SO..... Anyone install a lift kit yet? Pictures Please

[lapoolboy]

I have a 2019 Z71 LTZ.  I've had the ReadyLIFT SST 4" lift on my truck for a couple hundred miles.  It is aligned perfectly to the recommended specifications.  The truck drives great, tracks straight, and has no shimmy/shake/vibration/etc. evident in the front-end or steering wheel.

 

BUT.....

 

At around 60 mph (+/- 5 mph), there is a rumble/vibration felt.  I believe it is coming from the rear-end as a result of improper pinion angle.  I *think* I can even hear the slight rumble/roar more when I turn my ear towards the back of the truck.  When I was installing the kit, I noticed there were two thin shims installed under the leaf springs from the factory.  There was no mention in the instructions to remove them.  In fact, one of the photos in the instructions clearly shows these shims left in place, so I too left them in place.  I contacted ReadyLIFT about this issue and they "STRONGLY BELIEVE" (their words) I should remove those shims and that they are likely causing the vibration.  I asked why it wasn't mentioned in their instructions and they said they have not encountered this issue before.  They said the tapered blocks are supposed to correct it.  The factory shims basically negate the taper of the ReadyLIFT blocks and maybe that's the culprit?

 

I am going to remove the shims this weekend and see how it goes but I wanted to check here and see if others with lifted trucks have these factory shims installed above the blocks or not - a poll of sorts before I dive into disassembling it.

 

I checked the installation instructions for BDS, Zone, SuperLift, etc.  to compare.  SuperLift is the only one that specifically states to remove the factory shims.  They all appear to utilize flat blocks though.

 

See pic of shim:

 

 

[lapoolboy]

Found this paragraph in the ProComp instructions....

 

As shown in PHOTO B, place the 4” (95- 401) blocks in position. Make sure the pin in the block is in the hole of the axle housing spring pad. The short end of the block goes toward the front of the vehicle. Install the block so the pinion moves up. DO NOT remove the factory axle wedge or alter its orientation. NOTE: The block pins may need to be ground down so that the blocks sit flat on the axle housing spring pads.

 

That muddies the water a bit, but since ReadyLIFT says to remove them, I guess I will remove them.  It would help if I could speak to someone there who designed the kit, but all I can get are the customer service girls and I can't help but think they are just guessing.

[Dunn]

3 hours ago, Eds240z06 said:

I found this on the mazulla site. Looks like they offer the Kings in a 3”
 

https://mzoffroad.com/collections/chevy-gmc/products/king-2019-chevy-gmc-1500-3-0-front-coilover-shock-33700-132a

bit expensive for me.....my whole king suspension front, rear, and UCA will be same cost as Mazulla fronts only.....idk if theyre throwing a spacer in them....superlift also offers a 3inch king coilover conversion, again idk how they are achieving it....I think kings will go up to 3" but ride wont be same is what Ben said, not 100% sure tho…..and ride performance is more important than another 1/2 inch....if I can get it fine but not totally necessary

 

once I get kit installed tho ill post some pics as you don't see many on here with king or fox setup

Edited December 13, 2019 by Dunn

[Eds240z06]

2 hours ago, lapoolboy said:

I have a 2019 Z71 LTZ.  I've had the ReadyLIFT SST 4" lift on my truck for a couple hundred miles.  It is aligned perfectly to the recommended specifications.  The truck drives great, tracks straight, and has no shimmy/shake/vibration/etc. evident in the front-end or steering wheel.

 

BUT.....

 

At around 60 mph (+/- 5 mph), there is a rumble/vibration felt.  I believe it is coming from the rear-end as a result of improper pinion angle.  I *think* I can even hear the slight rumble/roar more when I turn my ear towards the back of the truck.  When I was installing the kit, I noticed there were two thin shims installed under the leaf springs from the factory.  There was no mention in the instructions to remove them.  In fact, one of the photos in the instructions clearly shows these shims left in place, so I too left them in place.  I contacted ReadyLIFT about this issue and they "STRONGLY BELIEVE" (their words) I should remove those shims and that they are likely causing the vibration.  I asked why it wasn't mentioned in their instructions and they said they have not encountered this issue before.  They said the tapered blocks are supposed to correct it.  The factory shims basically negate the taper of the ReadyLIFT blocks and maybe that's the culprit?

 

I am going to remove the shims this weekend and see how it goes but I wanted to check here and see if others with lifted trucks have these factory shims installed above the blocks or not - a poll of sorts before I dive into disassembling it.

 

I checked the installation instructions for BDS, Zone, SuperLift, etc.  to compare.  SuperLift is the only one that specifically states to remove the factory shims.  They all appear to utilize flat blocks though.

 

See pic of shim:

 

 

I installed my bds lift myself and I have the shim facing the other way which brings the pinion angle up making the driveshaft angle straighter. Thicker side should be facing rear thinner towards the front.

