Newbie from ND needing your opinion...

[86 Silver]

Hi folks, I just got my new truck (rolled my '96 dodge ram this winter) so now I have a decision to make and dont know which way to go....do I do a 3" suspension lift with 33" tires or a 4" lift with 35" tires??? should i have the factor 15" rims or go to 16's? i dont know which way to go and am not 100% sure which would be the coolest/most functional for this daily driver.

so please help by giving me your opinion or pic of your ride to show me what these options would look like.

oh...by the way...this is a 1986 Silverado 4x4 with a new (45,000 miles) crate 350 with 4bbl Edelbrock and aluminum manifold as well as RV cam. I am now the third owner, have put in a new grill and light bezels, door weatherstripping and just did a tune-up yesterday.

Yes i AM a child of the 80's and very much fell for this truck when i was 5 years old watching Colt Seavers "jump an open drawbridge" also is the same truck my grandfather had for years...which was cool cause it was gramps'. so that being said, let's keep in mind i'm sort of thinking fall guyish too...but keeping my truck the color scheme you currently see....

[my4by2]

I went with a 3" lift & am running 33" tall tires on 16" rims. The taller lifts & larger tires look good, but kind of become a pain during daily usage... Plus there's the cost factor of 33" vs. 35" tires when it comes time to replace them.

[russgt]

I vote for the 4 inch and 35s. Like the truck and am glad that you didnt get hurt in the rollover. By the way, how far are you from Lehr, ND?

[86 Silver]

Originally Posted by russgt

I vote for the 4 inch and 35s. Like the truck and am glad that you didnt get hurt in the rollover. By the way, how far are you from Lehr, ND?

its acually about an hour from my parents place. i know the area.

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

Sweet looking truck good buy I like it Since you are going to use it as a daily driver I vote for the 3" lift and 33"s so that its more street able and cheaper all the way around on tires and gas. Don't get me wrong 35"s are sweet but just not as good on a daily driver unless you want to do it. Oh and I vote for 15's and a lil offset I like how they look

[DetroitDan]

Wow, pretty truck, love the colors and the stripe. Lot's of things you can do, if you only want 33s you could get away with a 3 inch bodylift (maybe Bradford will sell you the one he's taking out right now) I wouldn't go to all the trouble of changing the springs without doing at least a 4 inch. 4 inch is borderline high enough to clear most 35s, although most radials don't measure as high as their advertised size. I've had trucks with either a 4 inch suspension and a 2 inch body, or a 4 inch suspension and 3 inch body. Both looked real nice above 35s. IMO 4 inches alone, even if it's a street driver and you don't rub the fenders, still looks like it's sitting on the tires. If you don't like bodylifts (many people dislike them, for what I think are stupid reasons) you could also do a 6 inch suspension alone, that will look real good. 33s look big on a Blazer or a shortbed, but a longbed truck doesn't really look big until you get up around 35-36 inch tires.

Can't wait to see some pics of it lifted!
I just put a 4 inch in my 1 ton, but the front sagged down too much under the big block, so I'm going to try 6 inch springs in front to see how that looks.

[DetroitDan]

Also loved the Fall Guy truck. Remember this?

"Does your truck have a name?" "
"Yeah, My"
"My? Your trucks name is My? My what?"
"My truck."

I hated seeing them do ridiculous Dukes of Hazzard truck-wrecking jumps with it, particularly when you could see it was a junker stunt truck that didn't even match the real truck. I used to have a picture somewhere of an action shot of a two-tone brown (not gold) round headlight truck jumping, with the front fenders all buckled and destroyed. Then in the next scene its brown and gold with square headlights and intact fenders again. I'd love to know what the specs were on that truck. Looks like about an 84, and I'm guessing 38 inch tires.

[DetroitDan]

just thought of something else, sounds like the motor will be plenty, but you're going to want to know what the gear ratio is. If you have 3.73s you'll be fine, but I know a lot of those half tons came with 3.08s. Even wit ha 700r4 tranny, if you've got 3.08s, or worse still the dreaded 2.73, you are going to want to stay away from 35s. 3.08s will work ok with 33s, not great but just ok. Particularly if it does have the 700 with the low first gear. Didnt see where you mentioned what tranny it has.

[DetroitDan]

just looking around and found this bit of info. I like the part about the mid engine jump truck.

DESCRIPTION: Colt's truck was an early 1980s GMC 4x4 pickup. It had a 4-inch lift and 38-inch Dick Cepeck off-road tires mounted on a 16-inch chrome wagon style wheel. The truck also had a custom-made chrome roll bar mounted with 4 off-road lights, and a custom chrome grille guard mounted with 2 off-road lights and a Warn winch. One unusual characteristic was a secret compartment in the truck's bed, which was used to stash away villains or to hide weapons. The vehicle was painted brown and tan two-tone; it had an eagle painted on the hood with the phrase "Fall Guy Stuntman Association" underneath. The truck was very often involved in high-speed chases and huge jumps. As a result, it became very popular, especially with children, and numerous toy and model versions were produced. During the show's run, the stunts took their toll on the trucks, so several different year model trucks are used during the show's initial run. As a result, there are some inconsistencies in the episodes. For instance, in the pilot episode the truck (a 1980 model) has two square headlights and a light tan interior. For the remainder of the series, it almost always had the quad headlight configuration of the 1981 and newer models, with a dark brown interior. The truck always appeared to be a long bed model, but in a couple of episodes a short bed model was used. After destroying several trucks due to the huge jumps, a custom built jump truck was built as a solution. It had a reinforced frame and axles, and a mid-mounted engine. This greatly reduced the number of trucks scrapped during the show's production. At the end of the series, the remaining trucks were either auctioned or given away in a contest. It is unknown how many still exist or their whereabouts, but one of them was sold on eBay in 2003.

