newbie needs help

GM innovated · September 26, 2003

hey whats up,

well i have a 2k2 sierra stepside 4.8 2wd, and i wanted to lift it. not for offroading specifically, but i will be messing around a lil bit....

i couldnt afford 4wd when i bought my truck, and i wanted a new body, and i decided to get this, and was thinking about airbagging it for a while, but got very sick of that idea esp. because i live in southern california, and 99% of kids my age have an airbagged minitruck. (im 19) anyways, i wanted to see what i needed to do a clean lift on my truck...

all i thought it was was the lift kit, wheel/tire, tranny, and rear diff just to be on the safe/healthy side. but now i see stuff about lockers, etc.....

please help, and thanks in advance.

chevyhd · September 26, 2003

How big do you want to go and how much do you want to spend? You can go 6" suspension lift and 33's without much problem, and even stay under $3,000. If you go bigger, add a body lift and 35's, and regear. Locker is up to you, if you won't be seriosuly offroad you won't need it.

GM innovated · September 26, 2003

i would like to fit at least 35" or even 40"s if possible? money isnt really a thing to me right now, im not looking to get everything right now, i have about 2k saved up, and i just want the lift to be good and work good w/out losing power.

wandell · September 26, 2003

I don't think I'd go bigger than 35's with a 1/2 ton truck. You could get a 7 inch Fabtech lift, a 3 inch body lift and probably fit 35's fine on your 4x2. You would probably want to go to a lower ring and pinion gear so you don't lose any power with the 35's. I think there are a couple of members here with lifted 4x2's. I'm sure they can point you in the right direction.

DejaVu · September 27, 2003

If you want to go that big check out CST suspensions. They have big 2wd lifts.

[CST Suspensions

chvythndr · October 6, 2003

I would not recommend 40s at all! I'm running 36x14.50 Super Swamper TSLs on my '02 Z71 w/ the 5.3L and it's fine, but what worries me the most when offroading is the IFS and the 10 bold. It's only a matter of time before I grenade the 10 bolt, and airing my truck doesn't help the IFS one bit

Since you have a 2x4, I think you'll need at least a 3" body lift + a 6" suspension lift to fit the 35s. I've got 9" of lift on 36s, but mine is a 4x4. Hope this helps.