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Old 09-03-2014, 08:47 AM   #1
91kuhndog
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Default Marathon lift kit install, made simple

Guys, I looked and saw a few posts on here about lifting the Marathon carts. Here's one, with a few pix to help any new folks get their lift kits installed.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/pictu...ictureid=21574

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/pictu...ictureid=21681

1. Jack cart, remove seat and inspect the motor bay for fuel lines, throttle cables, choke cables and air intake tubes. Make sure all these items are either unhooked or have plenty of slack in them before proceding. Doing the rear lift first, I used Monroe 31000 shocks to replace the OEM. Rockauto.com sells them for $16.00 each. For the springs, I used www.pitstopusa.com's SSSA275 springs. They are 14"x 2.5"IDx 275#. Again, 4" taller than stock and the 275# weight allows for a rear seat install down the road.

Once clearance is achieved, place a floor jack under the differential, jack the rear end to prevent the diff from dropping when you unbolt the shocks. Remove the top and bottom bolts on both shocks, removing them from the wheel wells. slowly lower the floor jack until the old springs unseat from their mounts. Have another person watch the motor cables and attachments to make sure everything drops clean without binding. Lower the differential to allow the new springs to slide in place and jack back up to remove the play in the springs. Install the new Monroe 31000 shocks and your done! Now to the front.


Jack the front end of the cart and place 12" off ground, on jack stands. remove the 8 bolts securing the leaf spring to axle.... remove plastic axle cover if it's still installed. Unbolt the the 8 bolts securing the axle to spring, remove the shocks and place them aside. Slowly lower axle, dont drop on the floor, keep floor jack under the axle....


I used 2"x1/4" box tubing, cut to 4" length, I welded directly to the axle. On the top, I reinstalled the original 8 bolts and tightened.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/pictu...ictureid=21677

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/pictu...ictureid=21678

For the front shocks, I used Monroe 31125 gas shocks, 4" longer than original and again, available from Rockauto.com for about $16.00 each. Install the new shocks, replace the front ciover and Install wheels and tires, and lower to the ground... and test drive. EASY install, cost is fair, I spent $155 for everything to install.... and I have maintained the ride height and weight capacity for when a rear seat get installed.

http://www.buggiesgonewild.com/pictu...ictureid=21682


I opted for this upgrade versus the economy upgrade because I prefer the longer ride shocks and springs versus the flimsy lift brackets I recieved in a kit. If your using the eceonomy lift kit on a 88' cart, you will need to modify the spring adapters on the back to maintain spring rate when compressed. With this type of lift, no other modifications are required.
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Old 09-03-2014, 01:03 PM   #2
93yellowclubcar
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

Looks really good! Now take the oil injection garbage off if it is still there, plug the oil line going into the intake, premix at 100:1, remove the governor cable, and let that little hipo 2pg run!
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Old 09-03-2014, 01:05 PM   #3
comrade
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

do you know if anyone is selling just the welded up lift part you made up from square tubing? the ones i saw on ebay are about 85 and come with some brackets and no pictures of what goes where
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Old 09-04-2014, 08:00 AM   #4
91kuhndog
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

Comrade, great point.... I havent seen just the front lift blocks available. If anyone on here can get me accurate plate measurements, I'll fab a few sets up for members looking to buy just the lift blocks for the front. I'll need the plate width, bolt pattern, center to center of the holes. I'd like to say I have all that but the garage we use has a metal punch so we just mocked up an exact to the old plates (hand drawn) and punched out the holes... anything I make at home will be drilled on the drill-press.

Anyone needing them, post it here and I'll PM you back. I had $20 in steel in them... plate and axle tube material.

