How to... lift Suburban 4x4

[Marleen Hansen]

Hi all
New to this forum..
I am looking for advice on what to do and not to do when lifting my squarebody surburban 4x4 from 89...

And where to find the parts needed..
I hope you’ll share this with me..
Thanks..

 

[roundhouse]

If you’re gonna drive it a lot
Pay the extra money and get springs from Alcan or Deaver
I have Alcan and they are Goldilocks ride
Not too soft, not too hard . Just right

They will want you to weigh your vehicle and they ask a lot of questions about your vehicle and how you’re gonna use it and how much lift you want and they make your springs specific for your truck

Blocks are ok in the rear if they are good quality and installed properly

They ride sooo much better than the cheaper ones

Get all new bushings and new bolts for everything

Sawzall off the old bolts instead of trying to unscrew them

Also gonna need all new shocks
I personally like the rancho 9000 adjustable ones
Gonna need longer flex lines for the brakes
Hunt for the ones made in North America
You don’t want the rubber lines that are made in China


Also gonna need some sway bar disconnects to use as extensions for the lift


You don’t need as much lift as you think
Depending on the wheels I have run 33’s with no lift and 35’s with 4” lift

Anything over 4” needs steering correction and new longer driveshafts
You may want to use a drop drag link with a 4” lift anyway

And you should consider adding a bolt on steering box brace

A 2.5 or 4 inch lift using good quality components will cost you around $1000

You can also do a one inch body lift for cheap using old hockey pucks
Just have to buy new longer bolts and get the old ones out without breaking the nuts that are welded into the body

What gear ratio do you have in the axles?

 

[Charlie]

 

[K201979]

Welcome. I used a kit from zone offroad. Came with front 4" front lift springs, blocks for the back, 4 shocks, raised steering arm, new u-bolts and hardware for the shocks. Not as pricey as some of the better names and the springs are a little stiff but it rides way better than it did on the old wore out springs. Id second cutting the ubolts, but i used a grinder with a cutoff wheel. Watch out for the tension on the springs. They will pop when u cut the bolts. Heres before, during, and after pics. 79 k20, 4" lift, 315/75/17 tires on procomp d-window steel wheels:

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[skysurfer]

Are we talking Denmark, Sweden or Denmark, South Carolina? It's expensive to have suspension parts shipped just within the U.S., I hate to think what it would cost to have leaf springs shipped half-way around the world. What's your budget? It's easy for us to list names of suppliers but if you don't have the financial resources or a supply line it's no use for us to suggest anything.

 

[Marleen Hansen]

Are we talking Denmark, Sweden or Denmark, South Carolina? It's expensive to have suspension parts shipped just within the U.S., I hate to think what it would cost to have leaf springs shipped half-way around the world. What's your budget? It's easy for us to list names of suppliers but if you don't have the financial resources or a supply line it's no use for us to suggest anything.

Denmark, Europe yes (Sweden is our neighbours)...
We are able to shop from California to Denmark at a very fair price...
Budget, hmm...
I am willing to pay a fair price for what i need if it gives me the lift i want..
I know thats a vague answer but i wish to know how and where and then pay for what i find..

 

[Marleen Hansen]

Welcome. I used a kit from zone offroad. Came with front 4" front lift springs, blocks for the back, 4 shocks, raised steering arm, new u-bolts and hardware for the shocks. Not as pricey as some of the better names and the springs are a little stiff but it rides way better than it did on the old wore out springs. Id second cutting the ubolts, but i used a grinder with a cutoff wheel. Watch out for the tension on the springs. They will pop when u cut the bolts. Heres before, during, and after pics. 79 k20, 4" lift, 315/75/17 tires on procomp d-window steel wheels:

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Thanks, i will look into zone offroad.. Looks good on yours..
and thanks for the advice on the springs

 

[Marleen Hansen]

If you’re gonna drive it a lot
Pay the extra money and get springs from Alcan or Deaver
I have Alcan and they are Goldilocks ride
Not too soft, not too hard . Just right

They will want you to weigh your vehicle and they ask a lot of questions about your vehicle and how you’re gonna use it and how much lift you want and they make your springs specific for your truck

Blocks are ok in the rear if they are good quality and installed properly

They ride sooo much better than the cheaper ones

Get all new bushings and new bolts for everything

Sawzall off the old bolts instead of trying to unscrew them

Also gonna need all new shocks
I personally like the rancho 9000 adjustable ones
Gonna need longer flex lines for the brakes
Hunt for the ones made in North America
You don’t want the rubber lines that are made in China


Also gonna need some sway bar disconnects to use as extensions for the lift


You don’t need as much lift as you think
Depending on the wheels I have run 33’s with no lift and 35’s with 4” lift

Anything over 4” needs steering correction and new longer driveshafts
You may want to use a drop drag link with a 4” lift anyway

And you should consider adding a bolt on steering box brace

A 2.5 or 4 inch lift using good quality components will cost you around $1000

You can also do a one inch body lift for cheap using old hockey pucks
Just have to buy new longer bolts and get the old ones out without breaking the nuts that are welded into the body

What gear ratio do you have in the axles?

