lift decision, gurus beat it up before purchase

For a small cheap lift for tame off road and mostly highway, I did the daystar front 1.25 in. poly top plate spacer and 1 in. Billet alum. rear block. I can tell no difference at all in the way it drives vs stock. Completely satisfied and it looks great. Parts total about $100.

 

I have had AAL and Dakars on my truck. I found the AAL to be a nice ride. The Dakars are definitely a little stiffer on the road. Personally, I found my coil spacers and AAL set up to have a very nice on road ride. Even my mom commented on how well the truck rode. Then I went and tore all that off and put on foxes since I ended up taking it off road a fair bit.

That said, your original plan looks like it will probably meet your expectations... with the exception of the rear block in the back. I would go AAL.

 

If "under $1200" is your goal, you can def. get better lifts than spacers and blocks. Like others have said an AAL is better for the rear (for you and passengers). if you set bilsteins at 2.5 up front, you still will have to get different uca's most likely. Even though it's just for looks, cheaper isnt always best. I'm not totally hating on spacers/blocks, i had them once, and that 1 time was all i needed to realize i never wanted them again. Maybe you will like them, just not my cup of tea. To each their own.