best way to do 2 inch lift

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whitey

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one of my problems is i think too damn much. i'm always trying to organize stuff in my mind as far as projects go and always stay a step ahead. in away it's good but in way it's a curse. my next 2 projects are (were) replacing my bumper, then the shocks. now i'm considering a 2 or 4 inch lift.

my other problem is that i'm really ****. if only my 2 rear shocks are bad then i HAVE to replace all 6 because it means i'm closer to restoration and i don't have to worry about it. but i don't want to waste money either. so...

lifting has gotten me totally confused. a body lift or a supsension lift? what are the advantages to each? a body lift is mostly just for looks right? and if i replace all 6 shocks and then get the lift i'm screwed right cause i'll need new shocks all over again? then i'll want some bigger tires too. so maybe i'm better off just getting some hold me over rear shocks until i do the lift.

so when i read about a body lift i see all about having to relocate the radiator etc. is this still the same w/ a suspension lift? and if i do a suspension lift is there a cheaper way to do it? bigger coils, new leaf springs etc? or do i need a whole kit and what would be the best suspension kit and the cheapest? i don't want to do some crazy lift with kitchen sink parts that'll **** me.

and would it be better to do this before i get my engine rebuilt? unless of course my engine goes.

if this seems totally confusing it is because i'm totally confused.

thanks guys.

 
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ilystbronco

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i wouldent even bother geting a 2 inch suspension lift i would just get a 2 inch or 3 inch body lift if you want to lift it only a couple inches. its also a lot cheeper and better for your truck.

 

Yardape

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Body lift you run into small issues like over heating, steering shaft has to be stretched, It has enough in it to pull out 3 inches but gets sloppy. Your tranny linkage will be almost long enough but not quite the transfer case shifter will hit the floor when to shift back to 2hi and damage the boot. small problems but suspension lift is far better if you can swing it.

 

Justbust1n

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get you a 2" leaf spring block .... and some 2" coil spring lifts you can find these in any magizine pretty cheap to buy but the labor is gonna be a pain that should give you 2 inches

 
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whitey

whitey

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Body lift you run into small issues like over heating, steering shaft has to be stretched, It has enough in it to pull out 3 inches but gets sloppy. Your tranny linkage will be almost long enough but not quite the transfer case shifter will hit the floor when to shift back to 2hi and damage the boot. small problems but suspension lift is far better if you can swing it.

yeah that's what i was wondering about. i don't want to mess with that in a body lift. i'm assuming from what i've learned that you really only need to extend the brake lines on a suspension lift?

i got a quote from 4wheel parts the only place around here that is close. $1700 for a 4 inch lift installed- pro comp shocks included. to me that's a huge chunk of money.

tell me about these block lifts. what's so hard to install about them and are they safe?

i found this lift kit for $100 would this include everything i needed? http://www.autoanything.com/suspension-sys...productInfoTabs

 
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Yardape

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I have been watching on ebay for lift kits, you can find some really decent prices on there for a suspension lift. I would shy away from that 2 inch kit, you really wont notice much difference. You can consider a shackle flip kit which will lift the back 4.5 inches, for $115.00. Takes a little elbow grease but dont be shy its not rocket science. You might have to drop your gas tank to install this kit but that will give you a chance to change your fuel pump before it leaves you stranded. $1700.00 to install that kit is way too much. They are charging you probably $1200 in labour. If you opt for the shackle flip route then you only need the front part of the lift kit. Which will save you $$$$. The 4inch lift brackets are the same as the 6inchers so if you decide to upgrade all you need is the 6 inch coils and an add-a-leaf for the rear. Its a learning hobby, You pay to get it done then next time you will pay again, You learn and you'll feel better about your truck and be more willing to tackle other projects on your own. Good luck

Sorry I just noticed I didnt give the name of the shackle flip kit. Check out www.sky-manufacturing.com

 
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whitey

whitey

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I have been watching on ebay for lift kits, you can find some really decent prices on there for a suspension lift. I would shy away from that 2 inch kit, you really wont notice much difference. You can consider a shackle flip kit which will lift the back 4.5 inches, for $115.00. Takes a little elbow grease but dont be shy its not rocket science. You might have to drop your gas tank to install this kit but that will give you a chance to change your fuel pump before it leaves you stranded. $1700.00 to install that kit is way too much. They are charging you probably $1200 in labour. If you opt for the shackle flip route then you only need the front part of the lift kit. Which will save you $$$$. The 4inch lift brackets are the same as the 6inchers so if you decide to upgrade all you need is the 6 inch coils and an add-a-leaf for the rear. Its a learning hobby, You pay to get it done then next time you will pay again, You learn and you'll feel better about your truck and be more willing to tackle other projects on your own. Good luck

