The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk body lifts

how do i put a body lift on the cab foward i think i get but how do i lift the bed an how high can i go with out haveing to mess with anything else?

its for a 85 chevy step side 4x4 i kno its not a bolt but its a CHEVROLET

I don't know the details for your truck.
But in general 2" is as far as you want to go, after that things don't work out so well, and it gets a little fishy.

I personally don't care much at all for body lifts and would only use one as a last resort, and only a small one then, less than 2" for sure.

well its got leafsprings so i could rise it up with blocks that would be as easy as a body lift wouldnt it ?

Yes, about as easy, and just as undesirable.

For blocks I would not go over about 3" front or rear, and much less would be better, with none being the preferred amount of lift with blocks.

It's just a bad idea in the front of a small truck. You will see some blocks from the factory on some big trucks, like Mack's, but that does not make it a good idea for pickups.

While a little more acceptable under the rear of a pickup, blocks don't help the suspension any. The rear axle now has more torque on the springs and things just don't work as well as before, and greater chance of breaking something.

Not sure what you are trying to do?
But If you need more room for bigger tires then new springs are almost always the safest and best choice for a lift. If your springs are under the axles now a spring over axle conversion is cheep and relatively easy with good results.

I don't care much for lifts on trucks, but if for some reason I decided I needed larger than normal tires I would do everything I could to put them on without a lift, including fender trimming if it was a beat up truck, and if newer I would still consider it.

Do you get/read Peterson's 4 Wheel & off road?
They have lot of ideas and recommendations that may help you decide, including a good philosophy on lifts and such.

Grigg

Do not use blocks on the front suspension! That's extremely dangerous and illegal in most states. There's too much forces from braking and steering on the front axle, blocks willintensify this and cause spring failure. I'm not really a fan of blocks on either end, but you can use them on the rear as there is less stressfull side loads like on the front. If you really want to lift it, look for an aftermarket kit w/ new springs with a deeper arch, or have a local spring shop re=arch the existing ones if they're still servicable.
Oh, and definetly check out 4 Wheel & Off Road, exellent mag if you're into the 4x4 thing, they even did a 'Bolt once as a project!

i found some kinda spring drop lift would this work an be safe? my trucks runnin 33's but i want to go with 35-38's i can get in the truck fine but my daddy thinks i should put steps on it he's older then me an he's 5'7-5'8 an im younger an bout 6'0 so i have no prob getting in an out but for it to look right with steps i think it needs to be rised up more i could prob get a 35" tire in with no more lift but.