Project Drift King Suzuki Equator Part I: Suspension Makeover

30.-32. John then expertly TIG-welded each piece of tubing to the center piece and then welded the threaded end links at each end of the tubes

30.-32. John then expertly TIG-welded each piece of tubing to the center piece and then welded the threaded end links at each end of the tubes

33. Because of the endlinks threaded rod, the wishbone is adjustable. After careful measurements were taken, the rear wishbone’s tabs were welded to the axle tubes.

34. Here you get a good idea of what the wishbone looks like and you can see the quality of the welds in place for the endlink brackets.

35. The axle was then measured to make sure the lower link bar brackets were squared on each side. Once the spot was marked, the link bar brackets were welded in place.

36. This shot gives you a peek of the lower link bars bolted in place. It’s important to note that at least six inches of separation between the upper and lower link bars is needed.

37. Back to the rear crossmember we showed you in photo 18, the QA1 shocks were hung from the welded-in tube.

38. This part is extremely important. John set t he QA1 shocks at 30 degrees so that when the Equator hit a bump with both wheels, we'd only use 75 percent of each spring rate. When one wheel hit a bump, 100 perfect of the spring rate of one coilover would be used. this setup should provide a balanced feel and give our Suzuki an improved ride.

39. John also welded these lower shock mounts and then bolted the assembled QA1 shocks and springs in place. All the tubing, including the axle, then received a coat of semi-gloss rattle can.

40. - 42. With an angle finder and tape measure in hand, the pinion angle was double-checked and the wishbone links and lower links were adjusted to get the pinion angle just right.

40. - 42. With an angle finder and tape measure in hand, the pinion angle was double-checked and the wishbone links and lower links were adjusted to get the pinion angle just right.

40. - 42. With an angle finder and tape measure in hand, the pinion angle was double-checked and the wishbone links and lower links were adjusted to get the pinion angle just right.

43. Once the bed was back in place, we bolted on our new 20-inch MB Wheels Gunner 6 wheels. Providing the contact patch and helping our Equator reach its full performance potential, we wrapped the wheels in Continental CrossContact UHP 255/45R20 high-performance tires.

44. A nice perk about buying wheels from Discount Tire Direct is their vast inventory of locking lugnuts for your new wheels. For our combo, we used a set of Discount Tire's Gorilla Locks.

45. and 46. With the wheels bolted on and the Equator back on terra firma, we drove the Suzuki straight to Porter's Alignment and Brake Service for an alignment. Mario used the QA1 wrench to adjust the coilover collar to achieve our desired ride height.