ok im starting the rebirth of the truck listed in my sig. it is an extended cab with a full 8' bed. i am looking for either a 6 or 8 inch lift (suspension only, no body lifts) and am looking at either a Superlift, Skyjacker, Pro Comp, or Tuff Country systems, and am hoping to get some advice on which company(s) you have had good or bad experiences with, or any other advice you have.

once lifted itl be on 35'' tires (6'' lift) or 37'' tires (8'' lift) the truck is my daily driver, but will see offroad use at least every other weekend in muddy, mountainous terrain with the ocasional desert trip thrown in. i know a superswamper type tread would be best for the terrain it will be in mostly, but swampers dont hold up the greatest to daily on road driving since they are so soft. therfore, im asking your opinion on tires as well.

Seeing as it currently has 3.08 gears, a gearing ratio upgrade will definantly be nescesary to regain lost fuel mileage and keep the power on the ground with the big tires. however, i dont want to go to far to the other extreme and have such a steep ratio that i kill my mileage. i was thinking 4.10 gears, does that sound about right?

and lastly will be the exhaust, emisions are not a concern whatsoever to me, as such, im looking for long tube headers into a full H pipe with either Thrush glasspack mufflers, or flowmasters, and then exiting in true dual fasion behind the rear tires.

Any and all advice/opinions on this setup greatly appreciated, i will respond to any questions as well

thanx in advance!

 

Most will suggest Skyjacker. As far as gears, I would say go with 4.56s since you have overdrive. If you think swampers would be the best, look at the SSRs. I have a set, and they hold up well if you keep the pressure checked and the tires rotated. I don't drive my truck much, but have talked to a few guys who have gotted about 40K on the SSRs.

 

I installed a Tuff Country 6" in my Son's 86, but his 35s started rubbing after about 6 months. I took it by the local 4X4 shop, and they advised me there's no way that 35s should rub with a 6" kit. I yanked the springs out and installed Skyjacker springs and shocks, and have been happy ever since. As far as tires, I would consider the BF Goodrich Mud Terrains, if you spend a lot of time on the highway. They pull good in the mud, but last longer on the road than most mud tires. I have 35" Pro Comp Mud Terrains on the 86, but I'm not happy with the wear. I have 39.5 Swamper TSLs on my 74, and they are holding up good, but I put very few miles on it a year.

 

Like previously stated, 4.56 gears or maybe even 4.88 gears(for the 37s) would be good since you have*(I'm guessing a 302, b/c chevys have 305s)a small V8 and overdrive.

As for lifts:
Superlift is ok, but their springs are poor quality.
Skyjacker is a good lift all around.
Pro Comp is ok, but I don't have any personal experiance.
Tough country has bad coil springs, and somethings are cheaply made, BUT they have an adjustment for the TTB front suspension drop brackets(which will help with an alignment alot).
You could always piece together a lift(and get exactaly what you want for possibly cheaper, and better quality). www.broncograveyard.com would be a good place to look for ideas, and if you go that route, I highly recommend that you look/get at the superflex coil springs made by deaver(high quality like skyjacker).

As for tires. The SSR is a very good tire.
The BFG would be a good M/T for on and off road and would get alot of miles out of them if taken care of, but they are very expensive, and there are other options. Firestone Destination M/T, Daytone Timberline M/T, and Widtrack Baja M/T are all just like the BFG M/T, but cheaper and get cheaper in the order I named. Firestone being most expensive(under bfg).

Since it is a daily driver, 35s might be better than 37s.

 

4.56 or 4.88 with the 302

 

thanks for the advice, i hadnt really considered builing my own lift due to time constraints, but im definantly going to consider it now

and by the way...
the ford "302" engine actually displaces 305 cubic inches, however when first developed ford badged it as 302 because chevy already had a popular 305 ci engine, and ford wanted to build a rep with the new engine and not have people immediatly think of a chevy when they herd about a 305 ford.

thanx, and anything else greatly appreciated

 

any estimates on the cost to do a SAS swap? would that just be a junkyard purchase or what? what trucks could i get a solid front axle out of, and same question for a 9'' rear? im not familiar with axle swaps and dont know how difficult a proccess it would be.

 

IT would be fairly difficult, and not just anyone could do it.

For a SAS you could get a 1/2 ton D44, but that wouldn't be much stronger. It could handle the 37s better than the TTB D44, but it would be at/close to its limitations, just like the TTB 44 would be at/close to its limit for 35s.

Either way, a late 70s F100/150 or 78 79 Bronco would have both axles you'd need, and good chance they'd come with a D44 and Ford 9" w/ 3.50 gears and a limited slip in the rear(not that - that would matter much, b/c you'd be upgrading everything anyway).
You could put a D60, but that is EXPENSIVE, and isn't completly needed for 35-37s.
Just to add, a NP205 would be good to get from one of those trucks while you would be takeing axles. It'd be alot better than the BW1356(or what ever) you have now.

 

That theory holds no water at all, There was a GM 302 engine when the 302 Ford debuted, and the 305 didn't exist in the late 60's, it came out in 76....
And, being 4'Bore x3" stroke, both 302's are actually 301.59 CID.
Now if your engine has been re-built, it could be a 306....

 

aparently i have been misinformed, thats just what i had been told about the 302, however, the 305 was a destroked version of the 350 the engine that chevy used in the Trans-American Raceing series in the late 60's...

 

+1

I'm very happy with the lift I pieced together and finally got finished yesterday. You can also go with a sky shackle flip for the rear and a small (1.5-2inch for a 6inch lift) block to save some cash.

 

No the 302 was the motor your talking about....i think it was a 283 crank in a 327 block? i cant remember, but i know they were rev happy

 

Yup, 283 crank, 327 block, I own one of them... Sitting in the back of dad's garage waiting for me to find it a home... LOL 7000 RPM out of the box....

The 305 is a small bore 350, same stroke, and generally is a pretty poor excuse for an engine... Even Chevy guys say it sucks, the one i did have was OK, but, I wouldn't go out of my way to get another.

 

i would say the truck motors were decent in the vortec....compared to a 302 ford

 

Yah... Mine was a 92, TBI... Coupled with a 5 speed and 3.73's, it was OK, but, N/A, my 6.9 would walk all over it, and, that's just plain sad... LOL
Had no experience with a Vortec 305, but, I will say mine was better for low end torque than the 5.0 in my work van, but, it does have a good bit of stroke advantage, so it should.