lifting- everything ok?

[stephen6868]

alright im lifting her up..... how's my setup sound. first my spring rpo codes. could not find mine on anychart. I have 6SJ & 7SH. any ideas? didnt see a color or a tag? i want to determine that first to see weather i should get 87's or 88's? struts are gonna be bilsteins hds. as for the lift itself its either mark's 2.5 or 3. I know the 3" comes with a better bushing. Has that been included with the 2.5" or is that just for 3". while im there im gonna replaced the upper bj's and do a uca filp. rear is pretty simple. for now im gonna stick with the stock spring's ( rpo 8EX & 9EU if it matters) i made the mistake of ordering monroe rear shocks. (Part # 58644 Sensa-Trac Load Adjusting) now i gotta figure out what to do with those. The correct ones are z71 tahoe shocks part # 15234633. right? . I'm also going to upgrade the tires possibly 265/75r16's with 1.5" spacers. im jut looking for a second opinion or 3rd or 4th. ha!

[whiplash]

I will help with what i can before the regulars chime in.

What are you trying to achieve with adding the lift? Mall cruiser, light off-roading, heavy off-roading? There are no longer any 87 or 88 springs available nationwide, so that is not going to be an option unless you can find some in the classified section or pull-a-part. You can still go with 89's for the front, but it's not recommended unless you are going to run a bumper. The 1.5" spacers are required for a tire this big unless you are running aftermarket rims with a different backspacing/offset.

Here is my parts list to give you an idea:

[list=]MarkMC 3" suspension lift
Moog 81114 front coil springs
Bilstein HD struts (pn 24-103336)
Tahoe Z71 rear coil springs (pn 25978750)
BDS 5500 series rear shocks (pn 55619)[/list]

I will be running 265/75/16 tires on MB Rocker wheels. With this setup i will be maxing out the front suspension and run the risk of topping out.

[stephen6868]

im looking for some light off roading, I also run a western snowplow in the winter (lightweight blade and steel frame). puts about as much weight as a steel bumper on the front. i dont want to run 89's at the risk of topping out. But i dont know what i have now so 87 might be ok unless theres an other brand with the same spring rate. spacers are a definite yes. hows your take on mark's 3"? I was worried about extended cv angles with the 3". did you do a uca flip?

[navigator]

let us know if you find a secret stash of 87/88s.
your best bet might be to go with an 89 or a Moog81114/81112 and maybe only use a 2 inch lift from say rough country. The stiffer springs should help combat the snow plow but hopefully the smaller lift + spring won't top you out.
I would say get Mark's 2.5 lift(and not use the top spacer) but it uses the factory upper shock mount which is a little on the weak side and I expect the forces of a snow plow would amplify the weakness. The RC lift(as does the BDS) replaces the weak upper shock mount with one that is stronger.
I expect you will have to go through a few revisions to get it exactly like you want.
If it were me I would likely go with the RC kit + 89s(or Moogs) + Z71 in the rear.

You might reach out to Mark also, his current lift is ~3 inches in the front, it might be that he can make a new 1.5-2 inch spacer for the front which would be less likely to top out with 89 springs.

[HARDTRAILZ]

Pics of snowplow mounts and of truck w it on please.

[stephen6868]

im looking for the photo's i got a new computer and cant find them on any of my drives. I know i posted them on the OS (whos name shall not be mentioned!) ill post them when i find them. hopefully later tonight

[navigator]

here is Drew's thread on the OS with pics.
http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.p ... =snow+plow

[stephen6868]

Yep those are the pic's. thanks for posting the link chris. im at work an have limited posting ability's on our computers. im thinking of doing a custom bumper and ill have the brackets welded on so they are also higher up. i dont remember the measuments of how far i drop down with it attached but its really close to the ground. its functional i just want more clearance.

[stephen6868]

just found a set of 15125888 springs. 66 each. 87's are still on back order.

[navigator]

did you talk to someone who will ship them to you or just see them online?

[stephen6868]

I had my parts dept call a chevy dealer. they said 87 are discontinued-none left in the country. But he could get 88's. so I drove over there and talked to the guy and ordered two springs part number 15125888. 64.78 each with 9.39 tax brings me to 138.95. they should be there in two days. Interesting thing is he looked up my vin and I asked him what springs i had and he said one side was 82's and the other was 83's?

[NC_IslandRunner]

did you talk to someone who will ship them to you or just see them online?

I agree, I've had a few show available online only to be indefinitely out of stock.

[navigator]

drew, it is common for one side to be stiffer than the other. I can't remember the reasoning behind it, maybe it had to do with the thought that most vehicles only have a driver most of the time or something.

[stephen6868]

just got my 88 springs. from the dealer. ill post pic's later for all the non beleivers.

[stephen6868]

So how do you post photos?

[v7guy]

Create a photobucket account. There's even an app for your smart phone if you have one
Upload to photobucket.
Copy the "direct link" after it's uploaded
Click reply, then click the img tag
Right click and paste "direct link" between the "img tags" that are displayed

That's how I do it ymmv

[stephen6868]

[navigator]

I just load all my photos directly to this site then I don't have to worry about a photobucket acct.
The only problem with that would be if say James were to sell out to someone like Vertical Scope I couldn't log in to my photobucket account and replace all my photos with some of Roadie's but I don't think we need to worry about that.

[The Roadie]

... if say James were to sell out to someone like Vertical Scope ....

If Vertical Scope ever sent an unsolicited offer to buy the site, we should just take it, set up shop down the street at offroadenvoy.com or something, and then mail everybody who moves over $100 or so. As you said, I don't see that tactic working with us.

But I said the same thing about Pirate.

[navigator]

sounds like a plan Bill
or offroadgmt360.com might be more accurate but most noobs wouldn't know what that meant.