lift kit help

[boogie]

So I see a lot of people putting say a 3.5" suspension kit plus a 2" body lift why would you not just get a 4.5" suspension kit? also I here people talking about moving there axle back a inch what is that all about? thanks

 

[bronconut73]

Body lift helps clear other stuff. Makes room for bigger tires with less top heaviness of the same amount of suspension lift.
Keeping your suspension lift to 2.5" to 3.5" will require less mods and will overall function better than taller suspension lifts.
When lifting the rear of an eb the rear axle will pull forward within the rear fenderwell a little.
Moving the axle back an inch or so will correct that. Any little bit of lengthening of wheelbase in something as short as an eb is a good thing.

 

[langester]

Suspension lifts above 2.5" to 3.5" range you will start running into front end and steering issues that will have to be dealt with. The steering starts getting squirrely and you have handling issues. Drive line angles and lots of other things to consider. If you buy all the right components this is not a problem, just costs a bit more. It is simpler sometimes to go 2.5" to 3.5" suspension lift and add a few inches in body lift to accomplish the same lift as a 5.5" suspension kit without the extra cost of some more expensive add ons. Depends on what you use your rig for too. If you just need a little more height to add bigger tires then body lifts are great. Body lifts also help when you are upgrading your transmission to a 4 or 5 speed to give a little more room. Its all about the end use of your ride and what you want to accomplish. No real right answer to what to do, its up to you and your needs.
Just my 2 cents. Im sure others will comment as well.
Have a good one!

 

[boogie]

Ok that make sense thanks for clearing that up for me

 

[boogie]

Is a body lift hard to install?

 

[savage]

I think it all depends on what your going to use your bronco for. What works for one person my not work for what you want to do. It seems, once you go above 2.5 inch lift, it starts to get more complex, and the cost, sky rockets. If your springs are tired and wore out and you just want a mild lift, 2.5 inch is a nice lift. It does depend on what size tires you want to run to.

 

[boogie]

Im not going to be doing that much off road stuff just riding my kids around

 

[Whoaa]

When lifting the rear of an eb the rear axle will pull forward within the rear fenderwell a little.
Moving the axle back an inch or so will correct that.

^......this is something I wasn't aware of.

What are guys doing typically to move the rear axle back and inch or so, while still using leaf springs, such as 5 1/2" WH spring pack?

 

[smokinjoe]

Is a body lift hard to install?

Not really, other than the one d*** body mount behind the driver seat

A body lift puck basically goes between the body bushing and the body lifting the body off the frame, longer bolt goes in there and POW!

Although you may have to modify a couple of things depending on the height of the body lift, 1", 2", or 3". Might have to weld a piece into your auto shift linkage, drop radiator shroud (remember your shroud is mounted to you body while the engine/fan are staying the same height), etc.

 

[bknbronco]

I have a 5.5" suspension lift and love it. I also have a 1" body lift just because I likes wild horses 1" built in lift body bushings.

When I install my big bearing rear end I will move it back a tad by simply moving the axle pad hole back, and the top spring retained pad hole as well.

 

[bronconut73]

^......this is something I wasn't aware of.

What are guys doing typically to move the rear axle back and inch or so, while still using leaf springs, such as 5 1/2" WH spring pack?

You drill a new hole an inch or so back on the u-bolt plate and on the leaf spring perch (on the axle).
You can only go an inch or so this way but sometimes that is all you need.
Keep in mind not all eb's have this issue or atleast it is not as noticable.
Increasing your wheel base even just an inch or so is a good thing for something as short as an eb.
By the way.....you don't have to do it. It is primarily an aesthetic thing that when corrected has a somewhat limited but functional advantage.

 

[DirtDonk]

The movement is as much a function of the leaf spring design too, than it is of simply going up higher. A long relatively flat main leaf can pretty much place the rear wheels exactly where they were before the lift. And if needed, the pin location can be taken into account during the design phase and moved if need be to keep the stock wheelbase.
Be interesting if someone would measure their before-and-after rear lift though. See just how much, if any we're really talking about here. Get a few different height lifts together and we can create one more interesting database for the future.

The really noticeable ones have the early style rear fender flares with a more vertical leading edge. Less clearance right off the bat with that design, and larger tires just make it worse. Adding the lift doesn't always move the axle forward, but when it does, those larger tires and shorter flares are the deal-breaker.
You get the same too-far-forward look on a stock height suspension too, just because of the larger tires. Add to that the fact that some people mounted their flares too far rearward, and you have a perfect storm of rubbage!

When you get to know Broncos too, you find yourself automatically looking for the telltale half-moon notch rubbed into the leading edge of the flares.

A second method of moving the axle back, in a pinch (and if you're patient with drilling) you can also re-drill the leaf pack slightly back of the original center pin location. Some have a lot of trouble drilling springs, so this isn't for most people. It also adds another possible stress riser where cracks can start. But since most never experience a cracked leaf spring, this does not seem to be as big an issue in life as it is on paper.
Some vehicles come with offset pins right from the factory, so moving the pin off-center does not appear to be any kind of real-world issue.

