Lucky Penny

Originally Posted by Dirty Dog

Welcome to this thread... If you are planning to put a lift kit on your ride there are a view things you need to start with,, the most important will be research, and more research. Knowing exactly what you want out of your ride, the intended use of your ride are the biggest factors.
If you are lifting for looks, you can take some shortcuts, if you are lifting to ride off road, there are no short cuts, if you are lifting to compete, you will need plenty of time, space, and resources.....

Note do not believe any tv shows, suppliers, online posts(even me) as each ride is different and each intended use will be different, you must do your research and very carefully make your decisions, on design and products, with your individual intended use....
The most common mistake made is believing what every one says, instead of taking the time to learn and know this knowledge yourself.... the other option is to have a qualified shop help you through this process, this is the wisest way and also the most expensive way.....
But you will be assured that all the problems that can arise are that of the shops not yours.... To many times have i seen and fixed,, half thought out lifts all because of the blind faith we put into Adds, suppliers, and tv shows that make things look easy......

So lets start here. Decide exactly what you want, and what you will do with your newly lifted truck.....
I highly recommend that you totally instal your lift kit and reinstall your stock oem tires and rims and drive your ride for a few weeks before you buy new rims and tires. then go to a qualified tire supplier and have them look and measure your truck to equip with the right rims and tires. They are the professionals in these matters and will not lead you astray......
Ok back to the lift kit itself... we have a sky Jacker 4 inch lift kit for a 2008 Chevy Colorado here in my shop, the first step is to unpack and receive the kit making sure you have all the parts and pieces, lay them out on the floor check them all against the install instructions and make sure all the parts art there and the correct pieces. Then throughly read the entire install guide and make sure your shop has all the equipment and tools to complete the install, and if you need help from another shop for things like pressing in and out bearings or such, that you have made contact with the folks so they know you will be coming to their shop to do some work...
now that you have done these steps its time to start, the tear down, make sure you have allowed yourself enough time and space, and count on extra time to cover any problems that may arise, Murphy's law they will arise.. wether a broken bolt, a wrong piece a bad bearing or tie rod end.. do not put your self in a situation where you will have to hurry along the process and sacrifice the quality of the mod.....
A clean Truck is one of the most important aspects of your prep work nothing worse the dirt mud and grease falling in your face well you are working, a safely and properly lifted truck is the next most important stage of this project, take a few minutes and make sure your truck is lifted correctly and with enough clearance to work under remove and install with ease, no sense in making a hard job more difficult by leaving yourself short of working space.....

I will be adding more pics and step by step in the days to come....

Dirty Dog is completely right when it comes to not believing what you read or hear. On the Chev Colorado forums i have seen everyone said 285/70/17 tires would fit with a 4" lift. Now they will if your wheels are perfectly straight and you are in park! Furthermore, when looking for lift kits and browsing many different options I noticed in thhe description of most products it indicated "This lift will allow for 285/70/17 tires". Obviously this was not the case. Another, say, "bone to pick" is the lack of information I was given regarding wheel fitment on the front. Not only did I need to buy two wheel spacers for each side, I had to order in longer studs to correct for minimal threads on the previous ones. Also, LUGNUTS, when I purchased my rims they did not include any new lugnuts and thinking this was because the receiver holes on the rim would be the same as stock well let's just say that was a pleasant surprise.

In closing, Dirty Dog is completely right when he says don't believe the S@#$ people tell you, it appears alot of people just get caught up in the hype of either selling you something or the image of aftermarket vehicles. Do your research if necessary get under your vehicle take a good hard look at what you got and remember just because a kit says "bolt on" doesnt mean you wont have to do a little grinding or drilling or even purchases after the fact to keep your ride running smoothly I have first hand taken the hard line way of learning about my vehicle and if I can say anyone else the time and frustration I hope this helps.



P.S. I will be attempting to post any extra information in my blog per day(per page) on the lift kit to my truck found in the how to guides written by Dirty Dog, thanks n stick around!!!!