I think I have finally settled on a lift.  A Superlift 2" IFS for my GMC 1500 that includes shocks.  The 4" lifts are just too rich for my blood right now.  Anyone think its not worth putting a 2" on a truck?  I plan on putting 33-12-50R15's on the truck later. 

I shouldn't have to replace anything like brake lines etc. should I? 

CJW1500

dont spend the money on the IFS it sucks you will be much much much happer with a solid axle swap. and 2 inches you will not know its there.

put a 2 inch body lift on if anything or do the solid.

look into both of them first before you buy anything

2'' isn't worth it, unless it's a body.  A 2'' suspension lift is a waste of time, and money.  If you do decide for that, I put my money on you regreting not going bigger/solid axle swap with in 2 weeks

How does the solid axle lift the truck?  How much does it cost?

Bear with me here.

CJW1500

I own a 92 k1500 and have spent tonnes of time lookin at lifts for our IFS trucks. all the people i have talked to abour 2.5" lifts say they can now fit 285/75/16 tires..... big deal thats like 32x10.5!.........most k1500's will fit 285's with no lift. I was going to buy this height of lift too, until i saw it installed on a couple trucks, they all looked bone stock. Dont bother with a lift of this height, if you want 33's just get a 2" body lift and trim the fender skirt. You can safely crank up the torsion bars about an 1" to 1.5" without really affecting ride too much. All the advice i gave is if this is gonna be mainly a street truck, with MILD off roading.

If want this to be a real off roader, to skblazers solid axle swap is the only way to save yourself from the short comings of IFS. If you do a solid axle swap, the lift will come from the new lift springs you install.

A solid axle swap is for someone who is quite confident in their mechanical abilities, and for a professional if this truck is going to be your daily driver.

there is nothing wrong with an IFS lift, you just need to understand what it will and won't do

on my toyota I love the ifs lift, but that's partially because i like to jump it

for a rockcrawler i would never want an ifs, period

if you are only looking for 33's then the ifs will be cheaper, and as far as a good lift you'll need to shop around, and if possible drive a rig with the kit you are interested in.

do your research, and your money will be better spent.

if you want to go to a solid axle swap talk to the guys at off road unlimited, but remember it will probably be more expensive and involved than an ifs lift

http://www.offroadunlimited.com/

Here's my 2 cents... The 2" IFS lift is a waste of money, the cost of the lift versus the  "off road advantage" is not worth it.  Most 2" inch kits aren't much more than blocks for the rear and cranking up the torsion bars (or maybe heavier torsion bars) in the front.  I don't usually recommend a body lift, but in your case, it might be what you are looking for, the body lift is cheaper (costs about$150 and you and two buddies and a floorjack can put it on) If you just want slighty larger tires and only do mild off roading, that would be that would be the way to go. Besides you can slap on a body lift and save up some more money and get a bigger or better suspension lift later.  Also, don't just crank up the torsion bars, it will ride like crap, mess up your alignment and reduce your suspension travel.  I have a 95 K1500 with Rancho 6" lift with 4.56 gears and 35" Xterrains.  At the time, I didn't have the extra $500-$1,000 it would have cost to put a solid front axle, but in hindsight, I wish I had waited and saved up a few more bucks for the solid axle swap. Later I ended up putting another $400 into the front end when the weak ass 8.25" front end blew up...  The IFS kits don't really improve suspension travel that much and the torsion bar crossmember hangs down and gets caught on everything, but great for desert off road and pre-runner trucks!

The bottom line is what do you need it to do and how much money can you spend (include labor cost if you can't do it) If you are on a budget, go with the body lift first and then save for something better...Then it turns into a vicious cycle, bigger lift means bigger tires, then upgrade gears and axles, brakes, etc. on and on and then you are sucked into the 4 wheel nut zone!

Good luck.

Will the body lift make the truck look like crap?   That is the general concensus.  What I'm mainly worried about is the chasi showing with the body lift.   If I keep the running boards on maybe it won't show.  

CJW1500 

no 2" will not make it look like crap. it is at the limit though. i would not go above it.  

A 2" body lift wont look like crap, performance accesories has gap guards even to fill the air space between the frame and body if you like.

Your running boards depending on the style of them, may be a huge limiting factor on tire size. A freind had an 81 k30, with the running boards on, his 33"s rubbed like hell, whereas with the running boards off, 35's then fit with only a slight rub.

THAT IS TOTALLY A WASTE OF TIME  you could get THREE with a body lift for $80 dollars.  you could get two inches out of turning up your torsion bars with no lift at all.  there is no reason to lift a truck only two inches from stock.  you wont even notice the difference at all because the IFS components dont actually move and you wont have any mor ground clearance because you wont be able to fit bigger tires with just two inches.

you will jst be lifting the frame from the driveline components such a small amount you wont notice it.  i had one of those trucks, anything less than six inches doesnt even make a dent in the hieght.

put it this way, if you only want two inches, there are a lot easier ways to do it, like body lift or blocks and torsion bars.  i wouldnt drop money on two inches of suspension on a fullsize pickup.

kind of off topic, but i have heard good and bad about torsion bar cranks for lifting IFS and people seem to be quite stongly opinionated about it.

I think this is fair to post hear as it may help the owner of this truck decide on the method of lifting this truck.

I personally think you can crank a GM IFS trucks torsion bars 1"1/2" to 2". There is no noticeable difference (from experience) in driving and there doesnt seem to be any undo wear on the CV joints from the slight increase in operating angle. 

MUDNUTT is bang on with the 2" susp lift beign a waste of time. Every truck i have seen with this looks stock and has 32" tires. 32" will fit WITHOUT this lift. 4" lifts look like a 2" lift and a 6" actually makes the truck look a little higher. if you want 2" to 3" lift out of a GM IFS truck, just body lift it and save your money for something cool (like a solid axle swap).

I agree, the 2" suspension lift is a waste of time and money. Put the body lift for now and 'wheel it for awhile until you can save some cash for something better (6" IFS suspension lift or even better, a solid axle swap)

The problem with cranking the torsion bars up is that the A-arms are designed to be in approximately the middle of the suspension travel at ride height.  If the torsion bars are cranked up, the downward "droop" suspension travel is little to none, which can cause a rougher ride and decreased off road performance (which the IFS already has trouble with).

The CV joints are not really affected that much, but can cause alignment problems, ball joint and idler arm wear, and weird tire wear.

if the vehicle is aligned professionally after the crank, shouldn't any alignment problems be resolved?

I havent seen any abnormal tire wear on a freinds truck with his torsion bars cranked, he runs 35" goodyear ATS on the pavement (75,000km) and 35" swampers for the trail. (3" body lift too)

I am aware of the lack of droop in the suspension from driving his truck, it becomes really easy to leave a front tire in the air, and air doesnt make good traction. 8)

look, i know cranking torsion bars is not a good idea, but as the former owner of an IFS vehicle, i have to say id rather cranks them up till they broke than spend the time and money on two, (2), 1+1, (pair), inches of lift. 

i dont want tho stear him in the wrong direction either, but cranking is better than wasting money.