1997-1999 Tahoe Lift / Leveling HELP

[snowmoboyle]

Hi guys - new to the site. Hope to get some answers. I'm looking at getting a 1997-1999 Chev Tahoe, and possibly do a small (cheap) lift on it to have a little bigger tire. I'm a big guy, and want a big truck lol. Anyways, gotta keep it realistic budget wise and family wise. Have a small wife, a smaller 5 1/2yr old son, and a dog that needs to be able to jump in there so I'm at a leveling kit, or a 2" body lift ideas.

How big of tire am I looking at for a leveling kit, vs a 2" body lift. And who has a good kit either way? I want to do it right -

Do levling or body lifts cause extra stress on anything?

And can this be done in a garage yourself - I'm not terrible in a garage....

Thanks!

 

[Gzes]

I did body lift on mine. Doesnt change how it drives and was under 200 and i installed it. The level kit needs the keys to be tightened and is. a stiffer ride and may wearbparts faster. Body lift wont harm anything but peple knock them without any proof

 

[Virginiabound]

You can tighten the torsion bars for a leveled look.

Body lifts are an easy way to turn a clean truck into a rattle trap. Keep in mind, body lifts have been known to separate during an accident. Wouldn't it be lovely to watch yourself flying off your own frame from a side collision?

It's all about what you'd like to do with the truck, your personal needs and preferences.

A socket bar and an 18mm socket are all that's needed to level the bars. I tightened mine two turns, it sits slightly higher in the front. Very simple, also easily reversible if need be.

 

[Fishin757]

you wont get as much lift from a crank as you would the body lift. however if you buy reindexed keys like i did you can get a full 3"s with a nice stiff ride. (keeping the wife in mind) its probably better to go with the body lift for comfort sake. though you will have a bigger gap in the back between the bumper and body. i havent done a body lift so i dont know how easy or difficult it may be, but my T bar and blocks were easy enough. took 2 guys who havent done it before about 3 hours. tire size can vary depending on if your willing to trim or not. i have 33x12.50s on mine and had to trim a bit

 

[Gzes]

Since when have body lifts broken in a wteck? Show proof buddy. And yes its easy to sintall. My old ram had em qnd has been in very tuff situations and never broke any bolts. Took me 3 days because a bolt snapped qnd he bt was hard to get out. It was a northern hoe

 

[purple 'hoe]

I would recommend a leveling kit and some 2inch rear blocks. You could crank the factory keys up but it's not the best idea. Also, Rough Country makes a 2-3inch lift kit that has been redesigned which looks to be a solid kit. However, stay away for the previous 2-3inch lift.

Body lifts are not what I prefer. However, I would look at the Zone Off Road body lift kit. Looks like a solid kit. Again, it's not the route I personally would go, but it's an option. Get the rear bumper relocator brackets with any body lift. Other wise your bumper is going to hang down and look ugly

Either route you go, it's never a bad idea to upgrade your shocks and steering components if needed. Shocks will be needed with any leveling kit or lift kit. Lifting any truck can cause stress. It's not always the amount of lift, it's the wheels and tires you added. Putting larger than stock tires can cause strain on steering, suspension, and drive line components. I can't tell you exactly what could be issues, every truck is different. Some guys have run 38's on IFS components with no issues. I ran 33's and 35's with issues on my Tahoe. Depends on your set up really.

I've never really heard of body lifts being unsafe though. 2 and 3inch body lift (kit's) are pretty safe. Dumb hicks using hockey pucks or whatever is unsafe however. Realistically speaking, separating the body from the frame is not the best idea though.

Any form of lifting a truck/suv can be unsafe. If you don't know what you are doing, it can become unsafe. Even if you think you know what you are doing, you still might be building a death trap

Most people don't like body lifts because of a few reasons
-They show a lot of frame. And OBS trucks already show a ton of frame stock. So body lift only usually look like poop on them
-You are only lift the body up. You gain no frame clearance.
-Rear bumpers need a bracket to match the body. Otherwise it hangs down lower in the stock location

I personally don't like body lifts. I would never run one unless I had to for drive train clearance or something. I personally think trucks with a body lift look like poop

 

[_Dylan_]

Since when have body lifts broken in a wteck? Show proof buddy. And yes its easy to sintall. My old ram had em qnd has been in very tuff situations and never broke any bolts. Took me 3 days because a bolt snapped qnd he bt was hard to get out. It was a northern hoe

took 1 minute on google to find these

BTW, I've had a body lift on a truck once...never again

 

[xanatost]

Doing a 1" BL would be fine. You can still run your own shocks and won't put to much stress on your wires and hoses and still look good. 3" is where you will run into problems. Will need to get new parts and start putting stress on your hoe. If you are just looking for a cheep way of lifting then remember you get what you pay for and that usely means headaches. 2" is a mid way point. You can still run your shocks but sooner or later you will have to upgrade and forget about any off roading. The hoe I am going to be parting out has a 3" on it and ill be selling it as soon as it warms up enought for me to start striping it if I can't sell it then ill keep it and cut it to 2" and put it on mine.

