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Best way to lift my truck?

Crank your bars. Keys only let you crank your bars even MORE. You can get a couple of inches with stock keys. I did it with my '97 gasser with no adverse effects 2 years later...

Bill
 
I thought if you crank your bars stock then it will affect the ride, and your run the risk of them breaking? I thought if you got different keys then you keep the good ride and didn't run the risk of breaking the bars? Not sure on any of that but just trying to check all my options. Also would if be better to add a leaf in the rear or just do a block?
 
Using keys does NOT improve the ride. They let you crank higher, but you can only go so high before you will be constantly riding on the bumpstops. It's this that ruins the ride. You won't break your bars by cranking. Some people claim increased wear on front end parts when cranked, but this has not been a problem in my case. With stock keys you can easily get 2"

I have used blocks or leaves to raise the rear. Blocks keep the ride the same as stock. an AAL will make for a stiffer rear suspension, but will aid in heavy hauling if you do a lot of that.

Bill
 
Using keys does NOT improve the ride. They let you crank higher, but you can only go so high before you will be constantly riding on the bumpstops. It's this that ruins the ride. You won't break your bars by cranking. Some people claim increased wear on front end parts when cranked, but this has not been a problem in my case. With stock keys you can easily get 2"

I have used blocks or leaves to raise the rear. Blocks keep the ride the same as stock. an AAL will make for a stiffer rear suspension, but will aid in heavy hauling if you do a lot of that.

Bill

Why would cranking put you on the bumpstops? Shouldn't it move you away from the bumpstops?
 
I wish somebody really knew for certain about keys. I've read volumes about them, some saying it doesn't do anything and other saying it re-indexes to allow cranking without screwing up the front end. Seems like it must do something different than cranking stock bars, since people are making and selling them. I'm already cranked 5 turns, gained 1.5 inches for a level stance and it still rides smooth with no roughness or alignment problems. I'd love to get another 2-3 inches of lift if it doesn't mean tightening the front suspension up more than it already is. I guess I just don't have good grasp of the geometry involved. But then again, half the people who think they do don't either.
 
Why would cranking put you on the bumpstops? Shouldn't it move you away from the bumpstops?

The bump stops limit downward travel of the upper control arm, not upward travel in the traditional sense.

All "green" keys do is allow you to reindex for sagging torsion bars. They will not allow you to get more lift than stock keys on good bars. The limit for lifting by cranking the bars is dictated by the previously noted bumpstops.
 
BY far the easiest way to lift your truck































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HA! My truck would laugh at that little baby lift!

If its lucky, it may get one tire off the ground!
 
right around 40k with accesories for lifting from the frame and for lifting cars with smaller tires
 
If your bars are in good shape, you should be good to go. My photo album has several pics of mine and I have cranked the bars. I got approximately 2" out of the stock keys. Basically, I cranked them to the max and backed them off 3 full turns to stay off the bump stops. You will need an alignment after this as the camber will be off.
 
If your bars are in good shape, you should be good to go. My photo album has several pics of mine and I have cranked the bars. I got approximately 2" out of the stock keys. Basically, I cranked them to the max and backed them off 3 full turns to stay off the bump stops. You will need an alignment after this as the camber will be off.


What about your shocks? Did you buy longer ones...or just make extenders for them?
 
qwomack what did you do in the rear, just some 2 inch blocks? And did the 2 inches have any effect on steering angles(pitman arm and steering box) and what about rear drive line into the rear axle angle? Thanks again for the info
 
Nothing in the rear. The truck is basically level now and looks a lot better in my opinion. Cranking the bars has not had any negligible effect on the front drive line and suspension parts so far.
 
just to update and ask a question, I cranked the bars up and got about 1 and 3/4 inches of extra height in the front, and I put some blocks in the rear. Truck looks way better but I took it in today to get an alignment and the shop says they cannot get it re-aligned. They say they are going to have to "hog" out the camber stamp or I will have to lower it back down. Has anyone else had this problem?
 
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