Hey guys, recently I've been debating whether or not to do the shackles and t-bar lift to my Blazer. I drive around 13,000 or so road miles a year, and I plan to offroad about 4-5 weekends a year, give or take. I know it wears on the front end parts, so I was just wondering if anyone has some input as to whether or not I should lift with as much regular road driving i'll do. It sits at 282k right now, and I know I need new shocks and tires (soon) all around. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrew

 

well i drive almost as much as you road wise and i did that lift and more.
i dont seem to have anything out of the ordinary go wrong on mine.
only thing i had happen was the boot slipped off both cv shafts...it was an easy 3.00 fix though...only problem and it has been just about 2 years since i started lifting.

my only advice i guess would be get good parts when you do replace them, i went with moog. you will pay more then the autozone/advanced price, but you will get a part that will hold up.

just dont beat on your ride and you will be fine i think.
i have just over 230k on mine...so i guess i have done almost 30k with that same setup and more.

only problem i see money wise is you may like the lift and want more...seems to happen around here

 

Haha probably, but it's all i can do for now. So it sounds like I'll be okay doing it, and I was looking on Summit and they suggested some ProComp shocks which seem like they're a good quality brand. What did you use to crank the t-bars? I saw that there is a part on ebay you can buy for like $45 but im not sure if there's a cheaper way ro somethin.

 

if you search the diy section there is a how to....it is totally free!!!
you need only a wrench and a measuring tape, and a jack.

piece of cake.
the shackles...also a how to if you search...is a bit of a pain.

if you keep the torsion bar crank at 1.5" more than what you have now (assuming stock) you will be fine. that seems to be the limit on the lift before you cause damage.
from what i understand the lift causes the cv joints to operate at a steeper angle that can cause the excessive wear.

you should only need to buy the rear shackles...rear leaf bushings and some anti-seize for the bolts (anti-seize is personal pref.)

 

I'll check it out, thanks for all the help

 

There is really only one reason to do any kind of lift and that is to fit bigger tires. The want/need for bigger tires is for greater ground clearance.

If you aren't planning on getting bigger tires there is no need to lift.

 

Yeah I'm gonna run 31's after i do the lift since I'm gonna need new tires soon anyways.