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newbie suspension ??

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building my '90 Blazer (in the shop getting painted right now). after the paint dries I want to do a lift, nothing radical. Thinking of doing a 3" Tuff Country lift with 33x12.5x15" TSL Radials on the stock Ralleys....question is will I have to redo the gears with this modification. I was planning on a 6" lift before but with all the mods like the draglink, steering arm, driveshaft and gearing it would cost me too much and I wouldnt be able to park it in any parking garages. thanks for any help. I will post some pics of it on Sat when its all done from the body shop.
hank
 
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Do you know what your gears are now? Also, what size were the stock tires? 31's?
I'm not sure, but I think a 3.73 is good for 33's, but you can get away with 3.42. 3.08 might be pushing it...

Ratch
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I'm running a 4" inch HD Superlift lift and 33x1250x15 MT's. The answer to your question is, yes, you should regear. I would love to go to 4.10's right now (I dont' have an overdrive tranny) but funds are a bit short. You could consider 4.56's depending on your driving habits. 3.08's and 33's suck very badly.
 
3.73s worked like a champ in my 89 with 31's and an OD, but with 33's, I think you would be a little under.

I've got 36's and 4.10's now and I'm dieing. I need to step up to at LEAST 4.56's.

I would think that 4.10's and 33's would be a good combo

Kyle
89K5
 
Something to consider, the Rough Country 4" lift comes with everything you need for a 4" lift incl.:shocks, steering arm, brack line brackets, front springs and either rear springs or blocks. The kit with full springs runs around $460 while the kit with rear blocks runs about $275. Its a nice all-inclusive lift. And many of us are running that lift on this website and have been very pleased with it. Nice thing about 4" is you could go to 35s without any additional mods. I liked the price also because I needed to replace my sagging rear springs. Just something to think about.

As far as gears go, I ran 32s with 3.73s and a 305 motor for years. The gearing was okay, but it lacked some power at highway speeds in overdrive (700R4 tranny). If you have a 350, though, I don't think you would have any problem with this combination. If you are running 3.08s or 3.42s, I would defintely recommend a gear upgrade. If you do decide on a gear upgrade, I would recommend 4.56s. They usually cost the same as 3.73s and would give you the ability to go to larger tires at a later date. If you went as far as 4.88s, you could put on even bigger meats, but 10 bolts are weak enough. Stock 10 bolts combined with 4.88s and anything over 35 inch tires with a decently powered 350 is an explosion waiting to happen.

Just my .02.

Brian
Click to see <a target="_blank" href=http://tx85gmcguy.alloffroad.com> My 85 Jimmy </a>
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its got 31s on there now, they were on there new when i bought it months back.the spare is a new 31 uniroyal so i imagine that the origional tires were 31's..its a 5.7 350 that runs very very strong and the tranny is a brand new GM unit that i put in. I have a freind that has a gear shop who told me that 4.10s would run me about 1,000 for both front and rear, said this was a good deal since i am good freinds with him but i just wasnt sure that i needed to redo them..i NEED it to preform as stock, i need the power and drivability to be there so i guess i will need to do the gears..thanks alot, appreciate the help.
hank
 
I'd get 4.56s. You'll soon want tires bigger than 33s and if you get 4.10s now you'll be mad later. Get the 4.56s.

tx85gmcguy,

What kind of offroading do you do? I know that you read in a lot of magazines that 10 bolts are weak, but in a couple weeks I'll post some pictures of some truck's that my friends own.

It'd blow your mind to see 39.5" tires, (with a big block) 38s, and two other trucks with 44s on Dana 44 fronts and 10 bolts. None have had breakage problems except the big block powered one that lost a u-joint once.

All of them have open fronts, maybe that's the secret.

Tim
'84 Chevy K10, lifted, loud, fast, and 3/4 ton axles
 
You wouldn't believe the added stress a limited slip or locker can put on a front end. Multiply that if you have a locker in the rear as well.

If you didn't build it yourself, how can you call it yours.......?
 
I watched a 44 get BLASTED by a guy pulling into a driveway. He had 39's on it at the time and was just trying to pull into his shop. It was an open diff 44. He had no rear driveshaft at the time so he put it into 4hi and was doing no more than 5 mph.

It's not all in the mags. Some people have luck with 10 bolts, some don't. I've got the pinion gear from my last 10 bolt sitting on my desk. It's only missing 5 teeth. That was from pulling away from a stoplight.

Those things break....TRUST ME!!!

Kyle
89K5
 
It's really a matter of luck - I've got a Dana 60 F/F axleshaft shattered right above the splines laying in my yard - and that was pulling away from a stoplight. Some guys can make a 10 bolt go through hell and back, while others can blow out a 14 F/F leaving an intersection.

Dos mas Tecates!!!
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It depends on several things. Do you have an overdrive tranny? Do you need more low end out of her or more for highway?
Let us know so we can answer your question better
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i run 33's on my stock 10bolt with 3.08's just for the better MPG, boy is it a slug but its still drivable
 
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