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Flexy Lift Springs?

R

RClivin

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I am buying an 86 Diesel Blazer for 3 grand, I plan on doing the shackle Flip for a lift in the back but for my lift in the front what Company makes the "Flexiest" springs I know you guys Like Tough country but what about Superlift, BDS, Skyjacker, Rough country and others?

Also when I do this lift I will Need a new pitman arm, what do you recomend? I have seem arms from many companies but which is the strongest and most reliable?
I want my rig to be durable,

Also, Last Question, Could I fit 37's on this lift with a minimal amount of cutting and still be able to turn without rubbing too much? I think I read here that 35's fit good here, but I want it to be big lol. When I say fender trimming I mean not going asfar as to cut like into the Firewall, but still make them look good, /forums/images/graemlins/hack.gif
(Yeah I am picking up a Dana 60 and 14 bolt /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif do you know a good place to buy them?)
Thanks in advance
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(oh and I am using the responce to this post to decide if I am going to join up and become an orange, I know it is great but I want to know if there is knowledge that I can use without going too extreme,)
 
for springs I run superlift and about to change to BDS or tuff country which are the two "flexiest", for steering I would just wait for the dana 60 and get crossover, and I would highly recommend extend brake lines, for tires you never said how much lift you were doing but guessing 4 and if you trim enough you can stuff 37s just fine, o go orange trust me
 
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I know you guys Like Tough country but what about Superlift, BDS, Skyjacker, Rough country and others?

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Here's my ranking (from most flexy to teeth-rattling): Tough Country EZ rides, BDS, Superlift, SkyJacker, Tough Country HD, Rough Country, Rancho, Pro-Comp.

Others will agree/disagree, and spring-rate numbers may disagree, but from what I've heard about the various springs, that's where I'd place them. Towards the two extremes, the springs ride about the same (ie, TC Ez-rides are very comparable to BDS, and Rough Countrys are much like Pro-Comps)


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Also when I do this lift I will Need a new pitman arm, what do you recomend? I have seem arms from many companies but which is the strongest and most reliable?

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You said you were doing a shackle flip in the rear, which will net you 4". So, I'm assuming you'll be using 4" springs up front. With 4" springs, don't mess with the factory pitman arm. What you need to replace is the steering arm (attaches to the knuckle on the axle). Various manufacturers sell "raised steering arms" for 4" lifts. I have Rough Country's and it's fine. Plenty beefy. There's not much difference in brands for these.

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Could I fit 37's on this lift with a minimal amount of cutting and still be able to turn without rubbing too much?

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Yes, it can be done. BranndonC was running 4" and 37's for a while, I believe. Mudhog runs 42's on 2.5" lift. Anything is possible with enough hacking. 37's and a 4" lift isn't out of the question by any means. I'm not saying your tire won't kiss your fender at some point, but it should be fine for most driving. Where you'll run into trouble is the tire hitting the rear of the wheel opening/fender while turning with the suspension compressed.

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(Yeah I am picking up a Dana 60 and 14 bolt do you know a good place to buy them?)

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Junkyard/salvage yard for the 14 bolts...there are a lot out there. $200-250 max for one in good condition. For the D60, you can try a junkyard too, but expect to pay a lot. Most junkyards know what kind of $,$$$ they can pull in for a D60. Either try the junkyards or buying from someone on this site or buying a donor 1 ton truck, etc.
 
Pretty much dead on.

Mudhog runs 39.5s, not 42s on 2.5" of lift.

IROKs aren't available in 42s.....yet.

If you're running a Dana 60 and 14 bolt like it says in your first post, get yourself a crossover steering kit from Sky manufacturing. $320 to your door and you'll need a 2wd box or sector shaft to complete the job. Forget about trying to use front to back steering with a Dana 60. It sucks balls.

You might choose a 6" lift to help you clear those 37s a little better and give you better draglink clearance with your engine crossmember.
 
Sorry for the Lack of info guys,
Yeah I am going with a 4 inch lift,
So with this 4 inch and Tough Country springs aswell as a Shackle Flip I would be better off to run 35's?
I am looking to run Mickey Thompson Baja Claw radials, They are a great Tire for those of us that are gonna need to drive the rig daily,

I was thinking and with 37's I would hurt my fenders when I articulate huh?

