I don't know where to put the extended rod that came with the performance accessories lift kit on the linkage for the automatic transmission. The directions say...."Scibe a line along the shift rod in a place where the shift rod goes straight up and down in the vehical(usally towards the top) Cut through the scribed line. Place the extension pin between and weld" There isnt a place where it goes straight up and down on the rod. Its mostly diagonal..

Does anyone have/can take a picture of the shift linkage with a body lift?

I would really like to see a picture of how it should be before i chop up the linkage..
Thanks...

 

Remember me Tony? You just now getting around to doing the lift? lol
Glad you decided to go for it.

There is a place towards I believe the bottom of mine that we just welded the extension to and then put it in the connector on the transmission. It's 10:15pm here. But I'll try and get a picture. Hold on

These pics arnt the best, I'll try and get some better ones tomarrow
First one the light is on the weld, we just welded it to the bottom of the linkage.


Second one shows the round clamp that you insert the end into on the transmission


Third shows the weld in piece that we welded on the bottom, and the rest of the linkage going up into the engine bay.


Sorry, only light I could find is my green LED light. It's a light that clips on your ear like a bluetooth thing. So if it looks like night vision thats why. Like I said I'll try to get some better pics tomarrow when it's light out.

 

Ya haha, My 87 blazer(the truck I was going to put the lift in was waaaay too rotted so I’m selling it for parts) So I had to find another blazer.. I was really picky. Had to be 2dr. 4.3, And the biggest thing was NOT TOO RUSTY!! lol So I got it about 2weeks ago.. Its an 88' blazer. Its so much nicer to work with. Hardly any rust!! It came with a msd ignition, K@N Intake, slotted and dimpled rotors, Flowmaster, all the windows are tinted, a system, and the guy kept all the receipts. It was taken care of.
I just put the lift in last Sunday and I finished the odds and ends today. I just have to weld the linkage.
Ok, so you welded it in at the bottom by the round clamp.. Cause the round stock that they supplied only matched the bottom where the round clamp is located. The directions say its welded towards the top that’s why I was confused. Cause I was thinking, if you put the extension where that clamp is it'll push it forward instead of up. But I guess it works lol If you're able to get better pics tomorrow that'll be great. I appreciate you taking pics tonight. Thanks for your help.

 

No problem bud. That's what the forum is all about is people helping people.

I just want to know where you found a 88 with "hardly any rust"?! The best i found in my area is a 92 that had EVERYTHING stock including the tires. And it still had bondo on the bottom passenger rear from rust, had to bondo the passenger wheel well cause of surface rust, both rockers had a hole in them in the back, and now the passenger front fender behind the tire is rotting away. BTW talking about my truck, lol

Yeah man, I'll tell ya this, when you lift it and take it out. You'll get alot of attention because not many people have seen a first gen thats not a rust bucket. And even less have seen them lifted or anything. Most 1st gen trucks around here are in such bad shape they look like they should have "FARM USE" sprayed on the sides, LMFAO!

But yeah, we welded it at the bottom unless my mind has just finally started melting down on me. Mine was straight on the bottom, then curved foreward as it went up towards the engine bay, so the extension just made it curve a little further up and didn't effect how the top connected or anything. Although even if it did you could always just bend it a little and it would'nt make it weak or anything. Only thing is the shifter display is hard to line up. In overdrive, the needle is between overdrive and park, and in drive it's in between overdrive and drive. Not really noticable unless you really pay attention. Won't affect anything. So when are we gonna get some pics of this bad boy?

 

It did have a very little amount of rust. A spot under the door the size of a quarter and on the passenger fender where it was dented. All surface rust nothing big. Who ever painted it got a professional paint job. There is a real thin amount of bondo on the doors and lower parts of the body. I guess it kept the rust away lol.
But ya after I'm done with the body lift I’ll test drive it to make sure everything works. (Careful to avoid cops cause its unregistered lol) And then my next step is to take the diffs. out and put 4.56 gears in. I'm probably gonna have a place do that cause that's something i don't wanna mess up on. But then I'm putting a 5" Trailmaster suspension lift on. Funny story behind that lift.. I put an add out for a blazer frame(cause my 87' is so rusted) on craigslist. And some guy emailed me saying he has a frame with the engine and drive train and a 3" suspension lift (it had a VW Bug body on it, Ugliest thing I’ve ever seen) So me and my friend go to his house with a car trailer and it turns out it was the 5" Trailmaster lift. So I ripped the body off and took the lift kit out and painted it.. But anyways, I got the whole Volkswagen Chevy Beetle Blazer with the lift for 100$! Now that’s a great deal! lol
Ya I think my shift linkage is the same way.. Straight at the bottom and has 4 curves throughout the linkage. And the rod they supplied is the same size as the bottom..

