Hey guys i have a 95 4 door blazer and I'm interested in lifting it. I'm not the biggest car whiz so i was looking for some advice. (just a heads up a do have a limited budget)
Anyone have any good starting points let me know

 

I figure your just starting out and I'll say welcome to the forum. I'm going to assume you have a 4wd since you are asking about lifting. If you have a 2wd just say so and I'll give you advice about lifting that. Otherwise, the following pertains to a 4wd.

I know it sounds stupid but cruzing the forum will give you any and all the information that I could give you. So I won't go into a 400 page novel about the ways to lift a 95 blazer and the risks, benifits, and cost and labor involved. There is a thread at the top of the lifted section of the forum that is called "lift kit list."
This will give you all the options you have for a lift. But I will tell you the only way you can get 3 inches only is with a body lift from a 1st gen (94 and older) s10 blazer.

You will have to make or have someone make your bumper brackets to raise the bumpers back level with the body after the lift. Other than that the kit's instructions are pretty much identical. Except for the fact that most of the 1st gen parts are connected with metal linkages (such as the throttle body linkage and the 4x4 shifter), and as such has the be extended. With the later years they are all made by wire with electrical connections so you will have to watch your wires when you lift it.

Most people do a body lift and what is called "cranking" the torsion bars and shackles. The torsion bars are the long bars that run from the A arms to a crossmember the connects the frame from side to side. There are "keys" in this crossmember that the bar fits in. This key sits on a block with a bolt through it. Turning the bolt right lifts the vehicle and turning it left lowers the vehicle. This feature was built into the trucks to allow adjustment if the torsion bars sag to lift the vehicle back up. So that is why you should'nt try to lift more than 1.5 inches with this method.

Shackles are simply the metal piece that connects the leaf springs to the frame of the vehicle. You can buy longer shackles that will lower the leafspring, raising the vehicle. Since it only affects one end of the leaf spring, it will lift half of it's lenth. So if you get a shackle that is 3 inches longer than stock, it will raise the vehicle 1.5 inches. Most companies will advertise the lift that their shackles will lift, so just keep in mind they will be twice as long as the lift they provide.

For more info on the torsion bars, thier is another thread that is titled "Torsion bar tweak" or something to that effect. I know it's alot to take in but like I said just browse around and soak in the information that's avialible here. That's what I did for a few monthes before I started my project and I was able to better asses what was better for my needs and ask for more precise assistance from the other forum members.

Agian welcome to the forum!

 

Thanks,
I'm going to start toying around with the Torsion bar tomorrow hopefully going to gain about an inch from that. I'm not the original owner and whoever had it before me soften the front suspension so that driving around the cities would be smoother. So I'm working to correct that mistake. If i can get 2-3 inches and fix up some of the parts I'll be a happy man. Pictures up tomorrow.

 

Sounds good.

 

With the torsion bar, the tutorial only talks about tightening the driver side bolt. My question is what about the passenger side bolt? won't it be lopsided if i only tighten one?

 

I was also wondering about the differences in all the components when you lift it. I have read online and some sources say that lifting it can cause the fan and the radiator to no longer line up. Also i read that the steering column may not accommodate the lift? and then all the general cables and wires not have the length to lift. Any input you can give will be helpful because me and a friend are planning on lifting the truck in his driveway and any tips will be priceless

 

Alright, I'll tackle this in order.
The torsion bars, yeah the right lifts the right and the left lifts the left.

If you do a body lift you will have to trim the radiator fan shroud or the fan blades will hit it. The radiator thing seems to vary. Mine is fine, but most people don't have to relocate thiers. It will just be at a slight angle. Just make sure your radiator hoses are nice and tight afterwards.

Depending on what year blazer you have you will have either a one piece or two piece steering shaft. The one piece shafts you have to raise the steering shaft up a little on the firewall and bolt it back to the firewall. But my 92 had a two piece and most people have newer blazers than me. So I figure yours will have the same. It will just expand in leanth with the lift.

The wires, yes keep an eye on them but I didn't have any problems on mine. The only "wires" I had to mess with was the body to frame ground. It is a bare braided wire bolted to the frame on the bottom towards the rear tires. I just bolted it to the top of the frame. If you search s10 blazer body lift directions. You should find a PDF link of the actual lift instructions. Just read through it a couple times to get familiar with the steps.

Also spray your body mount bolts with a penetrating oil for a day or two before you lift it, makes removal easier and less chance of breaking them trying to remove them.

 

I did mess with the torsion bars and got an inch lift on the front end. I want to do some suspension work and was seeing about buying all the pieces separately instead of getting a kit.
I was looking at Torsion Keys to get the 2 inches in the front:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...=STRK:MEWAX:IT
anyone have some input on good keys to buy, and if these are a good deal?

 

Those keys along with any aftermarket keys will just allow you to adjust more than the stock keys. Which isn't good at all. Makes alignment VERY hard to get or retain. Just stick with your stock keys and save the money and headache.

 

But what do i do to the front if i put shackles in the back?.....all of the kits come with bigger keys