Slight rant - what’s with all the cheap ass lift kits?

[1989GMCSIERRA]

Has to be cheap with these dammed gas prices

Last thing you wanna do if you can’t afford the current prices with the factory truck is lift your truck.
You’ll just get worse mpg.not to mention the cost of the lift, install labor, wheels, tires, regear axle or axles, and usually need better shocks as lift kits don’t come with any or they come with crap ones.
So that’s a lot of additional expenses. The lift kit is just the starting point .
Then you may need to add in for insurance costs as it’s modified and insurers may want more premium.

Not sure how many of you guys were driving the last gas crunch but peope we’re trading in their gas guzzling v8 trucks for gas sipping Hondas.
And that was at $5 a gallon. It’s past 6 bucks in California for regular and diesel is 6:45 a gallon. Some gas stations in LA are at $8 a gallon.

I expect a lot of v8 powered trucks to sit parked by the end of the year. It’s costing me $800 a month in fuel right now to get to work. Not counting wear and tear and parking my crown Vic. I’m not adding in the wear tear maintenance. I drive 135 miles a day road trip.

 

[Balcho77]

You guys talking about wasting R&D time. The R&D was done years ago. I think the biggest thing is keeping up with the times and everybody wants a lift for a new truck, no one thats 30 years old. I do, however, but I think I will resort to a junkyard and rehab an old drop bracket setup and order some new leaf springs. There just isn't much out there anymore for new ones for my 88 3500.

 

[gearheadE30]

Parts stocking and maintaining inventory is expensive, jigs take up space, etc. There just isn't that much volume in GMT400 stuff compared to the latest trucks, or even GMT800 stuff. Even if the R&D is already done, you have to bump prices for higher margin to get your total gross income to be anywhere near what a lower margin setup for a newer truck would get you.

And unfortunately, the comment about "parts have to be cheap because gas is expensive" would be nice, but is backwards. High fuel price = higher transport cost, and all of that gets passed on to the consumer. Everything gets more expensive when transport cost goes up. Discretionary spending drops when life gets expensive, so sales volumes for stuff like this drop and the prices have to go up even more to keep the businesses alive. It's a bit of a big old circle of suck.

 

[Treybiz]

I bought a full drop og pro comp lift direct from them this spring. And going to order deavers sooner than later. It can be done and they are still being produced just not a huge market.

I specifically wanted a full drop kit and I’m after a specific look and function for this truck. I also have a complete ORD sas kit for a different truck with a different function.

 

[DonYukon]

So you got to look at the end user goal here. 90% of the people buying lift kits dont care how they perform its mostly about sticking a bigger tire under it and giving it the look. so a lift block delivers and still makes the truck perform actually pretty well for the design of the product.

First off a diff drop kit is just that its the best way to lift a IFS truck to retain most of the factory ride and reliability and ultimately usability of the truck/suv. for the rear SA the cheapest way and the way that will fit EVERYONE is Via lift blocks. And unless your pushing 5-600 HP Axle wrap is almost a non issue. Even with my old Superlift kit i used the same 5 inch blocks and a AAL. and I have had zero axle wrap issues. DO I want to redo the rear sure but it works for now. and I wheel the **** out of it. You cant really compare a GMT400 to a Jeep. Both were designed from the ground up with different intents. the Jeep will naturally be easier to modify offroad. I laugh at most of the jeep guys when they tell me a D-60 swap took one afternoon because there is literally a bolt on kit . (We actually have that now too these days. but this was 6-8 years ago).

Another thing to consider is any thing like custom springs and hangers just add cost that might drive some customers out of the price point.

A IFS lift kit for these trucks does pretty well for the weekend warrior as long as you keep it at a 33 inch tire IMO. 35s are starts to push the limits of aa stock rear axle and IFS strength Esp with the skinny pedal with shock loading. **** tends to go BOOM. on my old IFS system I went through 5 halfshafts , 4 hubs , 2 passenger side Tie rods and a rear axle before I accepted that it wasnt up to the job with the way I drive.

IF your looking for a real trail rig you need to SAS the front and build a good rear. and to build a streetable one its going to cost you more than 2500 bucks all said and done. if you junkyard everything and SAS in a Leaf sprung set up you might get it close but its a stretch. a cheap Coil sprung set up will cost you a minimum of 3500 and thats shopping through ORD and Barnes for most of it and doing all your own fab work. its the small **** that adds up. I could pull my book but Im guessing I got over 5000 total between the front and rear axles with parts not including the cost I had to have the gears set up ( i cant set up gears for **** I have zero patience) All that to fit 35s

so 2500 is a bargain IMO

 

[sync]

A IFS lift kit for these trucks does pretty well for the weekend warrior as long as you keep it at a 33 inch tire IMO. 35s are starts to push the limits of aa stock rear axle and IFS strength Esp with the skinny pedal with shock loading. **** tends to go BOOM. on my old IFS system I went through 5 halfshafts , 4 hubs , 2 passenger side Tie rods and a rear axle before I accepted that it wasnt up to the job with the way I drive.

IF your looking for a real trail rig you need to SAS the front and build a good rear. and to build a streetable one its going to cost you more than 2500 bucks all said and done. if you junkyard everything and SAS in a Leaf sprung set up you might get it close but its a stretch. a cheap Coil sprung set up will cost you a minimum of 3500 and thats shopping through ORD and Barnes for most of it and doing all your own fab work. its the small **** that adds up. I could pull my book but Im guessing I got over 5000 total between the front and rear axles with parts not including the cost I had to have the gears set up ( i cant set up gears for **** I have zero patience) All that to fit 35s

Pretty much the way mine will go (its not a daily, so fuel usage isnt as big of a concern). Got a lead on an F250 dana 44, so will match it with an NBS 14bolt in the back most likely. I just flat out dont like the way the IFS looks when lifted or how it effects its reliability. Stock? Sure, its fine.

 

[Schurkey]

I just flat out dont like the way the IFS looks when lifted or how it effects its reliability.

Good reasons to not waste money lifting the truck.

 

[stutaeng]

I "think" the GM 10 bolt rear was modeled after the Dana 44, in an attempt for GM to produce their own axle in-house...at least that's what I've read, if you believe the internet .

So in strength perspective, GM 10 bolt is approximately equal to a Dana 44.

Not sure what my opinion is on OP's question yet.

 

[Nick_R_23]

You guys talking about wasting R&D time. The R&D was done years ago. I think the biggest thing is keeping up with the times and everybody wants a lift for a new truck, no one thats 30 years old. I do, however, but I think I will resort to a junkyard and rehab an old drop bracket setup and order some new leaf springs. There just isn't much out there anymore for new ones for my 88 3500.

Mostly this. These kits aren’t fresh designs, most OBS trucks are ~30 years old now and full spring kits used to be widely available. The Squarebody kits still are, most times at or under $1000. Squares were cheap and plentiful, lift kits were cheap, so you could build a decent off-road truck for not that much money. OBS has definitely moved into that realm (even NBS is there!), but for some reason most of the full spring OBS kits available were watered down. I would think the demand of the kits would be higher since the OBS’s are fairly cheap and plentiful as well, but I think someone else in here hit the nail on the head with todays ‘instant gratification’ mindset, torsion keys, blocks, and leveling spacers have taken over the market. Nobody actually builds anything to take off-road anymore, dirt roads are as hardcore as things get. With most trucks going for $50-80K before accessories, I guess I wouldn’t want to take it off the pavement either, LOL.