What's new
CK5
Register an account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members.

lifting a newer chevy

buffblazer

buffblazer

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Posts
2,419
Reaction score
9
Location
Fort Collins Colorado
i have an 07 classic silverado that i want to raise up a little.

im still going to tow with it so nothing crazy

what size lift on these newer ones will clear like a 31-33 inch tall tire?

and i dont want the torsion bars visible from underneath, i heard there is a kit that re locates the brackets.


also im going to run air bags in the rear to help with towing, will that give me any type of lift also?


here is the truck in question, right now it sits a level, cause the torsion bars are up, i want the rear to sit just a little higher when im done


so what yall recomend. I plan on keeping this truck for a very long time so im willing to spend the money to do it right and not wear parts and still have a good ride, but i also dont want to completly blow all my money, this truck will never see off road, just for looks.

DSC00358.jpg

DSC00356.jpg

DSC00357.jpg
 
You can fit 33's bone stock. 285/75R16 or the 17 equivalent should fit just fine.
 
if that my truck .......


3" full body lift / gap gaurds / rear air bags.

then 33" tires for good look and fender gaps to top of tires.

( like you said : so what yall recomend. I plan on keeping this truck for a very long time so im willing to spend the money to do it right and not wear parts and still have a good ride, but i also dont want to completly blow all my money, this truck will never see off road, just for looks. )


you like the ride and hight. so dont lift it via the suspension stuff. you would be looking at 4" lift to start and dont want that .

done a lot of these and best i have seen and done is 3" body with all the goodys and rear bags. keeps drive line the same and spring rates the same. plus when the exaust manifold bolts start poping off you can get to them much faster to fix with out pulling the heads.


and 3" body can be done in 4-5 hr on them with basic tools . these are easy to do.
 
sweetk30 said:
if that my truck .......


3" full body lift / gap gaurds / rear air bags.

then 33" tires for good look and fender gaps to top of tires.

( like you said : so what yall recomend. I plan on keeping this truck for a very long time so im willing to spend the money to do it right and not wear parts and still have a good ride, but i also dont want to completly blow all my money, this truck will never see off road, just for looks. )


you like the ride and hight. so dont lift it via the suspension stuff. you would be looking at 4" lift to start and dont want that .

done a lot of these and best i have seen and done is 3" body with all the goodys and rear bags. keeps drive line the same and spring rates the same. plus when the exaust manifold bolts start poping off you can get to them much faster to fix with out pulling the heads.


and 3" body can be done in 4-5 hr on them with basic tools . these are easy to do.
Click to expand...

this is also what i would do. i had a 96 that i did this to but without the gap guards. looked great with some 35s.

now on my next truck i plan on a SFA. i know its not cheap like what you want but i would consider a front 3 link setup with minimal lift.
 
sweetk30 said:
if that my truck .......


3" full body lift / gap gaurds / rear air bags.

then 33" tires for good look and fender gaps to top of tires.

( like you said : so what yall recomend. I plan on keeping this truck for a very long time so im willing to spend the money to do it right and not wear parts and still have a good ride, but i also dont want to completly blow all my money, this truck will never see off road, just for looks. )


you like the ride and hight. so dont lift it via the suspension stuff. you would be looking at 4" lift to start and dont want that .

done a lot of these and best i have seen and done is 3" body with all the goodys and rear bags. keeps drive line the same and spring rates the same. plus when the exaust manifold bolts start poping off you can get to them much faster to fix with out pulling the heads.


and 3" body can be done in 4-5 hr on them with basic tools . these are easy to do.
Click to expand...


the only problem i see was going to get a set of 3/4 springs for the rear so i was just gonna get a lift spring also

im also not a big fan of gaps fillers and stuff

you said i wouldnt want a 4 inch lift, so out of curiosity why?
 
Your bars will hang down for one.

Won't improve the suspension in any way, just make it sit lower and give you lift.

Lifting GM torsion bar IFS is pretty much throwing good money after bad. Ask Randy about his or most anyone else on here who's done it. I regret when I did mine 10 years ago.
 
IMO if your gonna waste money and a IFS lift, you should seriously consider a SFA. but thats just me. your going to change all the geometry of the IFS and just eat parts up in the long run.
a body lift does not look bad on these truck IF its done right.
 
