What do you think about this lift kit?

[AJ4X4TJ]

Thank you all for the tips that you gave me in regards to different matters that i needed help with in the past.
I'm getting ready to purchase the following and wanted to have your feed back.
Lift Kit for 1970 Blazer:
6" SkyJacker (Leaf springs)
37" Boggers (Do i need to cut the frame/ fenders to fit these tires?)
Do you suggest i should get 8" lift instead of the 6" in case and i need more room for the Boggers?
Will my GM 12 bolt (stock) support these tires for moderate off-road?
Will my Dana 20 survive and for how long?
What would you do to lift your truck if you had a budget of $4,000?
I come to you all because i know you have been a great help in the past and thank you for all your time in advance.
T J

[chiggly626]

If you have 4G's to spend, give Deaver springs a call. They will hook you up with a great riding and flexy 8" lift kit.

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by AJ4X4TJ

Thank you all for the tips that you gave me in regards to different matters that i needed help with in the past.
I'm getting ready to purchase the following and wanted to have your feed back.
Lift Kit for 1970 Blazer:
6" SkyJacker (Leaf springs)
37" Boggers (Do i need to cut the frame/ fenders to fit these tires?)
Do you suggest i should get 8" lift instead of the 6" in case and i need more room for the Boggers?
Will my GM 12 bolt (stock) support these tires for moderate off-road?
Will my Dana 20 survive and for how long?
What would you do to lift your truck if you had a budget of $4,000?
I come to you all because i know you have been a great help in the past and thank you for all your time in advance.
T J

What your getting into is the proverbial 'can of worms' here.

All modifications are contingent on usage, it's really that simple.

Will the 12 bolt work with 37's?
Of course they will for the pavement/dirt roads but not for off roading, even on a moderate scale.

It's all about your expectations and wallet capacity, what do you want and what can you afford to spend to get it there.

Take some time and surf the 4x4 section, there's alot of good info about lifts, how much is enough lift and what brands give the best bang for the buck.

Welcome to the board, looking forward to seeing your build progress.

[Yukon Jack]

Welcome to the board. How wide are you looking at for the Boggers?

Depending on what your definition of moderate wheeling is, you might want to consider looking for a1977-1987 or 1988-1991 crewcabs (4 door) 1 ton which you can occasinally pick up from $1,000 to $1,500. That would get you 1 ton axles, if it's a four speed truck I'd also use it's NP205 transfer case and ditch your Dana 20 that I presume is behind a 4 speed manual. That would be a huge step in the right direction to handle anything you would throw at your K5.

Some 37x13x17 Boggers will run you about $1,100 and some rims will run you about $550 or so for some Mickey Thompsons so you'll have about $1,700 wrapped up in tires.

You'll need to address your driveshafts so keep probably $200 to $300 earmarked for that.

What kind of shape is your K5 in? Alot of people will recommend some careful trimming to help fit tires but keep your lift low. 37" with a 6" lift will take trimming. Your options for lift will be new springs all around, new front springs and blocks out back or new front springs and some type of shackle flip and maybe shorter blocks out back. I'd probably shoot for an all spring lift. Custom springs would be nice but sure get expensive.

Remember to also keep in mind you will need steering correction with your lift. Crossover steering would be a good option and others can give you a ball park price for that.

With a $4,000 budget you can do and you're taking the right approach - plan it and research so you get everything covered.

[Burt4x4]

AHhhh only if I had the internet when I had thease questions

Your doing the right thing asking. I know that $4g is BURNIN in your wallet and your K5 is ready to go under the knife.

First, like they said, what is your true intentions for your truck.
Boggers are very aggressive but alot of people buy them for the street cuz they LOOK so cool and mean. They do not like the street and will wear out in 10K miles, very soft rubber for off-roading.
Now if you wana run them for off road a 37"boggers will eat your 1/2ton axels..sure maybe not the first trip or the second but they will fail with that much tire.
Rule of thumb is 1/2ton can run noting bigger than 35" to be 'safe'. ALOT of people egnor this rule and with a safe minded throttle you can survive...but were is the FUN in that! Hammer down is AWSOME..anyway...

