So it's been awhile but I put the Supreme Suspension 2.5" coil spacers on the rear and cranked the torsion bars to the max. I was able to get the full 2.5" all around (the front may have actually gone up a little more).
Hi Tom, i just found your thread and went through the whole thing. You have a lot of skill and did a great job on the truck. I'm just curious if you had to do it all over would you start with a vehicle in better shape. I believe you said yours cost $4500. How much to you think the have in it all together. Thanks John
Here's a quick pic before going camping recently:
Initial impressions were favorable. But because I didn't do anything about the shocks, I didn't realize that the rears were basically at full extension at normal ride height. So with any flex, the internal valving quickly got trashed against the end of the tube. It wasn't long before the ride got horrible. I'm pretty sure the tires weren't always in contact with the road.
I ordered some Bilsteins that I thought were good for my lifted application. I had no luck finding good info on the Bilsteins. Tonight I finally got around to installing them. Or, trying to install them...... I got the top bolted in, but I was unable to get the bottom in. Too short. And I was doing this with the full weight of the truck on the tires. The Bilsteins are actually slightly shorter than the Ranchos:
So now I'm going to be installing the Ranchos meant for 4" lifts. Judging by my tape measuring, I think they will work just fine. One nice thing about Ranchos- plenty of info on their website.
Oh, and the old Rancho, I can freely move the shock in and out. It's basically along for the ride.