03 Chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 lift

[DavyD]

I just got a new truck. i want to lift it maybe 3in. No way would i do a body lift. but i really dont wanna pay $1500.00 for a fabtech. I want something thats dependable and maybe more travel..
Any ideas would be great.
Thanks for any help
DavyD

[johnnyweb]

FROM WHAT I KNOW OF CHEVY 4X4 LIFTS THERE IS NO DEPENDABLE ONE AVAILABLE. THE FRONT AXLES WILL BREAK ON JUST ABOUT ALL OF THEY. DO THE BODY LIFT PUT SOME FIBERGLASS ON AND MAYBE SOME A/M SHOCKS AND LEAVE THE SUSPENSION GEOMETRY STOCK . YOU CAN PROBABLY FIT 33" TIRES OR SO. ITS THE ONLY WAY I HAVE SEEN MY FRIEND KEEP THEM FROM BREAKING THE FRONT END CONSTANTLY. OTHER WISE YOU COULD HAVE A CUSTOM FRONT END DONE WITH A/M AXLES. I WOULD SERIOUSLY RETHINK PUTTING A LIFT KIT ON. PLUS CHEVY WONT WARRANTY THE AXLES WHEN THEY DO BREAK. GOOD LUCK WITH IT!

[jeff]

We've got customers with 100,000+ miles on their lifted GM 4wd 1/2 ton trucks and the majority haven't had a single front end issue. Steering parts wear out before axles snap. If you beat a 1/2 ton 4x4 truck it's going to wear out fast, or break, lifted or not. There are no 3" suspension lifts for the 1/2 ton 4x4 Chevy. If you want a list of what's currently available send me a pm. Don't let the advice of one person scare you away from lifting your truck.

AND JOHNNYWEB... WHAT'S UP WITH ALL THE CAPS?

Aloha

[johnnyweb]

SORRY IM A "LAZY" COMPUTER USER AND LEAVE MY COMPUTER SET ON CAPS.THE OTHER PROGRAMS I USE AT WORK WE USE CAP LETTERS IN THEM. I HAVE MULTIPLE FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS WITH CHEVY IFS'S. AND THEY BREAK THE AXLES,CV'S,TIE RODS ALL THE TIME. THEY HAVE ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF LIFTS ON THEM AND IT DOESNT SEAM TO BE ANY ONE LIFT MORE THEN THE OTHER. I LIVE IN HOLLISTER,CA. WE HAVE A LARGE 4X4 PARK 10 MIN FROM MY HOUSE. WE GO THERE ALL THE TIME AND THE CHEVY IFS CONSTANTLY FAILS. SORRY ITS NOT A BIAS TO FORD OR ANY OTHER MANUFACTURER ITS JUST I SEE IT IN PERSON AND HAVE NO REASON TO LIE ABOUT IT. JUST TRYING TO BE HONEST WITH MY EXPERIENCE WITH THESE TRUCKS. IN THE LAST MONTH ALONE I KNOW OF 4 TRUCKS OF FRIENDS OF MINE THAT HAVE BROKE THE FRONT CV'S,AXLES,TIEROD. IM INTO FUNCTIONING SUSPENSION SYSTEMS THAT MAKE A TRUCK STRONGER AND MORE CAPABLE OTHERWISE WY SPEND THE MONEY. IM NOT INTO WAY TOO TALL DISCO LIFTS WITH TO BIG OF TIRES AND PINK SHOCK BOOTS. WY ELSE DO YOU THINK THEY MAKE KITS TO REMOVE THE IFS AND PUT SOLID AXLES IN THEM. IF THE IFS WORKED SO GOOD THEY WOULDNT BE DOING IT.ANYWAY GOT TO GET TO WORK HAVE A GOOD DAY.

[matt_helton]

the cv's on a lifted chevy will last a long damn time as long as you dont crank the hell out of the torsions. they will also last a long time if all your bump and droop stops and or limit straps are in good working order, keeping your cv joints within their designed working angles.

besides, lets be honest here no 4wd IFS drop down bracket kit was designed to be "really" beat on or jumped. the front ends are stronger stock than lifted with a drop down bracket kit. all the lift kit does it add leverage to everything on the front end.

and listen to Jeff, he knows his stuff!

