DustSierra

Second setting is 1.75. That's the setting you want. 2.5 with a 1" rear block would also work if you want to go that route but for the minimal gain you are pushing the geometry of you suspension a fair amount more with that extra half inch. They say anything over 3" you need new UCA's. Even then you are going to start running into problems with torn boots, CV axles etc. 2" is the way to go IMO. Don't need UCA's. Just curious, why Bilsteins? What coils are you using? Don't like the factory ride? Do a lot of off-roading i.e. every weekend? 99% of people are better off with a spacer lift. Bilsteins are "nicer shocks" but are much stiffer than stock and if you pair them with longer stiffer coils you are going to drastically reduce the ride quality of your truck for anything other than off-road use. 2" spacer is the way to go for 99.9% of people on this forum. $60 if you install them yourself and you maintain the stock "Cadillac" ride quality. If you do off-road, look into Fox coilovers which will also allow you up to 3" of lift but are also better on the road. Yeah you could definitely run Bilsteins up front at 2.5 and a 1" rear block and UCA but that sounds like a massive misappropriation of funds. Gonna ride like crap. Either run a 2" donut leveling kit or run Fox or Icon Coilovers at 3" with an Icon or aftermarket "add a leaf" if you want to off-road all the time. Side note: you can fit 35x11.5 tires on stock wheels with a 2" leveling kit.

They take load off of the leaf spring. There's no two ways around it. Anything that is going to cause your suspension not to sag when under load is going to stiffen the suspension except for true airbags. FWIW I don't care to argue, but look at this forum as a compilation of information for other T1 Owners and future owners. Just trying to put the right information out there.

My pops is. They will definitely stiff up the rear end. But unless you are pulling a Trailer north of 8-10k on a regular basis, I think most people would think they degrade the ride quality. Same reason you aren't going to see a bunch of people running serious off-road suspensions on their daily driver as they lessen articulation, but provide a much stiffer ride. Most people prefer that Cadillac ride. But they are certainly a viable option for anyone towing heavy, frequently. As you mentioned, Timbrens are also a popular option.

Looks good. The Kreggs pocket hole jig should be purchase #1 for anyone trying to do these right. Absolute game changer. I made mine a little different than you as we seem to have different needs but they're pretty similar. Nice craftsmanship. Out of curiosity is yours a 6 1/2 bed? I have took my '19 DC with the 6 1/2 bed all over the west for a 3 1/2 month ski, surf & to visit extended family. Was deliberating if I wanted to liquidate my assets by the time I got home haha, just got a little hot in Socal toward June or Id probably still be out there. Insulated (blackout) window covers and limo tint on the windows are also vital. I'll post some pictures of mine when I get the chance. Put a full size 5" queen mattress in mine, had room for 3 surfboards on one side, and a 6' x22"x9" drawer on slides on the other. I went with a Leer XL cap, but looked at ARE caps first. Unless you are buying a cap with full swing out windows (which are cheaper built and aren't very aesthetically pleasing) Leer seems to offer better side windows on their high end caps a.k.a. the XL & the highest end I believe is called the XR (whole 6' window bows out, although it looked like it could break haha). The ARE Revo is nice, but it has some really funky, super tiny and cheaply built popout windows. ARE & Leer caps are comparable in price, both of their higher end caps are nice but Leonard (Leer retailer) also has 0% no interest financing for 12 months which sold it for me. Was a very time consuming project making sure everything was tight and the finishes took a while, but was worth every minute of it. Me and my girl got to see the most epic places for what amounted to gas money and an IKON ski pass. Coolest thing I've ever done. Thank god for remote work, haha. Give me a day or so and Ill snap some pictures for you. The above poster is doing a really nice job as well. Really just depends on your needs. FWIW my Leer XL for a 6.5 bed with White Frost Tri-coat, remote door lock (essential) sliding/drop down rear/front window, carpeted headliner and lights was $2750 OTD. Spent another $900 for drawer slides and build material for the drawer system, $120 for window coverings, $250 to tint my truck and cap (although that's a steal), and $375 on a bed rug (also a necessity) for anyone interested. Didn't leak a drop the entire trip although I did use foam window insulation to seal two small holes in the front of the bed (there are drainage holes water definitely comes through in the front corners of the bed). And I could have a strobe light on in the middle of the night and nobody can see in. Been taking weekend trips with my boat all over the coast since I got back and it's the ******. Anyone thinking about doing it, go for it. Although imo the 6.5 bed is a necessity if you are going to sleep in it.