89 ranger lift ideals tell me what you think

[59flatbedford]

well i have a 89 extended cab 4x4 with the v-6. right now its stock and it kinda looks like a geezer mobile so i think i want to lift it about 4 inches. ive pretty much decided on a skyjacker class two 4inch lift as from what ive heard those are pretty much the best. since mine is the extended cab v-6 i was thinking of using 6 inch coils up front to keep it leveled. Does this sound like a good ideal? also on the back i was thinking of doing the shackle flip and chevy spring conversion to get more wheel travel. How would i do this and get the 4 inches of lift i want? What size shackles will i need and what about rearching the springs and how much? thanks for any input.

 

[RangerSVT]

Welcome to TRS, first go read the Tech Library, then do a search for threads that already have done these lifts and upgrades. If you do the 63" leafs and the 6400 shackles and flip the hangers, you will be almost at stock height to 2 inches lift but gain a serious amount of flex. As far as recommended lift, that depends on what our useage of your truck is. Is it a road queen, where offroad is considered your gravel driveway, DD with occasional weekend wheeler, hardcore wheeler??
SVT

 

[59flatbedford]

yea i read through the tech libary and did some searching and this is going to be a daily driver with weekend playing which is why the added flex of the flipped hangers is appealing.

 

[RangerSVT]

I would go with the 6" lift up front, brackets can be found used in the FS forum, and I would also go with 8" coils, if you can find em. I would buy new a 6" lift 63" leaf, skyjackers are best, buy also most priced, I believe the Pro Comp's are the cheapest, around $170 each, I would also recommend getting or fabbing extended radius arms for more suspension travel, and extended SS brake lines. I know all of this is a little much, but it will pay for itself with reliability in the long run
SVT

 

[59flatbedford]

well right now this will be my daily driver so i think ill stick with around 4 inches of lift. and honestly i dont see the need for a 6 inch lift and 33 tires when i have a 2.9 v-6 im just looking for a little more ground clearance for mountain roads, and better stance. if i can get 31s on it ill be happy for now and then sometime in the future i might do some thing crazy with it.

 

[RangerSVT]

If your staying with 31's, I just do a 3" BL rather than suspension lift. You could easily get 32's with the 3" BL, maybe 33's for road use. The BL is way cheaper than any suspension lift, can be done in 1/2 day, and does not require an alignment after installed
SVT

 

[59flatbedford]

yea i could but to me body lift are kinda pointless and only for looks. if im gunna lift it i want to improve the suspension system and get more flex all the way around.

 

[59flatbedford]

ok so i think im gunna go with 64 inch leaves in the rear with flipped shackles and belltech 6400s or something similar. My question is roughly how much clearance do i need from the top of the frame to the bottom of the bed to clear the extended shackles when the are sticking straight up and down. Im planning on building a flatbed for it and trying to figure out how to do it to maximize my flex. Im guessing i would need about 4 or 5 inches between the top of the frame and the bottom of the bed does that sound reasonable.

 

[4x4junkie]

I would go with the 6" lift up front, brackets can be found used in the FS forum, and I would also go with 8" coils, if you can find em. I would buy new a 6" lift 63" leaf, skyjackers are best, buy also most priced, I believe the Pro Comp's are the cheapest, around $170 each, I would also recommend getting or fabbing extended radius arms for more suspension travel, and extended SS brake lines. I know all of this is a little much, but it will pay for itself with reliability in the long run
SVT

Don't forget the Skyjacker #FA600 pitman arm with that.

At 4" lift (6" coils on a Supercab), the standard (#FA400) arm should generally be acceptable, although even here the FA600 arm will still be better (the FA600 arm drops down a true 4" from stock, the FA400 arm is only 2").

 

[RangerSVT]

Yeah, I keep forgetting that, I always think that the drop pitman arm is a given, guess I should have mentioned that...Thanks Junkie
SVT

 

[59flatbedford]

yea i knew about the pitman arm but the part numbers will help. so im trying to decide how would be best to do this. is there any where i can order custom kits or am i gunna have to order a 4 inch skyjacker class two lift then order the 6 inch coils and the longer pitman arm. then resell the 4 inch coils and shorter pitman arm. Or would it be cheaper to just order all the parts seperately. and since im doing the chevy conversion on the rear i wouldn't need the blocks either.

 

[4x4junkie]

No problem SVT, it's not hard to forget about it, especially with the industry all screwed up on them the way they are.

59, get the Skyjacker 6" Class II kit. The only difference between it and the 4" is the coils and rear components (blocks). Both kits use all the same brackets up front, which have two different mounting positions for the axle for 4" or 6" lift. Then just mount the axle in the 4" holes.

As for the pitman arm, I would try to get them to substitute the arm, and you just pay the difference in retail price between them (IMO, that arm should be included in the 1st place, especially on a kit sold for 6" lift).

 

[59flatbedford]

oh ok i didnt realize that that will help me alot thanks.