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two quick lift kit questions....

K

K5dreamer

1/2 ton status
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Location
Alexandria, Va
1986 M1009 Blazer

Body Lift - for a 2-3in body lift, what kinda of annoying problems would i expect to run into? fuel filler? wiring harness?

Suspension Lift - 4in is the limit to how much i can go without worrying about steering, drivetrain, and brake line problems right? and blocks are something to avoid right?

Ill look on google to find the particulars of the installs and all that jazz. but just looking for direct info from the experts ;)
 
Body Lift - It really is different for every vehicle, but naturally, the higher you go, the more stuff has to be adjusted.

Lift kit - 4-6" is oftentimes the limit for your front driveshaft. You may even have to get it lengthened with a 6" lift. Brake lines need to be lengthened [but most lift kits come w/ drop down brackets for stock brakelines which work fine], a steering arm will be included to keep things tight.

Blocks are fine, they just ride a little rougher. In my opinion, these trucks don't ride great once they're lifted anyway so it doesn't matter. You'll find that 2/3 people are using rear blocks in their suspension.

Hope this helped a little.
 
It really depends on the size of tires you want and your end goal. I have a rough country 2" spring lift, I couldnt be any more happier with it. Im running 33 x 12.5 x 15 and this is a good combo. Not sure 35s would fit without a lil rub, but there are ways around that , like the ZERO rate things that go in the spring pack.

Im not a fan of body lifts and blocks, but,

I realize ppl do what they must to get the lift or look, but suspension and tires are two things you dont want to monkey with, they effect EVERYTHING else about your truck. Just like the guys that want to dump $$$ into motors to go fast at the dragstrip, I tell them to dump that money in a proper suspension and tire package and youll go even quicker and faster.
 
helps alot actually. looking online it looks like body lifts are pretty benign, and cheap. certainly nothing i cant handle.

as for the lift, its actually good to hear that blocks arent that bad, i thought they were kinda a dangerous mod from the way i had heard people talk about them before. and the block kits are a helluva lot cheaper :)

im toying with what would be necessary to run 37's, i know a 4in lift will clear 35's, so im thinking a 2in body lift, or better a 3in body lift, would clear the tires without fender trimming.
 
K5dreamer said:
helps alot actually. looking online it looks like body lifts are pretty benign, and cheap. certainly nothing i cant handle.

as for the lift, its actually good to hear that blocks arent that bad, i thought they were kinda a dangerous mod from the way i had heard people talk about them before. and the block kits are a helluva lot cheaper :)

im toying with what would be necessary to run 37's, i know a 4in lift will clear 35's, so im thinking a 2in body lift, or better a 3in body lift, would clear the tires without fender trimming.
Click to expand...

I can see why you would run BOTH lift and blocks and/or body lift. IF you do the body lift, get a good quality one with poly bushings, etc. Jus remember youll have to get a dropped pitman arm, longer brake lines, dropped Tcase in some cases and maybe longer drive shaft. Im guessing this is what would make ppl do body lifts over suspension lifts, body lifts leave all the drivetrain intact.
 
esacto, if i can avoid doing major surgery on the drivetrain. hoses and wires i can sort out in a weekend, thats no big deal, and no big cost. by combining the suspension and body lift, hopefully ill avoid the big problems associated with big suspension lifts. If anything id like to raise the T-case, cuz its really the only thing that hits when im offroading.

Im really thinking the 4in suspension lift with all the necessary relocation brackets and steering drop arm, and 3in body lift is the way im gonna go. it seems to be the least labor intensive, and easiest to install. And should give me the clearance im looking for. with the lift and bigger tires, my t-case will actually wind up being about 6in higher off the ground.

my only real concern is im gonna have to go check out the body on the truck and make sure all the mount points are solid. no point going through the pain in my ass to put the body lift on, if the mounts are gonna poke through the floor after ten miles :D
 
actually cheapest and easiest is to SAW ZAW that biatch. :D

suspension lift AND body lift will take quit awile with NO hangups.
 
touche!

although id prefer not to cut the truck up if possible. im actually planning on fixing the rot on the rear quarters rather than cutting huge chunks out of it. It is gonna be a part time trail truck, but it will be a full time daily driver. so being somewhat presentable is kinda an issue, my mom makes me park it in the street when i come to visit as is, id prefer not to have to park around the block ;)

although i also just found out most of the lift kits ive been seeing are aimed at small block equipped trucks, my diesel weighs as much as a big block, which is an issue. i dropped an email to rough country to ask them about it.
 
