Please Help With A Lift Kit Selection

Justardnck · July 3, 2008

I have been reading old topics from the search feature and I'm just about blind from them and I'm even more confused now then when I started.

I have a 2003 2500HD 4x4 long bed extended cab with 4:10 gears and a 6.0L gas guzzler. I bought this truck new and swore up and down I'd never lift it but now the time has come where I need wider tires, when I travel to my hunt camp the sugar sand is over 12" deep and swallow my 265/75/16s whole. I do need to travel through a few mud holes that others have rutted up pretty well too so it's beneficial to get more ground clearance as well. Knowing this you guys need to know that I have no intentions of playing in the mud with this truck and this need is just so I can make it through without needing to be towed through by my buddies Dodge (how embarrassing).

I would prefer to NOT cut any plastics or bumpers if I can get away with it and I really didn't want to put a suspension lift that required the brackets. My local shop says I can put the keys and 2" blocks in the rear and that will allow me 305s but I will have to cut the bumper and the inside fender wells. They also said a 6" lift will allow me 33s clean with no cutting or 35s while cutting the bumper.

Does anybody have a better solution than this? I really didn't want to take the suspension apart and add brackets.

Here are some pics of the truck

Justardnck · July 3, 2008

Oh I almost forgot, I park in a garage with an 8' tall door. Can anybody tell me if I'll still be able to fit in the garage? If the 6" lift with 35s will be too high I will not buy it.

Griffin86 · July 3, 2008

Oh I almost forgot, I park in a garage with an 8' tall door. Can anybody tell me if I'll still be able to fit in the garage? If the 6" lift with 35s will be too high I will not buy it.

Your truck will sit 7.7" higher, how tall is your truck right now? Im going to guess it will.

The Pro Comp website says you can run 35x12.50 with their 6" lift.

obfirefighter22 · July 3, 2008

Hey, if i could be able to post my pictures of my truck id show some pictures of the cutting away of the plastic on mine and its doesnt look bad, the only way you could tell is if i pointed it out. If you have your 4 wheel parts mechanics do this, they have done it plenty of times and make it look as if it rolled off the asembly line like that.

Now i was kinda in the same boat you were.. i wanted a truck that would sit alittle higher but not look like i was trying to be a monster truck.. i went with the procomp 6 inch and have 35's, granted i have a 1/2 ton. My truck fits in my garage with some room to play.

Sounds like the people youve talked to were right though, the keys and the blocks or mayby a body lift will help. With a body lift its self your not going to be raising your ground clearance any, but your giving your wheel wells enough space to add the bigger tires which in return will give you the little extra ground clearance. In my opinion theres nothing wrong with the body lift as long as you get the gap guards along with lifting the bumpers as well...you have a newer truck and you would look cheap if you didnt.

I wanted alittle more than say a 3 inch, so i thought about a 4 inch.. but as you might have seen on here, the 4 inch cost about the same if not more than a 6 inch and youd have to change the stock rims on the 4 inch anyways.. so i went ahead and got the 6 inch and love it. I was afraid of it being to high for what i was wanting, but it turned out to be just what i was wanting.

Now with your truck, if you wanted to go with the 6 inch and not cut the plastic... id raise the torsion bars once its done and that might take care of the not cutting the plastic but im not sure considering you have a 2500... To me it looks like your trucks wheel well wouldnt need any more clearance with the 35's and there would be no need in cutting. Id also stick with the procomp lift kits, in my personal opinion i like my tires not to stick out from the side of my truck, and procomp lift are made to where your tires sit in the same spot as your originals do(meaning not sticking 3 inches out from the side of your truck) Do some looking on cardomain.com and look at trucks like yours with a 6 inch to get an idea of what your truck will look like, and the people usually say what lift kits they have along with all other mods.

Justardnck · July 3, 2008

I just talked to the local shop where I was about to pull the trigger in the 6" lift right up to the point where he told me about cutting and welding the frame. That was all it took for me, there is no way I'm gonna do that. I'm planning the keys and rear block kit so I can put 33s on it and that's it. At least I can replace the bumper from cutting it if I need to return the truck to stock but once the frame is cut there is no turning back.

onac255 · July 3, 2008

Look around some more there are lifts that do not require cutting or welding.

BigJayDogg3 · July 3, 2008

I just talked to the local shop where I was about to pull the trigger in the 6" lift right up to the point where he told me about cutting and welding the frame. That was all it took for me, there is no way I'm gonna do that. I'm planning the keys and rear block kit so I can put 33s on it and that's it. At least I can replace the bumper from cutting it if I need to return the truck to stock but once the frame is cut there is no turning back.

Doing that would put added stress on the CVs etc. etc. I would say keep looking and pay the extra coin to have it done right.