Delica lift advice wanted

Assuming L300 (the only Delica), I know they can suffer from cooling issues, which can cause the HG to go. Budget for a water pump, radiator, thermostat and hoses to keep it happy - i know that Bruce replaced most of that when he noticed the temp gauge climbing a little higher than normal.

AFAIK, they are unibody, so a 'body lift' over the chassis isn't possible - all the extra height has to come from the suspension. Bruce has done a lot of work on lifting Delicas a long way and still getting the suspension to work properly.

If it's an L400, watch for the fuel pump, header tank and front subframe rust.
Lifting is easy, Heavy duty Landy springs on the rear, raise the torsion bar at the front.

L400 is way better than the L300.

I'd try and get a petrol one tbh. 3 Litre V6. Same MPG as the diesel, except the fuel is cheaper and it doesn't suffer from the fuel pump issue.

If you're going for an L400, fitting Land Rover rear springs and raising the torsion bars at the front (i.e. Soopahfly's suggestion) will just about enable you to fit some 31" tyres. Even then you'll need to do some trimming on the arches for clearance.

If you're seriously thinking of going for 35" tyres, then unless you're an experienced fabricator with good access to full workshop facilities, a good knowledge of suspension design and a good few thousand to spend on the lift....then you're probably better off with a seperate chassis vehicle.

I lifted my L300 8" and only *just* managed to run it on 33" tyres. You'd need to go a lot higher a gain to run 35's...especially on an L400. Like I say, budget for about £2,000+ if doing it all yourself, about £8,000+ if you're buying the kit and fitting it yourself. I'm not kidding either!

Not only will you need to completely redisign the front suspension geometry (castor and camber) you'll also have to relocated the engine, the radiator, the gearbox, rear axle mounts....virtually everything and a whole lot more. That's before you really get into the lift blocks themselves, of which the spacing of the front balljoint and upper/lower wishbones becomes a real ballache. Making a longer steering column, extending all the brake lines, new ARB mounts, possibly power steering lines, 4WD gear selector relocation, adjustable rear suspension links, adjustable panhard rod etc...etc...etc...(Don't ask me how I know)

As for what to look for on L400's:

Fuel pumps (expensive/tricky)
Head gaskets (expensive/tricky)
Timing chains (expensive/tricky)
Expansion tanks (about £100)
Radiator (about £120)
Sticking front calipers (about £150)
4WD selector solenoids (about £40 second hand)
Damaged/corroded front bump stop mounts (about £80)
Front upper & lower ball joints (about £100 for all four)
Front shock absorber bushes (about £10)
Cracking around front chassis rails (silly expensive...probably write-off territory)
Rot around rear chassis rails...in fact most of rear end! (anything from £150 upwards)
Rotten front subframe (about £50 second hand but tricky job)
Corroded lower front wishbones (about £60 per side)
Cracked centre console/heater surround (about £60 second hand)
Broken overdrive select button (about £30 second hand)
Broken electric sunroof (about £20 second hand)
Rotten roof on high roof models (expensive/diffcult to fix)

If looking at L300's:

Check temp gauge doesn't run above 1/4 (basically check the following * have been replaced not too long ago)
*Radiator (£120)
*Cam belt (£60 with tensioners)
*Water pump (£30)
Front outer antiroll bar bushes (£12)
Front shock absorber bushes (£10)
Rotten roof on high roof models (difficult to fix)

I hope that is of some help?