running 35's

[T.winegar]

i just put 2 extra leafs in the back of my truck to get some of the sag to go away, and it worked good. i found some 35's on the farm after that. i wanted put them on, and found the back is fine, but the front won't fit them in. i can barely drive let alone turn the wheel.

what is the best idea to lift the front end enough to slap the 35's on it???

sky jacker, add a leaf, etc.

ideas, cost to do it??

[gear jammer 91"]

new front springs would probably be the best way to do it. I had an old chev that had add a leaf's in the spring pack's and it rode worse than my first gen does. If you just wanna make them fit without spending money their is always the good old sawzall

[Mad Max]

The fronts are a tough nut to crack because there isn't much in the aftermarket for HD (3/4-ton or better) Dodge leafs. I ended up having a 7-leaf pak made with a 4" lift for mine and works great. You could also look at a 3" body lift - simple and not too $$$.

You could get a set of aftermarket Dodge front leafs (ProCop, Skyjacker, Rough Country...) and have a local shop add 2 additional arched leafs into the pak.

If you want to replace the rears, I'd recommend a set of Chevy 56" rears and do a shackle flip. Better ride, and cheap. The 56" ProComp 4" lift leafs are ~ $360 from 4-wheel parts.

- M2

[dpuckett]

Please explain a shackle flip? I'm trying to visualize it, but stuff keeps getting in the way when I do so.

DP

[Mad Max]

sure - looks like this:



Essentially take a rear leaf front hanger and bolt it up in back, and the shackle hangs down verse up. Fantastic and cheap way to a quick 4" lift. But, while yer at it swap in a set of 56" chevy springs and gain a lot better ride quality and some nice lift. There is a little bit of 'voodoo' (fabrication) required but it's super simple.

First, depends on which shackles you're be using. If reusing the stock DOdge rear shackle you'll need everything out back to accept 5/8" bolts. The hanger is factory drilled for a 9/16" bolt, so you'll need to hog out the hole -



The stock DOdge springs have the correct bushing sleeve size, but if you go Chevy you have to hog out the bushing sleeve too -



There's a LOT of meat in the sleeve making for hoging it out to 5/8" a breeze. Just drill straight

Then, figure how much suspension flex you want, bolt the shackle and hanger up snug but loose, and then locate where on the frame you want the hanger to be so you have both good compression and, most importantly, extension. I typically bolt the hanger to the frame so the shackle is right about 30* with full weight on the frame.

I'll post a few more pics in a bit.

- M2

[GO OVRIT]

How wide are your wheels, and what backspacing? A front add-a-leaf will clear 35s on the right wheel, but its a pretty harsh ride. Skyjacker is the only company that sells "off the shelf" front springs rated for the cummins. I had Alcan springs make the fronts for my 92 and they ride great.

Shackle flips do a good job of softening the ride. It handles differently with a trailer though. You also need to watch the pinion angle, especially with softer springs and no ladder bars.

[nooblet]

take a sawz-all to the front fenders, they'll fit fine!

Can you tell my fenders are cut?



Chris

[T.winegar]

how did you clean up the cutting job. i can't even tell. looks good though

[T.winegar]

take a sawz-all to the front fenders, they'll fit fine!

Can you tell my fenders are cut?



Chris

you didn't do any lifting to your truck to fit them 35's underneath?? and if you didn't, how did you make it so level? just how it is maybe

[Richie O]

The 89's and 90's have a different ( smaller ) lift block in rear. They sit more level. Looks like he cut the front of the fender below the marker light.

[gear jammer 91"]

For what it's worth, my non-intercooled 91' also has the smaller rear blocks. It almost sits lower in the rear.

[redneckroot]

On the 93 I had, I took the front springs and had them re-arched and then added a leaf to the front. It fit 35 x 14.5 tires under it no problem. It still road just as rough as it did before I did anything. It was a 100 dollar plus shocks fix.

[nooblet]

take a sawz-all to the front fenders, they'll fit fine!

Can you tell my fenders are cut?



Chris

you didn't do any lifting to your truck to fit them 35's underneath?? and if you didn't, how did you make it so level? just how it is maybe

Yes i have a body lift also, but its way over kill. I Had 36X14.5's on it. It would more than clear without the body lift.

My friend has a truck with those same 36X14.5's on it with no body lift, he only cut his fenders because they were pretty rusty anyways. Its really the way to go unless your truck is in pristine condition.

Mine was wrecked i think 2 times, had the molding removed, etc... When i got it, it had the body lift already ( I would never put a body lift on anything).

Chris

[Mad Max]

FWIW, this is my RC with a 3" body lift, 4" suspension lift, and a set of 36x15.5 MTZs





The entire 4.5" of the bottom odge of the body was removed in lieu of the sliders, and after that the lower back edge of fenders and rear quarters were trimmed about 2"



- M2

[T.winegar]

where do i start looking to get a 3in body lift??

and all the materials needed for my information would be nice too.