full blown skyjacker 6" or 4" for a 1997

[USCGC130]

Hey guys i have been doing some research on lifts as i gear up for my 1997 supercab 4.0 build up, i am for sure getting the top of the line skyjacker with the M95 shocks and a superrunner steering ( i know i will have to modify it for a 6 inch lift). But after reading about how finicky the TTB can be with 6 inches of lift i have a few questions i am looking for insight to make this truck as reliable and non temperamental as possible.

1) I know my bigger truck will squat the lift a bit especially when i add steel bumpers, a full size spare, a winch and a bed rack for my roof top tent to ride on. so with all that, should i just got for the 6" and see where it squats down to and hope its still 4+ inches? i plan to run 33's so i know i will need at least 4 inches of lift. plus the 6" lift from what i understand can be ran at the 6" or 4" set up?

2) i am also considering a 4" suspension lift and add a 3" body lift to make the steering and alignment easier but know that body lifts aren't the preferable way to get what im going after. could this be a better way to go over the 6" lift?

3) regardless of which one i go for i have read that you should use the next size spring with the bigger heavier truck like mine? is this true? so if i go for the 6" lift should i go with 8" springs to get the full 6" lift or stay with the 6" springs and let it squat down to 5" or so to make the steering/alignment less prone to issues?

Is 6" of lift really too much for difficult to run and tune as some people make it out to be?


i would love to hear anyone who has done this before and would do it differently or has done it and is very happy with the way it came out.

this truck will be for decently hard off roading/overlanding/camping. I love Jim Oaks red white and blue ranger and am going for something similar in size and capability.

Thanks
Chuck

 

[Curious Hound]

I'm pretty happy with the way mine turned out. Mine is only a single cab though. I think the larger front coils might be a good idea. But I don't couldn't tell you if they are the best solution or not. My front springs settled in a bit low and I had to add some spacers to get things back where they needed to be. Just not ready to buy new springs to experiment with. I may post another update on the spacers in the next week or so. if you are definitely putting a winch on the front, the longer springs may be a good idea. Or find heavier springs of the same length as the 6" lift springs.

With the pitman arm that comes with the Skyjacker kit, the superrunner steering kit worked out well without any modifications. Pictures in my build thread (link below).

 

[BlackBII]

Is 6" of lift really too much for difficult to run and tune as some people make it out to be?

No, as long as it's setup correctly. The key to the TTB is steering. The super runner steering kit will work fine, and you may or may not need to extend the center link to get a flatter angle on the tie rods.

With your heavier truck, 6" coils will probably give you around 4.5" of lift. I can't comment on the 8" coils, but you may be able to find some threads discussing the use of those. I would go for the 6" coils and then add spacers or washers under the coils to get the ride height where you want it. On my truck I am running 6" Skyjacker coils, 4" Superlift drop brackets, custom radius arms and custom steering. I have about 5" of lift.

Are you getting the extended radius arms as well?

33's will fit fine on your truck.

Here's a good article on the steering. LINK

 

[bobbywalter]

3 in body lift and 3 in suspension lift from duff with long arms for the b2 application..that eliminates needing the superrunner style steering.


makes working on stuff easier all the way around. much simpler.


both sky and duff are good systems. not cheap but you get good stuff. hard to spend 2 grand that way, but in relatives its cheap compared to buying a new truck to use hard off road.


duff offers solid axle swap components as well to make that route easier.

 

[4x4junkie]

I would suggest go with the 6" kit on yours. As was said, it should come out to approx 4.5" lift before you add your bumpers, which those may take it down maybe another 1/4" or so, depending on their weight. The 4" & 6" Skyjacker kits come with all the same brackets, so you can set it up with the axle mounted in the 4" lift position no problem (in fact, it would be better this way, as you'd have better clearance under the front differential, and better alignment of the steering geometry).

I would not suggest using 8" springs though. A buddy of mine runs 8" springs on his Supercab (axle mounted in the 6" lift position). It wasn't possible to get the steering set up exactly to where it should be without redesigning the Superlift idler arm from scratch in order for it to deal with the leverage of dropping the centerlink down so low, so we put it to within 2" of where it should be, which makes it tolerable, but not ideal. Better would be to use a 2" body lift if you really need that additional 2" of lift.

 

[USCGC130]

Thanks for all the replies everyone and merry christmas. ive been thinking and reading some other threads and taking what you guys said into consideration. It sounds like a pretty solid consensus that with my truck and what i plan to add, i will go with the 4" sky jacker kit with extended radius arms ( pretty much their most expensive 4" kit, but ill see if they can swap out the 4" springs for the 6" springs for free or a small fee)

skyjacker kit

i realy want close to 6" of lift just because i think it looks cool but i know 4" with 33's will get me almost everywhere i want to take that, so if down the road i need more lift or bigger tires ill just find a body lift, i really wish someone made a 2" BL kit for these trucks! but ill cross that bridge when i come to it.

thanks you again for all the input and as much as i want a little more lift ill stay practical and keep this truck easy to drive and reliable because i think with 6" of lift ill have a few more issues.

 

[BlackBII]

The 6" and 4" lifts are essentially the same, one just has longer springs. What are you doing for the rear?

You can buy 1", 2" and 3" body lift blocks from lift kit suppliers like Zone Offroad. My truck has a 1" body lift that I eventually cut down to about 1/2". Just buy the blocks and some new longer bolts. With a 2" body lift you may need a steering shaft extension and bumper brackets.

 

[USCGC130]

The 6" and 4" lifts are essentially the same, one just has longer springs. What are you doing for the rear?

You can buy 1", 2" and 3" body lift blocks from lift kit suppliers like Zone Offroad. My truck has a 1" body lift that I eventually cut down to about 1/2". Just buy the blocks and some new longer bolts. With a 2" body lift you may need a steering shaft extension and bumper brackets.

ive been searching and I may go that route for a 2" lift and redo all the bed and body mounts while I'm at it, I just need to figure out all the bolt lengths, which I haven't found a definitive answer for. Plus I think ill need the steering extension like you said and I can made my own radiator brackets, I'm not to concerned with the bumpers since ill be building my own any how. but with a 4" lift and a 2" body lift id be at the 6" inches that I would like.

 

[USCGC130]

Well sorry its been awhile, but i finally got the truck down to california where i am after the new year and after looking at it, the front end has 2" spacers in stalled on it, and since i was planing for a 4 " lift from where it sits now, the 4" lift would really only give me 2" over where im at, so i said F it and am going with the 6" top of the line kit, with the 6" leaf springs so i can toss my rear blocks out. then ill go with 33" tires on it after the lift. also the body mounts are in good shape so ill leave them alone and not do a body lift.