Now I'm kind of excited... I have a friend who can do gears and he said he would charge me a case or two of beer for the installs haha....

 

That's always a good thing if you can find a deal like that, and as long as you trust his work.

 

now the hard part is finding the money for the gears. Looks like I'll be saving through winter

 

What size lift is required to run 35's on a stock 4x4?

 

5 inch is what most folks agree is good.

 

So 6 should look good then

 

"looks" are pretty subjective. The 5" is recommended so that things clear properly. There are a bunch of pics of lifted trucks around here somewhere. I think you will be happy with the 6 inches, and 35's though. Remember to save some cash to re-gear forthe bigger tires as well.

 

I'll check out the pictures thread if I can find it

 

Does anyone make a 5-6 inch lift kit that's good for offroad use under $1,000? The only ones I have found are like $1,500+

 

Rough Country makes a 5" kit, with shocks, for under a grand.