Lift kit questions

[bluebulletk10]

I'm re doing my 1983 k10 and I'd like to make it ride a little higher than stock, maybe run 33s or 35s I was wondering what would be a good lift kit for it meaning suspension, body lift etched what brands would be good. I'm not looking to break the bank just looking for ideas right now, thanks everyone.

[Rubble]

I would suggest suspension lift over body lift,on the suspension lift it depends what you want to do with the truck too.I have both blocks in rear & arched springs.the springs ride a bit better,but doesn't have the load carrying capacity that the blocks& springs do.

[bluebulletk10]

I haul scrap and lumber quite a bit, what would be a good suspension lift for me? I don't mind too roughy of a ride, I'm used to original suspension ride, I actualy like it haha. Thanks for the help

[Rubble]

I think the lift with blocks is a super lift.It was used when I got it,taken from a truck my buddy had.It's a good kit,I have a 80K20 that has a 4" rancho,& it's been on that truck 20+ years with no problems.On the super lift kit,I put a couple extra leaves in also to beef up the load cap a bit too.

[bluebulletk10]

Can I see a pic of your truck? I haven't quite decided on what size lift to do either

[Rubble]

I think the 82 is in the working squares thread,I will see if I can get a picture,Might have to wait until it's daylight tomorrow. The one in my signature picture is an 86 with 4" suspension & 3" body lift.It has the arched rear springs on it.

[Rubble]

If you go to page 7,the working squares thread is about 1/2way down.On page 2 my Grey86 is on there with a quad in the back.My 82 lighter grey is there below it( it's not a show truck by any means!) The truck is on 37s then,but I have it back on 35s now.It's been painted black too.That truck is 6" suspension lift.

[andrewmp6]

For 35s you want a 6 inch lift suspension,And i would forget the body lift it can be a ton of work making the shifter linkage longer and cutting the floor for the t case shifter.Take a look around http://offroaddesign.com/catalog.htm

[dieseldawg142]

if your looking for a little higher to run 33's & not break the bank, Zone Offroad has a pretty complete kit at a good price.
don't know about those 4" blocks for the rear, 2-3" is usually sufficent to level out the back
http://zoneoffroad.com/zone-offroad-...burban/c10/c11

[bluebulletk10]

Would I really need a six inch to run 35s? I'm running 31s comfortably with stock everything, six inches seams like a bit overkill for what in doing and I'm probably going to run 33s on it anyway now that I look into it more. What would be good for that? And I've looked on eBay a lot and those kits are going pretty cheap with new leaf springs all the way around what do you guys think of those?

[LONGHAIR]

You do if you have any plan to take it off road. It can also depend upon the width and/or off-set of the wheels.
You might get by with a narrow tire on an 8" wheel on only 4" of lift, especially if you stay on the street.
A wider tire/wheel combination, more off-set, more suspension travel, will all require more lift to run with-out rubbing.

Back in the day, we used to trim the corners of the wheelwells for clearance, but I wouldn't do that today.

[79Betty]

I had 4" suspension with 35-12.50R15's on an 8" wheel with 0 offset. Never rubbed on the street. When i went mudding it rubbed BAD. Now i have added a 3" body lift so no more problems. Only problem i had with the BL is finding a jack to go high enough.

[Wellgeo03]

I have just installed a 2" and 4" tough country lifts on two of my trucks. I put a 2" all pring on my K10 regular cab long box 6.2L diesel, and a 4" springs front, blocks rear on my CCLB 454 V3500. Both are excellent lifts. The V3500 actually rides better than stock (front). The 1/2 rides about the same but has a more progressive spring rate feeling, if that makes any sense. I got them from Off Road Design, and am very pleased with the rides. Both trucks got the HD versions of the springs in the front because of the heavy engines. The 1/2 ended up being more like 3" of lift in the front. The standard EZ rides would have likely been enough on that one.

[bluebulletk10]

When you lift six inches how does that affect handling? Like with corners and just daily driving?

[nekkidhillbilly]

it hurts the gas i know that and its not going to corner as good. 33s with a 2 inch is a much better option. tires are cheaper gas is cheaper parts wear less. just depends on what you want for look. ive seen 33s on a stock truck even. was a hd model.

[bluebulletk10]

Originally Posted by nekkidhillbilly

it hurts the gas i know that and its not going to corner as good. 33s with a 2 inch is a much better option. tires are cheaper gas is cheaper parts wear less. just depends on what you want for look. ive seen 33s on a stock truck even. was a hd model.

With 33s and a two inch how does that handdle with rubbing?

[xole]

BFG 33's are a little small and will fit stock suspension just fine without without rubbing. See my before picture here:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...34&postcount=3

[bluebulletk10]

That looks really nice, could that fit more of a rugged tire?

[andrewmp6]

Handling depends if you keep the front swaybar and how much air you keep in your tires.

[bluebulletk10]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

Handling depends if you keep the front swaybar and how much air you keep in your tires.

What are the positive and negatives of keeping the sway bar?

[Rubble]

Originally Posted by bluebulletk10

What are the positive and negatives of keeping the sway bar?

After I lifted the 82..6" ,I had to remove the sway bar because it wouldn't reach the connection anymore.I just removed it & to be honest I don't think it made that much difference.I have a pretty stiff spring in front & added a couple more leaves in rear for more capacity.Most of my driving is between 30 & 50 mph on gravel & dirt roads too so that might make a difference too.

[bluebulletk10]

Ok so I'm thinking about a three inch lift with 33s what kind of stance will that give? I would run a moderately aggressive tire also. If any of you have a set up like this some pics would be nice. Also what would be a place to buy this type of lift?

[LONGHAIR]

Originally Posted by bluebulletk10

What are the positive and negatives of keeping the sway bar?

The positive is better on-road handling, flatter cornering, less body-roll. Stiffer "lift" springs do some of this on their own, so part of the positives are reduced.

The negatives include reduced axle "articulation" and over-all suspension stiffness.

Many guys use a quick-disconnect to get the best of both worlds. You can keep the on-road handling pluses yet still have better suspension travel off-road when disconnected.

[nekkidhillbilly]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

Handling depends if you keep the front swaybar and how much air you keep in your tires.

its still going to suffer some when the cof is raised no way around it

[bluebulletk10]

Originally Posted by nekkidhillbilly

its still going to suffer some when the cof is raised no way around it

Cof?