Cheapest = body lift (crappy IMHO)
Otherwise a pair of 4" lift springs would leave you plenty of room for fun with 35s. Might need to trim the lower corners of the fenders a little bit under full articulation.

As for the rear, do a shackle flip. www.offroaddesign.com they make one.

Find the lift laws for your state, they vary.

 

I think 4" is perfect for 35" tires. As for the back, the ORD shackle flip is good but make sure your springs are in good shape.
I was going to do the flip, but my spring was cracked so I had to replace them anyways.
I would avoid using a block unless money is an issue. You could go with a block for now then change it later.

 

Ok I think 4"s will woork quite nice. But when you go to the tire shop do just that shop roll the tire out there see what has to be trimed if any and how they look and it you want them because all tires are not the same the only one i know of that makes a true 35 is toyo happy holidays

 

Thanks for the help everyone, My buddy mentioned a shackle flip thing to me awhile ago before i bought the truck. This stinks because I just put my bed back on my truck after replacing both front spring perches, which i had to grind the rivets out and put grade 8 bolts in place. I could have killed two birds with one stone there, doing it then would have been cake! Oh well theres always next summer!

Thanks again for the help everyone,
Merry Christmas,
Joe

 

you can still add the block lift without much effort instead of the shackles, just loosen the bolts holding the springs to the axle, take a botle jack and jack the truck off the ground using the bottle jack to lift the springs while the axle stays on the ground, insert the block lift, lower the springs and your done, took me about an hour on my pickup. but would still suggest using shackles or even adding a leaf is the best alternative.

you mentioned other things to add, get antisway bars or traction bars while your messing with the suspension, it would be easier to do all at once, if you put a lift on, dont go over 6 inches, its overkill and looks stupid personally, 6 inches will be enough to accomodate up to 38's (maybe some body trimming depending on the circumstances).

 

Well im concerned about if my swaybar (the truck has one) will i need new mounts to extend it down further or is four inches not enough to change its geometry. And a new steering arm is a must as well right?

My biggest concern is having it ride really bad, it goes good now on the street and i dont want to loose that driveablilty factor. for example rides rough, feels like its gonna tip all the time, etc etc

Thanks for teh help everyone,
Joe

 

youre probably gonna have to move that sway bar down, but remember that you want it still attached strongly to the frame to that it will still do its job, however, i know they make aftermarket stuff that fits well, but im not sure about your application, maybe someone here has done just that. As for a new steering arm, just go to a junkyard and find a longer one.
You mentioned riding really bad, well im sorry to be the one to inform you, but if your ride sees more mud and less pavement then it will ride bad, once a vehicle is taken offroad, it is almost unspoken that it will never ride the same again, however they make things you can add to help that, such as new springs, shocks, sway bars, bushings, stabilizers, even going as far as better power steering pumps, and changing the gear ratios in the power steering pump (or something like that, dont rely on me b/c im no expert). once a truck's been modified its never gonna me as reliable as stock, thats a given. hope it helps, lemme know how it goes, post something here if you still need help

 

i have a 78 GMC K15 and at the moment i have 31" Firestone's on it with plenty of room. I am buying a snowplow because winter's in my area in Iowa suck, i was wonderin if i should add a few leaves to the front suspension, or lift the whole truck. The plow i'm looking at weighs about 700 lb's and a buddy of mine has some 36" military tires that i might buy from him. Fender trimming's not a problem, i just want to know how high should i lift so fit those 36's.

 

assuming your truck is still at stock lift, then to accomdate 36's and if you dont mind taking a sawzall to the truck then you could get by with a 2-3 inch lift. if you didnt want to cut the body, then expect to lift it around 3-5 inches (where 3 you might see some rubbing.) however, since your truck is solid frnot axle, then lifting is not a problem, if it were my truck and i were stickin a plow on the front, if get a lift AND heaver suspension in the front.
going from stock to 36's and both my axles were solid, i would get a set of 2 or 3 inch shackles for both front and back leafs, and add a heavy duty leaf to front and back, then if probably add either a 2 or 3 inch block lift. and if the plough was to go in the front and its heavier tha i imaginedm then i might try using those airbag systems that use littel bags of air in between the leaves and the frame. but aside from that, once you lift it, youll need to change your shocks out to longer lengths to fit whatever you decide to do. good luck with lifting it, and let me know how it goes. if you still need help or ask any kind if question post again and ill see it

 

thanks for the advice, i found a kit for 8 inches of lift for about $800, which i might buy, then i'd have plenty of room for 36's, and i might still but the 4 inch shackles to get a little more lift. I talked to my friend about the plow, and it's heavier than i thought, so if the money allows, i'm going to add more leaves in the front to accomadate.

Joe