 

Yeah I remember you talking about the VW frame with the 3 inch lift. So that was a 5 inch trailmaster lift. I'll be damned I'd say thats the blazer find of the year! A $1500 lift for a hundred dollars with a free frame, lol

Daylight pics
This is the top of the linkage, hooks up fine.


Linkage going down to the transmission



And here is a good shot of the extension. Like I said where the ring of weld is, that is the top of the extension. And the end of the extension is what we clamped to the transmission. Did this back in september and haven't had a problem since.


Hope this helps ya. On your behalf since I've done all the pic posting...
PICS! espically when you get the suspension lift on! You mentioned 4.56 gears, you thinking 33's or 35's? I'm installing 4.10 gears with 265-75-16 tires. (roughly 31.6x10.4x16 tires.) And people say it's a little high. But I figure I have 3.42 now, and 3.73 wouldn't be enough diffrence to justify the $$$ for the swap. Plus I only do 60-65 on the interstate, I'm like paw paw. LOL So top end speed isn't a concern for me. Just low end torque.

 

I welded the shift linkage today...
Here's a pic..I don't know if it's gonna work, tell me if it doesn't...
I tried making a photobucket account but it kept giving me an error message..I'll try again later...

I'm gonna put 34x9.5x15 TSL Supper Swampers on for a while.. I bought them used for 40$ for all four from a friend so after I'm done with the Super Swampers I'm gonna swap them with 33x12.5x15 BFGoodrich Mudterrains.

I have 31x10.5x15 on my 2001 blazer with the stock gears and it's just fine. I'm not sure of the gear ratio though.. You might want to put the tires on before you regear your diffs., just to see how you like the ride before you spend alot of money on gears.. I don't know about you but i don't trust myself ripping the diffs. apart so I'm gonna have a shop do it..They quoted me 500$-800$ just for labor + the gears(4:56)(240$ for the front, and 150$ for the rear)+ a shim kit + a bearing kit = ALOT OF MONEY!! lol

 

That linkage looks about right. Should work out good.
I've had my 32's on for about 4-5 monthes, trust me I need to regear. It's alright on flat ground. But it has NO power on hills. There's a hill on the way to work. I hit it at the speed limit of 70. Never let off the gas and by the time I hit the top I'm doin about 45-50 and have people flipping me off. Ha ha. Plus to run 40-45 I have to run it wide open in drive, cause if I run overdrive at that speed. It lugs the engine pretty bad.

My buddy introduced me to his mechanic. He's a mechanic for Bobcat equipment and does auto repairs on the weekend. He swapped my buddies 3.23's in his fullsize to 4.56 and done alot of other guys vehicles and he's good. He helped me do my bodylift. And did my idler arm, radiator, oil lines and add a leaf. He has a k5 with 37's full outside rollcage. Awesome.

Anyways he will do the ring and pinion swap for $150 labor. And jegs had my 4.10 gears and full install kit for $320. So about $500 I'll get the rear gears done, parts and labor. Also I figure your 2001 model has more torque and power than my 92 TBI 4.3. My engine is right about 140HP. And I think the later models about 180 or so.

 

I'd say the need for a regear depends partially on what he has in there right now. If it's a 3.73, it might not be too bad.

 

True, but how many trucks, espically 1st gens came with 3.73's? Most came with 3.42. And I agree it's up to the person if they want to regear. When I was little a cousin had a Ford Splash with the 4 banger, a crazy suspension lift and I wanna say 40's. On a 10% grade pedal to the floor it would only go about 20mph.

He loved it though and that's all that matters. My truck right now isn't where I want it some I'm regearing. Cause with 3.42's and my tires. It's like having stock 205-75-15's and 2.93 gears and the lowest gear set in a 4.3 was 3.08 I think. So it's bad on hills. And I do live in the hills of WV so, yeah lol.

Funny thing is my mechanic thinks I should have gone with 4.56 for more power. And people on here say that 4.10 is too much and go with 3.73. Then agian he told my friend with 35's when he did a detroit locker and 4.56's he should have gone 4.88 maybe 5.13. But this guy is a offroad guy so he wants all low end torque, but this is my daily so I think 4.10 will work out good.

But yeah Tony I'd say get the tires you want and run them for about 3 monthes. And if you like it, awesome. If you wanna regear start saving like I did. Did that linkage work out for ya?..