Lifting a 2wd

[93GMCnugget]

I have a 93 Sierra C1500 longbed that i want to put a 6 to 8 inch lift on. I know that lifting a 2wd makes no functional sense, but for me its more of a purely aesthetic thing. My question is this: are there any problems that could arise from lifting a 2wd that you wouldnt run into with a 4x4, and is there anything special considerations i need to make having the 8 ft bed as opposed to the 6?

[Toolman]

Actually lifting a 2wd has plenty of functional uses: 1) aesthetics as you say 2) not dragging parts on rocks while wondering around FS roads -camping etc 3) not having to slowly creep into a driveway 4) slowly roling over speed bumps 5) and my all time favorite is not having to roll out a floor jack to drain the oil.

In all my lifted trucks 2wd and 4wd I have never had any negative effects...if you do it right.

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of the street-rod look too. My '34 ford, '55 chevy. 59 chevy truck you could barely roll a beer can under them so I'm defintely not biased on aesthetics. I think slamed trucks look cool. However, all my purpouse trucks I have lifted... 'cause I like it.

I did a little homework and instead of going to 4wheel parts, which is within walking distance and they're just going to tell me anything I want to hear to make a sale. So, I went over to So. Bay Truck drivetrain service and asked Frank how many kits do you replace and what brand are they. He said Fab-Tech and Pro-Comp are the leading 2wd kits he replaces broken parts on. I trust his knowledge and he's been doing gears for me many years.

He suggested CST Suspension Products.

This is what we installed: CST Suspension 4" spindle carrier with 1" rubber spacer on top of the stock coil = 5" lift. We also installed CST upper control arms and ball joints to get the front end geometry "right". Once you see the difference in quality of craftmanship over Fab-Tech you'll see why Fab's fail. For the rear we sent out the stock springs to be re-arched. Bilsteins grace the corners and couldn't be happier with them and the total ride. This netted me enough clearance to easily accomodate BFG A/T's 295/75/16 on American Racing Baja series rims. Tire size is a true 33.0 and we installed 4:56.1 GM R&P with a Detroit Tru-trac universal. If you go bigger than a 33, say a 35 you would want 4:88's. The truck sits level exactly, and the ride is much improved with the Bilstein damps.

Doing the gears was the best improvement as I drove it for a week with stock gearing while waiting for the gear set and the stock gearing flat sucked. I noticed a slight degrade in breaking performance also and I went through that issue when I built my Jeep Cheerokee that ran 35's. I don't see breaking being discussed here much but a larger break booster is in my future.

Once you've done the lift your going to need a PCM tune to get your shift points on target and speedo back were it belongs. I went with a custom tune by Black Bear Performance for that. It's on the way as I sit here so no comment....yet. Next on my list of performance to-do is a set of 1.85 bolt on ratio rockers. I don't see that discussed here much either. Big tires eat HP up like crazy and every little bit can't hurt.

CST does offer a 7" 2wd system and it's the same as discribed above but includes their taller 3" lift springs. I've seen the CST spring next to "other" brands and can see why their ride is superior. It's all in spring diameter and progression of rate. The 7" system will clear 35's no problem if that's your deal. What I like about their system is that there is no need to use a dropped front cross memmber to get the geometry right 'cause they do their homework. It's cheaper to mass produce the dropped crossmember and that's why they do it...cause it's an easy and cheap lift..but not neccessarily right. No wheel spacers are required if you use the correct back spacing on you rims. I'm not a fan of wheel spacers at all, not just because they stick out of the wheel well (akk) but because of the loads induced by them. The wider the wheel spacer even just an inch = more positive unsupported load.

I hope this answers some of your questions and you'll be happy lifting your truck...I know I am. :great:

CST site: http://www.cstsuspension.com/products/sfID1/7/sfID2/8/sfID3/72

[silveradotrailblazer]

Fabtechmotorsports.com makes a 4 and 7.5 inch lift for your truck. Bed size makes no differance. Those kits are for a 1/2 ton truck.

[tbplus10]

Actually on the west coast lifted 2wd trucks are real popular, most being long travel desert tucks but theres still a lot of 4x4 look alikes too.
Lifting wont increase any ratings for your truck, and in some cases may decrease weight or tow ratings, but not by much.
Cost vs quality/durability will be the main factor in buying a kit and only you know how you plan to use your truck.
The best way to research kits is probably go to 4wheel parts website and search for kits, write down the manufacturers and then google their websites and start comparing.
You probably wont need a long travel kit so I'd look at basic lifts. Spindles will be the best way to achieve lift and depending on the amount your looking for you may then want to add springs.