G1 - DIY Poor Boy Lift (No Welding Involved)

sontag1

I wanted to lift my G1, but I did not want to buy a lift kit. I read and read and read some more about all the homemade lift kits I could find. I kind of got ideas from several people, so if you see something you originally thought of, thanks for the good idea! I am in no way a golf cart expert. I am pretty good at solving problems and figuring out how to make things work. So use these techniques at your own risk. There is no welding involved. The end results seem rock solid and I am very pleased at how it all worked out.

The only money I spent out of pocket on this project was for some Grade 5 bolts from the farm store. I just bought an assortment of what I thought I might need, and it cost about $15. I have several bolts, nuts, and washers left over for other projects. You will be able to look at the pictures and see how many actual bolts you will need.

I scrounged for other free materials that I thought I might need and that took about two weeks. The most difficult piece was finding the 3/16” steel plate. My buddy found me a nice sized piece for free. Once I had that, I started pecking away at it. I did invest quite a bit of time in the project, but that is because I was “feeling my way through” so to speak.

The first thing I learned is that you lift your cart so you can put bigger tires on it. That is the only way you will get any real improvement in clearance. You will see in the picture that I am still on stock tires so I am still at about 5 inches of ground clearance in the rear. Hopefully in the future I can pick up a set of cheap 10” wheels and 22” tires. As you can see in this picture, I have the motor out. It is freshly rebuilt and should be reinstalled soon. I am fabricating a “cow catcher” for the front of the cart from an old grocery cart a buddy of mine gave me. I have already used the basket part to make a bed. Those grocery carts are made from some tough steel!

I am going to do this in a couple of posts. Let's start with the rear.

Attached Images

Cart lift.jpg (253.0 KB, 0 views)

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sontag1

There are only two points that need to be lifted in the rear. You can either lift the shocks up or lift off the top of the shocks. I first lifted off of the top of the shocks with some 2” square steel tubing. It looked OK and I was going to roll it but I was not really happy with how it turned out. I had to use a bunch of washers to fill in some empty spaces between the wall of the tubing and the original shock bracket on the cart. It was a PITB to make it all work out, but it was pretty solid after I was done. Then I finished lifting the front and I realized that the rear was 3/8” low! I was not a happy camper to say the least. It also got me to thinking about how the rear might drop even more after I added the weight of the canopy back on top of the cart plus the weight of the engine. So I decided to start over on the rear. Nothing like starting over when you are finished!

I looked though the scrap steel I had accumulated and found a piece of pipe I liked. It seemed a little thin, but it was as thick as the original shock mounting points so I went for it. What really sold me on using the pipe was that the shock would drop right inside and it was tight as a tick. I figured I would lift the shocks this time. I do not think I could have found anything better.

At this point I had the rear of the cart on jack stands and the shocks were off. I slipped the lower end of the shock into the pipe and marked how deep it would insert. Then I just held the shock next to the pipe, lined up my mark on the shock with the top of the pipe, and marked the center of the bolt hole. It is tough to get a really good layout on a round pipe, so do the best you can. I worked as a carpenter for 10 years, so I felt very confident doing this. Once you have your mark it is time to start drilling. Take something like a nail or a screw and knock a little starting ding for your drill bit. This will keep it from wandering. Your first hole needs to be about 1/8” diameter. Don’t start trying to hog out a big hole in the steel. You will just end up with a mess. Start small and step your way up. Once you get your small hole drilled, you will need one just like it directly across from it.

Here is how I did that. I chucked my bit up in the drill so that it was sticking out plenty (be careful here or you will break off your drill bit). I slipped it down into the original hole so the tip was resting on the opposite side of the pipe (inside) and there was about 3/8” still showing. Use this as your reference. It needs to be straight up and down both front to back and right to left. Drill slow because your bit tip will try and wander away from where you want that second hole! You should end up with a hole that is pretty close to straight across from the original. If you have a drill press, forget all that and just drill both holes through the pipe at once. I am sure there is someone who knows an easier way to describe doing this. Please post it.

Now that you have your pilot holes you can drill the correct size hole for your bolts. I think it was around 3/8”. I used a step up bit (from Harbor Freight Tools) and it worked like a charm. Test fit your shock and make sure everything lines up. Make any necessary adjustments. I decided to lift the rear of my cart 5.5 inches to prevent any sagging. I did not mind if the rear was a little higher than the front (4”).

