Finally made the leap!!

So yesterday and today I lifted her..
Before, obviously...


After..

I used a Procomp (Nitro, PN 65660K) Lift kit.. It's the same as Fat Bob's or Readylift. 2 3/4 front block and 1 3/4 back AAL.. I also installed Procomp wheels PN 7069-6865 16" with 4.5" backset -12 offset, flat black and Bilstien shocks 4600's front 24-185066 passenger side, 24-185042 drivers side and 5100's rear 24-186728. (everything above is available right here in Canada at 4wheel or any 4x shop for that matter) Gorilla lug nuts 21133BC and extended studs ARP PN 100-7715 (I had to cut 1/2" off them). I picked up hub rings and ARP's locally at a rim shop after measuring what I needed (60.1 x 83) Not really offroading so I went with Michelin Defenders 265/70/16

I used the truck as a spring compressor, it was no big deal. I followed the readylift instructions accept I added a step to get the Bilstiens in. I lowered out the entire assembly.. Pic.



It's hard to tell but the spring is fully decompressed. I simply pulled it out, swapped the shock, put it back in, screwed in the top nut and then pulled it out with the top and installed the lift block as per instructions..

Anyways, It's driving well, could probably use an alignmet. I'll take a shot at it myself tomorrow, if I'm unhappy I'll take it to a shop on Tuesday ( Holiday Monday (Simcoe Day) here in Canada) ..

Otherwise it went smoothly.. Of note, in the instructions they tell you to rotate the strut 120 degrees to line up the studs.. I see through reading through some of the other threads some of you missread that and assume it says 180 degrees.. What they really mean is 60 degrees (I assume the authors failed math) and the process is overstated.. All you have to do is twist the bottom of the shock to get the bottom mount lined up after attaching the top.. Make sure the brake line bracket is pointing out and you're set.. Also of note.. The bilstein brake line bracket is a wee bit larger that the stocker, so it need a wee bend to fit.. Everything is extremely tight up front untill you get the wheel on and drop it off the jack stands.. Also worth noting, I had to grind 1/8th off the rotor bracket to get some clearance for the new wheels.. Not a problem..

Shout out to HackD. He answered a few questions, confirmed some suspicions, boosted my confidence in a few PMs..

Anyways.. I figured I'd share.. Good luck..

 

Looks good man enjoy

 

Yessir!

 

Looking great - glad i could be of assistance!

And damn... i'm now considering hub spacers, eyeballing yours, and the difference that it made in appearance.

 

Thanks Guys.. Worth noting, always look for a truck Alignment shop for your alignment. A lifted truck with oversized tires will not post on a regular alignment shops computer. They'll struggle with what's correct, they won't send you away because they have you on the rack and want your money, but they won't be able to set you up propperly. In a truck Alignment shop (with a pit for the rack) the Tech will be used to thinking out of the box and wont rely on his computer and the green lights. He'll have bigger breaker bars and will torque everything up to like 180lbs after he's finished. Any truck Alignment shop will do a far better job setting you up in a lifted vehicle truck/Jeep..

Just saying..

 

And yes, stance is important.. Be aware having the rubber extending beyond the fenders is worth a ticket if the wrong cop pulls you over. But in an urban setting you wont get hasseled..

 

If my eyeball estimates are correct, I should be in the 'safe-zone' as far as police enforcement goes.. not that i see a great deal of police anywhere, unless they are attending to yet another QEW or 403 accident scene during the rush-hour periods, LOL.

My current offset is +40, which is 5 less (inset slightly bit less into the fender well) than OEM wheels. Going to 1.25" spacers will bring the wheels out to about even with the fender lip. With 1.25" Spidertrax spacers (31.75mm), that would in effect be the same offset as a +10 offset rim - which is still very much on the conservative side of 'stance'. This will also partially address my concerns of premature wheel bearing failures due to insufficient positive offset getting too silly. It'll reduce the tucked-in appearance, and also set the stage for replacement of tires in a year to two years time, when worn out and get replaced by perhaps 235/85R16, and perhaps a gearing change. It'll partially offset (pun intended) that 'skipped leg day' appearance, that it has currently.

Changing out to a new set of rims, again, is really not in the offing - I might do that when it comes to tire-change time... but i'm quite happy currently, with the appearance of my fancy-smancy ricky-racer rims that i had sourced off of kijiji only a year ago.

 

4.11 or 4.27's were on my list, but honestly I don't notice much difference in terms of power. Gutless is gutless no matter how you slice it. Going fast isn't an issue, at least for now. In terms of the Law, I drove my Jeep around for 10+ years with tires sticking 2 or 3+ out from the fenders without any issues, I was just pointing out the possibilities. I like your rims, you can always paint them black if you grow tired of them. I agree spacers will make your rig look better though.

 

Added Timbrens Model # TORXR-P2. I also added a piece of bedframe (angle iron) along the top of the tailgate beneith the stock plastic trim, can't see it but it stiffens the entire tailgate. I work the truck at times. I was concerned that with a load it would hit the new 5100's before the stock bumpstops. I was looking for a new bumpstop and came accross the Timbrens. Answered the extra load issue as well as the bumpstop issue in one swing. Standard Timbrens for the stock 5 lugger are PN TORXR. With the add a leaf installed I needed a product 6" indstead of the regular 4" Timbren. Called them up, they were willing to help with PN TORXR-P2. It's a 4" Timbren with a 2" spacer. They're 1/2 the price of airbags, ride is totally unaffected untill a load is added. Hauled 20 bags of concrete this afternoon and the truck barely sagged. I'm stoked. I have some pics but the phone is having issues connecting just now, I'll add them later..


Good Luck.

 

Installed 411's. Had it profesionally done at a local 4x4 shop. It's an automatic so I got my drivability back, it's more sporty and fun to drive again. Glad I did it.

 

how did you compress the spring?

 

I used the truck, it was suprisingly easy and didn't seem dangerous at all. I snapped a few photos they're included above. Once you start it'll become obvious for you. Good luck.