first time build

have a '96 chevy silverado k1500 i was wanting to turn into a mud/rockcrawling truck. looking for suggestions on suspension mods, axle mods, anything to help me out would be greatly appreciated. new to off-roading and just need some suggestions or insight to get started. thanx  

Just how big do you want to go?  
Dying ain't much of a livin'
From my favorite movie.
Trucks...
1989 150(200k) 33 inch hawgs and a blown 302.
1995 Pathfinder(178k)and still going with 31s.
Bikes.
2004 Yamaha TTR 225,barly used.
Kawasaki 750 (26k) Not ran right since carbs rebuilt.
!972 Yamaha mini enduro.The niceest one I've ever seen thats never been painted.
New 2002 f150,fx4,5.4v8,after market tranny coolers and unirol tires.

i was thinkin either a four or six inch lift and maybe 35" tires. not super big cause i still want to drive it,as well as be able to go anywhere i want.not real sure never built a 4x4.  

well ya got IFS in the front and prbly a 10 in back(I think).Why not do a 3 inch body lift and and some 33s to start.The ifs isnt good to lft 'cause you will eat CV shafts.If you want  to do the go any where thing go with a dana 44 in the front and a selectable locker in the back.get the locker soon because they help out a lot(or at least a LSD)Also you will have to regear the axles to keep the power you already have.  
Dying ain't much of a livin'
From my favorite movie.
Trucks...
1989 150(200k) 33 inch hawgs and a blown 302.
1995 Pathfinder(178k)and still going with 31s.
Bikes.
2004 Yamaha TTR 225,barly used.
Kawasaki 750 (26k) Not ran right since carbs rebuilt.
!972 Yamaha mini enduro.The niceest one I've ever seen thats never been painted.
New 2002 f150,fx4,5.4v8,after market tranny coolers and unirol tires.

If you want a suspension lift I recommend a Tuff Country 4 or 6". They seem to be the best for the money and for what you get. I would only put a 2" body lift on max due to wiring and linkage factors. 6" suspension will let you fit 35s nice and still wheel it and don't forget to change gears in front and rear to about a 4.56 or 4.88 ratio. The 4.88s are my favorite for 35s with the OD tranny.  

 
Dying ain't much of a livin'
From my favorite movie.
Trucks...
1989 150(200k) 33 inch hawgs and a blown 302.
1995 Pathfinder(178k)and still going with 31s.
Bikes.
2004 Yamaha TTR 225,barly used.
Kawasaki 750 (26k) Not ran right since carbs rebuilt.
!972 Yamaha mini enduro.The niceest one I've ever seen thats never been painted.
New 2002 f150,fx4,5.4v8,after market tranny coolers and unirol tires.

thats what i was thinkin.....a full axle swap. i been lookin at petersens 4wheel and offroad and that seems to be the way to go. do i leave the rear alone or swap it out also? any ideas on cost? do i need both kind of lift(body&suspension)or just one or the other? is a junkyard a good place to find axles or do i need to buy custom? will any axle work or does it have to be fitted to my truck? thanks alot for the info. much appreciated!  

A 10 bolt is pretty small in the back for 35s on a full size.Well a axle out of a jeep wont work since the not wide anuff.A axle out of a 70s 0r 80s solid axle truck will bolt up with leafs.If you just get a six inch suspension lift then your ok.If you do add a bodie lift then you can tuck the tires up into the wheel wells a lot better.Also you'llbe able to fit 37-39 inch tires with some back spacing.A front 10 bolt would be ok.But I'm not good with 10 bolts.YZ250JV is doing a convertion with a 3/4 chevy 2 wheeler in to a 4x4 solid axle tow truck.He's using a 10 in the front but the trucks mainly a tow truck.  
Dying ain't much of a livin'
From my favorite movie.
Trucks...
1989 150(200k) 33 inch hawgs and a blown 302.
1995 Pathfinder(178k)and still going with 31s.
Bikes.
2004 Yamaha TTR 225,barly used.
Kawasaki 750 (26k) Not ran right since carbs rebuilt.
!972 Yamaha mini enduro.The niceest one I've ever seen thats never been painted.
New 2002 f150,fx4,5.4v8,after market tranny coolers and unirol tires.

firsttime4x4:
thats what i was thinkin.....a full axle swap. i been lookin at petersens 4wheel and offroad and that seems to be the way to go. do i leave the rear alone or swap it out also? any ideas on cost? do i need both kind of lift(body&suspension)or just one or the other? is a junkyard a good place to find axles or do i need to buy custom? will any axle work or does it have to be fitted to my truck? thanks alot for the info. much appreciated!

Check out sky-manufacturing.com and they can get the stuff for a SAS fromt and a high-steer crossover steering kit too. Its cheaper than the SAS kit that ORU has but Sky's is weld on. You can pick different axles depending on what t-case you have or want to run. I have right-side drop t-cases all over the place so I'm using the axles from the 73-87 pick-up era. The 88-91 blazer/suburbans also have the same but 89-91 have 30 spline shafts. They are good stout units if you plan to keep the tires at or below 35s or plan on replacing the broken shafts alot regardless of spline count.
I would keep what trans/t-case you have and swap in a Ford axle but you hae to change the knuckles and spindles to match your Chevy bolt pattern. That's another reason why I like the rt. side drop, just find a NP241 out of a 89-91 Blazer or Burb and you have the speed sensor needed already there and swap it out with the one you have.
As for cost, it depends on where you go for parts and if you build stuff yourself. That's where you'll save the most money is doing it yourself. If you have more questions just ask around, there is many here that can help including myself.
Good luck with the build!  

if u want to rock crawl u want to 4 link it when u do a sas so u will have great flex deffinatly put lockers in it this is a very expensive hobby so why not do it rite the first time rite haha 4 link is the way to go front and rear  

but i would change axles i would go with danas or chevy 12 bolt rear and 10 bolt front breaking axles suck been there done that to many times stock wont hold up  

swampins10:
if u want to rock crawl u want to 4 link it when u do a sas so u will have great flex deffinatly put lockers in it this is a very expensive hobby so why not do it rite the first time rite haha 4 link is the way to go front and rear

sorry virgin 4x4er. what do you mean by 4link? i assume you are talking about suspension? thats another question i had how do you know what springs and shocks to use? also would a dana 44 work in the front? one more for now how do i mount the new axles,do i have to weld them or will they mount just like the stock ones? thanks for all the help everyone. lots of good info.    

swampins10:
but i would change axles i would go with danas or chevy 12 bolt rear and 10 bolt front breaking axles suck been there done that to many times stock wont hold up

No offense but I'd explode the tiny 12 bolt rearends. They can be built stout but not for rocks and with lockers. I had one in a 75 Chev and rebuilt it 3 times over after breaking and replacing everything each time and finally went with 14 bolt 10.5 and have stayed with it since. But if you have one and it has worked for you, props to you buddy, I'm happy to hear that.  

well coilover shocks r the way to go with 4 link just find some pics of truck that is 4 linked that would explain it better than i could      extrme 4x4 has a 4 link calculater that helps  

well it depend on how much power u r putting out too i had a stock 350 with my 10 bolt it done fine with 38s but stronger axles never hurts