Also what kind of backspacing would I use on a 4 inch lift with 35's, and I will go with a 16 or 17 inch rim because I wanna get some bigger break disks,

Thanks for all the help, I will Prolly Go orange tomorow.
 
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Also what kind of backspacing would I use on a 4 inch lift with 35's

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Depends on the width of the tire you're gonna use. Pretty much anything around 4" of backspacing works well.

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I will go with a 16 or 17 inch rim because I wanna get some bigger break disks

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That's not a very common modification on these trucks...you'll have a hard time finding the stuff to do it. Basically, if you want bigger rotors, step up from your 1/2 ton front axle to a 3/4 ton front axle (or a D60 like you're planning). You can fit 15" steel rims over any of those options with the right amount of back spacing and maybe some caliper grinding. But, if you can find a tire size you want, have the money for the tires, and want some nice looking aluminum rims, go with 16's (or I suppose 17's).
 
It's not, "maybe some caliper grinding" for 15s on a D60. It's 8 hours worth if you have 4.25" backspacing. /forums/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
/forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif True. But I didn't have to do any with my 3/4 ton D44 and 2.75" backspacing...that's where the "maybe" came from.
 
I have 4-5" of lift in the front of my truck. 4" Tough Country EZ Rides, 1" zero rate, and 1/4" in the shackles. The winch weighs it down some though.

I have already cut my fenders to the very back of the inner fender housing and I still rub on hard flexing. I run 35" Goodyear MTR's. FYI Goodyear MTR's only really measure 33.5" actual height on the truck.

I run 4 1/8" BS on 15x8" rims.

Wider tire means more cutting. 37's would be out of the question unless you are ok with cutting the fenders up pretty good.

Harley
 
Hell its a 4 hour grind session to get 15's on a 3/4 ton front with 4.125" BS. It was a PITA to get my wheels to clear the calipers and caliper brackets when I swapped to 3/4 ton. Then everytime after when I rotated my tires I had to grind a little more because each rim is a little different. I finally have it ground enough, or at least close enough for government work.

Harley
 
I know. I used to be 3/4 ton and I used to run 4.125" backspacing as well.

I thought that project would be quick and it turned out to be a nightmare as well. Well worth it though IMO.

Me and CK5 member, "joez" did my D60 a few weeks ago. Four hours with two grinders running at one time.
 
First grinding calipers sucks. I had to clearance mine for the 2.75 BS I have (I also have tape weights). 37's look perfect with a 4" lift. A grinder in the fenders of a truck on 37's with only 4" of lift looks better. Honestly 37" is a big tire for most guys (if you won't cut for it, you don't need to run it) The backspacing of the wheel has a lot to do with clearence. The less backspacing the more the tire will act like it is really wide. A 37x1250 with on a 15x8 w/4.5" BS has 5.5" of tire outside the center, where the same tire on a 15x8 w/2.5" BS will have 7.5" of tire out side of center.
I am from the cut and grind school of thought. My K5 was bone stock and clean as a whistle 4 years ago /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
Now cutting is music to my ears /forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grind.gif /forums/images/graemlins/hack.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grind.gif /forums/images/graemlins/hack.gif /forums/images/graemlins/peace.gif

As for springs I run 4" BDS with 37" MTR's on 15x8 w/2.75 BS (I had rough country springs, and what a rough country they made) I am more of a rocks guy so I like a wide stance with a low COG. Alcans will be the softest you can find ($$$) and a more noble AZ gentleman runs stock wrangler springs up front.
 
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Yeah I am picking up a Dana 60 and 14 bolt do you know a good place to buy them?

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Actually wayne on this forum has the hookup for 1 ton axles. Last I heard he can get a D60 and 14BFF with a detroit and 4.56 gears for $1,500 (from military trucks I believe). You may want to PM him.
 
3" Tuff Country lift and 37's.

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(oh and I am using the responce to this post to decide if I am going to join up and become an orange, I know it is great but I want to know if there is knowledge that I can use without going too extreme,)

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You only need to go as extreme as you want to. If you are planning to run 1 tons then I guess you plan to go pretty extreme. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif
 
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and as if on cue he appears /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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/forums/images/graemlins/whistling.gif
 
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