I also want to raise the rear about an inch..... would I be better off with new shackles or air shocks???

 

i wasn't always into the lowrider scene. i used tot ake my blazer muddin' all the time man, until i cracked the transfer case and had to have my tranny rebuilt and a new transfer case put in. after paying for that mess (which was close to 1300 bucks) i decided i'll stay on the road. [8D]

 

Both. I wanted to lift my rear end as well. I had the springs re arched 1.5"s, which included a new leaf. I also am installing air shocks. Not to lift the truck but it gives a little adjustment if there is any load.

 

ok well to the guys who cant wait, here what to do---it will prolly be the weekend before i'll venture out to the driveway (we're getting freezing rain up here right now)

step 1-park on a nice level flat surface (this will make things easy--my driveway is ****E lol)
step 2-measure from the ground to a point on the frame on all four corners--like beside the hole for the jack.
step 2-decide what you want--level, raked, or cranked.
step3-jack up the front end. tighten the bolts on the end of the torsion bar keys equally for both sides (pics will help you find them--but they're in the transmission crossmember
**BE SURE TO WRITE DOWN HOW MANY TURNS/HALF TURNS YOU TIGHTEN THESE IN YOUR MANUAL/SOMEWHERE SAFE IN CASE YOU WISH TO RETURN TO STOCK**

a decent baseline would be say 5 full turns each side.

step 4-lower the truck down, go for a quick run around the block, remeasure.
step 5-repeat steps 3,4 to adjust the height to where you want it (loosen to lower, tighten to lift)
step 6-go for another quick drive and attempt to "top out the suspension"
-if it doesnt top out, then you are in good shape
-if it does, then you may be able to trim the droopstops slightly to get rid of some of the harshness, but do not remove more than the curved part of the droopstop--if its still harsh, then you will want to lower the front back down a turn or two.

step 7-congratulations. you just got a free front end lift/level kit.................













ALMOST!!!!
-the only real costs to doing this are the alignment you MUST have done afterwards (toe in and camber are pretty heavily changed--i drove for almost 5oookm without having it done and my tires show it, and my steering wheel shook) and depending on how hard you 4x4 and how much you lifted, increased ball joint and CV joint wear.

hopefully this weekend will be nice enough for me to crawl around with my camera. [sm=icon_rock.gif]

 

I installed a set of AC Delco Rear Air shocks on my dads 1500 and with them half full (110psi) it lifted the front .75" and the rear 2". Measured it myself after installation. When we tow our camper it drops the truck down to flat ride hight.

 

ok so we got 25cm of snow here today---was planing on doing the how to tomorrow...but yea not feeling the lying in the snow thing.....so anyone else want to dig up some pics?

 

4 turns usually = 1" depending on how worn your bars are.

Pardon my dirty truck:

Step 1: Jack truck up by front crossmember:



Step 2: Support truck with jackstands and crawl underneath:



Step 3: Turn t-bar adjusting bolt clockwise. 1 full turn = .25" of lift



Step 4: Stand back and stare at your truck for a few hours. Go get an alignment

 

yea... i figured out how to do it... im just too cheap to get an alignment... so i gotta wait a little while to crank em... ill probably crank the front 1.5 to 2 inches and do 1.5" shackles in the rear......

 

The more you crank, the more strain you put on your front suspension. I wouldn't go any more than 1.5" unless you REALLY like replacing BJ's and CV's.

 

yeah.... im only gonna go 1.5"... i technically only wanna lift the truck 1 inch.... but the only rear shackles I can find are 1.5".......