Measure from the center of the bolt hole you just drilled and mark where you want the center of your lower hole to be. Repeat the above instructions for drilling those holes as well. Cut the pipe off about 1/4” below the hole. Now you have your shock mounted to a piece of pipe with some bolt holes in the bottom end and the bottom is way too wide to fit in the lower shock mount. Get out your Dead Blow Hammer and get to whacking. Go easy! You want to make a nice clean oval shape with round edges. If you pound on it too hard you will deform the pipe too much and weaken it. You will have to smack that pipe pretty hard to make that oval shape you want, just don’t try and do it in a couple of whacks. Tap on it some and see how it fits (repeat). Once it is barely too big, you will probably be able to slide it in between the brackets. Now make another one. Bolt it all on and your back end is lifted! Congratulations. There is no wiggle right to left or front to back because you have about 2.5 inches of the shock inside that pipe. It is solid!

I will post how I lifted the front later this evening.

Attached Images

	Rear shocks.jpg (246.2 KB, 0 views)
	Rear shock.jpg (127.0 KB, 0 views)

sontag1

When I lifted the front, there were 3 points that had to go up: the shocks and two different parts of the suspension. I decided to lift the shocks from the bottom. I found a piece of channel that was really stout. I am not sure of what it is called, but it is used on commercial jobs to hang electrical and other stuff that needs to be hung above a drop ceiling. I will post a picture of it tomorrow and give dimensions. I really like how it worked out because the shock fit nice and tight inside of the channel with almost no wiggle. It was much easier to work with because it had flat sides. I slipped the shock inside and eyeballed where my bolt hole needed to go and marked it. I drilled out my bolt holes and did a test fit. One of my holes was off a bit (watch your layout), so I drilled to the next step on my step bit and the bolt slid in. I was not worried about the larger bolt hole. The stop at the bottom of the shock sits on the top of the piece of steel, so the bolt is supporting no weight for all practical purposes. I measured from the center of the bolt hole and marked where the other bolt hole would be at 4” and centered on the channel. I drilled it out the bolt holes and cut the channel off about ¼” below the hole. I had to cut the inside corner off a bit so it would all line up with the upper shock mount. Using a hammer, I had to knock the lower shock mount sides in just a tiny bit. Once I did that, the channel slid right over the mount and I was able to insert the bolt. Mount both shocks this way. It is very solid because about 4 inches of the shock is inside of the channel nice and tight.

I used a jigsaw to cut the steel plate. I had to go really slow, but it cut it nice and straight. I used 4 Bosch blades to cut a total of 36” in the 1/8” plate. I used a Bosch jigsaw set on 3.5 speed. It was much straighter than I could cut with an angle grinder. My plates were 3.25” wide and 5” long. You will need to be really careful with the layout of your bolt holes. Drill all your small holes first and use that as a template to layout the opposite plate. It helps to make sure they line up nicely. You will have two sets of plates. Just take your time laying it out and drilling your holes. I used the step bit for this also and it worked great. The big bolts in the middle are ½” bolts. I cannot remember the diameter on the smaller bolts. On that front plate, you will need to disconnect those rods from where they attach near the wheels or you cannot get them out.

You will also need to disconnect the steering control arms before you start to install your plates. Leave them attached on the outside (by the wheels), and disconnect them from the center yolk. BEFORE YOU DO THAT, break over the bolts on each side of the control arms that will allow you to change the length. If you disconnect them first (like I did) it is much more difficult to break those bolts free. You will need to adjust the plate where the driver’s side control arm connects to the wheel assembly. It will now be too low to allow you to reconnect the steering control arm in the center. I used some very delicate tools for this adjustment….a 2’ monkey wrench with a cheater pipe. I was able to slip this in place and bend that plate upwards enough to allow the control arm to attach to the center yolk. Go easy. You only need to bend it upwards about 1/2”. I will post a picture tomorrow

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	front shocks.jpg (223.1 KB, 0 views)
	front shock.jpg (96.4 KB, 0 views)
	cart center plates.jpg (94.0 KB, 0 views)

sontag1

There is a spot on the frame that you will need to bend / dent so that the outer edge of the clutch will have clearance. It is a part of the large round pipe the frame is made from and it is tough steel! I only had a plumbing torch (like the kind used to sweat copper), but it did allow me to heat the steel up pretty good before I started to form the indention. I used a 2" ball (on a receiver hitch) and a 3# sledge to knock the dent in the pipe. It took some serious effort, but in the end I had a nice (somewhat) smooth indention that will allow for plenty of clearance. I did not want to cut the frame which is the other option. Make sure to remove your gas tank and blow out that fuel line before you start waving around that torch. I even put a soaking wet towel over the line before I started to heat the frame up. I will post a picture of this tomorrow.

