i have an 05 4x4 Dakota and would like to lift it only 2 or 3 inches. I have found NO lift kits for this year but I have read a variety of articles wehre they use the front leveling kit along with leaf blocks to achieve the lift. i have also heard this is not safe. any ideas or suggestion for the small lift with out doing a body lift

 

There is no good solution.

There are 2" leveling kits for the front, from various manufacturers, and there is no dakota kit for the 2" blocks for the rear, we just use the correct size ones, and correct size u-bolts. Also, any spring shop can make an add-a-leaf for the rear of any pickup truck, so thats always an option for the rear.

As far as the front, just leveling kits, and I have one installed, and to be completely honest, they are not the greatest thing in the world. Its just a spacer that lowers your strut on the frame mount, or there is another style that expands the strut with pre-load. Either way, the leveling kits dont compensate for things like the cv joints, tie rods, and control arms, that all suffer from poor geometry angles, due to enlarging the strut with the kit, but leaving the rest of the entire front end in its stock location.

Some of us have run the kits trouble free, some of us have had a few issues.

Either way, fact remains how it effects the front end.

Go to the DIY section, and look at the 2" kit installation with pictures, you will see, when finished, the horrible angles it creates at full articulation, so you can judge for yourself to make the best decision.

I myself, with a 2" kit, have some issues with the upper control arm contacting the struts coil spring, making the arms ball joint the suspension limiter.

Consider the Trailmaster brand leveling kit, this is the kit that adds pre-load to the strut, preventing the extreme angles under full articulation. Not perfect, but better then the others. Note, this kit provides only 1.5" of lift in the front.





Good Luck!

 

Any particular reason you don't want to do a body lift?

 

Body lifts are more expensive aren't they?

 

noooo.

For my truck, just torsion keys are $110, a body lift is $90

 

We don't have T-Bars and the only body lift i've seen was like $400.

 

A "proper" suspension lift that helps to compensate for keeping your cv angles stock and no extra strain on ball joints etc. (basically relocates your front end components) is quite pricey. A body lift is the least expensive way to lift your truck up that 3" because you can do it by yourself quite easily. I think my body lift was $460.00 or so, but down in the States you guys can pick the lift up as cheap as $300 or so. Pretty inexpensive, I think.
Your problem Baracis is that you have the 6 speed manual and I don't know what else would be involved to lift it. You would need some kind of linkage for your stick shift to help raise it up? P.A. body lift states automatic only??

 

yeah it states automatic only, but i spoke to them a long time ago and its only because they test fitted an automatic. Normally, the kits come with a little bar to cut and weld your stick shift at a certain point, but they dont include it in the kit because they are not sure if the stick shifter is a different material then the previous generation.

I cant confirm if it is or isnt?

I know when i considered a body lift kit that a shop that was going to install it said they could weld an extension on NP if i wanted to have the kit installed. I never did though, that was back in 06. It just was not for me.

I am pretty sure it can be done though.

 

A 3" lift would be nice...but not for $300. Especially when you can get a 1.5 leveling kit for $100.

 

sorry tried replying yesterday but kept having acces issues. I am looking for more ground clearance, the body lift will not achieve this