[DetroitDan]

ok, last post then I'll leave you alone. couldn't figure out how to drag the pic over here, but if you go above to the thread titled "how about some pics of 73-87 longbeds" on page 1 post #8 there is a similar looking truck to yours, silver instead of grey but has the black stripe.. Not sure what his lift and tires are but easy to find out. Check it out, it's a sweet truck, might give you some motivation.

[Altec]

I say do a 4" lift. The 4" lift will fit a 35", but still look great with a 33", and a 31" even goes if you don't mind that "lot of fender well" look most of the newer trucks have...

15", or 16" is up to you. My thought is simply that these days you have more options with the 16"...

Don't forget to get a new driven gear for your speedo to match your new tires, and like Detroit said, new gears if you have 2.73/3.08's. My truck had factory 3.08's, and I'm switching to 3.42 gears. Which pretty much keeps me in factory RPM's with the larger 35" tires I'm running. Find some used 3.73's, or 4.10 gears to fit in your 10-bolts. That'll get you going down the road well.

As far as DD duty with a 4" lift, it's no problem... My 4" lift sets me barely higher then the stock height of the '97 RAM 2500 I used to drive... Bed access is fine, and climbing in and out is no problem... Well, for me lol.

[ghettoluxury]

Just for referance this is my truck with 3inch lift and 33x15 on 16x10 rims. It is still a daily driver, rides nice down the road, and not too much lift to get in and out of for daily use.

[86 Silver]

Originally Posted by Altec

I say do a 4" lift. The 4" lift will fit a 35", but still look great with a 33", and a 31" even goes if you don't mind that "lot of fender well" look most of the newer trucks have...

15", or 16" is up to you. My thought is simply that these days you have more options with the 16"...

Don't forget to get a new driven gear for your speedo to match your new tires, and like Detroit said, new gears if you have 2.73/3.08's. My truck had factory 3.08's, and I'm switching to 3.42 gears. Which pretty much keeps me in factory RPM's with the larger 35" tires I'm running. Find some used 3.73's, or 4.10 gears to fit in your 10-bolts. That'll get you going down the road well.

As far as DD duty with a 4" lift, it's no problem... My 4" lift sets me barely higher then the stock height of the '97 RAM 2500 I used to drive... Bed access is fine, and climbing in and out is no problem... Well, for me lol.

that whole....alot of fender look is something i am trying to stay away from. for some reason i enjoy the look of that fall guy setup with the tires big and not too big to rub and such......imho

[86 Silver]

Originally Posted by DetroitDan

just looking around and found this bit of info. I like the part about the mid engine jump truck.

DESCRIPTION: Colt's truck was an early 1980s GMC 4x4 pickup. It had a 4-inch lift and 38-inch Dick Cepeck off-road tires mounted on a 16-inch chrome wagon style wheel. The truck also had a custom-made chrome roll bar mounted with 4 off-road lights, and a custom chrome grille guard mounted with 2 off-road lights and a Warn winch. One unusual characteristic was a secret compartment in the truck's bed, which was used to stash away villains or to hide weapons. The vehicle was painted brown and tan two-tone; it had an eagle painted on the hood with the phrase "Fall Guy Stuntman Association" underneath. The truck was very often involved in high-speed chases and huge jumps. As a result, it became very popular, especially with children, and numerous toy and model versions were produced. During the show's run, the stunts took their toll on the trucks, so several different year model trucks are used during the show's initial run. As a result, there are some inconsistencies in the episodes. For instance, in the pilot episode the truck (a 1980 model) has two square headlights and a light tan interior. For the remainder of the series, it almost always had the quad headlight configuration of the 1981 and newer models, with a dark brown interior. The truck always appeared to be a long bed model, but in a couple of episodes a short bed model was used. After destroying several trucks due to the huge jumps, a custom built jump truck was built as a solution. It had a reinforced frame and axles, and a mid-mounted engine. This greatly reduced the number of trucks scrapped during the show's production. At the end of the series, the remaining trucks were either auctioned or given away in a contest. It is unknown how many still exist or their whereabouts, but one of them was sold on eBay in 2003.

so in all of the research i have done (and thank you for what you have posted here) i have been told that in the 80's the biggest lift available was a 4" and factory rims were 15" at the biggest....so if those pieces of information are correct then we should be looking at a 4" suspension with 15" rims and tires that are about 35ish??? that's where my heads been at lately. either way...big/wider tires are an absolute "NO NO" on these icy ND winter roads...so the set i now have would be kept for putting back on in the winter i think (yea they'll look ridiculous with a lift, but they'll be safer maybe). trust me, rolling once was enough.

