Lifting my truck

[jackportd]

I currently have a 6" Rancho lift kit on my 98 chevy shortbed. I'm runnin 35x12.50's on it right now. A friend told me that he found a way to lift his 85 chevy 5" just by adjusting the leaf springs. I can do that on the rear end of my truck(will probably need longer shocks afterward..) but i don't have the leaf springs on the front like he does. Does anyone know how i can lift my front end another five inches without messing up the Rancho lift i currently have? Any help is appreciated.

[t_ank]

you can make drop shackes bt they are unsafe and weak and bent and break easly

[malibu_ss2000]

Can't you crank up the torsion bars? for some of it and then body lift the rest.Or maybe get taller springs,but watch your alignment.My friend has 53" tires I got for him from an army truck he has a 6inch rancho too I'll ask him what he did to lift it that high

[white5point0]

you can crank up the torsion bars... but it will only get you maybe 2". also if they are origional i would advise against it. springs develop a memory to them over time. and now they would be in a different position/tightness.

as far as the back..previously mentioned... longer shackles would work,
or as lame as this looks but usually works well would be axle blocks.(go between the axle and leaf spring) so all you need would be longer U-bolts.

[gear_grinder]

I currently have a 6" Rancho lift kit on my 98 chevy shortbed. I'm runnin 35x12.50's on it right now. A friend told me that he found a way to lift his 85 chevy 5" just by adjusting the leaf springs. I can do that on the rear end of my truck(will probably need longer shocks afterward..) but i don't have the leaf springs on the front like he does. Does anyone know how i can lift my front end another five inches without messing up the Rancho lift i currently have? Any help is appreciated.

old skool chevys with SA (solid axles) ride on leaf springs in the front (like your truck does in the rear) as well as the rear, so with a taller arched leaf pack he can gain front lift. lifting SA fronts are easier then IFS (independent front suspention) becasue of their simplicity (coil or leaf springs, YOU CANNOT HAVE A TORTION BAR SA!!! THEY DO NOT EXIST ON PRODUCTION VEHICALS)

the lifts are cheaper because they have been in production for a very long time and take very little work to produce VS an IFS drop bracket system that is complex and takes many hours to fabricate a prototype and produce.

you cannot combind the lifts on ether truck, not his 85 nor your 98. they run differnt front suspention designs and theriorys.

why would you want 11" of lift?
how many teath do you have?, are you afraid of really fat chicks?, do you live in a trailer, are you compinsating for somthing?, etc...

having a huge lifted truck may be cool, for a little while, but after the novelty wears off it will just be a pain to get in and out of, suck fuel because of terible aerodynamics (along with being improperly geared im guessing), handle like shit (having to go 45 or slower on the S-curve in GR or role over), and get alot of attention from cops.

as a rule of thumb i would say no bigger then 35" tires for a street dirven vehical because:
1: 35" tires still respond fairly well in street situations (cornering, braking, etc..)
2: for most trails (mounds, silver lake, etc...) you dont need anything bigger then 35" tires
3: 35s give that "i mean business" look rather then 44s "look at my big truck and my small penis" look.
4: you really should have atleast 4.56 axle gears for 35" tires if you are running an overdrive transmission (4spd autos and 5spd manuals), most support running an even lower 4.88 axle gear to give the truck its ballz (and fuel economy) back.

if you sitll want it lifted some, do a body lift. its your only option aside from custom fabricated lift brackets and/or SAS (solid axle swap). and for god sake, dont crank the tortion bars any more then 1.5" or you'll be buring up CV axles, ball joints, and tierods faster then you already are.

fullsizechevy.com/forums would be a better place to ask this question anyway. you might get flamed a little (sorry i really didnt mean to rant)