Lift! Doin It Yourself? Yes/ No

[kyle 716]

So i bought my 08 gmc crew cab bla bla. I had it for about 2 weeks and im lookin to slap a 6" BDS lift w/ 35" 's. Im from jersey and there is a place called OK four wheel drive, all they do is lift trucks, well i got a quote for wheels tires and the lift $5300.00. Now my buddy did his lift himself and said never again, but labor is $1200 for this place. So just wondering if anyone has done it themselves and if so how they made out, any problems? or do i just give it to them not deal with the headache and be done with it? thanks for looking guys.

[Griffin86]

So i bought my 08 gmc crew cab bla bla. I had it for about 2 weeks and im lookin to slap a 6" BDS lift w/ 35" 's. Im from jersey and there is a place called OK four wheel drive, all they do is lift trucks, well i got a quote for wheels tires and the lift $5300.00. Now my buddy did his lift himself and said never again, but labor is $1200 for this place. So just wondering if anyone has done it themselves and if so how they made out, any problems? or do i just give it to them not deal with the headache and be done with it? thanks for looking guys.

 

Here is a thread about BDS

[Draenor]

If you have the skill level, tools, good jack, stands, and a buddy who likes beer; you should be able to do the lift in a weekend. Just go slow, double check your self, and all should be fine. I'm not sure about the BDS kit, but some lifts do require cutting or welding onto the truck.

[Wingnut]

I'd do it myself...But I've got a lot of tools and a big garage. Depending on the methods used in the kit, they can be a real bear.

[silverbullet2005]

You have to cut the front crossmember bracket at the frame using a cut off wheel or sawlzall(recommended tool of choice) the kit includes a flat piece of steel to weld in but I called BDS and they said it's not required unless you plan on jumping the dunes or doing heavy duty off roading. The only other "special tools" needed are 3/8" and 1/2" torque wrenches, 35mm axle nut socket, tall jack and tall jack stands. I used the craftsman 2 1/2 ton jack and stands kit and the stands weren't tall enough so I borrowed a set of the snap-on stands to use for the weekend. oh and a strut spring compressor unless you do what I did and just remove the struts and take them to a dealer or pepboys to get the springs and mounts transferred over to the new longer BDS struts. everthing else just requires everyday hand tools. $1200 is way to much to install the lift, you shouldn't pay anymore than $800 to have it installed including the alignment!!!

[Zembonez]

I agree with the others here. If you have the tools, skill, and space, I say do it yourself.

 

Think how cool it will be to tell your buds that you did it yourself. ANYBODY can have it done...

[Vmax225]

I say do it yourself, unless you dont like busted knuckles and headaches. I personally would make a weekend out of it than paying $1200....that's really steep. Plus, silverbullet posted up an awesome write up with pictures.