Ok so I bought a 3 inch suspension lift from a friend who rolled his 2000 ram 1500 sport. everything is still good on the kit. I am want ing to get some 35" nitto mud grapplers but i just dont think this lift will clear it without rubbing bad. I heard that body lifts can be bad for the frame and so forth but I seen that you can get extra lift with coil spacers and shackles? I looked for some for a 2nd gen ram 1500 but couldnt find any. Does anybody have input for body lifts or know of a bebsite for coil spacers and shackles? Im looking for 2-3 inch lift, prefferably 3. thanks.

 

35's will indeed be very tight. 33's would go great with the 3" lift. Keep in mind, that if you still have the 3.55 gears in the diffs, 35 inch tires are REALLY going to kill your bottom end, and your trans isn't going to like you very much.......

What you are looking for is, I think, a leveling kit. You can get a few more inches that way, however, most of the lifts I have seen, level the truck as well... (more lift in front, than in back.) So, putting spacers in the front is going to cause (at least) two problems... One, the truck might end up sitting higher in front, than it does in back, and two..... the stock control arms will be too short to properly position the axle, and will play hell with getting it aligned right.

There ARE shackles out there that might get you a bit of lift in the back..... but, most of those I have seen are for 2wd trucks. (not sure there is any difference at all between the 2 and 4wd rear suspension though....)

I am not a fan of body lifts..... but, Summit, Jegs, and a host of other places sell them.

 

Ok yea I am new to this but I am wanting to run 35s and have stock gears what gears should I put In the differentials and how hard are they to change? will I need to put oil in after? Would a 3 inch body lift put a bunch of strain on my frame?

 

If you haven't done gears before, or, have someone that has, help you, don't go there. Way to easy to install wrong, and eat them up. You are looking at between 1200, and 1900 bucks to have someone else do them for you. (parts and labor....)

For 35's, 4.56 seems to be the sweet spot..... if you tow/haul/off-road regularly, might wanna consider 4.88s. You would need gears, master install kits (bearings, seals, crush sleeve, etc.) and fluid..... For the front axle, you would need to get thick cut gears, or, replace the carrier as well. (which can be had for under a 100 bucks, if you get lucky.)

If haven't seen any frame problems caused by body lifts......

 

Ok. thanks. I have a few mechanic friends who maybe have done it before Id have to check. Ill probably stick with stock 16s until i get the lift on and see about the gears.

 

Do you know the cheapest place to buy the gears/kit? I know of a shop that does them if none of my friends can but I was wondering if it was cheapest to buy online then have them install... any links? would 4.88 give me more torque? i dont want HORRIBLE gas milage though.

 

35 inch tires are not going to do your fuel economy any favors...... if you do a lot of highway driving, stick with the 4.56. Ratio decision should be based on how you use your truck the most..... 4.88's will definitely give you more torque.

I like Randy's Ring and pinion for gears and such. Another member found gears, with install kits on EBay, for around 500.... which isn't such a bad price.

You don't want the cheapest gears..... they will be noisey, and give you problems. For the money you are going to spend, spend it once, spend it right, and never have to worry about it again.

 

Well I live in a town of 1800 people and only drive about 10 highway miles a day and we LOVE to mud. 4.88s sound good. If I put in 4.88 before I get 35s will it hurt anything? If I get a 3 inch body lift will I have to extend the steering columb and what else? how hard is that?

 

Your engine will be screaming at 65 mph...... (which will in turn KILL your gas mileage......) but, aside from that. Nope, won't hurt a thing. Just don't over-rev/overheat the engine, and try and keep your toenails out of the radiator.

Yeah, 4.88's would be good with 35's then.

 

ok. maybe ill just get them put on/in at the same time. I looked for randys ring and pinion 4.88 gears and didnt find anything the only show specials. I really dont want to F*** this up can somebody tell me where I can order them? give me a hint and ill post a link so you can tell me if it would work. sorry I just cant mess this up. im not rich. haha