Best lift kits for a 72

[19gmc72]

I have a 72 gmc 3/4ton 4x4 and i want some opinions on lift kits. Good brands? 4in or 6in? Rear blocks or springs. i do haul trailers, boat isnt heavy but haul 3 ton of hay once in a while and need overloads, can i put overlaods on rear springs or do i need blocks?. i wanna be able to fit 35 without rubbing, im not going to mud it hard at all, but i do go up in the hills alot to crawl around on trails and want to use it for hunting, etc. pictures of setups would be cool too.. thanks

[57NAPCO]

not meaning to jack your thread, but....We have a 72 Chevy 1/2 ton 4X4 that I would like to do that also.

[skchevota]

6" sky jacker soft rides. Rear springs are better than blocks if it is in the budget. You can use your factory overload ( lower spring) in the new pack. You can use rear blocks, but your rear springs are almost 40 years old, so I would guess they might be sagging a bit, so your truck will sit rear end low.

[70 beast]

second that on all spring kits.

i have a 6" all spring kit on a 72 jimmy, and my dad has a 4" kit on a 70 gmc
he uses his truck for hauling so i think 6" is a bit to high in some peoples opinions.

i heard/read that use of rear blocks can increase axle wrap. could be wrong though.

[onlyifihadachevy]

I would say if you want a 35 a 6in is a must, but it will rub in the front, back of the fender when flexing. A sky jacker, or procomp soft rides are what people are getting. An all spring is a better choice, because of wrap, my u bolt got a little loose cause of wrap, and caused this.


My truck has a 6in and 35s in the back of the front fender you can see where it rubs, the pushed back section.

[19gmc72]

57NAPCO thats what these threads are for, i was hoping i wasnt the only one with this question lol. I have always heard springs are the better setup, smoother ride? but the rear springs i have are fairly new, would i be able to put the overloads that are already on them onto the new lift springs? And yeah i was thinkin 6in was a little high because i am hauling, but it sounds like 35s with a 4in is a no go?

[onlyifihadachevy]

Yea 35s and a 4in are a no go, and if the overloads are the kind on the bottom of the pack then you could use them, if there on the top it may work but would almost be touching all the time.

The smoothness is better in stock springs because they have less arc, and said too flex more.

Another option could be a shackle flip, in the rear and gives about a four inch lift and get 4 inch springs for the front, would ride about the same, maybe a little stiffer in the front and some 33s

[70 beast]

you can definitely swap over the overloads from your current springs given that your new ones wont have one. idk the issues with running 2 overloads on one spring tho. all youll need is a longer center pin.

ive seen 35's n 4" lifts but if your going to be flexing it out youll either need to trim quite a bit or get a small body lift....if that.

but the shackle flip is a good idea to consider.

[70 beast]

heres a few pics of my dads 70 k25 when it had a 6" lift 3" body w/ 35 and also 38's

rear set up:


front:


with 35s


and 38s


and for refrense my 71 jimmy with a 6" and 38's

[turp mcspray]

I also run the 6" skyjacker in my blazer. I cut the fenders all the way back to the brace, and when wheeling hard the tires still rub. I also cut out the front of the 1/4s. I think with 35s, you will be better off with a 6". On my blazer rebuild I don't want to chop it up, so I will install some longer bumpstops.

[msgross]

remember that you will have to do a lot more changes when you go from 4" to 6" (driveshafts, steering arms, pitman arms, etc..)

But if you must have 35's then it sounds like you have to go 6"...

[19gmc72]

I think ill just go with 33s and a 4in. how hard is it to do a shackle flip?,, doesnt seem too bad, any links? also where did you guys buy the lifts? online or??

[msgross]

diy4x4.com or ORD

[turp mcspray]

Originally Posted by msgross

remember that you will have to do a lot more changes when you go from 4" to 6" (driveshafts, steering arms, pitman arms, etc..)

But if you must have 35's then it sounds like you have to go 6"...

Very good point! Seems like anything over 4" needs a LOT more mods ($$) to make it work. With my 6" I used the raised steering arm AND the dropped pitman arm. When wheeling, I can't turn left if the left wheel is dropped down. With a 6" lift I would HIGHLY recomend crossover steering. If I had known at the time, I would have saved up and done the crossover then.

[19gmc72]

I looked at ORD's shackle flip kit, looks like a pretty legit system.. and looks easy to install. Anybody have expirience with shackle flips? pros cons?

[Mudder]

I like the Tuff County lifts. Have been running them for many years.

[msgross]

Originally Posted by 19gmc72

I looked at ORD's shackle flip kit, looks like a pretty legit system.. and looks easy to install. Anybody have expirience with shackle flips? pros cons?

Dirty larry has a shackle flip on his square body... he's wheels his in the mountains so it must work pretty well.

[70 beast]

a buddy of mine has shackle flips on both his sq. body rigs and he wheels the snot out of them so they definitely can handle some abuse.

[MyMach5]

I just finished putting the SkyJacker 4" system on my '70 GMC. Even though they were a little more expensive than the other systems I looked at SkyJacker seems to have a very good reputation for quality. They use teflon pads in between the leafs and they tapper all of their springs as well.

I have the 4" softride kit with rear blocks, hydro shocks and the 4" steering arm. The truck rides better than it did stock in basically everyway. I am going to add the steering stabilizer soon because even with the 4" steering arm the bigger tires (33x12.5 BFGs on 15x10s) push the truck around a little.

Also, I bought the 4" steering arm from ProComp because it was almost half the cost of SkyJacker's.

Here's my build page:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=362356

Sorry about the humongous pics...I need to resize them.

[57NAPCO]

I just priced a complete Skyjacker 6inch lift with front and rear springs for our 72 shorty(1100 bucks). I wonder if I need 6inch, could I get by with a 4inch? The tires on the truck now are 35X12.5. The truck has what looks to be a 4inch body lift that I want to get rid of and just go with springs. Whatchathink?

[70 beast]

that looks like 2-3 inch body lift.

[onlyifihadachevy]

I think it has a suspension lift also because the front springs should have almost no arc, or negative arc. And will need a 6 in because i think it has a 4 on it now.

The shackle flips are great offroad, most people get them for flex, so they are pretty soild. You could make them if you happen to have the steel but for the time, you could just buy a set.

[57NAPCO]

I was told by the previous owner that he thought there was a 4inch lift up front with blocks in the rear, along with the body lift. sorry I was not clear.

[72chevyk10]

i run a 4in skyjacker with 35's and no rubbing what so ever. truck rides great! i think beter then stock... im going to look into a shackle flip in the rear and get rid of the blocks though.

[19gmc72]

yeah my friend has a 72 with a 4in lift and he runs 35s with no rubbing... and ppl in this thread rub with a 6in lift?? tire widths maybe, or maybe some 35s arent tru 35s??