You should be able to answer your own question if you can provide the following information: What does the current lift consist of and what do you plan to buy. If you've got 4" of spring lift and you buy a 2" body lift you'll have 6" total lift. On the other hand if you have 4" of spring lift and you buy a 6" spring lift then you'll be replacing your 4" and end up with 6".... Get the picture?/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifSomebody once said "Go Big" . . . Well we're goin' Full Size/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

Factory lift? Really?Well unless it's a 4" body lift ,not likely, when you remove your springs you remove your lift.It's possible it may have some body lift, but not 4". But, thats just my uneducated guess!/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif Brian

 

Well, the lift is a factory 4" suspension lift. I found this out when I went to buy shocks for it. Because I went in and asked for shocks for a 1980 chevy 4x4 half ton. So they gave me some, and I went home and they were too short. So I went back, and the guy said you can get the standard ones, or the ones for the factory 4" lift that Chevy offered back then. So it is factory 4" suspension lift. And the 4" lift that I am looking at buying is like new front leaf springs, and blocks for the back.

So will this make my lift 8" or jusr replace the old 4"?? Im new at this stuff!

Thanks!

 

Suspension is your springs. If 8" is really what you want your best bet would be to use a shackle flip for the back, with your factory springs and buy 8" springs for the front. By the way, bl@cks is a dirty word around here!/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifBrian

 

OK, whether or not it's factory doesn't really matter here. You just answered your own question. You said it's a suspension lift and you want to buy new springs and blocks so what you'll end up doing is replacing. You will have 4" not 8"./wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifSomebody once said "Go Big" . . . Well we're goin' Full Size/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

First off, do you really need 8" lift? That is pretty tall and will likely ride/drive lousy if you do it with a suspension lift (you would buy an 8" lift which replaces the 4"). There will be very little flex, steering will be all screwed up (probably requring x-over which is alot of work). If it really is a factory 4" lift, it probably has 4" lift springs in front and 4" blocks in back. That should be enough to clear 35" tires with moderate trimming (depending on how twisted up you get). You definately do not want taller blocks in the back, 4" is over the limit in my book. The blocks give the axle too much torque against the springs causing them to twist and unload rapidly under hard acceleration leading to rear end hop. So, if you **really** think you need mor lift, I would go with no more than (maybe) a 2" body lift. Then, get an Offroad Design shackle flip kit for the back to get rid of the rear block. That will give you a 6" total lift with no block in the back (you may need a small angle correcting shim in the back) and more than enough room for 35/36" tires (depending of wheels and width) with moderate trimming. Think very hard before going to an 8" lift. I think you will find it takes most of the fun out of driving it, but that is just me. It would be best if you could test drive a truck with that much lift to get an idea. Hard ride, bump steer, and big turning radius gets really old fast... But, if you insist on an 8" lift, *don't* use blocks, that will be way too much leverage to actually use off road. Maybe a 6" (about the limit for reasonable ride but much more harsh even than 4" usually) suspension with 2" body? Are you planning on using it off road or is this to be a kiddie blvd cruiser for looks only?

Bad Dog

85 K30 CUCV, 350 TBI, TH400, NP205, D60/C14, 4.56
Coming soon: 4" lift, 40" tires, massive cutting, shorter wb and rear overhang.

 

Ok, well, here is my situation.... My 1980 chevy 4x4 has 4" factory suspension lift, and 4" body lift, and 35" tires. The tires only rub if I am turning and on a certain angle. It rarely happens, but sometimes it will going down a ditch a certain way and such. I just hate how the new Dodge 4x4's come stock with more clearance then my truck which has 8" overall lift and 35" tires!!! That REALLY peeees me off!! I would like to get rid of the 4" body lift, and just have a 2" body lift, and another 4" suspension lift, so have 8" suspension and 2" body, instead of my current 4" suspension and 4" body. So overall I would only be getting 2" higher, since the end result would be 10" lift, and I currently have 8". And yes my truck is actually used for 4x4ing, not just for looks, actually it looks like crap, especially with all the rust and home made bumper/push bar that I needed to make to get the winch on!!

Thanks!

