I got a 98 1500 4x4 quad cab short bed 5.2 gas truck and I'm wanting to fit 35" tires on it.. so Im trying to figure out how to lift it. I'm looking at kits and reading on how others lifted there's and getting a lot of mixed info.

I'm kinda thinking I need to piece my lift kit to get to how I want. I don't know where's the best to get the parts either.. I want to lift it 4" I think.. I'm not a fan of body lifts, so 4" springs for the front, and maybe 3" blocks for the rear ? so it'll level out better. I want high clearance control arms, but would like adjustable to get it just right. I want to upgrade the steering linkage to t type and get an adjustable sway bar that's a double shear type which is what 4th gen trucks have now ? will I want to drop the pitman arm ? Are there heavier duty sway bars available for these trucks ?

Thanks for any idea and tips.. or would like to get links to your truck lift/build that's similar.

 

You can fit 35s with just a be front leveling kit.

As for the lift, body lifts are cheap and very practical exactly for what you want. At my shop I always recommend a body lift if it isn't going off-road or if they want bigger tires. But I'll give information on a suspension lift just in case you just want a suspension lift.

Stacking blocks in the rear is a bad idea. I would recommend a shackle flip (will yield 2" if you remove the factory block or 5.25 if you keep it) remove the factory block and add a 1 in soft ride leaf. What are you calling clearance control arms? You can get adjustable ones but depending on what you are feeling clearance arms, you can't get them unless custom made. With the steering you can go with a heavy duty heim joint or the factory 98-99 HD steering. For the sway bar the 4th gens don't have a double shear from the factory but you can but as double shear away bar you cut to length for any truck.

If you do a 4in lift you will need a drop pitman arm and a track bar relocation bracket (which will increase your chances of death wobble)

 

The high clearance control arms I'm talking about is something like this.. https://strykerordesign.com/collecti...-5-5-7-of-lift

I like these..so the tires won't rub on full lock.. I have 285/75/16 on stock wheels and they rub a little now. So, I'm not sure if I even need high clearance control arms after getting 35" tires on wider wheels and more offset, but I'm guessing it will rub.

I want to be able to go off-road, I don't want my tires to stuff when flexing and get me stuck. I also plan to re gear the axles.. prob 4.56. And yeah, I plan to keep the stock axles, as I understand they should be able to hold up to 35", and I don't plan on going crazy off road.

I need to research more about the track bar... I read somewhere and I thought I read that there's a relocation bracket that can be used with a newer gen ram track bar that had a heim joint end.
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I like the shackle flip idea.. remove block and I'll gain 2" after the 1" soft add a leaf ? So, then I will need a 3 or 4" spring upfront to even out the truck ?

 

You can you can buy a bracket to upgrade to a 3rd gen style track bar (googling it will come up with brackets) even eBay sells kits pretty cheap (would be worth it just for the bracket). Those send you will have to get custom as I make them and DOR makes them but wants an arm and a leg and only for 6+ lifts.

No if you do the shackle flip and remove the factory block you gain 2" you said you wanted 3" in the rear so I said add a soft ride 1" add a leaf (AAL).

You don't want them to stuff when flexing is all the more reason to go body lift. I fit 37s on my 2500 with just a leveling kit. Then did a 4" suspension lift with 40s had minor fender contact at full flex a body lift fixed it. I'm just saying don't knock a body lift yet.

 

Hmm, 285s shouldn't rub on stock wheels and suspension, at least mine never did and I ran the big Nittos. Having a tire already picked helps choose out the right lift size. The standard lift kit sizes are 3" and 5" with some 7" options also. The consensus back in the day was 3" for 33s and 5" for 35s. You might be happy going with a full kit for 5" then piecing together a 4" yourself. And save money. Track bar is a must along with drop pitman arm but depending on wheel offset and tire width, you may not need arms with more clearance, just longer ones.

 

Ive been lookin around more.. and I'm liking the idea of a long arm kit. DOR's adjustable long arm looks nice, but spendy.

I'm wondering what track bar bracket to get to use with a stock 3rd gen beefy track bar.. I would upgrade the bushings in it. Since its not adjustable, how can I use it and center my axle ? Get a track bar relocation bracket for the axle end ? Could I easily fab a bracket and drill the hole there ?

 

Several companies make the bracket for the third-gen style track bar, and you can also get an adjustable trackbar from 'em. Not exactly inexpensive, but, it is the *best* way to go. Buy it once, and you are done. Maybe replace bushings in a decade or three.

 

Just a reminder DOR has a horrible reputation

 

From what I have seen, their horrible reputation is for their horrendous pricing..... quality is supposed to be pretty good. Have you heard different?

That said, it's likely just about every lift kit manufacturer has a long-arm kit for these trucks.

 

Not the prices it's the shipping. I was going to order their long arm (was actually slightly cheaper than me building it) and I don't have a lot of time these days. But some people it took almost a year to get to them, which I think for a "shop" is ridiculous!

Only company I know they does is Rough Country. Superlift uses radius arms which I do not care for