difficulty of 3" body lift on suburban

[xpndbl3]

If you aren't opposed to using cut out flares on the front fenders, combine it with an off-set zero rate, and pay attention to back spacing on your wheels you just might be able to get 39's under there without a body lift. Do you already have 6" springs? if not why not go 8" front springs?

i already have the 6" springs on my truck so maybe a zero rate would be all I need.

If you really want 39.5's get them. bolt them up and see were you need to adjust. Cut-outs are nice, but don't hold up on the trail. I keep remounting mine because I'm convinced one of these days I will come home with all of them still attached. Yeah right. Get a zero rate. slightly longer shackles help also. then decide what is the least amount of body lift you can get away with. Good luck and post pics.

what's cut-outs? like the bushwhacker flares? and pics....well i have one pic i think i can link since i'm not a member, i'll give it a shot. 6" lift and 315/75R16. Only one pic and keep the leg humping to a minimum..hah.

 

[burban89]

Nice looking truck. Bushwacker makes what they call a cut out flare. You cut away the sheetmetal for better clearance, and the flare finishes it off nice.

http://www.bushwacker.com/fender.asp?make2=1&cat2=142&search=Search

 

[xpndbl3]

thanks for the link, guess i'll put those on the list for the spring, i won't be bouncing this truck against trees or rocks so i'm sure they'll survive in the mud or on logging trails.

 

[dhcomp]

Don't cut that beautiful TRUCK!!! Get a screwed up body if you plan to hack it up, that truck is in way too good of shape to start cutting!

 

[xpndbl3]

Don't cut that beautiful TRUCK!!! Get a screwed up body if you plan to hack it up, that truck is in way too good of shape to start cutting!

the ONLY cutting i'd do on this truck is for the bushwacker fender flares, i'm not hacking out the wheel wells or anything else crazy on it. Just enough to put on the 39.5" iroks. I think a zero rate and the 6" lift and cutout flares should get it done. This truck is 100% straight so I can't go crazy on wheeling it, but it's great for towing or taking 8 people out camping and holding all our junk while out fishing/partying at night around a bonfire, etc. That's basically what i'm building. The interior is light grey and 100% mint and stain free as well, so it's not getting turned into a trail rig like some of these guys who knock them around off road.

 

[gmc4cw]

the ONLY cutting i'd do on this truck is for the bushwacker fender flares, i'm not hacking out the wheel wells or anything else crazy on it.

thats exactly what cut-outs are. you hack into the fenders and rear quarter panels. no going back when it comes to the rear. fenders are easy to swap. they give you about 3-4" of coverage. you will cut the fender all the way back to the inner fender liner.

Is that you in the pic? If so nice pic. If not tell her to get the hell off that truck before she scratches it.

 

[cbbr]

I like the look of the Bushwackers -

 

[Greg72]

the ONLY cutting i'd do on this truck is for the bushwacker fender flares, i'm not hacking out the wheel wells or anything else crazy on it. Just enough to put on the 39.5" iroks. I think a zero rate and the 6" lift and cutout flares should get it done. This truck is 100% straight so I can't go crazy on wheeling it, but it's great for towing or taking 8 people out camping and holding all our junk while out fishing/partying at night around a bonfire, etc. That's basically what i'm building. The interior is light grey and 100% mint and stain free as well, so it's not getting turned into a trail rig like some of these guys who knock them around off road.

It sounds like for your needs, a bodylift with a modest lift spring will be fine. I'd do the lift springs first (4" or 6") and then use the body lift for "fine tuning" the ride height based on how much more clearance you need... zero-rates are another "fine tuning" item you can use, especially to sure 'saggy-butt-syndrome' that these trucks sometimes have!

Also, you would do well to ignore the comments about a body lift raising the CG of the vehicle....If you spend any time thinking about what a body lift is doing, you'll realize that a lot less weight is being raised that way vs. doing a spring lift.

Post up pics as you go...

 

[xpndbl3]

Is that you in the pic? If so nice pic. If not tell her to get the hell off that truck before she scratches it.

well i don't consider cutting 2" around the flare "hacking" after looking over the bushwhacker directions online. I'm talking about the guys on here who cut what seems to me to be large amounts of sheetmetal to fit rather large tires with little to no lift. Oh and that girl didn't scratch the paint and the hood has a few little dings and will be replaced with a cowl eventually anyways.


cbbr...I actually do like your cutout flares and that pic makes the install look very clean and almost factory type appearance to a non-enthusiast who wouldn't know they didn't come that way from GM.

 

[gmc4cw]

I LIKED the way mine looked. they also help keep the sides of the truck clean. now they look like crap. painting them is a pain. leave em black. Post pics when you get em on. include previous girl.

 

[DaPlumber]

Don't cut up that Cal. girl!! If you have a 6in lift now, all you would need is a 3 inch body to fit your 39.5" iroks.