 

[purple 'hoe]

took 1 minute on google to find these

BTW, I've had a body lift on a truck once...never again

That's some scary stuff.

 

[_Dylan_]

 

[Gzes]

That cj has bigger problems then the lift lol but are they from the north? Ive never even heard of body lifts doing any of that down in the south and trust me my old ram was beat on hard and harder and never even bent a body bolt. There has to be other factors o and the ram has hit crap. Pretty sure they used cheap bolts tho

---------- Post added at 01:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:37 AM ----------

Yep see some rust on the cj abd the picture under it so im taking it as a northern ride. Its pretty much the same if you crash becausethe bolts are weak. When i did my lift i had a bolt snap because it was rotted... And yes it was from the north for a good while then taken down south n i got it

 

[purple 'hoe]

That cj has bigger problems then the lift lol but are they from the north? Ive never even heard of body lifts doing any of that down in the south and trust me my old ram was beat on hard and harder and never even bent a body bolt. There has to be other factors o and the ram has hit crap. Pretty sure they used cheap bolts tho

---------- Post added at 01:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:37 AM ----------

Yep see some rust on the cj abd the picture under it so im taking it as a northern ride. Its pretty much the same if you crash becausethe bolts are weak. When i did my lift i had a bolt snap because it was rotted... And yes it was from the north for a good while then taken down south n i got it

This has nothing to do with what we are talking about. It makes no difference if a truck is from the north or the south. Separating the body from the frame with the intentions of "lifting" it is not a brilliant idea. End of story.

 

[Gzes]

Thats where you are wrong. Northern trucks have rot and rot on bolts makes them prone to snapping. Southern trucks dont have rot because theres no snow and road salt. Remember rust is a major factor

 

[_Dylan_]

Those trucks don't have very much rust.

 

[Donnie Yukonie]

Ok Ive read this thread through and through , PurpleHoe made the Best post regarding LIFTING OF ANY SORTS , lifting a vehicle no matter how you do it will change the Vehicles characteristics REGARDLESS of how you lift it either by body or suspension lift ,

Lets clear some things up first

The body separating from the frame doesn't have anything to do with rust The number ONE cause of this is "Weak" grade bolts . The Higher the grade the better But remember The longer the bolt the more prone it will to bending and Ultimately Fatiuging to Failure .

A Leveling Kit is a Waste of money IMO on these trucks You can do the same by simply cranking your factory keys because in reality thats all that is really being accomplished with these so called Aftermarket "Leveling kits". Regardless of how you accomplish your Level/Lift this way it will cost you more money in the long run than that of a Lift by wearing out your front end parts Quickly. better to save up the money for at least a 4 inch RCX lift (I know the 4-6 inch kits are pretty much the same but there is a cost difference)

Lastly No matter how you lift a vehicle It is not going to make it handle a crash any better Esp (rollovers,Side impacts,) This is Due to the fact that NO make/Model on the market todays crash tests a modified Suspension "LIFTED" truck/SUV to Pass the standards of Automotive safety .

LIFT AT YOUR OWN RISK.

As for what lift I would think Suits you best from what the OP stated. A body lift . You are a family man Just looking to make your truck stance Bigger, nothing wrong with that . Body lifts are the best option if your on a tight budget and a Mild 2 inch body lift should net you with a fair amount of clearance to stuff some bigger tires under there with no big issues . I would Buy A higher grade bolt (shear resistant) to install your body lift with , Not that whats provided is unsafe but due to these last few posts will help keep your peace of mind of safety .

 

[Fishin757]

^ yup

 

[clownracer]

I vote body lift....I have a 3" on mine.....if your in a bad enough wreck to separate body from frame that body lifts gonna be the least of your problems

 

[bowtiefreak]

Don hit it

 

[HOEIN]

Most reputable body lift kits come with grade 8 or higher bolts. Don't buy ebay body lift kits. If you get one from summit like mine it will say grade 8 on the head of the bolt.

Also make sure to torque the body bolts to spec and inspect or replace your body mounts while your have it apart.

Finally, I have a body lift in a clean 117k tahoe and I have not noticed anymore rattles or noises than before it was lifted with the BL.

That being said do a good job installing the body lift, like using all 10 bolts for a tahoe and 12 for burb (I wonder if those pictures had all the body bolts installed and torqued correctly?)

If you hit a wall at 60 mph yeah your are going to see some bending like those pictures. No matter what if you modify your suspension you are taking risk as said before. If you can't afford the risk don't made the changes.

Ken