Grocery getter getting a makeover

[sunrisor]

'03 Yukon XL 4WD
I am finally getting around to some much needed suspension attention. I am thinking of a modest 2.5" lift. I've seen lift kits that appear to have lift/level...which I don't want (not into the 'squat' look)

I've read a bunch of threads in this section and I think I've come up with a list:
T-bar keys
rear coil spacers
Longer springs?
longer shocks...? extenders?
longer bump stops...?
longer sway bar end links, front? ...rear?

Wheels will be 16", so as not to add the expense of a brake system upgrade.
Offset...don't want the wheels sticking out beyond the fender (or as little as possible).

This is still a daily driver, so ride quality needs to be an close to normal as I can get.
Any suppliers suggestions too, would be appreciated. I know Summit, Jegs, etc. but maybe there is someone else out there...

I saw a lot of different vehicles in this section, so I am sure I will get lots of great advice...

It's fast-approaching the 200k miles mark, so here is a loaded question: Should I replace the T-bars will I am at it?

Thanks for any and all ideas.

 

[01Konvict]

eBay keys and spacers with 5100s. If you keep 16s then keep stock wheels run a 295/70. 17s clear brakes without issues too. Toss some z71 springs on too

 

[sunrisor]

I just read through 'Build Thread for keys and spacers' thread in your post. Wow!, that is exactly what I am planning on doing. I must say you had a lot of patience answering everyone's questions. For me though, it answered just about everything I need, all in one spot.

I think we are going to look for some 17" Denali rims.

...appreciate you help...

An additional note to anyone out there looking for Bilstein 5100s. It may be in a post somewhere, but just thought I would put it here in a new one:

Front shock PN: F4-BE5-C153-** is now: 24-186643
Rear shock PN: F4-BE5-6682-H8 is now: 24-18573

(according to their website)

 

[01Konvict]

Thanks man! Glad it answered most of your questions. I think the Denali rims would look sweet! Almost kept my denali rims and run 295 but opted for 20s. Thanks for updating the part numbers but double check the rears as I don't recognize it having 5 digits. Thought all were 6 digit now...

 

[sunrisor]

yes, sorry...senior moment...I mean...typo
new part number for rear 5100: 24-185783

Gonna start saving the pennies. It will be my first project in the new garage.

I've done many many coil springs, struts, etc. This will be my first torsion bar unload. Should be fun...!

 

[hoss08]

Wouldn't hurt to throw a new set of bars under the truck with that many miles. Torsion bars aren't much fun but they are relatively easy to work with. I rented a ball joint press from autozone and ground the end into a tip that fit into key. It worked out great. Id start spraying everything down with some good penetrating oil. My factory keys were seized onto the bars. That was the biggest issue for me (not fun part). I spent a good 45 min beating one side off with a 5lb sledge. There's no real way to get leverage on the key to pry it off the bar. You basically just have to beat it with a hammer until it comes unseized. Gotta love the rust belt. 17s are definitely the way to go. 16" tires are pretty much being fazed out, 17s are pretty much your standard size these days for both cars and trucks. I've actually seen identical tires cost more in the 16" size than the 17. This would also be an excellent time to freshen up the suspension with new BJs, tie-rod ends, sway bar bushings ect. I used rear end links from JK to compensate for the lift in the rear and they worked perfectly. It helped the ride as well. I have yet to find a good alternative for the front end links.

 

[sunrisor]

Anything under that much tension isn't fun. I've done alot of coil springs, and they scare the s**t out of me every time.
I haven't had a new vehicle in a long time so WD40 is my best friend!! ...along with the hot wrench.

That's what I was thinking, gonna do all that work, might as well change em out. In fact that's what started the whole idea of the lift. I have a weak bj on one side and a tierod end on the other. So we decided to do the whole thing. Most parts individually aren't that much, but still going get them a little at a time. Then come spring, put them all in, including the lift, then get an alignment just once.

Speaking of parts (probably the wrong section for this but) I'm having trouble finding control arms with urethane bushing already installed. I found a urethane bushing set (for front and rear) and I can push out the old bushings and paint up the old arms, but it sure would be nice to have news ones under there.

You're probably right, I never looked at tire prices for 17s

 

[hoss08]

Anything under that much tension isn't fun. I've done alot of coil springs, and they scare the s**t out of me every time.
I haven't had a new vehicle in a long time so WD40 is my best friend!! ...along with the hot wrench.

That's what I was thinking, gonna do all that work, might as well change em out. In fact that's what started the whole idea of the lift. I have a weak bj on one side and a tierod end on the other. So we decided to do the whole thing. Most parts individually aren't that much, but still going get them a little at a time. Then come spring, put them all in, including the lift, then get an alignment just once.

Speaking of parts (probably the wrong section for this but) I'm having trouble finding control arms with urethane bushing already installed. I found a urethane bushing set (for front and rear) and I can push out the old bushings and paint up the old arms, but it sure would be nice to have news ones under there.

You're probably right, I never looked at tire prices for 17s

Yeah T-bars scare me. I've seen the aftermath of one breaking out on the trail. It blew a hole through the floorboard when it came apart. Luckily it was the passenger side and no one was sitting there or they might have lost a foot.

I am in the market for some new control arms as well and I haven't been able to find any with poly bushings. From what I understand a lot of the control arms have the bushings glued or vulcanized in requiring you to basically melt them out. I personally am most likely going to go with Moog problem solver control arms with the additional camber adjustment. Moog is pretty good stuff so I'll just leave the bushings alone. If you do replace the arms I'd do the lowers at the same time as the T-bars. No sense unloading and reloading T bars twice.
You should check out WD40 rust specialist. It comes in a grey can. That's what I used to free up my keys and it worked great. You can actually see it dissolve rust after you spray it on. I'm sure there's better stuff out there but it was the best I could find at 2am and it did the trick.
If you have a firestone around you and you plan on keeping the truck for a while consider going with their lifetime alignment. I got one for my Caddy and it has paid off big time. It would be especially useful to you if you plan on doing a little bit at a time, this way you'll never have to worry about driving on a bad alignment while you are waiting to finish your build.

 

[01Konvict]

You can get the lift upper arms that allow for cranking of keys and they come with poly bushings. Made with uni balls or regular press in ball joints.

 

[sunrisor]

upper arms with poly bushings? Where?

Last time I looked for tires, I found out there is no Firestone close to me. Hopefully I can plan it so I only have to do the alignment once.

Also unfortunate, is the the wheels/tires purchase will be the biggest expense, compared to all the other stuff. And the lift will look stupid without them.