Sorry I just noticed I didnt give the name of the shackle flip kit. Check out www.sky-manufacturing.com
yeah i've decided to go 4 inch you're right 2 inch is nothing but a waste. i just got a new web job tonight which will triple my income. but, see i'm dumb about this lift stuff though. you mention lift the back 4.5 inches. do i need a seperate kit for front and back? and do i need to switch out the coils- which i assume i do.

sorry for being a ******* about this but it is greek to me and now with a little more income and with my rear shocks fading on me i'd like to get the kit and shocks and get it done within the month. so bear with me here i'll have plenty of questions i'm sure. i sure would prefer to do this myself i love working on my bronco and i have always done most work on all the trucks i've owned my whole 30+ years alive but i've never considered lifting till now. and now i really want to do it and get it done. dropping a gas tank i've done before and yeah changing out the fuel pump is a good idea.

thanks for all your patience.

 
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whitey

whitey

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ok after researching looks like a 4 inch suspenson lift kit would be my best option. i'm seeing decent prices online for pro comp and tuff country in the stage 1 kits. how hard are these suckers to do and what tools do i need? and secondly without changing any gearing in my axles what would be the biggest tire size i could go with? right now i've got 31*10.5*15 could i go up 2 sizes to say 33*11.5*15 with the gearing i have now?

thanks for all the help and i'm finally seeing where i need to go with this.

 

Yardape

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You can buy a kit that has front and rear lift, Or you can buy them individually. The front kit generally comes with springs, Drop Brackets for the TTB axle, Drop Brackets for the radius arms and a drop pitman arm for the steering. I don't think you will need extended brake lines for a 4 inch lift but I could be wrong. Installing those parts will take a bit of fabrication know how. The rear is a lot easier to lift, You will have to decide for yourself which route works best for you. The easiest lift is lift blocks, but the causes a leverage effect on your leafsprings and causes bad axle wrap and wheel hop. The best options would be a shackle flip kit from sky manufacturing or purchase 4 inch lift leaf springs. The shackle flip requires you to Grind and or torch off the factory rivots holding the factory shackle hangers. Not hard but need some common sense, You are awfully close to the fuel tank to start grinding or using a torch. So dropping the tank is a good idea. Also gives you the necessary room to bolt on the new shackle hangers. That is really not difficult if you have the time and patience. If you have no fabricating experience maybe you would be better off paying someone to do it for you but if you know someone with the ability to install the lift maybe you could pay them instead of a shop and that way you can take part also. Its a big job to jump into if you don't have the right tools and work space. Good luck, the results are well worth it.

 

Justshootme84

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******* best advise I can offer is to search and ask lots of questions like you're doing here, until you get a good plan on what you need. There's several topics on lift kits and tire sizes, and you often get asked, "What do you want to use your Bronco for?". That's the determining factor, whether you want a daily driver that can also go offroad on a weekend, but not tackle really hard trails. A 4" suspension lift is a great option, most kits run about $450-$550. Labor to install one of these should run $450-$600, so you may need to shop around elsewhere besides 4WP. I've installed a few lifts and it should take 10-12 hours for you and a couple buds to isntall one yourself, if someone knows what to do and has air tools, a drill, floorjack and stands. Good Luck, and keep asking ?'s, JSM84

 
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whitey

whitey

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thanks guys for everything. by nature i'm a researcher almost obsessively- it's what i do for a living- i'm a computer and web tech and i'm totally self taught. so forgive me but yes i will ask plenty of questions because i want to do it right whether that be installing it on my own- which i'm pretty good at technical stuff computer and car wise but, new to california so all my technical truck helping friends are back home in texas. and a lift is something i've never done i always drove 2WD f 150's. and everyone in LA i've met are pretty lazy and totally un- manly. jeez i love to get dirty i lved on 100 acres for the last 7 years in texas before i moved to ****-a.

oh and one other thing: i tend to write long responses and ask long detailed questions. i always try to explain or ask questions as thoroughly as possible. it's a side effect of being a computer tech, phone calls at 2am from a customer whose computer i repaired a few hours earlier has taught me to explain things as boringly detailed as possible. forgive me.

ok so what i want it for is daily driving and weekend warrioring. nothing too heavy but, again i'm not one of those guys who does stuff just for the look of it. in texas in the country we called guys like that apartment complex cowboys, those guys dressed all western to the 9's and then they hop into a toyota corolla and live in a garage apartment somewhere. i want to do this for looks and purpose.

so yes a little off roading when i can would be nice and we've got a lot of nice coastline here i'd lke to hit where it is legal- if it is anywhere. no giant rock climbing. more like trail riding i guess.

