BDS 5" Envoy lift
 

O.K. everyone, i have been sitting on this BDS lift scence Xmas, and the weather is finally starting to get above 40 deg. to do this, OK so there is the scoop i purchaced this lift as a Xmas gift,with 33" procomp mud terrans, i slowly been picking up replacement parts along the way etc.. tie rod ends, upper/lower balljoints,axle shims, oil cooler lines,sway bar links and anything else i can think of that i can replace that is along the way...
So i got off work a little early and took friday(tomarrow) off and Monday off,just so i will have enough time to get this complete, so 3hrs into it i have removed the rear axle, now keep inmind im all alone, so thing may get kinda slow, im suppost to have a co-worker show up tomarrow, after he gets off work to help we will see about that...
im mostly doing this because even though the instruction manual is good,
the pics for the front end where the cutting and removal is kind of weak, so i will document this in detail, hopfully better than the instructions...
here are a couple pics from the cell phone, my digital camera is acting weird, so if the resolution sucks, i will use my wifes camera in the future..
enjoy All

Cant wait to see it when its done....

yeah, your absolutely right on the pics for the front end work in the manual...i looked it over several times before i made any cuts.

ok stopped working at 7:30pm, a couple things to note: first after removing the spring center pin, i installed the new pin head side down
installed some shims and tighten all down, the new top plate did not have a center hole large enough for the center pin nut to fit through, so out came the Dremel and opened up the hole... the rear is not in place yet, its to heavy to lift and i dont want to damage the backing plates dragging it across the garage floor, space is tight, one car garage...

in the morning i will start removing the T-bars and front end, that should be a piece of cake....
later Robert

Gio, yea same here, i have been drooling over this scence Xmas, My wife thinks im the biggest redneck in the world, Haha ..... yep..

So this means I will be seeing you on Tuesday correct?? If you need it aligned let me know and I will go down to the Porsche shop with you and get it taken care of.

thanks Rex, will try my darnest to be completly done by tuesday,and will definatly stop by... im just wondering can all 4, 33" tires fit inside the jimmy, or maybe even on top?? to have them installed,just incase your wondering

Yeah I fit 3 31s with the back seat up in mine so I think with the seat down you could fit it. They can also mount and balance your tires for you they charge $20-25 a piece I think ill ask them tomorrow!

that would be excellent, that way someone with real knowledge, can align the front, and install the tires

yeah...four 33's will fit inside :D

https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1363350856

Now that's some concrete proof that they will fit lol!!!

I fit 4 31s on the back of my truck with out folding the seat down. I can prob fit 4 33s with the seat down.

oh man thats the best!!! im sitting here lmao, I started this morning at 10am, had to let everyone wake up and not make the neighbors unhappy..
so i was able to remove the T-bars and its crossmember, removed the pass. side lower control arm/cv knuckle assy. the upper pass side a arm
one of the alignment bolts are frozen,will need to cut it out and replace, in the drivers side, also of all things the 13mm bolt that holds the brke line and abs line is stripped... i will gets some pics and post here shortly.
thanks for the smiles

Hey....speaking of alignment / camber bolts. Do yourself a favor now. Get two pairs of moog camber bolts K6367..like 30.00 for a pair. And double nut them or have someone tack weld that bolt. Those 33's are gonna walk that alignment right out....trust me. Then your new tires wont look so hot...i learned the hard way.

I ended up welding some of the lift brackets in because of them moving slightly and messing with my alignment. I didn't have an issue with the camber bolts, but i bent a few upper control arms over the years(shoulda bought tube upper arms)

In for updates.

FYI, 5-33's fit in the back of a 2 door :D

3 35s fit in a 4 door.

holy smoke you all are awesome, im worrying about them tires all for nothing....
Ok,day 2: started at 10am as stated earlier, stopped at 7pm, my son gave me a hand moving the rear axle into position and getting it secure, yea one headache down, the rear is so low to the ground i hope the E-brake cables reach,we will see..
My co-worker Greg did show up and what a help, he is a artist with a saws all, he made all the cuts for the crossmembers, in the a-arm pockets
and i was impressed, first one took several relief cuts, but the second side
was done in no time..
all the steering components are the same ol same ol, as far as removing and all so i wont go into all that, so all the cuts are made and rear crossmember fits great,then the rear upper drop brackets, no problems.
here are some pics of the important stuff... my back hurts, and im dirty,beer time, enjoy all..
Robert

I removed my ebrake cables. You can make them work but mine were shot anyways. You will need to let alot of the tension out of them to keep them. Lookin good so far.

sadly it wont pass inspection if you do that here :icon_sad:

Looking good man!! I can't wait to see this thing! I wish I had the time I would swing by and give you a hand I'd love to get in on this. I guess I'll contribute where I can with the hookup on the alignment and tires if you need it!

Rex, the hookup is totally awesome contribution,and you are saving me some $$$, so thanks very much...

