What's the average cost to have a shop install a lift kit? 6" lift at the most. And can basically any shop do this type of work?

I've never had a truck worthy of putting a kit on until this year and it's been bouncing around in my head for months. Thanks for any help on the subject.

 

why let the shop do it? if you're pretty good with hand tools, these can be installed in your driveway. but to answer you're question. I would say no more than $500.00

all they are doing in the rear is unbolting the axle and rebolting it essentially.
in the front it is a little more complicated, but these new kits shouldn't have any welding/cutting to do.

figure $80.00 an hour for labor with no parts. a competant mechanic should take no longer than 5-6 hours to install with a lift and air tools. I installed the 4" in my Bronco in that time frame with hand tools and no lift. I've also installed a Long-arm custom lift in a Jeep that took about 10 hours and we had to cut the frame and do welding.

 

I agree with the above, no more than $500.00 and probably no less than $200.00. It depends on what lift you are going to get.


The 3 inch skyjacker system is not complicated at all and you could probably have someone install for around $200.00.

 

Wow, thats ALOT less then some guys at work were telling me. They were saying around $1000 minimum.

I have been looking at the ProComp 6" lift for around $1500, but I'm hearing GREAT things about the Skyjacker. So I may switch over.

Another thing that caught my eye when I was researching it. There's was a note for the ProComp one that mentioned possible heavy driveline vibration above 25mph when in 4x4 mode. I've never had a lift kit but how normal is this?

 

if you're doing 25 mph+ in 4x4 you're screwing up...even in heavy snow, there is no reason to ever drive that fast in 4x4.

the handbook says you can go up to 55 mph in 4x4, but you should only do that if you intend to break your truck. so in all reality, not really a concern if there is driveline vibration above 25 mph.

a long lifted truck like the supercab isn't usually prone to vibrations. the length of the drivetrain allows for lower angles in the driveshafts. now if you were lifting a jeep or some other short wheelbase vehicle, the extreme driveshaft angles may cause pretty bad vibrations

 

I am missing something here. My idea of a lift kit is not only the lift products but the shocks and stablizers ect. For the 6" lift I've seen the steal bracket that goes in the front end and complete kit for $1,200 on up. Now if you know of a link for a quality 6" lift kit for $200 - $500, please let me know.

 

it doesn't exist...the only thing that cheap ($130) is a leveling kit. BTW, if you're going 6", go with the add-a-leaf kits. It will make the kit a little more expensive. DO NOT BUY THE ADD A BLOCK KIT!!! They cause axle-wrap. Eventually you will break something when the axle hops around on acceleration.

I think DASTUD was referring to the cost of installation.

 

What brand do you have or recommend? Thanks

 

Daystar is a wonderful brand. I personnlly would go with them for the Leveling kit.

As for a Suspension Lift kit, I am a big fan of BDS (Big Dicks Suspension). I can't speak about any other brand of lift. They run a little more expensive, but the quality is top-notch.

 

With the 6" lift, are the rear axle stablizer bars a must or are they more for higher lifts? You know the triangle type shaped steal bracket that reinforces the rear to the underbody of the truck. Sorry for all the questions but I like to do the research before spending the cash.

 

yes, tractions bars are nice to have. they help keep the axle planted. if you actually off-road though, the traction bars will limit your suspension travel slightly in extreme angles

 

I'm sure if this is the post or not, but someone e-mailed me asking about gears and limited slip. here is my answer


The 3.55 axle will spin 3.55 times for every revolution of the driveshaft. The 3.73 axle will spin 3.73 times for every revolution of the driveshaft. the higher the ration (3.73:1) is, the easier it is to get the vehicle moving from a dead stop. this is really important when racing or towing large loads

The Limited slip "locks" both rear tires together up to a certain amount of force. This makes both tires spins instead of only the one with the least amount of traction. I don't know how much force it takes to break them loose so that only 1 tires spins, but it appears to be a pretty good amount.

 

That brings up a great point Tylus. When I up the size of my tires, I would think the diff would have to work extra hard to get me movin. So I'm thinking changing the gears would be a necessity if I love my truck.

Is a 4.10 gear too high to upgrade? and is there anything else I would need to change besides that? Gears and a new diff cover aren't super expensive from what I've seen.

BTW, this month's 4Wheel & OffRoad has a suspension supertest.Showing the good and bad on 9 different systems. Only downside is, they tested them all on Chevy's and there's no Fabtech. After lurking in CarDomain.com, most owners have Fabtech lifts, so I was hoping there was a review for one.

 

Not trying to nit pick, but you said it backwards. The driveshaft spins 3.73 times for every one revolution of the tire(w/3.73 gears).
The LS uses clutches or in some cases gears to press together to make both tires turn with about 60% to 40% power to the wheels, unlike a locker which turns both 100%, and a LS will only activate if the tires slip or a certain amount of torque is applied, but when it activates, like you said, it takes alot to break it loose.



Depending on tire size your going to run, and what type of driving you do, a gear change is a must.
For example, if you put on some 35s, and don't go on the interstate much(don't go over 70mph much), and tow and haul with your truck, then 4.56 gears would really be worth your wild.

 

Thanks for all the great input here. I posted this topic originally in the suspension section and got like no responses. So thanks!

So the next question I have is if I went with the 6", how would the vehicle ride be affected if I also added a 2-3" leveling kit on top of it? Would the angles be just too much or would I be better off with just a 9" lift? I saw a truck that had a 3" level kit plus a 6" lift and I'm waiting for some kind of response from the guy. The truck looks fantastic BTW.