1999 4dr 4wd 2" lift experience
#1
12-28-2016, 11:34 AM
1999 4dr 4wd 2" lift experience
Hi all,
Thought I'd share my experience installing a 2" lift on my 1999 Blazer, 4 door, 4WD.
My goal was to give myself a bit more peace of mind when back in the hills by adding a modest lift to the suspension. The basics were that I used new rear shackles, a torsion bar lift, new upper control arms, and new tires. I also replaced the lower ball joints while I was at it and replaced a worn front hub.
I considered the Rough Country 2.5" lift kit but I did not want to modify the front axle. I did however did want to use new upper control arms that would have a better angle for the ball joints when the truck was lifted.
Of the upper control arms available, I chose the Rough Country ones as their instructions did not indicate the need to relocate the upper mounting point for the front shocks. They come with ball joints installed (MOOG K6540) that are used on the GM 1500 series trucks from the early 2000's.
Putting aside the hassles with rusty bolts, messy old ball joints, etc. The install of everything was straight forward.
There was some question as to what size tire I could run. The conventional wisdom was that 31x10.5R15s could be used. The guys at the local tire store were kind enough to test fit those for me and I found that with those I would loose some turning radius by the tires rubbing the frame when at full ****. So I went with the 30x9.5R15s. Still an upgrade at the cost of 1/2" of extra height.
The shop was able to get the alignment just about on spec which was nice. I even had one of the young guys in the shop inquire of me about what I had done since he was looking to do the same with the Rough Country parts.
The Rough Country full 2.5" kit also comes with rear sway bar relocation brackets. I decided to buy these separately as I thought they could be useful. I test fit them but found that the relocation of the sway bar (for my 2" lift at least) made it impossible to re-install the spare tire under the rear bumper. (I'll be posting these for sale on eBay soon.) As such I reinstalled the rear sway bar using the stock hardware.
If anyone finds this post in their searches, I hope they find it useful.
Christine
Thought I'd share my experience installing a 2" lift on my 1999 Blazer, 4 door, 4WD.
My goal was to give myself a bit more peace of mind when back in the hills by adding a modest lift to the suspension. The basics were that I used new rear shackles, a torsion bar lift, new upper control arms, and new tires. I also replaced the lower ball joints while I was at it and replaced a worn front hub.
I considered the Rough Country 2.5" lift kit but I did not want to modify the front axle. I did however did want to use new upper control arms that would have a better angle for the ball joints when the truck was lifted.
Of the upper control arms available, I chose the Rough Country ones as their instructions did not indicate the need to relocate the upper mounting point for the front shocks. They come with ball joints installed (MOOG K6540) that are used on the GM 1500 series trucks from the early 2000's.
Putting aside the hassles with rusty bolts, messy old ball joints, etc. The install of everything was straight forward.
There was some question as to what size tire I could run. The conventional wisdom was that 31x10.5R15s could be used. The guys at the local tire store were kind enough to test fit those for me and I found that with those I would loose some turning radius by the tires rubbing the frame when at full ****. So I went with the 30x9.5R15s. Still an upgrade at the cost of 1/2" of extra height.
The shop was able to get the alignment just about on spec which was nice. I even had one of the young guys in the shop inquire of me about what I had done since he was looking to do the same with the Rough Country parts.
The Rough Country full 2.5" kit also comes with rear sway bar relocation brackets. I decided to buy these separately as I thought they could be useful. I test fit them but found that the relocation of the sway bar (for my 2" lift at least) made it impossible to re-install the spare tire under the rear bumper. (I'll be posting these for sale on eBay soon.) As such I reinstalled the rear sway bar using the stock hardware.
If anyone finds this post in their searches, I hope they find it useful.
Christine
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