Difficulty Of Lifting My Chevy

foxman31292 · January 4, 2010

I recently bought a 02 chevy silverado 1500 4wd and am looking to lift it. My local 4wd shop quoted me about $700 for labor and realignment. is there any way that i would be able to lift it myself. The lift that im looking at is the rancho 4 inch lift. How much effort needs to go into installing the lift and what special tools are needed.

BuckFeverZ · January 5, 2010

You can do it yourself in about a weekend if you have all the proper tools. Bring a couple buddies over to help ya who are mechanically inclined. Also, make sure all the parts are there before tearing into the truck.

foxman31292 · January 5, 2010

Thanks from just reading the instruction manual online it seems pretty easy for the rear end. the front is what i am worried about. Does anyone have experience lifting a truck with the rancho kit?

Matt_ · January 5, 2010

whats your level of ability?

I can install the rancho kit easily... but that doesn't mean it'll be easy for you to do.

Do you have tools? Do you have a place to do it? Etc.?

Read through the instructions. Is there anything in them you don't understand? If so, ask us and we'll try to explain it to you. The only one that really know if you can install it is YOU. We'll be glad to help though. Seriously, there's nothing extremely difficult or magical about installing lifts.... its just a matter of patience and having the right socket when you need it

foxman31292 · January 5, 2010

I would say i am good with mechanics in general.. not toomuch with cars but mainly with motorcycles. I have a great work area a large flat paved driveway. I have most of the tools needed. All i would say is the part that i seem kinda skeptical on is the front end install. It seems like the instructions make it look harder because i havent got under my truck to check it out. What it seems as you just take everything off install the spacer and then reinstall everything.. Does it take basic knowledge or do u need to be fairly good with vehicles in general

stlavsa · January 5, 2010

I would say i am good with mechanics in general.. not toomuch with cars but mainly with motorcycles. I have a great work area a large flat paved driveway. I have most of the tools needed. All i would say is the part that i seem kinda skeptical on is the front end install. It seems like the instructions make it look harder because i havent got under my truck to check it out. What it seems as you just take everything off install the spacer and then reinstall everything.. Does it take basic knowledge or do u need to be fairly good with vehicles in general

Its not too bad, but with that said, I didnt do mine either. I have pulled off heads and entire motors in my garage, but it was winter, and I wasnt about to climb under there and piss around so I paid to have it done. (not rancho n not 02, but same idea).

I have an idea why dont you find another shop? Granted the guy that put mine on is a friend and I have been doing business with him for many years, but my suspension lift was installed and aligned for a little over $400.00

foxman31292 · January 10, 2010

Well today we started the project. Pretty good work day got the front completely installed and by the time we got the torsion bars back in place it was about dark. It is starting to come out very well. Most of it was fairly straight forward.

Only trouble we had was removing and reinstalling the torsion bars. We didnt have the gm tool and ended us using a couple C clamps and 3 ton jack stands to get them back in place. After breaking about 3 C clamps we got the T bars back in...

Tomorrow we will install the blocks in the back and then monday we bring it to get aligned... Its turning out to look really sick

SeirraRR · January 10, 2010

Sounds like your project is going good. Your gonna need to post some pics when you get it all done.

foxman31292 · January 10, 2010

We finished the lift today only took about an hour and a half. A couple questiopns that i still have though.

The aftermarket rims which were 16in Micky Thompson Classics that i got used fit in the front but not in the back. It seemed that their was about an 1/8" too thin and the brake would run on the rim which i found kind of odd. They barely fit in the pront but they did fit. We ended up having to put the stock rims on the back and aftermaket on the front.

Any ideas on getting the backs to fit?

Also as i drove it home it drove literally like sh1t. It was all over the road and the tires were squealing most of the way. Is this semi normal and all it needs is a good alignment or could i have done something wrong in the installation?

J-man67 · January 11, 2010

Thats strange the wheels dont fit in the rear. I have never heard of that. I guess you can buy spacers... Depending on how close you got the alignment back, it may drive like shit. Not semi normal at all. An alignment should fix that up. Can't see the truck to tell if you installed anything wrong, but let us know after you have it aligned.

foxman31292 · January 11, 2010

Ok will do.

It is the oddest thing. It seems as though it is hitting by just a little bit. I dont quite understand how they would clear on the front but not on the rear. the brake caliper seems to grind on the inside wall.

I have been thinking of installing a spacer to fix the issue.

Tomorrow hopefully i will be going to my local offroad shop and asking them and maybe having them look at the wheel and see what they can do about it

J-man67 · January 11, 2010

Cool, keep us posted! Good luck man!

foxman31292 · January 11, 2010

Will do. Also is there any way that i can "align" my tires at home to a setting where i can get it to the shop without having to fight the steering and create skid marks down the road. because just driving it the 5 miles home was not very pretty. I googled it and found some ideas but not 100% on how to do it

AlenWoods · January 11, 2010

pics?

Nytemare · January 11, 2010

Will do. Also is there any way that i can "align" my tires at home to a setting where i can get it to the shop without having to fight the steering and create skid marks down the road. because just driving it the 5 miles home was not very pretty. I googled it and found some ideas but not 100% on how to do it

Yeah...you measure the distance between the frame of the truck than hang a plumb bob from the center of that measurement.

Than you straighten up the steering wheel and use the outer tie rod ends to bring each tire to exactly the same measurement on either side to that plum bob you just hung from the center reference point.

So say you measured 50" you hang a plum bob at 25" from the frame...straighten up the steering wheel...and use the tie rod adjustment to bring the tire to as close as straight as you can...by eye. Now measure the distance to the plumb line at the front of the tire and back of the tire (use the inner side wall. make both of these measurements match to as close as you can...usually 1/16 of an inch.

do the same to the other side...Both of the distances will be very close between both sides.

That will get you close enough to drive to the shop...