Paul

 

[boogie]

The lift I was looking at comes with new Leaf Springs so I would think they designed to keep the same wheelbase. I would think at least I will have to check to make sure. The 5.5 lift sayes you have to extend the driveshafts also so that makes me think they figured all that out.

 

[DirtDonk]

Most likely, but not necessarily. The larger lifts like yours will often still have much more arch to the springs than the lower lifts, and there can be tradeoffs to making the main leaf too much longer. So you might still experience a little of the walk.
Not much I wouldn't think, but possibly more than, say, a similar 2.5 or 3.5 spring.

Just curious though, what makes you want that much lift? You going with some meaty meats under there? Or just like the look?
Just asking to make sure you know what you're getting into with regard to steering and body roll and such. And if you're going to spend a lot of time on the street, you considering anti-sway bars in the mix?
You could end up wanting to lengthen the wheelbase then, not because the tires moved forward, but because you can benefit from the longer wheelbase when going taller.

And back to one of your previous questions, the difficulty of body lifts. What was already said is true, but I don't remember anyone touching on the worst part, which is the removal of the old mounts if you have to do that.
Granted, simply adding the additional pucks of 2 or 3 inches, is pretty straightforward. But if you're replacing your old body cushions/insulators then you could be in for the fight of your life!
They like to rust together, so can be real time-consuming little rascals to remove.

Again... Just so's ya know.;D

Paul

 

[boogie]

I'm thinking 31x10.5x15" tires and yea mostly driving my kids around on the street. After looking and different Broncos I like the way 5.5 " look.

 

[DirtDonk]

I think your visuals from pics are a little skewed then, as a tall Broncos with 31" tires just looks goofy. A 31 will fit on a stock Bronco with uncut fenders with a little luck. Adding over 5" of air above the tires leaves a wide open space there, which most don't like. Maybe you do of course, so that's cool, but it's not needed for that size of tire.
For an example, most who run with that much lift are fitting 36 and 37 inch tires!

Stock height and cut fenders is 31" or 32" or even 33" tires.
2.5" lift and cut fenders is usually 33" tires.
3.5" lift and cut fenders is usually 33" to 35" tires.
You can see where that's going.

With an uncut, that's different of course. But you're still talking 31 to 33 inch tires of narrower profiles on narrower wheels with more backspacing. But even that's with 2.5 to 3.5" lifts.
And without all the problems and costs associated with going taller than 3.5.

Maybe I'm being too old-school and, well, just old, but I think that other than the 1" body lift, those sizes I mention are pretty much the norm. Never seen anyone run a 31 on a tall Bronco before except for just driving it around the yard or down to the tire store to put bigger rubber on.

Got any pics of what you like?

Paul

 

[nathan.hall1]

I think your visuals from pics are a little skewed then, as a tall Broncos with 31" tires just looks goofy. A 31 will fit on a stock Bronco with uncut fenders with a little luck. Adding over 5" of air above the tires leaves a wide open space there, which most don't like. Maybe you do of course, so that's cool, but it's not needed for that size of tire.
For an example, most who run with that much lift are fitting 36 and 37 inch tires!

Stock height and cut fenders is 31" or 32" or even 33" tires.
2.5" lift and cut fenders is usually 33" tires.
3.5" lift and cut fenders is usually 33" to 35" tires.
You can see where that's going.

With an uncut, that's different of course. But you're still talking 31 to 33 inch tires of narrower profiles on narrower wheels with more backspacing. But even that's with 2.5 to 3.5" lifts.
And without all the problems and costs associated with going taller than 3.5.

Maybe I'm being too old-school and, well, just old, but I think that other than the 1" body lift, those sizes I mention are pretty much the norm. Never seen anyone run a 31 on a tall Bronco before except for just driving it around the yard or down to the tire store to put bigger rubber on.

Got any pics of what you like?

Paul

I'm glad you addressed this I had to read that thread a couple of times to see what I was missing 31s with a 5.5 lift....I guess it could be worse like 20 inch rims on a bronco...

I think that 35s would look great with that lift...but I'm old school too....I stayed away from that much lift because I didn't have the money to modify everything else... I have an uncut with a 2.5 SL and a 1inch WH BL I got 33s....a little much tire for the lift I have I should have went with 31s or a 3.5 SL...

 

[boogie]

This guy posted a picture of his truck with a 3.5 susp lift with 2" body lift and really like the dtance

 

[bronconut73]

5.5" is alot of lift Bud....especially for 31's.....
That is also a really narrow tire and wheel for a Bronco that will be that tall.
Like Donk said, you can fit 31's on an unlifted, uncut stocker with the right wheel.
If you are staying with stock rear quarters and that much lift I would think you could run 33x12.50" tires. That 2.0" of additional tire width over the 31 x 10.50 may not seem like much but it will help immensely with handling.
We always say to each his own here at CB. Do whatever you want it is your eb. Build what suits you.....but this time I am saying Whoaa on the 31's with that much lift Buddy.

 

[boogie]

Maybe I'll just do a 3.5 I can always do a 2" body lift if I feel I need it. Thanks for the help guys!!