When to trim front fenders

[HarrisonTX]

I see alot of k5s on here with the front fenders, behind the tires trimmed for tire clearence. Right now im rockin the stock 31's with no lift on my '86. I see lots of 4'' kits for around $500, and i could get some 33'' tires for around $800, I spend alot of time studying the "xx lift with xx tires" thread, trying to learn what looks best for me. Some of the guys with 33's and 4'' of lift look like the are really close to that fender, and with any kind of flex would be alllll up in the fender area, some guys look just fine.
I guess if you never take your truck off road, you would be fine. I will bring to truck to Colorado with me, when i get home, and plan to just do some trail riding with it, nothing major, but it WILL see off-road use
Does anyone have something close to 4'' with 33''s?


Also, im new to 4x4s, spent most of my time on the hot rod scene.
Where can i learn the difference in lift kits, IE:
shackle flip, blocks, springs, zero rate, longer shackles

The kits im seeing on 4wheelparts.com for 4'' is simply new springs, and longer u bolts. Im assuming i would need shocks too?

btw, im trying to avoiding trimming the fenders.

Thanks guys

 

[86chevred1tun]

I had 35's on my k10 with 4" of lift. You should be fine with 33's. Mine only hit when turned and cycling the suspension, but never hit on the street. If you only want 33's you might look into a 3" lift or so. that way you dont look like you have too much lift and not enough tire. Its all kinda personal preference.

 

[buefchris]

You may have to do some triming in the front of your fenders with 33's but not much.And will you be mounting them on stock wheels or 10" wide rims? It makes a difference in not only the height,but also the footprint of the tire. Keeping your swaybar on will help the K-5 from flexing too much.

 

[K5Blazer28]

im running a 4'' lift with 33s on my 90 K5. with my sway bar on i have never had a rubbing problem. but now that ive started to disconnect it for off roading. the ammout of flex really surprised me and yes it rubs ( rearanged the metal trim around the fender ) but if you keep your sway bar intact you should not have a problem at all. i can show you pics of it flexed with my sway bar still on and you can see for yourself if you want.

 

[Desert Yeti]

4 inch lift with 33's should work fine. At that point, it's all about wheel width and offset. If you stay with an 8 inch or narrower wheel at something close to the factory offset, you'll be good to go!

Lift: The info is scattered around, but this board is the best place to read about lift options! Here's a review of the ORD rear shackle flip (the best option for the rear IMHO)

http://www.coloradok5.com/ordflipreview.shtml

For the front, just get a set of lift springs (3 or 4 inches). As for which springs to get, there are about as many opinions on that as there are Blazers And yes, you'll need new shocks too.

 

[454k30]

http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/3inchliftsystem.htm

I have been steering people toward this system for a couple months now. It has everything you need to do a 3-4 inch lift and will fit 33's nicely without trimming if you use the truck as you describe.

 

[HarrisonTX]

Great info guys. Thanks alot. Yes, i will most likely keep the stock wheels, and just rattle can them black.
So guys commonly remove the front sway bar just to for better articulation?
Will i be held back if im forced to leave the sway bar on?

thanks, i sure am glad i became a member here, some great stuff.

 

[K5Blazer28]

Great info guys. Thanks alot. Yes, i will most likely keep the stock wheels, and just rattle can them black.
So guys commonly remove the front sway bar just to for better articulation?
Will i be held back if im forced to leave the sway bar on?

thanks, i sure am glad i became a member here, some great stuff.

when i have my sway bar disconected for off roading ( at least what i do for now ) its not so uch for better articulation as softer front suspention.... a little more cushion for the pushin

 

[454k30]

the articluation difference is huge as well.

 

[aychdee]

I'm running 37" Iroks with a 4" and trimmed a small amount and there is no rubbing with a bunch of flex- I'm probabaly gonna trim more to get rid of some cancer but it cleared pretty good with a little trim.

 

[AZ79K5Project]

Also, im new to 4x4s, spent most of my time on the hot rod scene.
Where can i learn the difference in lift kits, IE:
shackle flip

Shackle flip: The rear mounting point of the rear springs. The shackle flip removes the stock rear spring hanger and places the spring below the hanger rather than above the rear hanger. A shackle flip with stock shackles will give you a four inch rear lift, better ride and better articulation. http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/shacklekit.htm

blocks

Blocks are used to raise the rear ride height. Blocks are used in the hot rod scene to lower cars and truck and in the 4wd area to raise the rear ride height. IMO - shackle flip is the way to go rather than blocks having run both.

springs

What do you want to know? There's a ton of information. I personally like the EZ Ride springs. I have a 4" EZRide fronts and a shackle flip with stock rear springs.

zero rate

Zero rates bolt to the spring pack to give a one inch lift, move the axle slightly front or back to help center the axle when using a shackle flip.

One piece of advice - read, search, and read some more. Ask questions. There are a lot of talented people on this site willing to provide help and ideas. http://offroaddesign.com/catalog/Zero Rates.htm

Get a plan and throw it out the window because once you start, you will never stop. J/K -

Get a plan of what you want to do. Start slow, learn how to run your truck on the trails you want to run and see what you need to do to increase safety and reliability.

Here some more popular (tried and tested) companies that I have used as well others have used:

http://offroaddesign.com/
http://www.diy4x.com/main.htm
http://www.wfoconcepts.com/
http://www.partsmike.com/