I'm wanting to put 33" tires on my '04 z71 but not wanting to spend the money on a full suspension lift because I will very rarely take the truck offroad. I heard body lifts cause a rough ride though and you will feel any little bump you drive over on the street. Is this true and how big of a lift will I need to get 33s? (BFG all terrains)

A body lift won't change the stock ride characteristics at all. I am not a Chevy expert but to clear 33's I would say you need a three inch body lift.

i wouldnt go short of 6" or 7" body lift

A body lift won't change the stock ride characteristics at all. I am not a Chevy expert but to clear 33's I would say you need a three inch body lift.

Yeah I was thinking 2-3."

i wouldnt go short of 6" or 7" body lift

Whats wrong with 6 inch body lifts you can clear 36s.:laughing:

Body lifts suck.

Body lifts suck.

An IFS susp lift for a '04 Chevy ain't a whole lot better (and costs 10X as much, too)

On an IFS truck, I would do a body lift before spending a bunch of cash on a crappy suspension lift. Of course and SAS would be ideal.

what about bushwacker cut out fender flares. usually 1.5-2" is removed form either side of the wheel opening. 33"s should clear then, isn't the rubber on an 04 z-71 damn near close to 33" anyways?

I talked to the local offroad shop and they charge $450 for labor on a body lift. Is this about normal pricing?

I talked to the local offroad shop and they charge $450 for labor on a body lift. Is this about normal pricing?
it's less than I'd charge... 'cause I hate doing that crap. I'd rather work on a suspension lift than a damn body lift.

I talked to the local offroad shop and they charge $450 for labor on a body lift. Is this about normal pricing?

That is pretty normal pricing. Get a sawzall and cut the fenders.

agree with bags chop that puppy!!!

only answer: SAS

haha

ya know it sucks so much that i have this huge wealth of knowlege to do so many things on any brand truck from studying this site for only a year, and i have no resorces to apply any of it. at the moment i have an 85 ranger 2wd. its a peice. lol. then again im only a broke 18 year old kid. i need new tires. im running pathetic 24s on 14" rims. i cant handle it. i want at least 28s. the truck looks soo stupid. especily with the long bed. and the tiny tires dont handle well and are to thin to grip the road well under panic braking. the rear would be easy to lift but i would have to add coil spacers to the front, and i dont want to mess with the camber of the ttb and dont want to mess with drop brackets for just a 2wd(unless i could get away with 2 inch spacers w/o having 2 use dropbrackets. i dont know). i only need 2-3"s to clear 235/75s. so i guess my best bet is a body lift... which this site has taught me is a pathetic move in most cases, but i guess its my only solid choice for my application. my question is how do i acctually go about instaling one? i know id need longer mounting bolts, but what about all the cables in the engine bay that mount 2 the body? and the radiator hoses? the jacking of the cab procedure? can anyone answer these questions? its only my dd. no offroading. thanks

1. Undo the bolts
2. Lift up one side and swap in the new bushings and bolts
3. Repeat on the other side

Crank your torsion bars up a little to level it and they will fit fine on stock wheels. Done it a bunch and seen it hundreds of them like this. You will find lots of pictures and more help if you go here...... Gmfullsize.com

ya know it sucks so much that i have this huge wealth of knowlege to do so many things on any brand truck from studying this site for only a year, and i have no resorces to apply any of it. at the moment i have an 85 ranger 2wd. its a peice. lol. then again im only a broke 18 year old kid. i need new tires. im running pathetic 24s on 14" rims. i cant handle it. i want at least 28s. the truck looks soo stupid. especily with the long bed. and the tiny tires dont handle well and are to thin to grip the road well under panic braking. the rear would be easy to lift but i would have to add coil spacers to the front, and i dont want to mess with the camber of the ttb and dont want to mess with drop brackets for just a 2wd(unless i could get away with 2 inch spacers w/o having 2 use dropbrackets. i dont know). i only need 2-3"s to clear 235/75s. so i guess my best bet is a body lift... which this site has taught me is a pathetic move in most cases, but i guess its my only solid choice for my application. my question is how do i acctually go about instaling one? i know id need longer mounting bolts, but what about all the cables in the engine bay that mount 2 the body? and the radiator hoses? the jacking of the cab procedure? can anyone answer these questions? its only my dd. no offroading. thanks


:confused: hijack :confused:

ya know it sucks so much that i have this huge wealth of knowlege to do so many things on any brand truck from studying this site for only a year, and i have no resorces to apply any of it. at the moment i have an 85 ranger 2wd. its a peice. lol. then again im only a broke 18 year old kid. i need new tires. im running pathetic 24s on 14" rims. i cant handle it. i want at least 28s. the truck looks soo stupid. especily with the long bed. and the tiny tires dont handle well and are to thin to grip the road well under panic braking. the rear would be easy to lift but i would have to add coil spacers to the front, and i dont want to mess with the camber of the ttb and dont want to mess with drop brackets for just a 2wd(unless i could get away with 2 inch spacers w/o having 2 use dropbrackets. i dont know). i only need 2-3"s to clear 235/75s. so i guess my best bet is a body lift... which this site has taught me is a pathetic move in most cases, but i guess its my only solid choice for my application. my question is how do i acctually go about instaling one? i know id need longer mounting bolts, but what about all the cables in the engine bay that mount 2 the body? and the radiator hoses? the jacking of the cab procedure? can anyone answer these questions? its only my dd. no offroading. thanks


Body lifts are easy to install, The more expensive body lifts seem to have better instructions than the cheaper ones. The instructions will cover all your issues. My cousin once did a body lift in the parking lot of his dorm in college with just a bottle jack, a hilift, and a few tools.

no this acctualy isnt a highjack cuz its a body lift question in a previous body lift thread. why start another???? an 85 ranger doesnt have torsion bars. thanks lost and dimichele

Seems like 33's on a full-sized 4x4 shouldn't be that much of a stretch. What size is stock? Seems like it must be at least 31. If thats the case, I seriously doubt an extra inch of tire all around will cause any serious problems. Maybe a little bit of rubbing, but who cares?

If I'm completely wrong, and thats not the case, I would buy a set of cheapy replica fenders and chop them up. Keep the originals in the garage for re-sale. Either that or get some fender flares that cover up fender-clearancing. Then if you have trouble fitting the tires in the rear, just get an aal. I think body lifts should be avoided at all costs--raises the center of gravity a lot and doesn't really provide any off-road advantages that the tires couldn't do on their own.