[Devil_dog_switc]

ok so i've come up with a rather good plan with my rear end for an extra lift.. custom job. no i need to level out the front.

here is what i have:

now my idea would be to take the stock lower arm, and remove it, trash it and get a longer arm, mounting it farther towards the center of the cross member, allowing 1) more travel (when paired with the right springs and struts etc) and 2) more lift. i know i'll have to get longer brake lines, and change the steering column/system around a little for the added angle/length. but.. does that sound like it makes sense. i know this will require some custom work.. i'm fine with that, i love custom work. i'm wanting to get another 4-5 inches of lift on the front side without touching the body. looking to get some big tires on her eventually.

 

[Devil_dog_switc]

or should i just build a new "crossmember" basically a sub frame like the massively lifted trucks have and relocate everything down to it. add longer springs and shocks and call it done?

i snapped a few more pictures for you all:

 

[6shooter]

thats a SHITLOAD of work!!! by the time you get done doin all that, you could have bought another 4x4 rango and lifted it with a lot less problems. your talking about basically re-engineering the entire front end in an attempt to stuff huge tires on a stock 2 wheel drive vehicle. :huh:

but hey, its your money, and if you got that kind of skill then im sending you my next off road project to build for me :mullet:

 

[Devil_dog_switc]

i'll be doing the work myself, not paying someone so as far as cost goes it will only be a few hundred in materials plus the cost of some decent coilovers.

and it's only stock because my money had to go into rebuilding the front end instead of my supercharger and dual exhaust. i'm not asking for anyone's opinion on what direction they would go, just if something is possible. i build what others don't/won't. it's a project, i build for fun.. i just like to build custom.

 

[6shooter]

just if something is possible.

anythings possible with the time, money and skill to do it.

 

[Rebel13]

Better off with a SAS, with or without working diff!

 

[Devil_dog_switc]

Sas?

 

[6shooter]

Sas?

solid axle swap. thats a good idea, cause then you can get a whole lot more than 4 or 5 inches out of the front end

 

[NorCal_Dakota]

From the questions you are asking, IMO fabbing a custom front end is way over your head...

Do some reading here for good IFS tech: http://dezertrangers.com/

Kevin

 

[Devil_dog_switc]

ok see i post basically making sure i've got everything needed. the fab work is easy, i already know i need to measure certain things. before i do anything i like to check with others, maybe someone has done it (or similar) and has some personal tips on it. it's that simple. people only learn stuff by DOING not by avoiding. i'd rather not go with a SAS kit simply because i like my 2wd. i just want a little higher lift than what i have, then later down the road it can support larger tires with no rub, my 30" inch tires rub as it is(wide rims) so with a little more lift, and tire spacers i'll be good with larger tires (33 or maybe 35)

 

[6shooter]

i'd rather not go with a SAS kit simply because i like my 2wd. i just want a little higher lift than what i have, then later down the road it can support larger tires with no rub, my 30" inch tires rub as it is(wide rims) so with a little more lift, and tire spacers i'll be good with larger tires (33 or maybe 35)

4 or 5" is not really a "little" lift. especially if your re-designing the entire front end of your truck to do it.

and if you are doing this extent of work, whats your reason for keeping it 2wd, just out of curiosity? i have yet to figure out why anyone wanting a lifted truck with 33's or 35's would rather have a 2wd. as soon as you get into anything worse than a mud puddle, those huge, non-powered front tires are going to be a hindrance, not an advantage.

 

[Devil_dog_switc]

just looking into leveling it out once i've finished the back, which will be giving me around 4-6 inches. and where i grew up, 5 inches actually is "little" lol i'm used to 12-16 inch lifts with full subframes

 

[Rebel13]

 

[6shooter]

and where i grew up, 5 inches actually is "little" lol i'm used to 12-16 inch lifts with full subframes

oooooooooooh i just noticed your from cali. I was stationed with a guy in Mississippi that bought a truck in Cali when he was stationed there, then transferred to MS. it was like an 01 or 02 chevy 1500 with some ridiculous lift on it, with like 38's or something, and it was a 2 wheel drive. Mississippi is NOT the place to have that truck and he got ripped on so bad he sold the truck after like 3 weeks. and not just because he got ripped on, he went muddin with the real trucks and spent more time hooked to someone's hitch than he did actually wheeling.

 

[Devil_dog_switc]

actually i'm from Missouri, we have mud but mostly just trails. fun runs with light mud. i'm thinking of postponing this project and just throwing some thinner 33's on her for now (i NEED tires bad so i'll do this later)

 

[KotaKid287]

Lifted 2wds have their place just as much as lifted 4x4s do as far as I'm concerned, you ever watch a desert race? There are just as many 2wd rigs as 4wd rigs, sometimes even more 2wds. I mean honestly and truely, how many of the newer lifted trucks these days do you actually see off road, hardly any. Whats the difference in a lifted 4x4 that never leaves the pavement and a lifted 2wd that never leaves the pavement?

If you are planning on going that high with it being 2wd, I would build a prerunner style suspension setup under the front of it with coilovers. Make the control arms and if possible the knuckles completely from scratch, and make them longer to get a little more wheel travel out of it. It would be a ton of work though, and a lot of fabrication and time involved to modify the front of the frame to work with that type of setup.

 

[Devil_dog_switc]

that's basically what i'm thinking about doing, but i'm putting the entire lifting idea on hold for now.. after a little adventure i had today lol, i'll post it somewhere else but the lift will be later down the road.