I'm wanting to make a long lasting dependable offroad and long distance rig out of my stock 1998 LS Blazer. She's got a rear locker recover hooks and a skid plate with 4 wheel drive. Trying to figure out what lift and how to fit off road tires under her. I'm thinking as small as 33's on the 15 inch rims and getting a spare carrier to carry one behind the gate. I'd rather avoid fender trimming if at all possible. I plan to get a brush guard and mount some lights to it and of course a winch. Anyone got some good ideas, I'd like to keep as much stock as possible(as in not having a solid front axle). I plan on trail, mud, highway, and just daily driving.

Would it be a good idea to just do a six inch lift, get some 33's, or not. If so how might I go about the six inch lift since I'm new at this. Some say 2 inch body and 4 inch suspension and some say the other way around.

 

https://blazerforum.com/forum/liftin...it-list-16186/

 

In my experience, if you're wanting a long lasting minimal problems rig, stay away from large IFS lifts. You can easily fit 31's just by installing taller shackles and turning the torsion bars a little, may need to do a little trimming to the front lower valance and hammer the pinch welds flat on the bottom rear of the fender, but even then you're going to be stressing out ball joints and the idler arm. A 2-3" body lift could get you the same result, I've just never liked the way the S-series look with a body lift... they show too much frame stock as it is... Stock height and 29.5's or 30's would be ideal. Keeping the stock suspension geometry will keep components from failing prematurely.

If time and money allow, a SAS is the way to go. Lift amount is entirely up to you; you can lift only enough to fit 33's, or you can lift enough to stuff 37's.

 

I am of much the same mind, and perhaps a bit more conservative, as you with regard to doing a suspension lift. My goal was to have a couple more inches for peace of mind when I'm off pavement.

My solution was to install longer shackles, do a torsion bar lift, and install the upper control arms from the Rough Country 2.5" lift kit. I did not install any body lift. I did not want to modify the front axle as it looked like a hassle and I have an aversion to doing too many non-bolt-on modifications. I went with the RC control arms because of the better geometry for the ball joints along with them being the same as those used on 1/2 ton Chevy trucks.

When it came to tires the guys at the tire-store test fit 31x10.5R15's but they hit the frame rails when the steering wheel was at full lock. I then went with 30x9.5R15's that had no fitment issues. From what I read the 31's require some trimming and easing of the fender wells to fit.

With the mods and parts, the tire-shop was able to get the alignment within spec.

As for spare tires, I've thought about doing the rear tailgate mount but I'm pretty much burned out on truck mods and repairs at the moment. A 30x9.5R15 cannot fit under the bumper as a spare like the stock/OE tire can.

If you have not done so already, do the lower intake manifold gasket upgrade. After I learned how they can fail catastrophically, I did mine a few weeks ago at about 135,000 miles. The gaskets to use are the Felpro ones with the metal carrier.

Finally, if you did not know to look for it, my truck does not looks lifted. However, next to a stock Blazer it is easy to tell.

Christine

 

So say I went with the 6 inch supperlift lift kit and did some trimming. By how much would I be sacrificing the integrity of my Blazer? And would it be better to just find a way to space the wheels out further to avoid the rubbing?

 

Are you worried about the resale value of your Blazer? My guess would be that anything you do that cannot be undone could represent a risk of lowering the value of it. Cutting sheet metal would definitely qualify.

 

No I'm not worried about resale value. By time I plan to be done with the Blazer she'll be old enough that you can find microwaves more expensive. I was reading over of the other threads Newguy that said 7-8 inch suspension lift and a 2 inch body lift cleared them fine. But wondered if it would be possible to use wheel spacers and a 6 inch suspension and a 2 inch body. As far as wheel spacers were concerned a saw one guy (Fred from dirt every day) use dually hubs to clear a set of 54 inch tires turning wise but still had to cut a bit. I'm not sure but for this little Blazer I think dually hubs may be a little over the top. But what ever works.

 

If resale value is not an issue, then you should do whatever you want that you have learned from others will work.

In my research for my very mild suspension lift, I noticed that some modifications can result in the routine replacement of certain parts; e.g. ball joints, CV axles. You might want to keep that in mind as you plan your modifications.

A modification I still might do is the upgrade to installing a 1 ton Chevy truck idler arm as even in the stock configuration, these can wear out. I installed a Moog one and hope it will last but we'll see. 1 Ton Idler Arm Bracket for Chevrolet S-10

This website also has lots of other good information about mods for Blazers. Ultimate S-10 Build