I have a 2003 2500hd with a superlift 6inch, torsion keys and an adda leaf. Its been done since new, it currently has 99,000 miles on it, I have replaced 2 upper ball joints, both inner tierods and both wheel bearings. I really cant complain about any of that, the brakes lasted to 75,000 miles(never seen that before). Over all its been good to me but its just a street queen, never been offroad. heres a pic, many seen it here before... Ifs has its good and bads, mine rides decent and handles reak good. I like the sas idea just dont wana cut up my nice daily driver..

I like the body lift idea with maybe either 285s or 305s, i wouldnt get wheels that hang out tho id stick with around 4.25-4.5. The gap guard really make a differance in the look, i couldnt go that route since my frame is already super visible. With the body lift it will drive and ride just as good as it is now. Also way cheaper thatn the whole lift idea.

HPIM1308.jpg
 
ok what about the 3 inch body lift with the 2 inch leveling kit and air bags in the rear?

that should pick it up pretty good without wearing parts right?
 
DONT MOVE THE FRONT END !

or ride and lift span will be affected .

mabye tweek it up a bit with stock turn up. thats it.


just a question. have you checked to see if tbars or coil front. about that time went coil front on 1/2 tons. if so then spacer kit will be fine on front aslong as bolt on style.
 
attachment.php

Very definitely a torsion bar truck.
 
yep not coils which sucks to level it out. so just do a BL. it will be fine and look great if done right
 
sweetk30 said:
DONT MOVE THE FRONT END !

or ride and lift span will be affected .

mabye tweek it up a bit with stock turn up. thats it.


just a question. have you checked to see if tbars or coil front. about that time went coil front on 1/2 tons. if so then spacer kit will be fine on front aslong as bolt on style.
Click to expand...



how does the 2 inch leveling kit mess up the front end but not cranking on the torsion bars?

not trying to argue or not listen im just trying to get all the information about the pros and cons
 
It does crank the bars and it does the same thing to the suspension as cranking the bars. Makes it sit lower in the suspension arc basically eliminating the downtravel the suspension had stock.

It's your truck. Do as you wish, but just read through this forum and see all the folks who've had trouble with their IFS stuff. DON'T LIFT IT!
 
Are you saying trouble in general ..? Or if you are going to offroad it..? A few of us here have leveling kits plus a lift to get the max heigth and have them done for years. Like mine its done since new and its 7 years, not much was done to it since then. But like i said i only drive it on the road never offroad.
 
i have installed a lot of torsion bar lift kits to level them out.

yes it levels them. but puts the front parts at a steeper working angle.

lots of times you wind up riding on the upper limit bump stops. the ones that keep the front end from going to far .

and then the ride of the truck goes in the toilet.

think of it this way . those old wood air planes we use to play with as a kit for a buck or 2 withthe rubber band you would wind up then toss it and it would spin the prop as it flew . well the harder you twisted that rubber band the faster/farther it flew .

well the tbars are the same thing. wind them up more and the stuffer the ride gets.

and i have removed a few level kits shortly after the install as thay didnt like the ride. thay later went body lift to clear the tires and get the look.
 
I noticed the rougher ride but not super bad, i have keys buy its not cranked. I still have a long way to go, but my superlift is 6-7.5 inches of lift so i didnt need that much cranking to clear 37s. I mean clearing them without the tires touching at all except for the front valance which i trimmed the corner. Although when it comes time for new tires(a long time) ill take the keys out and the adda leaf then go back to 315s. It makes the truck more practical.
 
rob h said:
i have keys buy its not cranked.
Click to expand...


You are wrong here. The aftermarket keys are indexed differently, allowing you to essentially crank the bars MORE than the stock keys would allow. So an aftermarket key, with the adjuster backed all the way out, would still be cranked more than the stock key backed all the way out.
 
Ok that part i understand, my bolts to crank are just turned up to touch the keys and an inch is still visible. I rides a lil rougher but it also has a superlift softride set of rear springs and i keep the tires at 35. Which makes it ride a hint rougher than stock but it is also a 2500hd.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest Posts

Top Bottom