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Cheap Lift???

busta

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busta Enthusiast

busta

Posted
Posted

I've got a 2000 GMC Sierra 4x4 stock...what is the best/lowest price thing i can do to it to get it lifted...i dont really want to do a body lift i wouyld rather go suspension...i only want to got 3-4" or so...i have thought about cranking up my torsion bars to make it sit level but i am thinking i might want to go more...any suggestions

facn8me Senior Enthusiast

facn8me

Posted
Posted

Due to the design of IFS there is no thing as a cheap lift. Body lift is the cheapest. Suspension lifts are $1k+ no way around it. I searched myself. Of course you could add blocks and keys.

  • 4 months later...
SandShots Enthusiast

SandShots

Posted
Posted

some of the most expensive ones are the ones that the shops charge alot of labor to install like liftkits. 3" lift kit would be the cheapest, you can install it at home with the right tools and strong friends. it doesnt require mods like suspension lifts do. wich are in the driveshaft,pinion angle, spindles,springs,blocks,and alignment. i dont know if body roll would take a part in this, i guess it depends on how you drive or tow.

 

the most expensive will be tires and wheels. personally i would save up and go with a suspension lift.

  • 3 weeks later...
timskfx400 Enthusiast

timskfx400

Posted
Posted

tires and wheels are going to kill you if you decide to upgrade them...20" wheels and tires..expect to pay atleast 2.5k for some decent ones.

 

i want an 8" lift on some 35s. i think itd hold me over for a little bit haha

  • 4 months later...
95Sierra2500 Senior Enthusiast

95Sierra2500

Posted
Posted
I am not sure how it is done but i was told that you can use hockeypucks instead of going out and buying an expensive lift kit

 

 

 

 

You drill holes in the hockey pucks the size of the bolts and put them between the body mounts and the frame...of course, you need longer bolts too. It's esentially all body lifts are.

GMSea97 Enthusiast

GMSea97

Posted
Posted

i run a bronco 2 in the local mud races and i used a hockey puck to lift the front end. It went between the coil spring and the front axle housing. I guess you could do something like that on a two wheel drive gm with coil springs but gm 4x4 are all torsion bars now.

chevy z71 Enthusiast

chevy z71

Posted
Posted

if you go to cunuck motorsports they have a aftermarket torsionbar keys that are adj. 1-3" and shackles for the rear that are 1.75". that and a 3" body lift would give you max. 6" in the front and 4.75" in the rear. I have done it and i can run 35"but i run 33" and i didn't max the lift out.

  • 5 months later...
bradleyr001 Enthusiast

bradleyr001

Posted
Posted
I am not sure how it is done but i was told that you can use hockeypucks instead of going out and buying an expensive lift kit

 

 

 

 

You drill holes in the hockey pucks the size of the bolts and put them between the body mounts and the frame...of course, you need longer bolts too. It's esentially all body lifts are.

 

Finally a good use for hockey pucks!

Shawn T Enthusiast

Shawn T

Posted
Posted

If you try to go cheap, it will look cheap. My neighbor tried to level his 06 HD with different keys. It looks and rides like s^%t. It changed the geometry on the front controls arms so much that now the front track is actually narrower. It looks like the tires are sucked too far into the fenders. He is talking about going back to the original keys and getting a spindle lift for the front and blocks for the rear. I have also heard scare stories about spindle lifts. If you plan on using 4wd alot, it tends to stress the CV joints alot more. I would go with a body lift or suspension lift. I have helped install supsension lifts on newer GM trucks and it is very involved. You definately have to have the Castor/Cambor and alignment professionally adjusted afterwards and it helps to have a hoist and a few floor jacks. Don't get me wrong, it is doable for a moderate handyman. IFS trucks are a pain to modify. BTW, it would be impossible to get 3" out of a torsion bar crank and not make it ride like a tank. Besides, that is probably half of your downward travel and more travel than your factory shocks can handle. A 3" lift make alot of difference.

Canuck2500hd Enthusiast

Canuck2500hd

Posted
Posted

 

Finally a good use for hockey pucks!

 

 

Us from the Great White North might contrive that statement to be offensive. :crackup:

 

Cheap lift = expensive repairs.

 

Spend the money on a quality suspension lift.

I had green keys and blocks on my HD and ended up paying for it in the end. Hindsight is 20/20.

 

Chris.

thecraft Senior Enthusiast

thecraft

Posted
Posted

There's no such thing a cheap, quality suspension lift. If you want a cheap suspension lift, then you'll just have to settle for a body lift.

  • 2 weeks later...
naterasmussen Enthusiast

naterasmussen

Posted
Posted

I was stupid enough to try to go cheap with the lift - I bought a 6" trailmaster kit. Had to stretch the front shocks to maximum just so the 35" tires wouldn't rub the fenders. (6" lift is supposed to fit 35's with trimming the plastic underneath the fender) It was supposed to be bolt-on, but ended up cutting and welding anyway. It was a nightmare I don't wish on anybody. Body lifts are just bad, bad, bad! Going to just have to save a few, and wait for tires and rims later

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