whatsagoodalias
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Ok guys, so I usually lurk around more than post so first, I would like to thank the whole Steel Soldiers community for all the info I have gathered from this forum. I figured I would give back by sharing my lift experience for anyone else who wanted more on possible options. I know that when I was searching for my lift, it was rather hard to find an off the shelf solution for my CUCV for the price I wanted to pay. Most offroad shops were around $1200 for the parts, no installation. So I did some digging. I sourced everything from 4wheelparts.com.
SKYFBL29- Skyjacker stainless braided brake lines
SKYSBL20 - Skyjacker 2" swaybar lowering bracket
EXP11511 - Pro-comp 6" front lift springs with urethane bushings
EXPGDL40- 4" drop draglink
SUP3759 - Superlift 5.5" rear block and u-bolt kit
EXP326500- Pro-comp ES3000 Shock (can't remember front or back)
EXP329500- Pro-comp ES3000 Shock (can't remember front or back)
Can't recall the part number for the front u-bolt kit
Ok, here's the funny thing about 4wheelparts: if you piece a lift kit together component by component, it all ships for free. If you buy a complete kit, plan on spending another $120 to ship it as it doesn't qualify for free shipping. I put my whole kit together for about $800 when all was said and done. I'm sure there are cheaper routes (modifying an off the shelf 3/4 ton lift by adding Dana 60 specific components) but I felt I had better control over what went into my kit by piecing it together. For example, most lift kits want you to take your front hard brake lines and bend them so they drop out under the frame, but seeing as this is a CUCV that has 25 year old rubber lines anyways, I just got extended stainless brake lines and killed 2 birds with one stone. Also I liked the fact that the procomp front springs were not shimmed, as I have seen wacky pinion angles on similar springs with integrated shims.
Some CUCV specific complications you may encounter involve the rear spring pack. My rear u-bolts were not long enough by about 1/2" to 1" because of the 5/4 ton springs. I removed the 2 springs just above the overload spring and called it a day. One leaf was broken anyways. The rear sits maybe an inch lower than I wanted but I will eventually get some 6" lift springs for the rear so all is not lost. Removing the old rear u-bolts the correct way was an exercise in futility so I just cut them off with a grinder. Make sure your kit comes with square u-bolts for a 1 ton truck instead of the rounded ones for lighter trucks.
I was able to clear brand new 36x12.50x16.5 Swamper TSL SX tires on 9.5" wide rims with a 4.5" backspace with no problems and no cutting of any kind. I know 37s would fit as well and that is what I will do when I am ready for new tires. So there it is, my build list, my thoughts, and the problems I had, hope this helps someone out there. Now, off to drive around in some more snow!
SKYFBL29- Skyjacker stainless braided brake lines
SKYSBL20 - Skyjacker 2" swaybar lowering bracket
EXP11511 - Pro-comp 6" front lift springs with urethane bushings
EXPGDL40- 4" drop draglink
SUP3759 - Superlift 5.5" rear block and u-bolt kit
EXP326500- Pro-comp ES3000 Shock (can't remember front or back)
EXP329500- Pro-comp ES3000 Shock (can't remember front or back)
Can't recall the part number for the front u-bolt kit
Ok, here's the funny thing about 4wheelparts: if you piece a lift kit together component by component, it all ships for free. If you buy a complete kit, plan on spending another $120 to ship it as it doesn't qualify for free shipping. I put my whole kit together for about $800 when all was said and done. I'm sure there are cheaper routes (modifying an off the shelf 3/4 ton lift by adding Dana 60 specific components) but I felt I had better control over what went into my kit by piecing it together. For example, most lift kits want you to take your front hard brake lines and bend them so they drop out under the frame, but seeing as this is a CUCV that has 25 year old rubber lines anyways, I just got extended stainless brake lines and killed 2 birds with one stone. Also I liked the fact that the procomp front springs were not shimmed, as I have seen wacky pinion angles on similar springs with integrated shims.
Some CUCV specific complications you may encounter involve the rear spring pack. My rear u-bolts were not long enough by about 1/2" to 1" because of the 5/4 ton springs. I removed the 2 springs just above the overload spring and called it a day. One leaf was broken anyways. The rear sits maybe an inch lower than I wanted but I will eventually get some 6" lift springs for the rear so all is not lost. Removing the old rear u-bolts the correct way was an exercise in futility so I just cut them off with a grinder. Make sure your kit comes with square u-bolts for a 1 ton truck instead of the rounded ones for lighter trucks.
I was able to clear brand new 36x12.50x16.5 Swamper TSL SX tires on 9.5" wide rims with a 4.5" backspace with no problems and no cutting of any kind. I know 37s would fit as well and that is what I will do when I am ready for new tires. So there it is, my build list, my thoughts, and the problems I had, hope this helps someone out there. Now, off to drive around in some more snow!
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