lift my truck

[eightyeight]

i was just wondering if i could get some opinions on what lift for my truck. its an 88 DD with some offroad use.

[eightyeight]

oh yea... i was kinda thinking about susp lift but not real sure

[rockcrawlintoy]

what size tires and what kinda wheeling. if u are goin to play in rocks do an SAS. i had a Tough counrty lift and it was pretty mangled after about a year of playin on a few rocks and general trail riding.

DRew

[Sean]

Yeah, it depends so much on what you want to spend, and what you want to do with it. My understanding is that basically all the IFS kits are vey similar. There have been many members here that tried out different companies lifts but the one that comes to mind as the most affordable and well liked was the pro comp stage II.
Old Man Emu makes high quality kits. Superlift has pretty decent reputation, though i have heard there kit is essentially the same as the Pro Comps but for more money.
Downey makes a kit which doesnt use a drop brace. The benefint of this is clearance, the detriment is CV wear at on road speeds. Downey is also on the pricey side of things, and if you feel the need for the extra clearance and flex of the Downey kit, save yourself the trouble and go straight to the SAS.

For a complete SAS i would check out Marlin Crawler. I got my stuff from All Pro and cant complain, but my understanding is that their quality on their springs has gone down so if I was doing it today I would go Marlin.

[eightyeight]

well i was going to run 32s and my wheeling is nothing crazy. no rocks or anything. mostly mud and general trails...so mostly all the IFS lifts are pretty much the same then? they all hold up equally and same performance? remember is a DD.
thanks for the help guys

[eightyeight]

are rear blocks basicly the same thing as different rear springs or is there a pro and con thing about it

[the_experience03]

Lift springs and blocks will both net you the same effect....more ride height, but there are some very definate differences.

Lift blocks are the low buck route to go. All they will do is space the axle farther below the springs. Your wheel travel will remain the same, as will the ride quality. It has about the same effects as on suspension performance as a body lift. One the downside, the new distance between the axle and the springs will increase your moment arm. This means that the axle is more likely to wrap the springs under acceleration and braking. Axle wrap=wheel hop=broken u-joints and less traction.

New springs are going to likewise give you the lift, but will hopefully add more suspension travel and a better tailored ride. They are generally the better choice. However, make sure you get a quality set of springs so it doesn't ride like a logging wagon.

A final option and probably the best would be to make your own rear lift. Try composite packs made from different packs or maybe a 3/4 elliptical set up or even the venerable 63 inch swap.

More or less it comes down to this....blocks are quick, easy, and cheap. Springs will be more expensive, but will perform better than blocks. The ultimate setup would be to design something for yourself. This will likely be no more expensive than blocks really and will outperform the new springs. The only cost here comes with taking the time to do it.

Hope that helps

[94cnytoy]

To the best of my knowledge... Most IFS lifts don't do anything for the actual performance of the suspension at all (unless you reallllly need shocks and new rear springs).
So why not recommend a body lift?
Yes there is still (even with the most complete "kit") a lot of little fab work to do(bumpers/shifter/fuel lines/brake lines etc...)
I non-friend( aquaintence ) recently installed a 3'' body lift that he cut down to 2''. it eliminated a bunch of BS detail fab stuff. Just an idea..

[eightyeight]

well what would be the point in a susp lift over a body lift then if there is no gain in performance

[the_experience03]

Suspension kits should improve performance atleast somewhat over stockso that would be one benefit. At the very least, the rear should become more flexible.
Another benefit that often times gets over looked is the increase in approach, departure, and especially breakover angle. The stock Toyota t-case crossmember....well...it sucks. It hangs low and is made from ultra boxy weak material.

My personal recommendation is to just run a body lift for now though. That's what I have on my 1993 daily driver. A 3 inch Performance Accesories kit from my local 4wd shop cost me $135 and took a day to put in (would have been quicker if I had just used the torch from the get-go). With it I can clear 34x10.5x15 LTB's with NO rubbing at full lock, full compression. Not bad for a daily driver I guess.

[94cnytoy]

like I said,
To the best of my knowledge... Most IFS lifts don't do anything for the actual performance of the suspension at all (unless you reallllly need shocks and new rear springs).
The approach/depart/breakover are all side benefits.
bob the bed?
build a better(or real)front tube bumper
The larger tires you'd install would help the appro/depart/break angles....whether sus or body lift anyway...
lifting ifs does not create more front travel, blocks or add-a-leafs do not create more travel(unless you count block axle wrap as potential "launch" energy storage)
total chaos makes exspensive long travel ifs kits.
and you can get quality replacement rear springs(for alot extra)
not tryin to be a d*ck here.
Been studying this stuff for a long long time.
And no, I don't ever believe I'm 100% right.

[Sean]

Its true the average IFS lift simply uses a relocating bracket which drops the stock suspension to gain the lift, gaining nothing in flex or clearance. The obvious advantage over a body lift is that the rear can be set up with more flex by using appropriate springs. Like I mentioned there are kits like the downey one which do over increased travel and clearance in the front suspension but they are quite costly and come with comprimises.
Also body roll will still be exagerated by a body lift moreso then a suspension lift. And the limits of the bodylift is 3", where the suspension nets you 4". Most wheelers consider a 3" bodylift too big.
For the original posters purposes I believe the best two routes would probably be a 1 or 2" body lift from Roger Brown given he is only looking to run 32s. 31s will fit stock, so very little is needed to fit a 32. Or an even cheaper option to run 32's would be a little fender trimming. Done right it can look good and the big advantage is you arent comprimising any stability of your truck.

[94cnytoy]

well put Sean.
thanks.

[the_experience03]

If he is only looking to fit 32's, would it not make sense to be ULTRA cheap and just crank to the torsion bars up a very little? I'd be willing to bet his have sagged over the years anyway and the ride quality really doesn't suffer if he only does as much as he needs. I bet a set of 32x10.5 tires on the stock 6 inch wide rims would fit just fine with very very little cranking....a slightly longer shackle in the rear would give him all the lift he needs there and might allow more downtravel. I know my shackles limit how much my rear axle can droop even though my well broken in springs want to go farther.

I think the 4Crawler body lift is also a fantastic idea. I know when I put my 3 inch body lift in (the 2 inch was on backorder so I decided to just get a 3 inch), there was a lot of extra little bits I had to do like grinding replacement plate where my steering shaft goes through the firewall so it would fit better, cutting shifters to weld in extensions, bending the shifters after extending them, etc. I bet a lot of that could be avoided with a small body lift.....

[eightyeight]

thanks a ton guys. i really appreciate the help and ideas. just what i was looking for