 

First off there is no way in hell your 35" tires rub with 8"'s of lift. I have 4" on my 80 and it has 35's they hardly rub. AND Secondly I have never heard of a 4" body lift. If you have one then it is probably a custom. And I have never heard of a factory 4" lift. Maybe they made one but I have just never heard of it. I know Ford made a High Boy in the 70's. Give us some more info on this factory lifted truck.

 

Man, no disrespect, but IMHO there is no way you need 10" lift to clear 35s, 8" should be way more than enough. I ran 35" BFGs on a 75 Blazer rock crawler with only 4" of suspension and had no problem (even twisted bad enough to carry tires). It took some minor cutting but if the body is already rough, I would not think that is the problem. I will be running larger tires than that on my 85 K30 with 4" (however, I plan to radically cut the fenders). More arch (higher lift) means much rougher ride and much less flex. If it is rubbing on the fender, you just need to cut the finders to clear. I suspect it is only rubbing a little on the front and back corners. I saw an article on ColoradoK5 or ORC that actually shows where/how to cut. If it is rubbing on the frame, you need more offset on the wheels (which will swing them in a wider arc and may cause rubbing front and/or rear). Maybe I'm missing something but I just don't see 10" of lift required for 35s...

Bad Dog

85 K30 CUCV, 350 TBI, TH400, NP205, D60/C14, 4.56
Coming soon: 4" lift, 40" tires, massive cutting, shorter wb and rear overhang.

 

Yeah, I've seen a 3" body lift but not a 4". Wouldn't surprise me tho. That must really wreak havok on steering and linkage (assuming it is actually 4") unless there is some major modification. I guess I could see it rubbing a little if the fender corners are not cut and the tire is totally stuffed (maybe). I never saw 8" lift with 35s. Or maybe it's rubbing on the frame, my Blazer tires polished the frame at full lock when twisted. No amount of lift is going to stop that until it gets so stiff that the axle never moves. I also have never heard of a factory Chevy (I could believe 2" easier than 4") lift but maybe I just missed it...

Bad Dog

85 K30 CUCV, 350 TBI, TH400, NP205, D60/C14, 4.56
Coming soon: 4" lift, 40" tires, massive cutting, shorter wb and rear overhang.

 

Maybe I'm not reading this right, but are you talking about adding a 4" suspension lift to a 4" suspension lift thats already on it? If so, you can't do that, the lift is basically the leaf packs. If you have blocks in the back, then I guess you could do that, but hopefully you don't have blocks in the front too. If it has a 4" body lift, I'd get rid of that soon, that seems a little scary, but it sounds like your doing thta anyway. If it does in fact have a factory 4" lift, then the tires might rub as you described, but nooooo way with an 8". I know a guy with a 4" suspension lift an 3" body and he runs 38s with no trimming and no rubbing. That is really rare though...Anyway, the lift will replace the old 4" lift. If you want to run 35s, go for a 6" lift. The new Dodges are higher off the ground, but yor truck is still a better off-roader.

90K5

 

hey 80chev4x4 no offense but this is getting out of hand. first its 4"body then its a stock 4" susp. lift. come on already. i think what happened was that you got an 80 chevy 4x4 that has a 4" over a stock 80 chevy 2x4. which explains rubbing with 35's and the deal at the autoparts store. once again no offense, but next time save everyone including yourself the confusion and just post simpler questions just to find out what you have on your truck. then we can all help you out and work up from there. and someone correct me if im wrong but ive never heard of a chevy out of the factory with an extra 4" lift over the stock 4x4 lift.
but then again i could be the one not knowing what im talking about.

everything's bigger in TEXAS!

 

Technically if it came from the factory with a 4" lift, it would still be considered stock height. Since unmodified it'd have that much lift. /wwwthreads_images/icons/crazy.gif

Tim "Sandman"

ORC Land Use columnist:
My February article on ORC
(I'm finally back)

 

I think some picture would help straight this out.

'99 Silverado '79 Blazer

 

Look, dont mess around my words.... I said it has factory 4" suspension lift. I say this because that is what the guy told me when I went back about the shocks. So sorry about that, thats just what I understood from him. And it does have a 4" body lift also. A home made one. And yes it is 4", i measured the tubing stuff he put under the box, and it is 4" high.