[Eds240z06]

2 hours ago, lapoolboy said:

I have a 2019 Z71 LTZ.  I've had the ReadyLIFT SST 4" lift on my truck for a couple hundred miles.  It is aligned perfectly to the recommended specifications.  The truck drives great, tracks straight, and has no shimmy/shake/vibration/etc. evident in the front-end or steering wheel.

 

BUT.....

 

At around 60 mph (+/- 5 mph), there is a rumble/vibration felt.  I believe it is coming from the rear-end as a result of improper pinion angle.  I *think* I can even hear the slight rumble/roar more when I turn my ear towards the back of the truck.  When I was installing the kit, I noticed there were two thin shims installed under the leaf springs from the factory.  There was no mention in the instructions to remove them.  In fact, one of the photos in the instructions clearly shows these shims left in place, so I too left them in place.  I contacted ReadyLIFT about this issue and they "STRONGLY BELIEVE" (their words) I should remove those shims and that they are likely causing the vibration.  I asked why it wasn't mentioned in their instructions and they said they have not encountered this issue before.  They said the tapered blocks are supposed to correct it.  The factory shims basically negate the taper of the ReadyLIFT blocks and maybe that's the culprit?

 

I am going to remove the shims this weekend and see how it goes but I wanted to check here and see if others with lifted trucks have these factory shims installed above the blocks or not - a poll of sorts before I dive into disassembling it.

 

I checked the installation instructions for BDS, Zone, SuperLift, etc.  to compare.  SuperLift is the only one that specifically states to remove the factory shims.  They all appear to utilize flat blocks though.

 

See pic of shim:

 

 

I installed my bds lift myself and I have the shim facing the other way which brings the pinion angle up making the driveshaft angle straighter. Thicker side should be facing rear thinner towards the front.

[Eds240z06]

3 minutes ago, Eds240z06 said:

I installed my bds lift myself and I have the shim facing the other way which brings the pinion angle up making the driveshaft angle straighter. Thicker side should be facing rear thinner towards the front.

Sorry I take that back. I just looked at mine and the shim is position just like you have pictured. I’m going to take a look at my instructions just to double check but I put 9k on my lift already and don’t have any kind of vibration. 

[yankeedoodle86]

Sorry I take that back. I just looked at mine and the shim is position just like you have pictured. I’m going to take a look at my instructions just to double check but I put 9k on my lift already and don’t have any kind of vibration. 

How is the shin attached? The BDS instructions state to remove a block if there is one.

I also have the BDS 6” and never looked to see if mine are there. Y’all have me curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Eds240z06]

6 minutes ago, yankeedoodle86 said:

 

 

How is the shin attached? The BDS instructions state to remove a block if there is one.

I also have the BDS 6” and never looked to see if mine are there. Y’all have me curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Well shit!!! I feel like a dumbass!!! I just looked At the instructions and page 26 figure 4a clearly shows the thin part of the shim towards the front Which does bring the pinion up. So I was right in what I 1st mentioned. I installed mine backwards also. Back to to drawing board going to flip it around over the weekend. 
 

Glad you asked about this lappoolboy!! I’ve been driving around like this for 9k

[lapoolboy]

The shim is held in place by the leaf spring centering pin.  The pin has to be removed to slide the shim off and then the pin is reinstalled.  The Pro Comp instructions say "DO NOT remove the shim or adjust it's orientation".  The SuperLift instructions say to remove it completely.  Some kits have flat blocks and some have tapered blocks so it's hard to standardize what is correct here.

[lapoolboy]

56 minutes ago, Eds240z06 said:

the thin part of the shim towards the front

Mine has the thin part of the shims facing the rear of the truck.

[Eds240z06]

I’ve been doing more research. I watched a video on a fabtech 6” install and they have the tapered shim positioned thick part towards the front tapered end towards the rear. On the bds install guide it states to position the shim the same way from the factory which thinking back I marked it before removing so Now I know I put back the way it was removed. But the illustration they have figure 4a page 26 shows the opposite. Now I’m confused on what’s right or wrong. The illustration or their wording. I reached out to someone who had theirs professionally installed hopefully gets back me. Also I’m going to contact bds and see what they say.

[lapoolboy]

Yep....I know mine is installed the correct direction because I didn't remove them....my question is whether the things even need to be installed or not.  ReadyLift says remove them, SuperLift says remove them....everyone else says keep them in place.  

[Eds240z06]

11 minutes ago, lapoolboy said:

Yep....I know mine is installed the correct direction because I didn't remove them....my question is whether the things even need to be installed or not.  ReadyLift says remove them, SuperLift says remove them....everyone else says keep them in place.  

Not sure but looks like they should be removed. That shim negates the whole purpose of the tapered block they provide. Like you mentioned before bds does use a flat block so the shim is required

[lapoolboy]

I'll just snatch the damn things out and see what it does.

[Hotdogg]

IMO a leveling kit makes a world of difference and won’t affect the ride quality. Just got mine and tires today.