[86 Silver]

Originally Posted by DetroitDan

just thought of something else, sounds like the motor will be plenty, but you're going to want to know what the gear ratio is. If you have 3.73s you'll be fine, but I know a lot of those half tons came with 3.08s. Even wit ha 700r4 tranny, if you've got 3.08s, or worse still the dreaded 2.73, you are going to want to stay away from 35s. 3.08s will work ok with 33s, not great but just ok. Particularly if it does have the 700 with the low first gear. Didnt see where you mentioned what tranny it has.

you're right...i didnt include that information apologies. my gears are 3.42 and my tranny is the 700r4. now i have an appointment for the tranny in two weeks, i will be getting it flushed, corvette servo installed, trans-go shift kit installed, and having a cooler installed as well. i am doing this in hopes that when i do a lift and have bigger tires, and go to pull the pontoon that i will have something (using what i already have) that will be strong enough to handle it.

[86 Silver]

Originally Posted by DetroitDan

Also loved the Fall Guy truck. Remember this?

"Does your truck have a name?" "
"Yeah, My"
"My? Your trucks name is My? My what?"
"My truck."

I hated seeing them do ridiculous Dukes of Hazzard truck-wrecking jumps with it, particularly when you could see it was a junker stunt truck that didn't even match the real truck. I used to have a picture somewhere of an action shot of a two-tone brown (not gold) round headlight truck jumping, with the front fenders all buckled and destroyed. Then in the next scene its brown and gold with square headlights and intact fenders again. I'd love to know what the specs were on that truck. Looks like about an 84, and I'm guessing 38 inch tires.

it started as a 78-79 i think (sierra grande) but changed as the years went by and later on the dash you could see the (scottsdale) emblem so yup, they always seemed to change. just wish someone knew lift and tire sizes.....

[86 Silver]

thank you everyone for all of the help with this. its seriously been a tough one for me cause i just dont know what i dont know.....ya know???

[86 Silver]

Originally Posted by Altec

I say do a 4" lift. The 4" lift will fit a 35", but still look great with a 33", and a 31" even goes if you don't mind that "lot of fender well" look most of the newer trucks have...

15", or 16" is up to you. My thought is simply that these days you have more options with the 16"...

Don't forget to get a new driven gear for your speedo to match your new tires, and like Detroit said, new gears if you have 2.73/3.08's. My truck had factory 3.08's, and I'm switching to 3.42 gears. Which pretty much keeps me in factory RPM's with the larger 35" tires I'm running. Find some used 3.73's, or 4.10 gears to fit in your 10-bolts. That'll get you going down the road well.

As far as DD duty with a 4" lift, it's no problem... My 4" lift sets me barely higher then the stock height of the '97 RAM 2500 I used to drive... Bed access is fine, and climbing in and out is no problem... Well, for me lol.

do you have pics of your 4" lifted DD??

[russgt]

Originally Posted by 86 Silver

its acually about an hour from my parents place. i know the area.

Cool, My uncle is the mayor there and I've been to the junk yard in Wishig a few times

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by Altec

I say do a 4" lift. The 4" lift will fit a 35", but still look great with a 33", and a 31" even goes if you don't mind that "lot of fender well" look most of the newer trucks have...

I agree with altec, he pretty much sums it up. I personally like the "lot of fender well look" so I'm thinking 31" skinnies (235/85/16) with my 4" lift. All a matter of preference. For daily driver usage, I'd say 4" is the max as getting in and out of a tall truck becomes somewhat of a pain day after day--not to mention working under the hood.

[86 Silver]

well ok guys, a few things have happened as of late. first of all i blew up the 350 crate motor with 45k miles on it (or so i was told) apparentlyt the timing was advanced to 16 and the aftermarket cam grenaded. nice. so now it has a 350 GM GodWrench 290hp motor with Accel distributor and coil, new water pump and new fuel pump. so after driving it for the first time, when i got on it to get going (due to traffic) it would fall flat on its face and die. research, research, research....that would be why they set the timing to +16...to cover the carb's flat spot they couldnt figure out. NICE! so a call to edelbrock direct (why mess around) led to different metering rods, helper springs, and since it wouldnt idle when in gear with AC on, a soleniod to up the idle. well then it wouldnt start when warm....edelbrock guy again....4 hole phelonic spacer to cut down heat....set timing back to 12....ladies and gentlemen, i think we have a winner...finally!!!

ok, while im pumping fist fulls of cash into this grand ol guy, what the hell...why not do the tires and lift. so 33x15x12.5 Goodyear Wranglers and then a Tough Country 2.5" suspension lift (quad front shocks). now ill add the whip antenna and eventually roll bar and then i should be good.

my biggest issue right now? found a spare tire mounting setup in the salvage yard and set it up, tire doesnt sit under there tight tho...itll move or roll a bit....WTF!?! while i was looking in the yard i did see one with the bumper stops on and in good shape, so i stole them for $25 too while i was at it.