 

Well, whatever it is, 4" suspension and 4" body has got to be enough for 35" tires. You may need to trim the corners of the front fender a little but that is all. Going any higher is just going to hurt the trucks handling and ride. The previous advise still stands. Assuming that 4" body lift is not causing trouble with steering or shift linkage (or cracking the body, there is rubber in there, right?) then I would leave the truck as it is. I ran 35s on a Blazer with 4" of lift with very little trimming on the fender openings. It only rubbed the frame a little. Beyond that, I can offer no advise. Whatever you do, good luck...

Bad Dog

85 K30 CUCV, 350 TBI, TH400, NP205, D60/C14, 4.56
Coming soon: 4" lift, 40" tires, massive cutting, shorter wb and rear overhang.

 

Rubber in where? I am just new to this stuff. What I would like to do is get rid of the 4" home made body lift someone put on and put on a 2" body lift, and then have a 4"-6" suspenion lift. So overall lift of 6"-8". But I am all new to this stuff and dont know hwo to go about doing this cheaply but still good.

 

i think BadDog means rubber in between the body and the lift block. rubber takes the shock and dampens vibrations from the frame and suspension...that way the lift puck/block doesn't wear a hole through the body.

if you want to 'do this good', go ahead and ditch that body lift and install a 4"-6" suspension lift. they're more beneficial in the long run than body lifts alone.

Shorts

 

I'd have to say that if Chevy/GMC ever had a factory 4" lift, no one on here or CK5 has ever heard of it or come across it. Personnally, I think that guy was just trying to snow you or make himself sound smart.

Question for you: Do the front springs look like a smile or a frown?
I ask this because those truck's front springs looked like a frown when stock. If they are in the shape of a smile, they are lift springs.

I'm with shorts. Take off the body lift, rubber spacers or not. To much stress on the frame and body for me. A 6" suspension lift will clear 35" tires no problem. I've seen many, many trucks with 35's and 6" suspension lifts that don't have any clearance problems. Even with a 4" suspension lift you don't have to trim all that much to fit 35's.

1992 Blazer Sport, 350 TBI, 3" Flowmaster 40 DF, 4L60, K&N, Rancho 2.5" lift, 285/75R16's on 16x8 Bajas /wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif

 

Shorts is correct, I'm talking about rubber/poly mounts on top of the spacers. I have seen many "cheap" kits with no issolation and they will quickly (IMHO) damage the body if it is used for any significant off road twist.

Yeah, I wouldn't like the idea of a 4" body lift either. However, the original post was already talking about *adding* to the total 8" (???) lift. Since 8"+ suspension lift might as well be welded solid to the frame (almost, ok, a little exageragion but not that much) I thought that maybe it would be better to leave it "as is" if it is done correctly (is it possible to do a 4" lift "correctly"?) and working ok.

Bad Dog

85 K30 CUCV, 350 TBI, TH400, NP205, D60/C14, 4.56
Coming soon: 4" lift, 40" tires, massive cutting, shorter wb and rear overhang.

 

Here is what I was thinking of doing... getting 6" suspension lift and getting rid of the 4" body lift and put on 2" body lift?

How does that sound?

 

Well, everyone has their own ideas about what they are willing to trade off, but that would work for me if I felt I needed 8" total lift. Personally, as I said earlier, I have (and would again) run 35" tires on a soft 4" susp. lift (no body lift) and minor trimming. After all, I'm going to try to run much larger tires than that on my current project with only a 4" susp. lift (and major sheet metal surgery). Anyway, I think you will be much happier with the 6" lift than an 8" suspension lift. From what I have seen, just going from 6" to 8" suspension makes a dramatic change in suspension stiffness and it gets much worse from there! Not only will the 6" drive better on the road, but it will flex better off road as well. Good luck.

Bad Dog

85 K30 CUCV, 350 TBI, TH400, NP205, D60/C14, 4.56
Coming soon: 4" lift, 40" tires, massive cutting, shorter wb and rear overhang.