A good friend of mine owned a 1968 C10 Long Bed pickup truck back in the late 70's and I could always call on him to borrow it to move furniture, haul firewood, or anything else I had a mind to. Of course I would have to rake all of the beer cans out of the truck bed first. But the best thing I loved about that old truck is it did not matter what you did to it; scratch the bed, ding the fender, scrape the tailgate, it all had been done a long time ago by other good buddies like me. In those days, as I recall, trucks where for working men driven by guys with names like Buck, Dwayne, or Cooter, who liked to play in the mud and dings, scratches and dents where part of the fun. Well those days have long pasted and the custom truck craze has spawned over 70,000 accessories for trucks and SUVs enabling you to create the truck of your dreams.
We have long seen the "low look" custom trucks, but today many truck owners have decided to lift their rides for a high profile intimidating stance and ground clearing performance. Suspension Lift Kits can be found all over the internet to lift your truck from a mild 2 inches to a sky scraping 8.5 inches. Truck lift kit manufactures like Pro Comp, SkyJacker®, Trail Master®, FabTech and Suspension Lift Kits make custom components to lift most Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, Ford, Jeep and Toyota vehicles without cutting, grinding or welding. These kits can usually be installed in a day or two by the average Joe with a bit of mechanical ability and the proper set of tools. Suspension lift kits vary greatly in components and performance depending on the manufacture. Cost for truck lift kits encompass a wide range in price from a mere $ 300.00 to well over $ 5,000.00.
The following points should be considered when purchasing a suspension lift kit:
- Height of the Lift: Will you be playing in the mud, driving over boulders or just want an bolder lifted stance when driving around town? If you live in a flood or hurricane prone area a little lift makes a lot sense.
- Lift the Front, Back or Both: You can purchase inexpensive lift kits to simply lift the rear of your truck or more expensive kits to lift the front and back different heights.
- Can You Use Stock Wheels and Tires: Some of the more expensive lift kits depending on height of lift will require you to change out your stock tires and wheels adding to the cost of the project.
- Are Shocks Included: Does the Lift Kit provide performance shocks to support the desired lift and performance? Some kits require you to upgrade to a performance shock adding to your cost of the lift.
- Basic Vehicle Modifications: Some Lift Kits require you to extend your steering column, lift your bumpers, lower your fan shroud and connected parts to prevent overheating. Some may require exhaust modifications and some welding and / or cutting may be necessary.
- Vehicles Factory Warranty: Installation of certain lift kit components may void your vehicle's factory warranty as it pertains to certain covered parts; check with your local dealer for warranty coverage before installation of a lift.
- Professional Installation or Do It Yourself: Some of the lift kits can be somewhat tricky to install and may require more than your two hands. If your good with tools, mechanical stuff and have a buddy who will help, you probably want have any problems. All the kits I reviewed come with complete instructions and tech support from the manufacturer.
With all the available suspension lift kits and systems on the market you should be able to find the right lift within your budget for your style. I recommend you do thorough research on the internet and even contact the manufacturer directly before purchasing a lift kit for your truck.