Lift Kit

natemxz600 · Jul 6, 2004

first of all im new to this site so bare with me on this! i have a bone stock 92 nite bronco and im thinking of putting some 35s on it. what type of lift would you recommend.suspension and body or just suspension. any help would be cool. thanks

grande_guerre · Jul 6, 2004

personally, i don't like body lifts. But different strokes for different folks. I'd go with a four or six inch suspension lift. You can pretty much pick the brand, sky-jackers is great but spendy. Show pics if and when you get it together!

Shadow_D · Jul 6, 2004

First off Welcome to the B Zone!

A body lift is a cheap way to make your truck look lifted, it does not give you any ground clearance (except from the tires you use) and it raises the trucks CG.

If you do a search on eBay for "Bronco Lift" you will find a person that sells Rough Country 4 inch suspension lifts for $449.00. You can upgrade to the 6 inch for like $50.00.

From what my friends have told me 35's are the right size for the 6 inch suspension lift.

drcarter0734 · Jul 6, 2004

With 35's I would go with a 6 inch lift or you'll be getting some tire rub and possibly wheel well damage depending how radical you are off road. (First hand experience). I had 35's on mine and replaced with 33's. I have only a 4inch suspension lift. I have never dealt with body lifts.

natemxz600 · Jul 6, 2004

sounds like its going to be a 6" suspension lift.what brand do you guys prefer?

Justshootme84 · Jul 7, 2004

I am not a fan of body lifts, either, so I would get a 6" susp. lift if you want to clear 35" tires. I like my Skyjacker Class II kit, and you should seriously consider the extended radius arms for proper frontend alignment. Also a plus if you offroad any at all. PLan to spend about $3000 for the kit, install, tires and rims. It's also a good time to change to polyurethane bushings.

I haven't done this yet, but most folks suggest a gear ratio change to 4.56:1 in both axles. Tack on about $1000 for that mod. IT's still worth all of that to get a better ride and not get stuck due to stock tires and no ground clearance!!!

walkdawg · Jul 7, 2004

I have a question on this subject?? I was thinking of doing a 3" body lift then when I get the money togeather I wanted to do a 6" suspension lift. I just wanted to do the body lift now to give it the look. I do not do allot of wheeling right now but I was going to leave it on even with the suspension lift. I relize it will raise my center of gravity. I would like some more reasons why they are not liked.

Shadow_D · Jul 8, 2004

One of the other reasons I don't like them, and I know I will be challenged by many on this, is a longer bolt will brake under heavy loads. You will need to put longer bolts in place of the stock ones. Now I do know that any bolt will break under heavy loads but I'm not sure I want to take that chance.
You will also want to check your local laws about raising the height of your truck as some places have regulations about that.

Just keep this in mind...
It's your truck and your butt will be in it along with your better half and or kids.
Do what you feel comfortable with.

walkdawg · Jul 8, 2004

I agree the longer bolt would seem easier to break. I still dont see it breaking unless you ram some on going 80 mph but hell I have heard of worst happening but I will keep an open mine. I know lots of people that have them around me and the love them so I dont know so I thought I would jump in here and see if I could get people going on the pros and cons.

Shadow_D · Jul 8, 2004

That's why I love this forum, you get most all of the info you are looking for.

Justshootme84 · Jul 8, 2004

That is the number one reason I do not like body lifts. God forbid you should have an accident, but a vehicle with a body lift is more likely to shear the bolts and separate from the frame. That alone scares me away from that type of lift. Aside from that, you gain no ground clearance, and still have to modify a bunch of stuff like the shifter linkages and bumper mounts. A suspension lift gives you more ground clearance, better suspension travel, and that's why it costs a few hundred dollars more.

walkdawg · Jul 8, 2004

Yea I figured that much but I put 33's on and everything is cool but I would like a just a couple more inches into the wheel well. I agree the you are more likely to shear the bolts on a body lift but you would or the other car would have to be moving pretty fast to do it i would think. I was thinking with my 33's ands a body lift I could get my space I would like for now then I could save the money and get everything i need to do my suspension lift like I want but I was wanting to do some things to the engine and stuff first but would like to add a little bit of height for as cheap as I can do right now. But like I said I am not sure I want to do that either but it is worth it to me to get you all given me your thoughts so I know what I want to do LOL. I am starting to go against it strongly.

walkdawg · Jul 8, 2004

Hey natemxz600 I am sorry for stealing your post.

Justshootme84 · Jul 8, 2004

walkdawg, I hear ya dude!!! I was thinking (for 1 second) about putting just a body lift on my Chevy to fit some 33's, as it is still stock with 31's. I talked to 3 folks just last week, swearing they would take the body lift off after they had a suspension kit installed. It's really a "center of gravity" issue that's hard to explain unless you've done it. In the past, I would run a 4" body+4"susp and 38" tires. Now I am just running 4-6" suspension and 35's, that's what suits my driving needs. I would rather drive a few more months on stock tires while saving up for a susp. lift than to do a body lift and regret it later on. Speaking from 20+ years of driving and racing experience, do not get a body lift. A 4 or 6 inch suspension lift will cost you about $500 more but is worth every cent and then some. Good Luck!

walkdawg · Jul 8, 2004

I think you are right. I was not really for it in the first place but I have had a few people saying I should do it and i see that some people have them on here so I was wanting to get some good inside info.

Justshootme84 · Jul 8, 2004

That's cool, I know of 2 dudes that just have a 3" body lift and 35" tires. They may tell you to go for it. If you don't offroad very much and don't drive the road every day, you can get by for a while. But my philosophy is do it right the first time, and safety is priority number one. That is why none of my rigs have a body lift of any kind.