 

[Marleen Hansen]

If you’re gonna drive it a lot
Pay the extra money and get springs from Alcan or Deaver
I have Alcan and they are Goldilocks ride
Not too soft, not too hard . Just right

They will want you to weigh your vehicle and they ask a lot of questions about your vehicle and how you’re gonna use it and how much lift you want and they make your springs specific for your truck

Blocks are ok in the rear if they are good quality and installed properly

They ride sooo much better than the cheaper ones

Get all new bushings and new bolts for everything

Sawzall off the old bolts instead of trying to unscrew them

Also gonna need all new shocks
I personally like the rancho 9000 adjustable ones
Gonna need longer flex lines for the brakes
Hunt for the ones made in North America
You don’t want the rubber lines that are made in China


Also gonna need some sway bar disconnects to use as extensions for the lift


You don’t need as much lift as you think
Depending on the wheels I have run 33’s with no lift and 35’s with 4” lift

Anything over 4” needs steering correction and new longer driveshafts
You may want to use a drop drag link with a 4” lift anyway

And you should consider adding a bolt on steering box brace

A 2.5 or 4 inch lift using good quality components will cost you around $1000

You can also do a one inch body lift for cheap using old hockey pucks
Just have to buy new longer bolts and get the old ones out without breaking the nuts that are welded into the body

What gear ratio do you have in the axles?

Thank you...

I am on 33” tires now and really want 38” on it.. dont really know if 4” is enough..

1000$ sounds affordable.. I’ll definently ask Alcan og Deaver..


Gear ratio is 4.10 i think...

 

[roundhouse]

4” won’t be enough for 38s unless you trim the fenders a little

Lifting it enough for 38s without fender trimming is gonna need to be 6-8 inches and expensive due to the steering , driveshaft and other mods

Usually every 2” you raise the height of the vehicle you lose 1 MPG

I’ve seen a K5 with 40s and no lift
But lots of fender trimming

Check the axle ratio
4.11 will be barely ok for 38s

But a lot of burbs had 3.08 or 3.73

 

[77 K20]

http://offroaddesign.com/

Even if you don't buy from them (they are in Colorado in the US) you can learn a lot from exploring their page, looking at their project vehicles and if you do a Google search you can find videos with Steven Watson (ORD owner) talking about old chevys and off road information.

Their custom ORD springs are Alcans made to ORD's specs. I have them in the front.

Small lift blocks on the back are a good cheap way to lift but as the block becomes taller it can cause issues like wheel hop (depending on how stiff your springs are, how heavy on the throttle you are).

If you want 38" tires how are you planning on using it? Light off road? Mud? Off road where you need articulation? What you are going to use it for and what you expect out of it can change your build and parts that are needed.

As you do reading/research then I'm sure you might have more questions. Enjoy- and welcome to the site!

 

[Craig 85]

4" lift probably won't work with 38's. My old K5 had a 6" lift with 36x15" wide radials and they would have rubbed if I didn't have the cut out flares.

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[rpcraft]

Technically anything stock needs steering correction to get rid of the super aggressive brake pull.... That being said if you lift it more than 2 inches put a corrected steering arm on it at the very least.

 

[roundhouse]

Thank you...

I am on 33” tires now and really want 38” on it.. dont really know if 4” is enough..

1000$ sounds affordable.. I’ll definently ask Alcan og Deaver..


Gear ratio is 4.10 i think...

Found my invoice

Four new springs and bushings and shipping was $1650

Rancho RS 9000 shocks were $100 each

 

[PrairieDrifter]

Off-road design is a good one. When lifting a suburban I would suggest staying away from blocks, mainly because the suburbans have much more weight in the back, the suspensions sags and you get an unlevel stance.

The shackle flip from ORD is another “cheap” way to lift the rear. More expensive than blocks but a lot stronger and safer, and is less expensive than new leaf springs.

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