Dear, Lift Kit gods, Help me on my adventure.

[Mlorint]

The only thing they could get you for is no mud flaps on the back tires. I talked to and MTO officer and that is the only rule for tires that stick past your body. rears must have a mud flap, no top protection is needed. The biggest thing that I can see going that big is steering. Full hydro is not allowed on the street. Other then that four link the front and rear, coilovers or coils, , atlas t-case, get driveshafts made, put a pinion brake on the rear axle as a parking brake, ouverson disk brake conversion and 2" axles.

 

[Jam]

Oh, Im not worried about it being a heat magnet, its getting x-pipe to dual stacks.

The budget for me is pretty well unlimited, as I said a couple posts back.

Im not completely locked in on the 54s, I just figured more ground clearance on a low truck (compared to the BGT's that other people make)

Enlighten me and find me a good size tire! lol. Id rather go bigger or wider than the regular old 35s....

When it comes to the motor, its the stock GM diesel. After doing some research and asking some experts, itll get Bully Dogged out, from chipped to propane. (Which, needs me a new tranny, because I was told the stock would just grenade from the amount of torque...) and a new driveshaft because id twist the stock.

You only need to be worried about being a heat magnet, if youre doing something wrong.

Enlighten me on the tire options! What will give me the most ground clearance when it comes to tires...

Thanks alot guys!

 

[bradleyfitz]

Enlighten me on the tire options! What will give me the most ground clearance when it comes to tires...

Thanks alot guys!

If you want this as a nice daily driver + local trail truck, I would recommend 35's. 36's at the most. Having taken a jeep from 33's to 36's, I sometimes wished I had stopped at a 35" tire. Local trails stop being challenging at a certain point ... it's still fun, but a different kind of fun.

My recommendation would be 35-39's if doing one ton axles (not sure what is currently under the truck?).
If you are seriously thinking about rockwell's, nothing smaller than 44's.
If you are doing stock rockwell's, nothing bigger than 47's.

If you are all about 'ground clearance' under the axles, take a look at some after market axles (Currie, Spider 9, Solid). A lot of money, but some of us feel it's worth it

 

[Root Moose]

You only need to be worried about being a heat magnet, if youre doing something wrong.!

I'm as straight laced as they come and I was getting pulled over semi-regularly with my Samurai on 33s back in the day. They just look for an excuse to pull you over. The young punk cop would always double take when they walked up to the driver's door. Not expecting some middle aged "normal" looking guy behind the wheel I guess. Then they squirm when they get caught in my cross hairs with the interrogation going the wrong way. LOL It's all fun.

Used get it with the sports cars too. They'd always come up with some trumped up excuse like "you went around that corner a little quickly". They can pull you over "just because". They won't admit that but they always do it.

James, you are a young guy with lots of fresh, big ideas. That's great. There is a lot of experience in this thread trying to coax you into a certain direction. Don't take it the wrong way. A lot of these guys have built one, two or a dozen trucks over the years and know what works and what doesn't. They also know what will be tiresome as a vehicle once it rolls outside and the novelty wears off.

You're a full size guy it sounds like. That's great. Not that practical for the terrain around here for wheeling but so be it. If you want to get some seat time on vehicles before doing your über build I really suggest you build one or two trucks to see what works, what doesn't, learn some skills and tech and see what you really like before you go hog wild building this monster ghey poseur rig (sorry, couldn't resist ). Build a K5 or a FSB or something and get some seat and wrenching time under your belt.

Btw, what you are talking about building, if done properly, will probably cost north of $60-$70k to build. You can build a lot of cheap Blazers on 38s and have a ball for that kind of money.

$0.02

 

[szabotage]

how bout you join the club on their next outing and just wheel it stock? or if that's too overwhelming, just ride shotgun with and experienced driver? it's common to see newbs go too big to fast. learn the ropes first and then you can decide what mods to do, or vehicles to drive, or just to see if 'what this organization calls offroading' is right for you.

 

[Dirk]

...your über build...

You actually used the umlaut in über.....

Jam...as much as I like the diesel power part...and I do...fullsized trucks don't have many options for trails in the area at all. Keep it for a tow rig and pimp it out some. Build a capable trail rig out of something a little skinnier.
If you are set on a full sized body style, beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all, you could narrow a K5 or something similar by a foot or so, dove tail it, etc... that could be way cool.
As for tires...http://intercotire.com/tires.php?id=7&g=1

As far as the bully dog goes, I am no expert on Chevy diesels, but in general off the shelf chips are not optimal for any truck. Cruise some of the diesel forums, like http://www.thedieselstop.com/ and similar and look for custom tuned chips to match your particular setup. Again not knocking your plans, just offering advice.