No problem at all!

yea the inspection is important to consider, i will check in on lenthing the
cables by unloosting the adjusters, i just hope they are not frozen up,
if that doent pan out i will try to remove some of the cable guides and get more slack that way, i wonder if ZR2 e brake cables are longer?? lastly there may be some company out there that makes custom cables, im only
guessing,because all the custom street rod guys they still need cables right??

ok starting to searh around and found this place https://madisonpowersystems.com they make custom cables for whatever need ...

Are you finished yet?????

not yet,i had a very productive day tho... 3 time to the store to pick up
hardware, yea!! a little rain, and some good ol frustration.. give me a couple minutes and i will get a proper post up

Well hurry up I'm impatient lol!!!

Day 3, started around 9am, F*** the neighbors,its Saturday get over it..
had some rain in the AM hours so that slowed me down trying to decide what stays out side and what stayed in, but the weather did finally co-operate, and was nice out, so i started by installing the front drop brackets, and the lower front crossmember, Greg my friend from work arrived then we got really cooking... he cut the front diff mounting tab off
and then started to reassemble, installed the new bracket on the front diff, the drop bracket for the pass.side of the diff. then the diff its self, belive it or not all went rather well, will not need to cut the exhaust to clear the drive shaft thats a plus, the upper A arm was a little tight to get in, but the lower control arm/cv assy. went in like butter, had to trim a little here and there, but no biggy, i do still need to finish up on the front..
the hardware packs are OK but not great, i went to the store 3 time because of shortages, not cool for the cost of the lift, only reassemble the brakes, route the lines and a bolt that needs install, the rear axle is, well not 100% done, the parking brake cables wont reach,and i think the rear is too high, i may remove the lift shackles for stocks ones, we will see.
I do still need to tidy up the rear brake lines and such, and install the rear shocks, and on a side note, if you install a ZR2 rear you wont need wheel spacers, so here are a few more pics of the days progress, it should be finished on Sunday, then i will tinker with it untill im 100% satisfied

here is some more

Looks like some nice progress!! I am so anxious to see this thing done! I saw an exploder with a 5-6" lift at bjs today and all I could think about was you slaving away getting yours installed lol!!

Rex, well ill tell you what, after doing this lift, i dont even want to think about ever doing it again, every bone in my body is sore, but im getting pretty good at laying on my back, but i still dont think $1000 bucks to have Trick trucks do is worh it, thats what they quoted me + any additional parts

Yeah I wouldn't pay that either plus now you get the satisfaction to say "yup I did that bit**es!!""

ok so the upper A arms that get cut is really no big deal, what happens is that, the rear upper A arm pocket needs to look like the front one, just a pocket with all the bump stop stuff removed, and there is a angle cut to clear the drop bracket, the pics just dont quit show what is happening, the real kicker is the front differential, the drivers side tie rod assy. comes real close to where the mount was cut off, i will have to watch that very closly for any contact

Can't wait to see this all done

No updates today what's up with that Robert!!

Pics....pics.....pics!!!!! The crowds want pics!!!

calm down, jee wiz, what am i, a photographer... LOL, ok so here is todays scoop,ready...... started around 11am, finished buttoning up the front end and double checking every thing,found that the front diff skid plate does not come close to fitting, i started to cut to modify it but no go, will call BDS on that.. the ZR2 rear axle gave me a bit of problems,
and still not sure if the axle is actually any good, found it on craigslist in N.C. , dude sayed it was ok, so i will see.. the rear yoke bolt holes were all rusted up, could not get a bolt to thread, made my own thread chaser from an old yoke strap bolt,cut a groove in the side with a dremel, to look like a self tapping screw, then found that the yoke has a different bolt hole spacing than a 7.6" rear, found some u-joint straps at the auto parts store and took care of that issue, i may need a different u joint, i will find out when i drive the truck..
the rear is all secured, shocks, brake lines etc.. so all i need to do to finish is install the front sway bar, check the streering sweep, make sure nothing is binding, and go for a test drive.. all that will happen on Monday,
then i will go and hook up with Rexmburns, he has a guy a couple doors down from wher he works that will mount the 33" tires and Align the front end..
i will post some pic in the day light asap so be a little patient, cross you fingers for me,the helper i had for a few day sayed "wow you really know how to f**k up a perfectly good looking vehicle" and i just hope he is really wrong, or im really f**ked, so i will get the pics..
Robert

Here's a couple pics of it on the alignment table getting the tires mounted!
https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1363623598
https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1363623598
https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1363623598

thats exactly what i say when people ask..dont see many lifted blazers so it catches theire eye.

as for the bds diff skid plate i had the same issue. just used a longer bolt and let it hang down a little. now for what little offroad my asphalt baby see its fine. but if i ever back into anything that will catch it she is a goner.


good work by the way....nothing better then standing back and seeing your own handy work.
:icon_vp:

And finished!!

Here's some shots next to my truck for height comparison.
https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1363633006
https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1363633006