lifted l series vs lifted gen1 liberty??

subelover · Post by **subelover** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:24 am

hi guys i have a turboed lsd 6"lifted l series 27" ra ra ra but i have just started a good paying job and was wondering ideas/ thoughts on a lifted gen1 liberty as i have a bit of cash and am weighing up the option of doin a liberty...i like em more then the l series and the liberty's are already are 5 stud, coilovers, disc rear end....etc and are a much better car so what are the opinons? cause i can pick up a cheap gen1 liberty and i rekon id get a couple of grand for my car??? cheers Ben

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 9:23 am

My opinion - L series have better suspension articulation and much tighter steering, by about ~1.5meters both very important off-road.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:48 am

Dude where are all the photos of your 6" L series!

Fatz · Post by **Fatz** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:55 am

showthread.php?t=5816&highlight=series+liberty

bluesteel · Post by **bluesteel** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 10:58 am

it all depends what you want to do with it ben

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:47 pm

as a touring car the lib wins by miles

as a basher, the L has better clearance

subelover · Post by **subelover** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:12 pm

basher it is going to be

so the l series wins hands down

just means a bit more welding for my wagon and i will get bluesteel to bring his good camera round and take somepics of my wagon

cheers Ben

subelover · Post by **subelover** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:15 pm

showthread.php?t=7704

a few pics on there they arnt that good i will get better pics up soon ok

Fatz · Post by **Fatz** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:22 pm

have you had any encounters with the boys in blue yet?

D3V1L · Post by **D3V1L** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 8:00 pm

liberty is by far more comfortable..but if u want plain offroad glory the L series is the way to go

AlpineRaven · Post by **AlpineRaven** » Mon Nov 19, 2007 9:31 pm

Since owing lifted Liberty - I think L series has better clearance than Liberty - maybe I have been avoiding off road areas or being careful.. I dunno...
Cheers
AP

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 6:18 am

I think the Liberty is a far better car for scrubbing it. For starters the body is stronger. Gearbox plates do not rip out when the going gets tough. Bigger tyres can be fitted and there is a better choice available. More power is readily available. Transfer can be locked front to back if you must but it is not needed.

Go for a sedan and you get an excelllent car as well as a smaller body for tighter areas.

As for suspension travel/geometry I can't see how any one can say an L is better. They are very much the same.

subelover · Post by **subelover** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:29 am

thanks guys now im really confused i spose like bluesteel said its what intend doin with the sube

but i do like the idea of a liberty a wagon tho i think cheers for the replies Ben

Bumpty · Post by **Bumpty** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:19 am

I see it as an upgrade going to the Libery, although now I'm thoroughly confused

The Lib has to be better right seeing as it is a later car. But i guess the gen1s aren't later the 93 & 94 Ls.

From a perspective with no experience with modding and off roading in any Suby, I see the L as a more not capable off road vehicle but easyer for the DIY person who can bash it a bit and not worry about the body too much and the Lib was more for cruising, having said all this I can't wait to lift and put bigger tyres on my gen1 wagon!

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:33 am

L series have their advantages I guess but I think "overall" Lib's are probably better, they are certainly miles in front Onroad. L's still have the advantage of being cheaper to modify for offroad (slightly) but quite abit cheaper to repair.
This probably won't last a whole lot longer though with Lib's getting wrecked more and more often.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 11:05 am

the offroad advantage of an L as i see it is:

1. approach and departure angles are way better
2. they are 400kg lighter than a lib

disadvantage is obviously the weaker chassis, you very rarely hear of a lib ripping captive nuts out of the body

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:29 pm

I always thought it was around 200 and a bit kilos. L series wagon is around 1170 and a Lib around 1400ish. Add an EJ22 that has about 95kw and response from throttle on and you have a fairly decent package. Add a 6" lift, EJ25 of 2 litre turbo with some work, 1.5 low range, slippery diffs and you have a very capable offroader. Plastic bumpers make up for any approach and departure problems with their flexibility. 28", 29" or bigger tyres add excellent grip with the strength to cope with them.

Don't get me wrong, L's are fantastic offroad. Libs can do it all though and are likely, in my opinion (tested) to last longer before breakages.

I used to flog MY's, L's and Liberty's around gymkhana tracks along with plenty of general/rough 4wding and the Lib wins hands down in my book. The other 2 do it all as well, but not with the robustness of the Liberty. I used to snap diff output shafts, snap cv joints, break gear boxes, tear mounts from the body while driving an MY but more so in the L, where I have never broken any thing other than gear boxes in a Liberty. Add in to this equation the fact that I only ever had a top of around 160-170hp (130KW) in the hottest L I had but over 250 in the Liberty I used to flog around.

I have also towed the same van to Fraser Island in all of these cars and driven all over the place and there is no comparison to the Liberty both in getting there and driving around once there.

We used to go to Big Boys 4wd park up the coast. I took an L series there with all the fruit and could not get over the "buster" (see the download section for video) with it. Took a turbo lifted Liberty there and drove over it like a walk in the park. There was also a mud pit there that a lot of cars were getting stuck in, including an L series, not to mention other bigger 4wds. I drove through it 4 or 5 times with the Liberty showing off before I dug the holes too big even for it. I actually drove in to it and stopped where the other cars were getting stuck, gave it **** and drove straight out. Twice. Just to prove the point. The time I got stuck I tried idling through it, which didn't happen, then blew reverse gear trying to back back out. I got towed out then went straight back in and drove through it again.

Another point to consider is the availability of parts. L series aren't as thick on the ground as they used to be.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:38 pm

Discount extra weight for rust holes and the fact most of us poor L series buggers only keep about $10 fuel in them at all times =)