74Blaze
Registered Member
whats up guys I am going to be lifting my blazer 8" pretty soon will I need to clock my front axle? I am running a th350 and np203 t case.
CK5
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8" lift
- Thread starter 74Blaze
- Start date
Why 8" its gonna be stiff as hell and your steering will suck unless you go crossover
Most people on here don't just lift the truck, without a reason. Usually it's to clear tires or make room for more suspension travel. 8" is a lot of lift.
To answer your question, yes there's a possibility you'll have problems w/ the driveline angle at that height. Chances are you're running a cv type front shaft and you need to have the pinion pointed at the t-case more or less. You'll also have to extend it as the shaft won't be long enough. If you have to rotate it too far you'll may need to reclock the C's on the end to keep the caster under control.
Also, the steering on these truck gets kinda funky when you lift them because it's all on the one side and the angle on the draglink gets more vertical. You loose the ability to turn the truck full left/right.
What's your overall purpose with this truck
To answer your question, yes there's a possibility you'll have problems w/ the driveline angle at that height. Chances are you're running a cv type front shaft and you need to have the pinion pointed at the t-case more or less. You'll also have to extend it as the shaft won't be long enough. If you have to rotate it too far you'll may need to reclock the C's on the end to keep the caster under control.
Also, the steering on these truck gets kinda funky when you lift them because it's all on the one side and the angle on the draglink gets more vertical. You loose the ability to turn the truck full left/right.
What's your overall purpose with this truck
74Blaze
Registered Member
I want to clear my 40" tires and yes I am going to go with crossover steering.
74Blaze
Registered Member
I want to clear my 40s I know with 8" I will have to trim my body also i am going to go with crossover steering and I am aware that my driveline will need to be extended my overall purpose with this truck is to highway mud and sand.
I have 8" lift springs on my truck. I kept the 7-degree increase in driveshaft operating angle my truck got, from the 8" springs, because I wanted the increase in positive caster for increased forward directional stability for the larger tires on my truck. I put a spacer on the transfer case side of the front drive shaft, which goes between the yoke mounting plate and the drive shaft to fix the increase in length problem. Then I put an offset u-joint on the diff side of my drive shaft, in order to fix the operating angle problems with the driveshaft associated with the increased lift. The offset u-joint can handle my front diff 7-degree operating angle up to 30 MPH in 4-HI.
74Blaze
Registered Member
Where do I get the offset u joint?
I bought mine from Tom Woods custom driveshafts.
74Blaze
Registered Member
Alright thanks bro
o.k. here is my input on a blazer with 8" of lift and mud/highway use/trails .
yep do crossover
yes driveline work will be required. and don't be surprised if you need custom shaft or shafts . the angles are going to be steep .
do NOT drop the transfer case crossmember yes it makes the rear angle better but the front angle worse . also if not done correctly will blow out the frame rail lip it bolts to .
if me I would do this combo .
4" suspension with 1" zero rate to move axle forward in the front . gets you 5" lift and lots of firewall clearance you will be needing . keeps trimming down on the body .
4" flip kit in the rear and a set of 2" lift springs . this will get you the lift in the rear plus 1" to level it out a bit from the rear low it prob has now. this will also require pinion angle reset with shims . or best way do new perches with the off set center pin holes to set angle and weld on inplace of stock tubes . also gets you the ability to move the axle back 1" and this little bit might help in driveline angles and shaft length to your advantage.
next and some may say yes/no but 2" or 3" body lift I prefer 2" dosnt look as goofy as a 3" . and also a new set of poly body mounts since your in there . as your rubber ones will be worn out from age and wear and tear .
this would get you a real good ride / flexy suspension / room to work on stuff / clear the 40" tires .
and what ever you do do not waste your money on rough country lifts . there springs are DUMP truck stiff . . . .
do your home work hear on ck5 as we have covered this a lot and helped people do it right with off the self parts and custom stuff . also helped a lot of people fix first time goof ups.
yep do crossover
yes driveline work will be required. and don't be surprised if you need custom shaft or shafts . the angles are going to be steep .
do NOT drop the transfer case crossmember yes it makes the rear angle better but the front angle worse . also if not done correctly will blow out the frame rail lip it bolts to .
if me I would do this combo .
4" suspension with 1" zero rate to move axle forward in the front . gets you 5" lift and lots of firewall clearance you will be needing . keeps trimming down on the body .
4" flip kit in the rear and a set of 2" lift springs . this will get you the lift in the rear plus 1" to level it out a bit from the rear low it prob has now. this will also require pinion angle reset with shims . or best way do new perches with the off set center pin holes to set angle and weld on inplace of stock tubes . also gets you the ability to move the axle back 1" and this little bit might help in driveline angles and shaft length to your advantage.
next and some may say yes/no but 2" or 3" body lift I prefer 2" dosnt look as goofy as a 3" . and also a new set of poly body mounts since your in there . as your rubber ones will be worn out from age and wear and tear .
this would get you a real good ride / flexy suspension / room to work on stuff / clear the 40" tires .
and what ever you do do not waste your money on rough country lifts . there springs are DUMP truck stiff . . . .
do your home work hear on ck5 as we have covered this a lot and helped people do it right with off the self parts and custom stuff . also helped a lot of people fix first time goof ups.
74Blaze
Registered Member
My blazer currently has a 4" shackle flip kit in the rear if I do a 2" spring lift will that push my axle fwd?
It will move forward a little, but not enough to make any significant difference. Sweetk30 suggestion is based on off road functionality VS for looks only. My trucks suspension choice was based on still having a 1-ton load capacity and looks only...not off road functionality. I have never wheeled my Crew Cab very hard at all. The rear of my truck has a 4" shackle flip, and 4" tapered blocks. I did not want lift springs in the rear because my truck has 1-ton/9-pack count springs in the rear. Rear lift springs are usually only a 6 to 7-pack count springs for 1/2-tons.
74Blaze
Registered Member
I plan on mostly driving my truck on the road and doing mild off roading not gonna be going too crazy.
If a sky high rig with giant tires is the look you are going for, then go for what you want (I did). The truck will still work well for mild off roading.
74Blaze
Registered Member
Not so much a sky high look just want to clear my tires with some fender trimming don't wanna go too high.
With 40-inch tires you may want to go a little higher than 8"..like say, add a ORD 1" body lift or an ORD zero rate to everything just to make sure. I went a little conservative on my trucks lift at first, then regretted it, and had to take everything apart to do it again to get it up higher.
74Blaze
Registered Member
I might to a 2" body lift later on.