K5dreamer said:
helps alot actually. looking online it looks like body lifts are pretty benign, and cheap. certainly nothing i cant handle.

im toying with what would be necessary to run 37's, i know a 4in lift will clear 35's, so im thinking a 2in body lift, or better a 3in body lift, would clear the tires without fender trimming.
Click to expand...

As far as 35's clearing with a 4" lift???? I rub all the time with 4" lift and 33's (I do wheel very hard though) and it only rubs on the back of the front fender.
 
that confuses me though, cuz from what i can tell, im running a stock suspension, and no body lift, and my truck has 33's on it, and i never have a problem........ guess i can go out today and check and make sure theres no body lift, but the front springs curve the wrong way, so from what ive been told they are factory, and in fact, need to be replaced. which is how im justifying the lift kit :D
 
I've been reading a lot on this too.. my plan is a 4" lift and the ORD 1" body lift and new body mounts on my K5. My thoughts based on what I've read on the body mounts is you may as well do it all once since you have to do the hard work on the body lift anyways.

K5dreamer said:
that confuses me though, cuz from what i can tell, im running a stock suspension, and no body lift, and my truck has 33's on it, and i never have a problem........ guess i can go out today and check and make sure theres no body lift, but the front springs curve the wrong way, so from what ive been told they are factory, and in fact, need to be replaced. which is how im justifying the lift kit :D
Click to expand...

Mines got 33's in the rear and 32's in the front.. no rub but without the sway bar I bet I would have some.
 
102_0221.jpg


It dosent rub much and not all the time but with 35's i imagine it would be much worse. Again this is with 4" lift and 33/12.50/15's. this is also an old pic, I have since replaced the rockers and destroyed this door with an oak tree.
 
For 37s you should get the 4" suspension lift and see how you like it. I was running 35s on a stock 1ton and minor trimming. The offset of the wheel you use will have a lot to do with what rubs and what doesn't. I try to stick as close to stock as possible. H2 wheels and a 12.50 wide tire would work well for this... unless your six lug. Then your options expand quite a bit. Rally wheels come to mind. You will be surprised at what you can get in that wheelwell.

Blocks in the rear suck in my opinion. Axle wrap, rougher ride, etc... why bother when you can do a shackle flip for a few dollars more. If you want another inch get the 6" HD shackle after that. For a smoother ride go with the Tuff Country springs. My truck with a set of TC 4" front springs and a rear shackle flip actually rides better than it used to.
http://www.offroaddesign.com/catalog/catalog.htm has all of this. DIY4X http://diy4x.com/ also has the shackle flip kit as well. They are both good choices.
 
CUCV2 thanks for the reply, the body lift will definatly come first, and ill be doing this all in stages. with the cost of 37in tires, i certainly wont be buying them till i need to. I do indeed have 6 lug axles as of right now, but my boss/buddy is offering to sell me a pair (front and rear) 12 bolt axles with wheels and tires, and im not sure if they are 6 or 8 lugs as i havent gone out to look at them yet. in all honesty im kinda hoping they are 8 lug :)

he also has a 4in lift kit that i might buy, and it has blocks, so maybe ill just put my money into the flip kit for the rear and buy new rear springs down the road. I think the front springs are the ones that really raise the most concern. i didnt notice until my boss/buddy pointed it out, but my truck does kinda have a raked stance. which im pretty sure it shouldnt.
 
I should add one more thing about a smoother ride. Get the greasable HD shackles and bushings for the front and back (shackle flip) from either of the sources listed above. They will help with ride and flex. If your buddy isn't selling TC front springs, I would pass them up. Your truck will be a lot more enjoyable with a set of TCs. I saw a chart showing the different spring rates of springs. The heavy duty version of the TC spring was still softer than the other lift manufacturers including the "soft rides".
 
oh and just to fix my previous statment, i meant to say the suspension lift would come first, dunno why i said body lift.

and i will definatly get the greaseable HD shackles and such. thanks for the pointers ;)

ill probly also go with the TC HD springs, i may be over worrying, but with that big ol diesel up there, i kinda dont feel good about putting it over standard springs that were probly designed with a sbc in mind.
 
I have a 6" superlift on a 76 K5 and when I had 33s and just the very corners cut off the front fenders it'd rub bad in heavy articulation- that was with the swaybar diconnected. I seem to recall they still rubbed once with it attached. I daily drove mine with a 6" suspension lift for a few years. I used the 2" drop draglink and 4" raised steering arm, add a leaf in back and blocks. It drove well as 1/2 ton. Steering was the first thing I changed when going 1 ton.

This is 6" and 33s.
47b7ce28b3127ccebe7f887ea63300000036100IZMWLVw5bsQ

Front
47b7d738b3127ccebce8a55b842d00000036100IZMWLVw5bsQ
 
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