Cheapest way to lift..?

[westman995]

What is the cheapest and easiest way to lift a 97 yukon? Im only wanting to lift it for looks pretty much. Not gona be doing any offroading or anything, or at least i dont think i am haha.

I wanted to do a body lift. Cuz it sounded the easiest and cheapest. But then i figured more out, about the bumpers. And taht doesnt sound fun at all. Mostly for the rear bumper which i hear you cant even get a bracket for, you have to cut the frame or something and mount it higher. Then i was wondering what i would have to do with the hooks on the front, and the hitch.

So then i was thinking, what the hell. Maybe i can get the suspension lifted somehow for cheap. Is there a CHEAP way to lift the suspension? I dont know how much i want it lifted. As much as i can for cheap i guess. So, i was thinking maybe some spring spacers, or longer springs or something???? And some spacers in the rear. I just dont know. I dont know much about lifting the suspension.

Would i be ok with putting longer u-bolts and spacers in the rear or is that not a good idea for some reason? How do people normally lift the rear on these trucks?

 

[bowtiefreak]

Well the lowest cost real lift these days seems to be the Rough Country 6" kit for about $1,000. Plus install if you can't do it yourself.

You could crank the bars up a little and put a block out back, that might get you 2" or so. My advice is read through some more threads and do some homework. Lifting a truck and doing it right is costly. Once you lift, you want big tires also, well that requires new gears front and rear and that alone averages around $1,500+ just for gears and install kits with an install. Tires are at least $1000 for some 35s. As you can see it adds up really fast.

 

[westman995]

Hmm. Well maybe i am better off with a body lift after all? I cant afford to spend that much. I plan to eventually get some bigger tires and rims, i dont know when tho. Im just going to lift it first. Im prolly not going to be lifting it real high so it shouldnt look too bad on stock tires for now.

I have some questions about a body lift then. What do you do with the hitch if you do a body lift?

And i read some more, and it sounds like they DO make rear bumper brackets for the 4 doors? From what i read it sounds like they dont make the brackets for the 2 doors. Can anyone confirm that?

Has anyone made a bracket for the rear bumper themselves?

 

[EastTXYukon]

I have debated the same thing back and forth. For awhile I was going to do the body lift, but to me, it's more trouble than its worth, and to do it right, you don't save that much money. There are a few guys on here though that have made their body lifts look real good.

You buy the body lift kit - around $200

add gap guards (unless you make your own) -$80

Bumper brackets for the rear - $100 (from what I've read you can modify the 4 door brackets to fit a 2 door)

Nerf bars to cover up all the frame that shows $200 (I love the Nfabs which are even more)

If you ever want to put on a brush guard then you have to modify the mounts for it. Same thing for the nerf steps if you want them snugged up close to the body.

The trailer hitch will hang down 3" below the bumper. I haven't seen a solution for that problem on the 2 door models.

So to do a body lift right it's gonna cost around $600. For under $400 more you can have a 6" suspension lift, which requires no modifications.

I'm gonna go with a 1.5" rear block and torsion crank until I can save up enough for a real lift. Gonna get my new wheels, some 285/75 16's and when those wear out, it'll be time for the suspension lift.

thats my .02 cents

 

[the big blue bus]

bl was 159 from summit... gap guard cost me 6 to make some paint for the frame and throw ur tires and raise rear bumper which can be done for free if ya know someone who can weld. or if not i did brakets on mine to raise it. the cheapest was is bl. its not that bad looking like everyone here without one makes em seem. i dont mind the frame actually make it look beefier and if you arent going to offroad why spend 1000 bucks for just the look. unless ur gonan install it urself its gonna cost u way more to do the suspension lift then doing a body lift in your drive way urself. you could crank and add a 2 inch block too like i did. looks good to me and i get complements all the time about my truck

 

[96GMCYukonGT]

How do you crank the torsion bars the right way? My buddie did it and screwed up his 4x4 in the front

 

[westman995]

Hmm.. Well i might eventually end up just doing a body lift for now.

My main concern with a body lift is: What do i do with the hitch? And the rear bumper?

Its a 97 yukon 4 door. I just think it would look weird with the hitch way down there after the rear bumper is raised.

Would it be possible to make some rear bumper brackets?

 

[h0tr0d]

How do you crank the torsion bars the right way? My buddie did it and screwed up his 4x4 in the front

Grab an 18mm socket and a breakover bar to make it easy. You'll also need a tape measure and a level surface. Measure from the ground to the same point on the body or frame. Turn the torsion bolts in the same amount counting the turns with the breakover bar as you go and just make it even on both sides. Go drive it around for a bit and check the measurements again, then go get an alignment. Watch your ball joints closely because the added stress of a higher angle will likely cause them to crack sooner and be prepared to do your cv's eventually.

 

[the big blue bus]

ive got mine raised on 4dr... you can get the hidden hitches and it should come right below the bumper like stock. mines hanging down for now. i had it off for a while might just get my buddy to raise it for me

 

[99Yukon_Z71]

Hell I think that the gap guards is all needed to make it look good. I got a 3" BL on my Z71 and I personally think that altering or modding the stock rear brackets or hitch is not going to have the same strength as the original stock location. Front bumper is the only one that I raised. Heres a pic:

Note the rubber gap guard. You cant even tell I got a bodylift on her except the bigger gaps in the fender wells.