What Lift with minimal modifications?

[Gusgusa1]

Looking into lifting my 87 v1500
I want to clear 35" rubber but not wanting to change drive angles. Thinking 4" suspension lift. What would be involved? If it goes well would like to do the 84 k10 as well. I just want to be off road capable not mudding or rock crawling or anything. Odd trail. To the river.
Already have the LSD front and back.  Already have 33" on the truck.

Is it as simple as replacing springs and shocks?

Would a 6" be much more involved?

Looking at tuff country ez all springs

[enaberif]

shackle flip in the rear with springs and new shocks all around.
going to need a steering arm, drop pitman, or drop drag link

depending as well might need extended brake lines

expect to spend $500 or more for stuff unless you get or can find deals

[Gusgusa1]

Shackle flip with the raised springs? That would make 4" raise in front 6" raise rear right
?
Or do you mean flip in place of rear springs? 

I'm clear on the other portion of your reply thank you.

[enaberif]

Shackle flip in the rear gives you 4" unless you go with 4" springs.

[Gusgusa1]

Thank you, I want to go with the springs.

[roundhouse]

Do your 33"s rub?

You should test fit some 35s
You may not need a lift at all

A one inch lift using hockey pucks is cheap


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[Greybeard]

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, use a dropped drag link. There is no fix in that, all it does is contribute to bump steer, there is no need ever to have bump steer in a GM truck with a lift up to six inches.

Dropped pitman arm and a raised steering arm is good for up to four inches of lift, a spacer under the steering arm will take that to six inches. Always keep the drag link straight and as level with the ground as possible when sitting on all fours. All a bent drag link does is make life easier. But it makes driving much harder.

I know, some 'experts' say the spacer is bad news, and it might be, but thousands and thousands of trucks ran them back in the day with no ill effects as long as they are installed correctly, however, finding a spacer might be difficult these days. Making one is doable however. The real concern is the cone washers. They need to be perfect condition and the bolts need to be torqued correctly many times after installation. Just using locktight is not enough in my humble opinion. The same goes for the lift installation, I know this from experience, I failed to retorque my u-bolts after driving it for about a hundred miles and my front end nearly fell off while I was four wheeling in the mountains. Tightening the u-bolt nuts with a 10" cresent while perched on a steep hillside is no fun and not very adequate either.   

[enaberif]

You'll heard all sorts of opinions on what is good and what isn't good to use.

Considering I picked up a set of shackle flips and a drop drag link for $150 I'm not going to complain for a weekend warrior truck. When the funds call for it I can look into a raised steering arm.

[Gusgusa1]

22" from centre of hub to top of wheel well.
About 4" from edge of tire to wheel well.

33's don't rub , low tread bfg a/t tires
 No blocks in the rear and I'm not sure how to tell if it has lift springs it is double shocked however. Sat pretty darn close to same height as my old 84 scottsdale.

Goal is reliable off road capable dd. if you can tell if I need lift from pics to clear 35's m/t maybe bogger max let me know.

Keeps saying photo file too large. Sorry

[Gusgusa1]

Pic

[Gusgusa1]

Pic

[Greybeard]

Gusgusa1, the issue you might hit is not the top of the fenderwell, never have I seen an issue in that spot with a DD capable of offroad. Any problem that is encountered with 35's will likely be at the lowest corner of the fenders during full turn lock on a bump, if at all. If things all remain equal in the tire world a 35" tire will only measure about 33-1/2" to 34-1/4"in no-load diameter which is how this measured unlike measuring for gears which would be loaded diameter (in other words for gears measure from the ground to centerline -rolling radius-, for tire diameter measure total inflated load-free diameter or as you did, horizontally through the centerline). With old 36" monster mudders with a 4" lift just a smidgen of the front fenders lower corners needed to be trimmed off. Be aware however, that the higher the lift the arc the housing will travel through will be longer and this is when the tire might start interfering with the top of the fender (at full stuff) but the inner fender well and a bunch of other things will all suffer if that happens anyway. The solution here is to limit that articulation with droop straps and lowered bump stops. But this is all out the realm of 35" tires. 

[Gusgusa1]

Good info thank you

[ehjorten]

Also be aware that a shackle flip will move the axle forward about 1" with stock springs.

[Greybeard]

  Really old thread but you are welcome...

NOW I notice all my typo's...