 15 centimeters.

A suspension lift leads to a significant improvement in the vehicle's cross-country ability. However, this method is associated with some risk, since the center of gravity is transferred much higher, as a result of which the car loses stability when cornering and when driving quickly on uneven surfaces.

Basics

Before we tell you how to lift a UAZ loaf, let’s understand that there are two types of car lifting (depending on exactly how the intervention in the car’s structure is carried out):

The first option is more simple and at the same time much more secure. What does security have to do with it? The fact is that body lifting practically does not change the car’s center of gravity, so the loaf’s stable behavior when cornering or off-road is maintained. As for the suspension lift, there is a certain risk due to the increase in the center of gravity, but this method significantly improves cross-country ability.

Let's talk about each of these methods in more detail.

Making the UAZ spring softer

For the repair I needed:

• graphite lubricant;
• reinforced tape.

The technology is simple, we remove the spring, disassemble it and clean it from rust. We treat the surface with graphite lubricant. By the way, earlier, when there was a shortage of such things, I made it myself from grease and powdered graphite rods from large batteries.

After assembling the springs, we wrap the entire surface with reinforced tape and install it on the UAZ.

The method is effective, although it still won’t work to make the suspension much softer.

Another way to make the UAZ softer is to install soft tires and reduce the pressure, but this is for driving in urban conditions. In my case, other priorities.

Body lift

The UAZ loaf body lift is carried out using spacers that are located between the car frame and its body. When choosing specific spacers, please note that aluminum spacers are the most suitable for the price-quality ratio. They are durable and provide rigid attachment of the body to the frame, and are also available on the market in a fairly wide range. Note: The vast majority of spacers that are produced by foreign companies are perfect for the UAZ 452. When installing spacers, the owner of the loaf will in any case have to cut the arches and wings. After this is done, it is recommended to install side mudguards that will protect the glass from dirt. There are various types of spacers, thanks to some of which the UAZ loaf frame moves away from the body by a distance of up to 80 mm. And in combination with large wheels, this increases ground clearance by as much as 15 cm.

Advantages of UAZ suspension lifting

1. It can be done in any garage conditions if you have the hands and know which way the nut is screwed.
2. With a suspension lift, the geometric cross-country ability of the SUV improves: the distance between the axle and the frame increases, the axle with wheels remains in place, and everything else rises to the top. The frame, body and components now rise above uneven ground and are less susceptible to sudden attack by stumps in forests and fields.
3. The UAZ suspension lift makes it possible to install wheels of larger diameter, which were a dream before the suspension lift, but in reality did not fit into the arches.

How to lift the body of a UAZ

Home » Spare parts and accessories » How to lift the body of a UAZ

Russian all-terrain vehicle UAZ 469

This all-wheel drive all-terrain vehicle, the most popular in our country and abroad, is equipped with an almost indestructible body. The 469 station wagon was produced at the Ulyanovsk plant from 1972 to 1985. The car was later renamed 3151, after which it was successfully produced until 2010.

How the car was created

By the beginning of the 70s, the GAZ-69, produced at the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant as a military-civilian vehicle, was still running in the country. Its platform adopted a lot from the post-war Pobeda, and many of the structural parts and elements of the vehicle were clearly outdated by 1970.

The introduction of the UAZ 469 into production immediately resolved the issue of updating, without affecting the basic qualities of the 69th. Amazing cross-country ability, relatively light weight, excellent load capacity, similarity of components and mechanisms with other models of the domestic automobile industry - all this has remained at the same level.

Repair

Many owners of this car have personal experience in such a matter as repairing 469. Indeed, the creation of the car plant in Ulyanovsk has such a simple design that it was not difficult to carry out repairs with your own hands.

A lift or alteration of the body and suspension is the most common do-it-yourself repair carried out on a Soviet all-terrain vehicle. If the conversion of the UAZ 469 ends up in capable hands, then the domestic UAZ, copied at one time from Land Rover, will show everything it is capable of, leaving “glamorous” foreign models in the dust.

So, it is customary to carry out the UAZ lift with your own hands on the body and suspension. In particular, it is recommended to put good tires on the UAZ, raising the body above the frame in advance. The lift is made using a special body lift technology.

Note. To raise the body above the frame, you will have to install special spacers between the elements (hockey pucks, 2 for each of the 12 fixing bolts, have worked well).

The UAZ 469 suspension lift with your own hands improves the geometric cross-country ability of the all-terrain vehicle. This occurs due to the immobility of the wheels and axle, and the simultaneous raising of everything else when passing through a muddy mess.

