Considering a spindle lift

[Yardstick]

I'm looking at spindle lifts for my new to me '01 Silverado 2wd. It came with 235/75-16 tires and no lift. Compared to my old truck (1975 Chevy 1/2 ton with 265/75-16 tires) this one seems really low. The bumper leaves very little clearance for anything I might encounter in even light off-roading. The spindle lift and slightly larger tires seems like the best option for gaining some clearance. So what would a 3" spindle lift look like with no blocks in the rear? Too nose up? Level? Has anyone noticed any significant effects on fuel economy after a small lift/leveling? I can imagine I'd take a hit moving up to 265-ish width tires, but re-gearing to 3.73 or so should compensate a bit, right? What else do I need to look out for with this type of lift?

[Yardstick]

I checked last night and it is already geared 3.73:1! Should I be thinking about 4.10's to compensate for moving up to a 265 series tire or will the 3.73's be okay with the 4.8L engine? Can the speedo/odo be corrected for that much size difference? Anybody?

[s-ten]

3.73 gears will be fine for a 265 series tire, many of the 4WD truck come stock with 265 tires and 3.73 gears. The speedometer would be able to be corrected for that tire change as well.

 

Here is a link to a guy that put a 3" fabtech spindle lift on his '07 2WD.

 

2WD spindle lift

[Yardstick]

Perusing E-bay I found this kit: Link

 

Being fabricated instead of cast spindles sounds cool. I haven't been able to find where anyone has used these though.

 

Edit to add: Apparently the sindles are made by Doetsch Tech and have a decent reputation. Tempting kit for the price...

[Yardstick]

I found some used 3" cast spindles (no idea what brand) and some '06 alloy Tahoe wheels with 265/70R17 tires. Will these parts play nice together? I'm hoping, but it looks like those wheels are really wide with a lot of backspacing. Is there any way to identify what brand spindles I got?

 

Next question... Where's a good place to get 2" blocks? I've been posting a few wanted ads around, but not many people go looking for those types of ad. Is a 2" block from a Z71 or 4x4 Sierra/Silverado angled at all? I've found some angled cast iron blocks on e-bay and other places. I have no idea if angled or straight are better. What do I need to get? I do want to keep it slightly nose-down (thus 2" instead of 1" or 1.5") since I haul dirtbikes and camping gear a lot.