i want to do it correctly meaning a body lift seems cheaper but, structurally i don't like the idea and my goal is to get it done solid and as safely, and maybe in the method that causes the least wear and tear on components. does that make sense?

so the stage 1 - 4 inch suspension lift looks good. pricing ones online by tuff country and procomp i see that they are a few hundred $$$$ cheaper than 4WP. so yardape was right- about $1200 for the install- jesus. whether i can tackle it on my own is up in the air but i'm sure i can find a shop out here that will do it for way less than $1200 in labor. so i think i can get a kit for around $500 then the shocks, then figure out if i can do this on my own or take it somewhere. after that tires.

and finally again, with my stock axles and a 4 inch lift what do you think would be the largtest tire i could run as i would like to go up a size or 2 to maybe a 33x11.5. is that feasable as well without changin out gears?

 
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Yardape

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I have 33 inch tires and the same gears as you, which are 3.55 rear and 3.54 front. 33's are pretty much as big as you would want to go with these gears, you can feel a major power difference, but is still managable. I can drive around in 4lo at 50mph comfortably. I know this because my last transfer case was stuck in low range. Ideally 4.10's would be better but not a necessity. 35's seem to work well with 4.56 and 38's you want at least 4.88, which is my personal choice.

 

Justshootme84

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Yes, 33x12.50R15's mounted on a 15x10" wheel, with 3.5-4" backspacing will work well with a 4" susp.lift kit. While 4.10':1 gears would be better and brong your Bronco back into the stock powerband, the 3.55's should do fair. You may notice a power loss in OD or climbing a steep grade/hill. Most basic 4" kits run in the $500 ballpark, I always advise to make sure you know what the kit contains. Some parts are left out, or optional at added cost, like shocks or the dropped PItman arm for the steering. You want a kit with 4 shocks (or 6 if you have the quad front then you buy the other 2), that dropped Pitman arm, drop brackets for the axle pivot bolts and radius arms, lifted coil springs in front and either blocks or an AAL (Add-A-Leaf) for the rear. Skyjacker, Superlift, and Rancho are good quality kits. I had the Skyjacker Class II 6" kit on my 84 Bronco for a few years prior to my 1-ton axle swap this month. That's a $1350+ kit with extended radius arms and lifted rear spring packs. All of the "bells & whistles", but no problems.

Keep searching and asking questions, and shop around for a good price. JSM84

 
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whitey

whitey

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guy i really appreciate all the time and patience this site is truly awesome. i got my new chrome front bumper in from LMC today and i'm stoked to install it tomorrow. she's coming along nicely.

so with that said the next project will be the lift and shocks. i will need 6 shocks. i see some kits w/ the shocks and some without. obvously i could buy my own shocks if need be if not included in the kit i suppose.

i will keep you guys posted as i have more questions.

 

Yardape

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If you can swing it thats a pretty good kit.

Did you check out e-bay? Not to take away from Jeffs, but you should be able to find one for abot 450 or so. Just simply type in "Bronco Lift kit" and theres usually a few.

 
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whitey

whitey

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If you can swing it thats a pretty good kit.

Did you check out e-bay? Not to take away from Jeffs, but you should be able to find one for abot 450 or so. Just simply type in "Bronco Lift kit" and theres usually a few.

yeah i can swing it financially in stages and just gather the parts. first the kit in a couple weeks. then the shocks of my choice. once i have that then tires and labor if i need to get someone to do it. i would skip the tires but, knowing mysef it would drive me nuts and may end up costing more later on.so may as well do the tires and lift install and alignment in one shot.

in between the gathering of parts and install i can still do small things in other areas (like carpet and seats and tire carrier parts) that i need to do before my motor rebuild.

 
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firelt90bronco

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With a 2 inch suspension lift, you could use high lift coil springs in front and blocks in back. I think I saw them in JC Whitney.

 

mbtech2003

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With a 2 inch suspension lift, you could use high lift coil springs in front and blocks in back. I think I saw them in JC Whitney.

the problem with just useing 2 inch front coil spring lift is the alignment is way off with out the drop brackets for the front axle u will just be wearing out tires fast!! do it right and get a complete lift kit from a well known company. no offence to jc whitney but sometimes their quality is cheep like their price.

as for me i'm looking for a set of springs for my bronco to replace mine that are worn out. so anybody that has a extra set pm me so that i can talk to u. i went to a ford dealer to order replacements for my suspension package in my truck and the bastards don't make them anymore :angry: i wanted factory replacements.

thanks josh

p.s.

anybody know if springs from a f-250 will fit and with how much lift they will add to a bronco?? i saw them on jbg but don't want it too look stupid all jacked up in the rear and the front end on the ground. @-) ...

 

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