Lifting UAZ Patriot and Hunter

Due to the standard suspension travel of the UAZ Patriot, driving comfort is ensured only on city roads. But a trip over rough terrain will be deprived of its attractiveness and comfort, since it can lead to breakdown of the main elements of the suspension and transmission. At the moment of a high-speed collision with even a minor obstacle, a breakdown of the suspension is possible. To avoid this, the UAZ Patriot needs a suspension lift. Most car owners recommend lifting the UAZ in any case, whether driving in urban conditions or outside the city.

Every car enthusiast associates a UAZ with an all-terrain vehicle that has significant power and maneuverability. It must be said that the UAZ Patriot is no exception, and the model has an attractive appearance and is quite comfortable.

But you shouldn’t be surprised that the owners of this car are striving to improve its capabilities - install larger diameter wheels, modify the suspension travel. The UAZ Patriot equipment allows you to install wheels that are not much different from the standard ones. Before thinking about wheels, it is worth lifting the body and suspension of the UAZ Patriot.

The skillful hands of a master can always turn a UAZ Hunter into an SUV that will not see any obstacles in front of it. For many car owners, a UAZ Hunter lift with your own hands is not something incredible, so improving the vehicle’s cross-country ability will not be any problem. Installing large-diameter wheels on the UAZ Hunter will give the vehicle additional lightness to overcome obstacles of various types. This result is achieved by increasing the ground clearance under the frame and axle. Lifting a UAZ can be done in two ways:

• raise the body above the wheels and free up as much space as possible for them;
• lower the suspension of the UAZ Hunter slightly lower.

Do not forget that by improving the off-road qualities of a car, you can worsen its other characteristics. In particular, maximizing ground clearance causes the center of gravity to shift upward. There is a risk of tipping over if the side tilt is too strong. Sometimes, when carrying out a body lift, they somewhat loosen its attachment to the frame. In this case, the height of the elevator makes it possible to fall off the frame, which will lead to breakage of the high spacers, which have a large lever.

Hunter's lift with improved suspension

Yes, if you lift the UAZ, you can achieve improved geometric cross-country ability. This indicator is important when driving on uneven terrain. Undoubtedly, it is preferable to combine a suspension and body lift; this will allow many components to be preserved during operation.

You can install the UAZ elevator yourself. Even if this work is labor-intensive, it is not difficult, and the resulting result will allow the driver to be proud of himself and his iron friend.

Suspension lift

The UAZ loaf lift, carried out by raising the suspension, as already mentioned, significantly increases the center of gravity of the car. Therefore, when choosing what height to raise the suspension, you need to consider:

• reasonable balance between increased maneuverability and serious rollover hazard;
• the maximum inclined angle of the cardan shafts, above which they will lose their functionality.

The high risk of rollover can be eliminated by the following:

1. Initially, the track should be widened using wheel spacers;
2. Next you need to install wide tires and wheels with a negative offset;
3. It would also not be superfluous to replace the bridges with the Bars or Spicer models.

Widening the track, among other things, can be achieved by installing disc brakes, and the problem with cardan shafts can be easily solved by installing extended shafts and a spacer between the cardan and axle flanges.

Methods for lifting suspension

There are several specific ways to raise your suspension. Each method depends on the final lift height: 1. Light lift

If the preferred height is small, then the UAZ loaf lift kit will consist only of additional sheets for springs. Instead, you can install other springs with a larger number of leaves, or you can install longer spring earrings.

2. Middle elevator and high elevator

Disadvantages of UAZ suspension lifting

1. As the center of mass becomes higher, an additional “lever” appears for the influence of lateral forces, and the lateral stability of the SUV decreases. Treated by installing (tread extenders (wheel spacers))
2. When installing the elevator, we raise the car frame above the bridge, which entails an increase in the lateral thrust angle, because the fixation point on the frame moves upward relative to its factory position. Changing the position of the panhard shifts the bridge to the side and the bridge acquires greater freedom to move to the side during suspension movements, which contributes to its negative impact on handling. The easiest way to remedy the problem is to install an adjustable Panhard rod, where an adjustable clutch compensates for the length of the rod according to changes in height and allows you to adjust the suspension with minimal effort.
3. When lifting the suspension, the frame rises above the axis of the bridge, longitudinal rods (sticks) attached to the frame change the angle of approach to the bridge. The longitudinal rods, which are fixed levers, move the bridge in an arc under the car. The bridge goes down and at the same time turns outward (front axle forward and rear axle back).

