Just what brand is the overall best for a 1994 extended cab 5.0 v8?
I was planning on doing a 4 or 6 inch lift.
Cant find the search option so.....

 

Ummm its also a long bed if thats important...

 

Any reputable brand will do. They will all be about the same price, have about the same components, and on our trucks will be an equal pain the butt to install (or equally costly to have professionally installed). My advice is to split the lift between suspension and body when you do get a kit. For example, if you want a 5" inch lift, a 3" suspension and 2" body lift would be my choice, in my opinion.

 

Stay away from any body lift. They are a lousy way to lift a truck.

I would suggest a 4 inch suspension and 33s if you really want to lift it.

My advice is not to lift it at all though. I have had lifted trucks before, and I'll never do it again, unless its a toy. Its not worth the loss or performance, ride quality, braking ability, fuel ecnonomy and performance.

The 302 is a good motor, but is not the best for a truck since it doens't make much low end torque, so it won't like lugging around big tires.

 

Yeah body lifts are not the way to go. I wouldn't go more then 4 inches with the 302. Plenty of people have but you're performance will suffer greatly when you put bigger tires on. You can re-gear but you will still lose alot of MPGs.

 

What my friend TexasGuy says.

I agree 100%.

The 302 will do fine with the big tires but only if you re-gear the truck.

Stay away from the body lifts.

A 4'' suspension lift and 32'' tires would look pretty good. Just my opinion!

 

Come on now, a body lift an't that bad i've used several of them for many of my vehicles. i wonder if anyone actually has any evediance of what happens when you use a body lift. im extreamly confused on this subject of why so many people are scared of them. ive put them on all makes ford,chevy, and dodge. hell i also had a nissan hard body with one. never had a problem what so ever out of one. just make sure that you use the thread lock on the bolts just like u would if u were changen ur factory bushings out. and after a few hundred miles recheck them to make sure they are still tight just like you would do with any suspension lift. as far as the few of you that think ur going to flop over on ur side couse now ur body sites higher of the frame. just put wider wheels and tires on the truck just like you would do with a suspension lift.

I vote for the 4" suspension looks great with 33's and some 15x10's.

 

Even if body lifts weren't a threat, they are still a poor way to lift a truck. You don't get any extra suspension travel. There is a gap between the body and frame. Wheel your truck hard enough and I bet you'd start popping bolts.

 

The problem with body lifts is that it causes so many things to be off once its installed.

Besides, they look terrible except on flaresides, since the bed and steps move the body lines down.

 

Good to go gap guards and the extra clearance to work around the intake plenum and the ability to get to the harder to reach spots to remove the mud and salt and sand from the frame and body are also a few nice features of a body lift.

 

Those are about the only things good about them.

The gap gaurds take care of the bed gap, but the frame still hangs down under the body of the entire truck and it looks cheesy.

The bad things out weigh any good things. The fan shroud has to be lowered and then the fan is not centered in the radiator. Thats just one example.

 

Ty, you're right. The frame hangs down lower. Fords don't show nearly as much as the Chevys do though but the spare tires still hangs down by a goofy amount.

I have my gaps covered up with thin black rubber. I never did re-center my fan. I've had nothing but trouble with my lower rad hose though because of the body lift. It even left me broke down once.

 

i think we get it... you like body lifts. but its all personal preference. a body lift would be adequate for me if i had 8in suspension and wanted to go with more lift. but why waste money on a body lift when there is plenty of suspension lifts that lift your truck higher for just a little more green.

 

I think this conversation is over. We've all made our points.

Continuing this will only end badly I believe. Body lifting is a sensitive subject at times and this is becoming one of them. No reason to start a forest fire with a careless ember.

So let's either drop the subject or talk about how cool I am.

 

I don't like to half *** things, and using a body lift to lift a truck is a half assed way to do it. That's why I don't like them.