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how the hell

93SPORTIOWA

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SIOUX CITY IOWA
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93 SPORT
im looking at the 8" lif tthat gigantor has for sale how the hell am i going to lift the rear 8"and what about the drive shafts please help!
 



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you could go custom SOA on the rear end. you can weld new spring perches on top of the axle. that basically makes it like any pickup truck axle. that achieves you close to 6" of lift. it actually got me EXACTLY 5.5" of lift. wierd, huh? but then since it is just like a truck axle, you can use lift blocks on the rear end. either 2" or 3" lift blocks. i would go w\ the 3" block, just in case you don't get actually 5.5 or 6" out of the soa.
 






what about

the drive shafts? do i need to make them longer? what about the angles?
 






i honestly don't know...but if you had to....heres a thought....maybe someone else could answer this....could you use the driveshaft out of a longer wheelbase ranger?
 






hmmm that might work

did you have to lengthen yours? if not any problems dont you think that would be cool 11" of total lift
 






no..i didn't have to lengthen mine...and yeah!! that would rock!! you could probably squeeze some 38's in there!!! though i don't think the front axle would hold up to well! hehehe
 






IF you need a new rear or front driveshaft leave it to the pros to get one built. Don't mess around with this. The only way you will know is after you install the lift and go test your truck out.
 






I would guess to run that size of a lift both a longer driveshaft and a new axle would be needed. You may be able to run without them, but you're asking for problems.

As for the blocks....you could do that, but for a more stable ride invest a few more dollars for a set of new springs. You can get them made several places around. They will provide a better ride and more "flex" But blocks will work fine too.
 






Call me crazy, but I've always read that bigger lift springs allowed less flex because the spring pack is thicker/bigger.
Pete
 






I'd like to share a little bit of info. Do not use blocks. Here's why. I have a SOA conversion. This works great and is quite flexy. One problem occurs though. With the spings on top of the axle, the axle tends to wrap up. The deffination of axle wrap is when torgue is applied to the wheels, resistance is being applied to the tires (ground) the axle wants to twist. The axle will twist at it's pivit points (spring mounts). With the springs on the bottom of the axle this is virtually non-existant. When the axle 'wraps' the spring looks like an 'S'. (I wish I could draw here). If you get a lot of spring(axle) wrap and/or bouncing, this tends to break axles and springs. With lift blocks, this only exadgerates the wrap up. Now you can imagine the tortional twist. For street applications, blocks are great, but for off-road, you'd better bring spares. With a SOA, traction bars are needed to eliminate axle wrap. I have not yet done this because I don't want any limiting factors in suspension travel. I think the best ones out there are from http://www.samsoffroad.com. He has built some great stuff for Jeeps and won Four Wheeler's Top Truck Challange. Anyway, I hope this helps. My susgestion would be SOA with 3" lift springs, they don't cost that much. Then go to the driveline shop to check for length and binding. Can't wait to see pics of your rig.

Clark
 






Check out Ricks rear end. He's running Nationl Springs on his with little or no blocks used at all.
 






hmmmm

what to do
 






For an 8" lift you will definetly need longer drive shafts. To run those big meats you should also upgrade your axles. New gears are a must. Once you go SOA there are a number of different combinations that you can use to yield the required lift. Lift blocks were mentioned earlier. You could use the 3" block or a shorter block combined with add-a-leaves and/or longer shackles, but I would have to agree with Clark and recommend staying away from lift blocks all together. There are better ways. The 3" spring packs located over the axle should provide the result you're looking for. Someone also mentioned 38's. Take everything into consideration. 38" meats will look way cool but they have their disadvantages. If you get tires that size you might also consider a few engine mods for some more power. I hope you have a V8. Your braking distance will decrease significantly and may require an upgrade. Fuel economy will also suffer. I'm not saying that all of these mods are necessary but just keep them in mind. Try to address all possible hidden costs. The mods are endless. Plan to spend twice as much money as your initial estimate. If you're gonna do it, do it right. You might not be satisfied otherwise. Christ, I sound like a preacher... he just wants to lift his truck. Sorry, I've been down that road before. Good luck. Post pictures.
 






Also, should ya run a tire bigger than a 35...You may run into front axle....The front ends cant handle much more than 35's...Just saying what I know....But, I think 38's would be hella cool!
Pete
 






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