 

[Root Moose]

You actually used the umlaut in über.....

Yeah, well, I don't get out much.

 

[Farm Boy]

Enlighten me and find me a good size tire! lol. Id rather go bigger or wider than the regular old 35s....

Solid axle swap, minimal lift, cut fenders to fit 38s or 40s

I ran 35s on a 95 GMC 1500 solid axle swap for 2 years and 80,000 km. Towed a 10,000 lbs gooseneck regularly with it. Truck was big enough to look good (to me atleast) without being so huge that it was useless.

 

[Jam]

So, Since we like to avoid the "BGT" things, Whats yalls opinion on a Stock Ex-military Humvee? (With the pickup truck back, 2 door, not the bigass wagon...)

Stock with 37 inch tires, and 16 inches of ground clearance. And, hell, has 2.5 inch thick bullet resistant windows all around, 100 bucks a shot, try and hit me LOL

 

[Mitko]

Whats yalls opinion on a Stock Ex-military Humvee? (With the pickup truck back, 2 door,

Stock with 37 inch tires, and 16 inches of ground clearance.

Cool but also kinda :rainbow:.
What yall gonna do with 2.5" armour , are u goin stan? if not - rainbow.

 

[2Greys]

What Mitko said, plus it is kind of wide for around here. Personally I would rather try to see if I could get a militarized GWagen than the HMMWV. Much more suitable for the trails here.

 

[Jam]

The bullet resistant windows come with the deal, hence the Ex-military. Of course, it would be nice to not have them, and save me from the oven that it could turn into, but either way its still a pretty unique truck.

Ive expressed my opinions on Jeeps, and the Samurai, and Im not so much down for something that looks like a bug, a city truck, or a half-assed SUV/truck/car thing. They arent an option.

When it comes to width, its pretty similar to the K5, Which was recommended.....

 

[Kunker]

Out of curiosity, why do you need the approval of anyone on the board? If it's something you think is fun and will put a smile on your face every day, go for it.

Personally, I think they look cool, but I also think they'd be a bit too wide for most trails, and even every parking lot in the region. I'm also not a huge fan of the old GM diesels either.

 

[Twinkie]

What Mitko said, plus it is kind of wide for around here. Personally I would rather try to see if I could get a militarized GWagen than the HMMWV. Much more suitable for the trails here.

Never wheeled with HummerDave huh? They are not too wide for our trails, but expect some love from the trees, and don't attempt Crag Lake. And my personal opinion, H1's are cool.

 

[bradleyfitz]

Would I buy one? Yes.
Would I wheel one? Yes.
Is it too big? Debatable. My buggy is wider than an H1 Shoot, it might even be longer too.

 

[Jam]

Yeah, youre a couple inches wider.

The HMMWV is something that I COULD ACTUALLY drive everyday without having to worry about either rolling it, running over an old lady in her buick, or TOO much about gas. (Even though, shell guzzle with the 6.5 and ideas for a supercharger....hehe )

And dont worry, its getting the bumper actually titled "Treehugger", what a coincidence.... http://www.alhog.com/images/sam.jpg

I want something tough as nails, and im pretty sure the HMMWV will suit my needs. (Of course, rebuilding the interior with racing seats, regular seatbelts, and 5 point harnesses. AC will be put in, and a sound system with subs and speakers wherever I can fit them away from the floor [the floor being the steel, OD Green paint.....will get some bedliner so mud and water wont be a problem]

Definately get the Submarine conversion kit too(Snorkel), that 5 feet of water seems like it could be interesting....and yes I would try and find a use for that capability.

 

[aweber]

And my personal opinion, H1's are cool.

Yup, +1

But this thread is NOT, Can it please just go away? :banghead::banghead:

 

[chunkytrunks]

I think H1's are also pretty cool. My dad got an oportunity to drive one for a weekend through work. that thing went anywhere. But its soooooo bad on fuel. Worse than you think. But since you said money is not a problem...

Like john said, you can buy a lift to run 40's and 12 000lbs winches on each end is a must.

 

[Farm Boy]

Even the 12,000 winches will have their hands full.

John, do you remember HummerDave winching thru the mud pit up in Haliburton?
My Memory tells me his 12,000, your 8,000 on snatch block and Sprang's Custom winch also on snatch block. You were tied to a tree, Sprang was tied to me and still drug me, I also then tied to a tree.

H1 is definately wider than a K5. I'd guess atleast a foot, maybe a foot and a half on the body.

 

[Jam]

Well, from what I got off of Wikipedia for vehicle stats......The width is near the same (maybe from older years than all your guys, or a different model...)