4" lift from ORD- what else do i need

[Kartoon]

after reading through pages and pages of this forum and the suburban forum, i think i finally decided on a lift for my 1990 3/4 suburban. at first i wanted a 6" lift, but after reading, i decided that i should start off with a 4" lift. it seemed that a lot of suburban owners have a 4" lift with 35s, a couple with 36s. this truck is my daily, and might see some soft soft trails once in a great while. so i figured that a 6" lift would be pointless.

what i hvae picked out, all from ORD is the 4" shackle flip for the rear, and the 4" EZride kit for the front. it says all kits include spring bushings and u bolts- so that should mean the front is all set right? below that, it says the steering arm is recommended, which i will also get.

for the rear, would you guys suggest to get new bushings to install at this time while its apart? also, since i will be using the stock springs, should i buy new u bolts for the rear?

as i was browsing their website, i came across the swaybar correction/disconnect, and wondering if i should also do this at the same time? the price is right, but since it wont see much offroad abuse, didnt know if it would be pointless?

and one more question for now- when i was looking at 6" lifts, most places said that the crossover exhaust pipe would have to be modified. is this the same for this 4" lift? should i buy some headers and get dual exhaust so i dont have to worry about that?

i hope i sounded half intelligent in this post. after reading a lot of posts, you guys really help other people out, so i hope youll do the same for me.

 

[79k20350]

sounds like you have a good setup, it should ride good and be an overall good package. Because you have a suburban i would also run a 1" zero rate (also available from ord) in the rear, they are just so much heavier that the rear tends to sag, this is especially noticed once new non saggy springs are added up front. Disconnect are a good option, youd need to do something about the sway bar anyway. Because a sway bar arcs as it moves up and down having it solidly mounted on each side (like with sway bar drop brakecket and the factory setup) it tends to bind up, because the disconnects alow the ends to pivot it will not bind up but your sway bar still work perfectly. Also you have the benefit of being able to disconnect it at will. I have an brand new unused set if you want them, i see your from ma, so shipping would be cheap. 75.00 + shipping if you want em. The reason i dont need them is cause originally i was going to do a 4" tuff country spring but now im gonna do a 52" spring swap and dont need them. Hope that helps a little

 

[spearchucker]

for the rear, would you guys suggest to get new bushings to install at this time while its apart? also, since i will be using the stock springs, should i buy new u bolts for the rear?

I would get the greasable bushing for the front and rear. You already have it apart and it'll be really easy to install at this time. It'll also make your ride smoother, give it more flex, and elimiante squeeks. You may want to think about their heavy duty shackles for the front too. Again, you're there, might as well. They're the same length as the ones you have now just much beefier. Or if you want to save a few bucks you can make your own.
Also make sure you get new ubolts (I don't know if they come with the springs or not). U-bolts stretch when you tightern them, so if you use the old ones there's a possibility they could break. Make sure you retorque them after about 100 miles of driving.

as i was browsing their website, i came across the swaybar correction/disconnect, and wondering if i should also do this at the same time? the price is right, but since it wont see much offroad abuse, didnt know if it would be pointless?

Some people just take the sway bar completely off and have no ill effects. The new springs you put on will be stiffer since they have a positve arch. Try driving it around and see how you like it without. You can always buy it later.

Also, don't forget to get extended brake lines. The ones from ORD are stainless. You'll also need some new shocks. Bilstiens would be my choice.

Another thing you might consider are new body mounts since they're probably 15 yrs old. I don't know if you need to drop the gas tank on a burb to install the shackle flip like on a blazer, but if you do then you have easy access to the rear most body mounts.

 

[Kartoon]

do you think that i should just take my swaybar off for now, and in the future look into the correction/disconnect? since its my daily driver, i just want to be sure its not going to be a terrible unsafe ride without the sway bar there.

do you think it would be a good idea to install the shackle flip, front springs, and the steering arm, and then see how everything is and look into the rest as time goes on?

 

[Kartoon]

one more thing, how should i measure my shocks so i can get new ones with my lift?

 

[highrlr]

I would definately get the greasable bushings at least for the rear springs. Its almost a guarantee that your shackle and spring eye bolts will be seized to the metal sleeves inside the bushings and they will have to be cut out, your bushings will also be in rough shape, you will get the new bushings, sleeves, and harware with the greasable bushings so it makes life much more easy than finding new hardware. I would also suggest the HD front shackles, the stock stamped pieces are very weak and usually break with the stress of bigger tires, even with street driving. I bought the swaybar disconnects for my K5 and they really improve the ride since the sway bar will be bound up without them, I have the 4" TC HD front springs and it is fine to drive without the swaybar but there is definately more sway than with it. I know the new body mount bushings were suggested already, I also think this is a must. I installed the 1" body with polyurethane bushings and im glad I did, the bushings on mine looked ok but the bolts were scary a few of them were rusted down to toothpick size in the middle, and this is on a rust free '89! And the last thing i would suggest is the bolt on steering box brace, pretty much a must with anything over stock size tires on these trucks.

 

[Stephen]

You guys have this all pretty well lined out here so I'll just throw out some more details.
I think you're going to want the swaybar hooked up on road, they are more comfortable to drive with the bar installed. I've tried it extensively both ways on a couple of different vehicles.

Some more lift on the rear is a good idea, as are the new ubolts. You'll also probably have corrosion problems with everything, most guys I talk to from the northeast have to deal with it all the time.

Have you read our 'burly 'burb buildup? I just did a 3" but most of the accessory items are the same. That might help you out some with creating a recipe.