The easiest way

Of course, any professional UAZ Patriot service will help make the car softer, but you don’t have to pay for the services of a specialist. All the work on upgrading the suspension is easy to do on your own, especially if you have the skills and at least a little practice. We are not talking about global changes in the design of the car, for example, replacing springs or installing springs. In such cases, considerable experience and a specially equipped workplace are still needed.

Let's look at the easiest way to make the UAZ Patriot softer when driving over rough terrain. To do this, the springs are simply treated with graphite lubricant. This does not require much effort, but after such a “modernization” the car becomes more comfortable and long-distance trips are much easier to endure. You can also install softer tires and lower the tire pressure, but the off-road properties of the car will be somewhat lost.

JAPANESE SPIRIT

The three-liter Toyota diesel engine selected for implantation with the index 1KZTE develops a power of 130 hp. and produces a torque of 300 N.m, simple and omnivorous. It was removed from a Toyota Hilux Surf (aka Forerunner) along with an automatic transmission and an Aisin transfer case. The Japanese, unlike the Ulyanovsk residents, do not use a scheme with a parking brake behind the transfer case - it was necessary to select new mechanisms for the rear axle. The Volkswagen Transporter T5 disc brakes were ideal.

In order not to stop at a gas station every 300 km, we built an additional 80-liter tank and put it in place of the spare tire, which was moved to a “gate” attached to the rear bumper. The tank is lightweight, welded from aluminum (grade AMG3) 3 mm thick. KamAZ-Master uses a similar material, since upon impact it does not tear, but only crumples.

The customer limited the wheel size and body lift (by 50 mm) based on the expected fast driving on the highway: they dictate a certain moderation of the off-road arsenal. It is important that we used front and rear pneumatic locks from Ulyanovsk.

DOES NOT TEAR OR Wrinkle

It is curious that for this money the car did not receive maximum tuning. There is something to add. Have you ever driven a regular "tablet"? This can hardly be called pleasure. The seating position is like a monkey having breakfast, the sound insulation is like that of a worker with a jackhammer, the pedals seem to be smeared with glue, and the steering wheel is trying to turn the ground instead of the wheels. These are my personal impressions after a six-month affair with the UAZ-2206, and they make it clear with what feeling I got behind the wheel. But there is no smell of a standard “loaf” here! I don’t want to say that it was three million at once, but with my eyes closed I wouldn’t have been able to identify the make of the car.

The task before the tuning studio was the following: to make an expedition-type car with a cruising speed of 120 km/h and the ability to overtake at 140. The cross-country ability is as high as possible above the “serial” one, but not at the expense of driving on good roads. The original chassis with a narrow track and a short wheelbase did not fit into this concept. Therefore, they used UAZ-Patriot bridges. When installing them, we worked on the castor. The ball joints were rotated by 6º, the axles themselves by another 4º, and the wheelbase was lengthened by 180 mm. As a result, we eradicated the characteristic UAZ yaw and achieved quite acceptable directional stability at high speeds.

In addition to the general task, there was another, no less important one - to increase reliability. Knuckles with plastic liners were replaced with old-style parts with bronze bushings. We installed cast iron gearbox covers that can withstand collisions with a solid obstacle. Front and rear now have Ironman springs and Coney Ride shock absorbers. The front ones are positioned at an angle to minimize lateral motion, and the rear ones are positioned vertically, outside the frame.

EVERYTHING IS DONE

At the client's request, the interior was completely finished with noise and vibration insulation. The floor is covered with aluminum, and the sides and ceiling are covered with soft synthetic material. In the back there are two sofas that fold out along the entire length and a table. There is a massive air conditioning unit under the ceiling. On the speaker stands of the multimedia system. In the cabin, Honda CR-V seats are heated and electrically adjustable.

The steering column was replaced with an adjustable one from Sobol. The doors have NIV power windows and central locking. Rear view mirrors from a Hyundai minibus. There is a PAZ hatch welded into the roof right above the engine cover, which is quite convenient for hunting: I saw it, jumped up, and fired. The car is hung on all sides with lighting devices: tank headlights with xenon on the front bumper, a “chandelier” on the roof, and additional light on the sides.

The main stove was replaced with a NAMI heater, since it makes less noise and, most importantly, effectively removes moisture - the windows do not sweat. The additional stove gave way to the German Eberspächer and moved under the sofa, and in its place a compressor and a large washer reservoir were installed (if you remember, the standard one is ridiculously small).