Greetings!

[Jam]

Hi, My name is James.

I live in Brittania, and I have a 1996 GMC Sierra 2500 4x4. Stock currently.
I plan on getting a body lift, some bigger tires, and cranking the torsion bars aswell as a Texas cow-catcher front (With a heavy winch and a pulley on a chain) and a solid rear bumper.

Currently im 17, and long story short- I need to get tests done before I get my license again. Id be joining yall driving in the next year.

Well, Nice to meet yall!

James

 

[Farm Boy]

Welcome.

Cranking torsion bars is not really worth it. The (already stiff) ride will be worse, less flex and parts will wear out faster. Not sure what better wallet-friendly options there are though for the IFS

 

[Jam]

Yeah, Ive been told that it will make it a rough ride, But unless I can find another cheaper way to lift the front end then Ill settle....

A lift kit for my truck is around 3000 with tax...Without the shocks costing me around 1000......The 6 inch lift just aint worth it.

So im thinking that body lift could work, At 180 for the rear shim kit, and free for cranking....That deal is winning.

Can anyone else help me find a cheap way to get lift on my truck?

Thanks in advance.

James

 

[Farm Boy]

IFS lifts are a waste of money. You can swap in a soild axle for less.

 

[Jam]

Cheeeeaaaaappppp lift lol.

Buying a new axle isnt cheap cheap. Considering this truck is use to running a plow in the winter, and towing dump trailers or bobcats in the summer....Itd have to be really strong.

Does body lift raise the front aswell? Big body lift, and some big tires will get me all I need. Seeing as its a daily driver....

James

 

[chunkytrunks]

Welcome to OVO. I see where your going with the cheap, But don't rush into something your gunna regret. Body lifts are only good for stuffing some bigger tires under your truck. It doesn't actually lift your frame or your skids or basically anything under the truck. So you'll be draging your bottom quite a bit. The only lift you do get is by being able to run a taller tire. However it is better than nothing.

Yes the body lift, lifts the front aswell but once again only the body.

I do agree that IFS lift kits are worthless and you can easly swap in a solid axle for cheeper, But i understand thats down the road.

So you have to decide what you wanna do.

Matt :beer:

 

[2Greys]

Welcome!
Not sure if I read right but don't put chain on a winch. Big no-no. If it breaks, people can get hurt. Normally winches come with braided steel rope or synthetic if you spend the money.

 

[Jam]

No no, not running a chain. It would be the braided cable id be running.

Id have inside the truck (In a box) a pulley with a chain that I could wrap around a tree. You never know when you end up sideways, and you never know when you can throw yourself in awkward positions. And the fact that a big 3/4 ton pickup would be a little hard for your jeeps to pull out (Just from weight difference) that some help could be needed.

James

 

[Twinkie]

Do NOT wrap a chain around a tree! That's what tree savers are for...

Sent from my HTC Android phone.

 

[chunkytrunks]

No no, not running a chain. It would be the braided cable id be running.

Id have inside the truck (In a box) a pulley with a chain that I could wrap around a tree. You never know when you end up sideways, and you never know when you can throw yourself in awkward positions. And the fact that a big 3/4 ton pickup would be a little hard for your jeeps to pull out (Just from weight difference) that some help could be needed.

James

Like Terry said, we don't wrap chains or winch cables around tree's. It damages the bark and eventually kills the trees. So what we use with snatch blocks(pully's) are whats called a tree saver. You can also use a tow strap. We also never use chains for towing, those chains can easily hurt or kill someone. We only use tow straps with loops, no hooks! That is the safest way for recovery.

I say just head out on some of our stock runs come spring and enjoy the sport. And i wouldn't be too worried about our jeeps and smaller vehicles pulling you out, you'd be suprised.

Matt :beer:

 

[Kunker]

One thing you want to keep in mind as well is that if you are going to be plowing, throwing a lift on is an easy way to throw all of the geometry for the plow mounts out of whack. You'd need to lower the truck side mounts to get everything back where it should be. If this is going to be your work truck, I'd say leave it as a work truck and save some money for a cheaper beater rig down the road. It would really suck if you broke something on the trail and can't work for a few days/weeks while it's being fixed (blown IFS chunk for example).

Good luck, and welcome to OVO.

 

[Twinkie]

It's only 2G's, pretty good deal.

http://www.national4wd.com/Pages/Fabtechulous.php

 

[Grumpy]

James I guess you didn't know yer best friend's *new* older brother is an old veteran here......forget modifying the fullsize for the trails....not worth it, get a Samurai for cheap, build it for cheap and wheel the hell outta it for cheap!! Oh yeah, welcome to OVO!!