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Old 02-26-2021, 03:30 PM   #1
fishmunger
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: CA
Posts: 411
4" Lift on 72 K10 rubbing with 35s, walk me thru my options for additional lift

Ok, I've searched a lot of threads and have a slew of questions/ideas which I'll get to in a sec.

72 K10 long bed, 350/th350, finally got on the road after a year of working on it. It came from the previous owner with what appears to be a 4" suspension lift. It has 4" blocks in the rear, and I presume 4" springs up front. (Has a raised steering arm which makes the draglink sit close to level - slight slope downward towards the steering box). It has Rancho RS99112 shocks all around. The previous owner removed a 3" body lift before I got it, and I've spent the last year correcting that stuff. I've put extended brake lines on, replaced shroud and trans hard lines, etc. Finally got her 'as she should be' - not realizing the 35s would rub with only 4" lift.

They doesn't rub 'on the street' but it takes very little uneven surface to get some rub when turning on the front of the fenders (I've attached some pics that show clearance on flat ground is down to less than 1" at a certain point when turning). The wheels are 15x10s, which I know is part of the problem, but I want to keep them. The tires are 35x12.5, but actual diameter fully inflated is 33.5", which I think is on the smaller side for 35s?

I want to be able to do moderate off-roading (trail rides - no rock crawling) without rubbing. The truck is also my back-up work truck and I tow with it, so I don't want to lift it more than I have to (I love the stance as-is, just wish it cleared) I've also rebuilt the whole front end and put a new redhead steering box in it, so I don't want to go to crossover steering which sounds like at the 6" level starts to become an issue??

For the rear:

Should I just add an add-a-leaf spring to bring it up ~2"? I wouldn't mind the extra capacity...I imagine it would help some with the bit of rear end squat it has with the trailer hooked up.

Or I've heard talk of a 'shackle flip' - but I don't really understand how to do that, who to purchase it from, how it affects ride, how much lift it would give, or if works with my existing blocks?

Or maybe I just add a 1" zero rate? In fact I am kinda curious if I just put 1" zero rates all the way around the truck - front and rear. Perhaps 5" of lift might be 'just enough' to get the clearance I need with the 'smallish' 35s...?

For the front:

1) Again, If I could get away with just a zero rate up there (for 5" total lift), that might be ideal in terms of not affecting steering too much or risking that the new extended brake lines I've installed might not now be 'long enough'.

- Since the rubbing seems to happen on the front of the fender when turning only, I'm wondering what would happen if used the zero rate to move the front axle 1" back? Maybe that would solve my problem? I have no idea what other problems would arise if I move the front axle back 1" though...?

2) I'm assuming adding a leaf up front is a bad idea and will just make the truck ride terrible?

3) Just buy 6" lift springs. If that's the case, trying to find a brand/distributor that will just sell me piecemeal parts is the next challenge.

Other questions:

Is going up 2" additional inches going to require longer parking brake cables? Transfer case drop? Pinion shims? Driveshaft lengthening? A dropped pitman arm in addition to my raised steering arm? Will I need to replace the Rancho shocks with longer ones if only going up 2" more? Should I plan for this stuff or just install things first and see how it looks? What do I look for/how do I figure this stuff out? I've got more questions than answers...

I'm on a budget. Don't want to go whole hog if I don't have to, but I don't want to do anything sketchy either. I guess I'm hoping someone here will say my odds are good that 1" zero rates and/or add-a-leafs and some axle adjustments forward or back might get it done without other mods but I'm afraid that may not be the case?

Thanks for listening to my long-winded diatribe...! Looking forward to the conjecture!
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