89 k5 Stock Ride Height

[89WhiteBlaze]

New to the forum, so if I'm doing something wrong just let me know. lol I bought an 89 4x4 k5 Blazer last summer and I'm trying to determine how much lift it has on it. The PO had it for 15 years and he said he installed a 3" block in the rear due to the saggy butt syndrome. As far as the lift goes, that's all I know. The center of hub to wheel well lip measurement is 24.5" on the front and 23.25" in the rear. I currently run tires that are a little over 33" tall uninstalled and 12.5" wide on 20x9 wheels. When the wheel is fully locked/turned to one side I have about 1" of clearance between the front corner of the fender and the tire. My goal is to have it sit a couple inches higher than it is now and run 35's. So I'm trying to determine how much higher a new 4" lift kit will put me. If it's not much then I may just add some zero rates, replace the old rancho shocks, and try to squeeze those 35's in once these wear out. I've seen some people measure their "stock" blazers and get 22.5" in the front and 21.5" in the rear which would lead me to believe I just have an inch or 2 above stock height. So if I could get ANY input on this matter based off yall's experience and maybe some of yall's measurements I'd greatly appreciate it! Also, what's the best way to upload pictures?? Can't seem to figure it out.

 

[sreidmx]

I think a stock blazer is 22 inches or so like you said. 4 inch lifts can vary a little but the 35s should fit really nice.

 

[MTBLAZER89]

Measure from the top of the front axle tube to the bottom of the frame rail. Stock is about 9". This is an accurate way to figure out suspension height. How many leafs are in your front springs?

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

3 leafs in the front 4 in the back with helper springs front and back. I'll measure that when I get home. I really need new shocks and most of them are spec'd for 2-4 inches of lift. So I'm hoping I can get some new ones that will still be compatible with the 4 inch lift.

 

[Phil513]

I have 4 inch lift with 35s, and love it. Just beware, once you get to 35's you are going to start thinking about regearing. Just to keep in mind.

 

[MTBLAZER89]

3 leafs in the front 4 in the back with helper springs front and back. I'll measure that when I get home. I really need new shocks and most of them are spec'd for 2-4 inches of lift. So I'm hoping I can get some new ones that will still be compatible with the 4 inch lift.

3 leafs could be stock, or it could have an add a leaf.

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

Interesting... Only measured 9.5" in the front. Thought for sure I had at least 1.5" or 2" up there. My brother has a 91 and it sits a little higher than his. Might try to measure it tonight

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

Thanks for the heads up. Did you regear yours? Or have to do any other modifications? I'll probably go ahead and replace my old brake lines when I do it either way.

 

[Phil513]

Thanks for the heads up. Did you regear yours? Or have to do any other modifications? I'll probably go ahead and replace my old brake lines when I do it either way.

I haven't yet. I have the manual trans, so that probably helps, and at first I was really happy with it, but the longer I live with it the more I know I need to regear it. Hopefully before Blazer Bash lol.

No other mods. The lift kit had the little extenders for the brake line mounts, so that part was fine. I tossed the sway bar, rides better without it.

 

[Josh Northrup]

What ground clearance would I have with a 4" lift on 35's (from ground to front pumpkin)

 

[blazinzuk]

What ground clearance would I have with a 4" lift on 35's (from ground to front pumpkin)

That depends on alot of things.

None of them are the lift. All of them have to do with the tire. Not all 35s measure the same, most are about 34.5" tall with a few being just over 35". But not even that matters cause the overall height of the tire is less when on a truck and the top half and bottom half of the tire have 2 completely different measurements. Air pressure plays a roll here too.

So unless someone has your exact tire and wheel width combo and the same motor etc, in addition the same air pressure, its gonna be different.

Clear as mud?

 

[Josh Northrup]

That depends on alot of things.

None of them are the lift. All of them have to do with the tire. Not all 35s measure the same, most are about 34.5" tall with a few being just over 35". But not even that matters cause the overall height of the tire is less when on a truck and the top half and bottom half of the tire have 2 completely different measurements. Air pressure plays a roll here too.

So unless someone has your exact tire and wheel width combo and the same motor etc, in addition the same air pressure, its gonna be different.

Clear as mud?

Deep ruts and rock's on trails just don't want to get hung up on axles again I don't know how to share pics on here yet to show my k5 and what I got hung up on

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

i gotcha. What brand lift/shocks do you have. I'm thinking I'll go with Tuff Country and maybe some bilsteins. Thinking about running dual stabilizers as well.

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

Deep ruts and rock's on trails just don't want to get hung up on axles again I don't know how to share pics on here yet to show my k5 and what I got hung up on

Like blazinzk already said, the lift doesn't affect your ground clearance, just the tire size. Say you have true 33's now and go to true 35's you'll gain ~1 inch of clearance, but there are still some other factors will affect that.

 

[MTBLAZER89]

i gotcha. What brand lift/shocks do you have. I'm thinking I'll go with Tuff Country and maybe some bilsteins. Thinking about running dual stabilizers as well.

Tuff Country EZ rides with Bilsteins are definitely some good choices. Dual stabilizers are wasted money IMO. You have to buy the kit plus the additional shock. If you decide to run one a single is sufficient.

 

[Josh Northrup]

I don't have a lift yet just stoke and I'm running on 31's I want a 4" lift and thought about getting 33's but now decided on 35 boggers and I'm going with tiff country ez ride life with flap shackles on rear

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

I don't have a lift yet just stoke and I'm running on 31's I want a 4" lift and thought about getting 33's but now decided on 35 boggers and I'm going with tiff country ez ride life with flap shackles on rear

Yeah, I got 33's and mine's pretty much stock. I really like how the 4" and 35's look. Been thinking about the shackle flip, but I do some minor towing and don't know id it'd be good for my application. So might just go with springs in the rear. Let me know what you end up doing!

 

[Josh Northrup]

Yeah, I got 33's and mine's pretty much stock. I really like how the 4" and 35's look. Been thinking about the shackle flip, but I do some minor towing and don't know id it'd be good for my application. So might just go with springs in the rear. Let me know what you end up doing!

Will do

 

[Stephen]

We use 8.5 to 9" from axle tube to the bumpstop bracket which is a little above frame bottom which would say you have 1-1.5" of lift on it. Would be nice to find some actual stock vehicles but we measured this up years ago from a bunch of stock, intact trucks we had around and it works pretty good. It correlated nicely to the 3" lift on my '88 sub that ended up at 11 3/4". D60 fronts tend to push that to 9" or a bit more we figure.

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

Here's a pic of the rig...