ok, so i have to re-do the whole suspension. so what i was thinking... do a SOA swap in the rear (being its only 2WD) and i wanna put the blocks in the front. but i was wondering, has anyone done this before? if so, how did the front look after doing it? well either way i guess you could always get big enough tires to hide the small imperfections right?

 

I don't know enough about the 2wd front suspension set up to give you any advice. What I can tell you is if you do a SOA swap in the back, it will put it at about 3 inches over the stock height of a 4x4 cause the leaf spring shackle hangers sit lower. That would mean you would have to raise the front up by about 5 inches. Like I said, I don't know about the 2wd front suspension so I can't tell you how far you can safely go, but is definatley something to consider.

 

definitely, i want that extra height, i feel too low to the ground lol. and i figure if im doing it, why re-do it stock? i want some 33's for it, even tho its only 2WD, i want some stance and height. and plus, a truck shouldnt ever be lowered, so why not raise it, im sure some people might appreciate a lifted 2WD dakota right? as long as it all looks nice. and like i said, the tires will probably hide the imperfections.

 

A SOA will give you about 4 or more. Just measure the bottom of the axle tube to the top of the springs. For the front you can add the coil spacers. But get the correct spacers. FAQ2 has all the info you need. 2in will be all you can get. 3 if you can squeeze the coil enough.

 

I think Crazy meant measure from the TOP of the axle tube to the BOTTOM of the spring pack to find out the amount of lift you will get from a SOA swap. Bottom of the tube to top of spring equals approx. 0 on a stock 2wd Dakota. I don't know how well coil spacers will work for the front either, there really isn't a lot of downward travel available in the front suspension on a 2wd. Not to mention the affect on drivability this would have. I thought I had seen lift spindles at one time for building 2wd pre-runner type trucks. I don't know if they were available for Daks or not. Hope this helps, sounds like a cool project.

 

but wont squeezing the coils make for a stiffer ride up front? i dont wanna sacrifice driveability for height, i just wanna sit higher up. what if i combined the coil spacers with body blocks? or V8 coils with spacers on the front? or would 4x4 stock coils fit on mine? cuz those sit higher dont they? and ill probably need spacers still if the 4x4 coils fit right? whats my best bet here? i wanna achieve the height, but without sacrificing driveability or overall ride quality...

 

The 4wd's don't use coil springs. They use torsion bars. A bar twists to give the suspension lift. Yes you can do a V8 spring. Yes you can do a body lift. It's all up to you what ever you choose. Lots of choices. Yes by adding coil spacers it will give you a harsher ride. The V8 springs will too. Just do 1in coil spacer if ride quality is important to you. Remember these are trucks and not Cadillac's. The added stiffness will not make it drive like a tractor. The added stiffness was not bad at all when I did 2in. And 2wd has plenty of down and upward travel.

 

right on, thanks for the info. lots of choices i guess. i will probably just go with the blocks in the front. the frame might look a little funny, but whatever. now, to use blocks, i have to make an extension for the tranny shifter (auto) and the steering colomn right? what else might i have to extend for the body lift in the front only?

 

The body lift blocks will need to be installed all around. You can just do the cab and not the bed then it wont look good at all. The frame will look fine but the cab will be 2in higher then the bed. The kit comes with an extention for the shifter. You will just need to get it welded in. On 2wd ONLY the steering saft will need to be cut and have a spacer (not included) welded in. The bumper brackets will need to be readjusted and new holes drilled. You also need to watch out for fuel lines and brake hoses and wires to make sure the flex freely when lifting it up.

 

ok, well this is starting to sound like a plan for when i have more money to play with. i knew it would be harder, but i didnt think this hard. oh well, stock suspension it is...