Do you have alot of buddies that wheel? or are you building a cruzing machine?
Post up a pic! Give us some more on what your usage will be and that $4gs will be gone in no time hahahaa

[AJ4X4TJ]

Originally Posted by vtblazer

What your getting into is the proverbial 'can of worms' here.

All modifications are contingent on usage, it's really that simple.

Will the 12 bolt work with 37's?
Of course they will for the pavement/dirt roads but not for off roading, even on a moderate scale.

It's all about your expectations and wallet capacity, what do you want and what can you afford to spend to get it there.

Take some time and surf the 4x4 section, there's alot of good info about lifts, how much is enough lift and what brands give the best bang for the buck.

Welcome to the board, looking forward to seeing your build progress.

Thank you ALL for your comments and your help is much appreciated. And I will always appreciate any advice and tips that you can give me.
I think what you said is true about the Bolts and i'd just need to take my time looking for one in the junk yard.

Thanks again.

[AJ4X4TJ]

I got lots of work to do on my blazer.
See pictures before and after.
The whole thing was a mess! I've put some real money into it and this is the beginning. I'll keep you posted on this project.

[Burt4x4]

Nice!
Look perrrty

[Zoomad75]

That's a sharp K5. There is a lot of good info on here as others have said. As others have noted, you are going to need to run 1 ton axles to survive wheeling on 37" tires (boggers or others). Yukon hit the nail on the head, go find a 1 ton 4x4 73-87 truck and swipe the running gear out of it. That should give you a leg up in the axle department and the 205 will be better than the dana 20 under severe use.

You really got to nail down what type of wheeling you plan on doing. If it's just muddin, you can get away with a big lift that doesn't flex as well. If your rock crawling you might want to run less lift (for better center of gravity) and chop the fenders more for tire clearance. I'm betting with as nice of a paint job you put on it, extreme rock/trail bashing isn't in the plans so you might not want to cut fresh sheetmetal (or bounce it off of a tree either).

As VT said it's can of worms. XX size tires require X size lift, which require the driveshaft and steering corrections and even then might need body mods to stuff that much tire.

Do ask questions.

[davesamnesia]

Niiiiiiiccccccceeeeeeece Blazer keep us posted on progress!!

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

I'm betting with as nice of a paint job you put on it, extreme rock/trail bashing isn't in the plans so you might not want to cut fresh sheetmetal (or bounce it off of a tree either)

I think your right Zoomad.

Running in the mud is probably the 'safest' body damage wise, once you start rock crawling and/or finding trees it's going to start to look like this...

Cut/hack/grind/clearance this, brace that, buy more parts...etc.

[special-K]

You can do it with $4,000.Like said,you need to go beyond lift & tires for true durability.I have run 37s on vehicles and not broken anything in the mud.35s,or even 33s can snap an axle,too,in certain circumstances.You can break something with stock tires,for that matter.Is your Blazer a 3spd?I`d get that and the 20 case out of there along with adding big tires.The more "bite" a tire has,the harder on the drivetrain.But,I ran Swampers on a Blazer with stock axles in the mud without damage.I`ve also busted a u-joint/beat the yokes on a D44 with 14.50/37s on a K/20.But that was coming up a steep bank onto the road with one side hitting the pavement while the other three were in mud,all four spinning,and I was hard on the throttle trying to get away from getting busted for trespassing.The cops had blocked the entrance and I saw a back door.

[vtblazer]

with these guys.

You'll never regrete 'over building' it.

One tons, cross over, hydro assist steering, one ton drive shafts and a bullet proof tranny would be a minimum on my list to run 37's and wheel it but that's me.

Then there's braking to consider too.
One ton booster for sure.
Could do a hyrdo assist there as well.
Or 4whl disk brakes.

Once you get started, there will always be a 'part B' that compliments the 'part A' that you just installed...etc.-etc.-etc.

[AJ4X4TJ]

Thank you all for your advices. I got the rims and tires today and they sure look NARLEY! I decided to go with 6" SkyJackey and 37" Boggers. I know my GM 12 and Dana 20 will break down on me someday, but at least in my mind i know the day is coming when i have to spend serious money on bigger axles and transfer case. Why not...this is part of the fun, right?