The tools I used were all regular mechanical tools. I used Grade 5 bolts, but Grade 8 would be better. I did have a metal cut off saw (I borrowed) and it made nice smooth cuts. I also used a 4" angle grinder. I used a Bosch Jigsaw. You will need a set of drill bits that go up to 3/8". I used a step drill bit to drill most of my holes (up to 1/2") and you can get them at Harbor Freight Tools for a reasonable price. You will need a jack and jack-stands. I used blue thread lock on all nuts that did not have a cotter pin in the bolt. As you can see in the pictures, I sometimes used a second nut to lock on the first. I did almost all of it by myself (my wife helped me a couple of times to push the cart around), but it would be much easier if you have a buddy help you.

This is a project that can be done by regular guys. Just take your time, focus on safety, and follow the old saying "measure twice cut or drill once". If anyone reads this and has some input or other ideas that worked good for you, please add to the thread. Depending on what kind of material you can find, your lift might work out a little different.

sontag1

Here is a picture of the front shock upper and lower. You can see how the stop is sitting on top of the channel so that the channel is supporting the weight not the bolt. You can see how I trimmed the lower part of the channel so it would allow everything to line up. You can also see circled in yellow one of the nuts you need to break free before disconnecting the steering.

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	top front shock.jpg (174.8 KB, 0 views)
	lower front shock.jpg (378.9 KB, 0 views)

sontag1

Here is a picture of where you need to dent the frame. I used a 2" ball hitch and smacked it with a 3# sledge. It made a fairly smooth consistent dent. This allows the frame to clear the outside edge of your clutch. I need to clean it all up and add some fresh paint, but that will be at the end.
This is what your cart looks like when you live on a dirt road.

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dent in frame.jpg (222.5 KB, 0 views)

sontag1

Here is a picture of the piece you will need to bend upwards a little. You are looking down at it from the front of the cart (driver's side). I used a big Monkey wrench and a cheater pipe. It flexed up with little effort so go easy! I just did a little at a time until the control arm was able to go into the center yolk. After I had it all bolted back together, the steering still worked fine with no binding or rubbing. If you plan on lifting over 4", I think there are some replacement parts you will need to buy.

There is also a picture showing 3 of the 4 nuts you need to break free before disconnecting the steering (at the center). In my case, it too quite a bit of force to break them free. I had to put some heat on one of them to get it to bust loose. If you do that be careful you do not over heat because you are really close to those rubber boots!

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	Bend here.jpg (252.5 KB, 0 views)
	Steering adjustment.jpg (341.3 KB, 0 views)

sontag1

This is by no means a comprehensive guideline for lifting your G1. I wanted to post this to show what worked for me in the Garage of Repair & Despair. As you can see by how dirty my cart is, I use the thing for hunting and working around my place. It is getting ready for a rattle can camo paint job. I am not one of the guys who has a showroom clean cart scootin' around the golf course. Nothing wrong with that, I would just rather take a poke in the eye with a sharp stick as to go chase a golf ball around.

If anyone has any questions, input, or other good ideas, please add to the thread.

If you live in Central AR and want some help, shoot me a PM and we will see what we can do.

slonomo

Nice write up! Once you get to driving it, let me know how it steers. I've found that the steering on the lifted G1 can be a little twitchy on pavement. You might want to figure a way to lift your outer tie rod up off the steering arm to reduce the angle of the tie rod. That strong angle will accelerate the "bump steer" when the suspension cycles. This bump steer is what causes the poor handling.

Pretty nice work, and it's nice to see someone do this without welding. Nicely done!

sontag1

Slonomo, I hadn't thought about that, but it makes sense. I am pretty happy with the result for the money invested. I am sure the outer tie rod connecting point can be raised, but it will be tricky with no welding and it will need to be rock solid with very little (if any) flexing.

How high do you think it needs to be raised?

Will I need to bring it up 4" so as to recreate the original angle or will something less overcome the bump steer?