[johnnyweb]

well i guess we can agree to disagree. i dont know jeff so i cant vouch for his qualifications. but it sounds like he's in the lift kit business, and would like to sell a lift kit to DavyD. i dont sell lift kits. all the input here is from 20 years of real world experiences. that means street,offraod,desert, snow and sand dunes you man it ive been there done that. and there are plenty of experiences with broke chevy ifs front ends. i would agree that if you cycle the front end and check for bind in the cv's you will have a better chance at it staying together. a procedure that 9 out of 10 lift kit installers would not know how to do. that should have been done in the r&d dept at the lift kit manufacturer. we do agree on the fact that the stock suspension is more reliable then lifted though. i would not put parts on my vehicle that make it weaker. DavyD asked for a dependable and cheap lift for his new truck. i was making my recommendation based on cost and dependablity. also to keep his 2003 truck in warranty. im surprised more people on this board didnt have suggestions on thes post. but then again "YOU CAN'T POLISH A TURD"

[jeff]

20 years of offroad experience should tell you that anything can and will break if it's abused. I've seen snapped Dana 60 axles and it's usually a simple equation of too much power and too much traction equals kaboom. A stock GM IFS suspension with stock size tires can break an axle just as easily as a properly lifted truck with stock size tires. Note I said a PROPERLY lifted truck. It's usually not the kits that cause failure, it's the increase in the size of the tires that the kits allow. Most of the kits I recommend drop the front differential down the same amount as the upper and lower control arm. This means the CV angles stay 100% stock. There is no increase in wheel travel, there is no increase in CV wear, and there is no increased chance things will break, assuming the customer were to run a stock size tire. Install a larger than stock tire that has more traction and you've increased the load placed on the entire drivetrain. Assuming you left the trucks suspension 100% stock and ran a 35" tire, you could easily snap a GM CV if you were out wheeling hard enough. For street use and light off-road use (w/4wd engaged) a properly lifted GM IFS 4x4 truck can be quite reliable. Companies also offer upgraded front axles and CVs that basically prevent CV or axle related problems... then the front diff cracks or explodes. That's not a problem caused by a kit, that's too much torque and too much traction finding the weakest link in the design.

There are plenty of videos on the internet of stock GM trucks and H2's breaking front end components and these are 100% stock vehicles. The H2's run 315/70R17 tires and even in an All-Terrain tread the tires are capable of providing more traction than the GM IFS has strength.

Aloha

[johnnyweb]

Jeff, i have to agree with most every thing you said in the past post. pretty much everything you said tells me that the chevy ifs is a weak system stock and if you modify it and put big tires on it gets even weaker. that is wy i advised DavyD to leave the suspension alone put a bodylift on and some moderately sized tires and he would have a low cost,good looking,dependable system. good luck with it DavyD

[Mintychip]

Putting a body lift on allows the use of bigger tires, which ends up putting the same stress on the cv's and front diff as a drop down system. The drop down system leverages the frame more, but tires are tires, the cv's don't know the difference.

My friend has a 94 suburban 4x4 with a superlift kit, the ones that are all bolt together, and he takes it to glamis and beats it pretty hard with no problems. He put 2.5 kings on it and I was surprised how good it worked for what it is but that's another story.

[CanyonMan]

Jeff,
You mention aftermarker or stronger axles and cv joints for IFS chevy 4x4s. I am at the point of selling my truck to go to a Bronco 4x4 TTB suspension or Blazer if no Bronco is available I like. If I could find aftermarket parts that are stronger than stock, I would love to keep my 97 1/2 ton 4x4. Can you name a few as I haven't found any.

Thanks.

[DavyD]

Thanks for all the info re: my truck...
Im not going to take it out and beat it up. I will be doing some basic offroading and doing a little chasing i will put in 4wheel only when i have too.
(Glami/sand) .
thanks for everyones help.......
Davyd

[jeff]

Sure... you can replace the front axle shafts and CV's with stronger units and then watch as the front differential explodes. CV's on a GM are like fuses in the front end and are much cheaper to replace than a front diff / housing. Sell it and move on if you need off-road strength and reliability http://www.race-dezert.com/vb3/attachments/old/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Jeff @ PLC

[CanyonMan]

Ya know..that's what everyone keeps telling me. Guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and get the Bronco or Blazer afterall. Anybody want a 97 GMC 4x4? http://www.race-dezert.com/vb3/attachments/old/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[Ryno]

Jeff-

you make me laugh. the IFS can tackle snow in 4wd, that's about it. Right now mine is just a work truck to get back and forth to Arrowhead/ Crestline. It does fine in the snow, but if I ever get to chasing, I'm getting a solid axle. GM needs to get a clue from the Blue Four letter word.

[JrSyko]

Ryno, did you just pay FoMoCo a compliment? http://www.race-dezert.com/vb3/attachments/old/images/graemlins/smile.gif