6 or 8 inch lift kit

[2005z71chevy]

hey guys what is the story with the drive shafts once you have gone with a lift kit taller than 4 inches on a blazer. what are some solutions to the drive line angles? i was thinking about in stalling an 8 inch lift while i have the axles off of my truck. i would like to clear 38's. if i put the 8 inch on will both shafts have to be custom high angle shafts? and if i do get that large of a lift and the high angle shafts and the propper gearing how on road worthy is this set up(seeing it is installed correctly) at speeds of up to about 60 mph . i have some trails tha are about a half hour away off of a small high way. thank you info Nick o ya sorry about all the posts asking questions but i figure just sitting here thinking about it is pretty much stupid and i should ask peolple who have done it b4 or really know what its all about in the real world.

 

[78Suburban]

go 4 inches

I've been around here for a while and I have gathered this much. You can't go 8" with a k5 without custom shafts. 99% chance you can't get away with 6". You will probably be OK with 4" lift kit, and you will be able to clear those 38's with some trimming. People on here clear 40's with 4" lift and trimming. The most popular/easy choise is 4" front Tough Country springs, and a rear shackle flip. Do lots of searching, this place will chance all of your preconcieved notions about wheeling.
thanks,
James

 

[jk3078]

I've been around here for a while and I have gathered this much. You can't go 8" with a k5 without custom shafts. 99% chance you can't get away with 6". You will probably be OK with 4" lift kit, and you will be able to clear those 38's with some trimming. People on here clear 40's with 4" lift and trimming. The most popular/easy choise is 4" front Tough Country springs, and a rear shackle flip. Do lots of searching, this place will chance all of your preconcieved notions about wheeling.
thanks,
James

Agreed

Also less lift and cut fenders will keep your center of gravity lower and reduce the chance of a rollover. A low center of grav. will also help in weight transfer on steep climbs. Plus it will be easer on your wallet.
I run 37's with about 5'' of lift and hacked fenders, and could prob. fit 40's with a bit of rubbing on full susp. stuff.
Tuff Country spring are great, I love mine.

 

[cbbr]

You really need to decide what you want to do with the Blazer first - if you don't need 8" it is a large headache. You will need driveshafts, steering correction, tires ain't exactly cheap and your stock axles just won't last with 38's and lower gears. It is a lot of $$. Just something to consider.

 

[mciahpv]

I agree with cbbr. The little unknowns start to add up quick. I ran 38's on my '86 with very minor trimming in the front. Had to lengthen the rear shaft, but didn't have angle problems... until I regeared. Higher rpms changed things and I had terrible vibrations. If you go with 8", you'll need to reangle your rear, either through shims/wedges/angled blocks, rewelding the perches, lowering the t-case, or any combination of the three. You'll also have to go with a lengthened shaft and a CV joint. You have less options with the front, due to the tight steering geometry. Sometimes just dropping the t-case is enough to get by, because you're usually not turning the fronts all that fast. None of this is insurmountable, but definitely more hassle and money.

So do some thinking -- If all you want is 38's, you can get away cheaper and easier with 4". If you want it up there (and believe me, I'm a fan of jacking that mother up as high as you can) go for it, just be prepared to make a lot of changes (read: spend more money) to make it right.

 

[stockk5]

i have 8" rear lift on my blazer w/ a stock driveshaft.. i have a dana 60 rear and the spring perches were moved so the angle was sorta fixed as well. I still need a new shaft just because of the vibrations. I have been driving for a month with the stock shaft though, the vibes are only there after 65mph. my lift is a 4" block and home made shackle flip. here are a few pics.

 

[Mr.Chevy4x4]

I can tell you why you have driveshaft vibrations, and it is a very common problem. You have nearly zero angle where your driveshaft and rear pinion meet. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that the driveshaft and pinion need to be aligned. The truth is that the angle at the rear should match the angle where the driveshaft goes into the transfer case. U-joints speed up and slow down (very slightly) as they compensate for the misalignment. You need the same "misalignment" at the rear as you have at the front to compensate for these speed changes. I hope this makes sense.



By the way, I love the yard decoration next to the tree!


Mike