Yellow, I do have all the original oil injection still running.... but no governor.... the the 20" tires, it gets exciting. On my GPS app on my phone, I was able to get to 26mph....

certainly considering taking out that injection but its all been rebuilt with new lines and pump... by the EzGo dealer in town.... but of course...... if it fails, it leaves the door open for a big block
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Old 09-04-2014, 08:05 AM   #5
91kuhndog
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

Comrade, I have all the steel in the garage, if you need a set, PM me, I'll get your address and get a set in the mail to you....
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Old 09-04-2014, 02:07 PM   #6
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

I just put one of those 85$ lift kits on from Ebay they bolt right up and have great directions but if you want to weld you could just weld their kit to your fram like OP did. Grind the paint off where youre going to weld of corse but I have checked the bolts 2 times now once after about a mile drive and once again after a few more miles of driving around the neighborhood and they have all held. They supply lock nut with the kit. I haven't had any loose bolts yet and the lift seems rigid enough.
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Old 09-04-2014, 04:52 PM   #7
91kuhndog
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

Jack, "some" of the kits are fine. I ordered one and gave it away because it wasn't what I considered sturdy and came with no instructions. The hardware in the kit was very cheap bolts and nuts, not Grade 8 or anything even close. I didn't need a set of instructions as I would have figured it out pretty quickly. Those kits are great for a DIY guy with limited tools or garage space available to weld and fabricate. Just be careful if you opt for a rear seat, you'll bottom out the factory springs if you put two adults on the back. Glad your's worked out for you.... this install was just aimed at guys looking to lift an off-road or heavy duty cart.
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Old 09-04-2014, 05:56 PM   #8
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

Are those springs really stiff without a load?

I'm kinda turning a marathon into a race pit wagon, and I know it'll be loaded, but just curious
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Old 09-04-2014, 08:19 PM   #9
jackk frost
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

Quote:
Originally Posted by 91kuhndog View Post
Jack, "some" of the kits are fine. I ordered one and gave it away because it wasn't what I considered sturdy and came with no instructions. The hardware in the kit was very cheap bolts and nuts, not Grade 8 or anything even close. I didn't need a set of instructions as I would have figured it out pretty quickly. Those kits are great for a DIY guy with limited tools or garage space available to weld and fabricate. Just be careful if you opt for a rear seat, you'll bottom out the factory springs if you put two adults on the back. Glad your's worked out for you.... this install was just aimed at guys looking to lift an off-road or heavy duty cart.
again I am new here and I'm not trying to be rude but the kit I got looked exactly like your kit. you can put heavier springs on if you want and grade 5 bolts should suffice but even if not a quick trip to a hardware store or lowes and you could pick up grade 8 bolts for the kit for a few extra dollars. Or you could do like me and get them from work for free :)

I'm not sure even for off roading or heavy duty use either kit would break the bolts or welds but the brakets for the shocks may bend under heavy stress. Either way for me personaly I'm not going to beat a golf cart hard enough to break the lift kit on a golf cart as I said above heavier springs can be added to any lift kit I've seen online. I have an atv and a 3/4 ton truck if I need to do something that heavy duty. Personaly I'm like you and like the idea of welding the kit in place and wish I had thought about that when I intalled mine.
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Old 09-05-2014, 10:01 AM   #10
91kuhndog
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Default Re: Marathon lift kit install, made simple

TQC, it stiffened the ride up a little, not too bad though. I laid a piece of plywood across the fenders and let people ride through the campground and it help well. I got minimal sag (maybe 2") with 2 adults on the back. Empty though, it rides faily reasonable considering I went up 100# on each of the rear corners. Another thing making a difference though is the tires, I went 4-5" taller than stock, on 10" wheels, to allow some sidewall flex. I found that 7PSI was perfect even with 2 people on the back.... driving in gravel/sand.

As for a pit wagon, we have one of those, a 86 Marathon. It's got the HD springs under the dront, the 275#'s on the back, with the longer shocks.... it hauls floor jacks, tools and spares with ease.

And Jack, your right. There are many ways to lift one, I just hadnt seen anything visual or detailed to help those out coming behind us. there are a lot of video's for DS's, TXT, Yammy's ect... us Marathoners are a little more old school and nothing was out there for us! AS for the shocks, mine were original and shot! I needed new shocks on the front and rear anyhow, that was the logic behind doing my lift the way I did.
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