Hell Creek Lift Pics and Review
Over the winter I installed a Hell Creek Suspension lift on the 60. I got a good deal on it, it was under a grand shipped. Below are before and after pictures.
Before lift nicely sagged, front pretty much sitting on the bumpstops.
Here it is after the lift but before it settled in a bit.
I need to take a current picture but the front setttled a bit more than the back. The truck sits level from a side to side standpoint and is just a tad higher in the back than in the front.
Lift height: I'm happy with the lift height. It's about what I was after. The lift introduced minimal bumpsteer and I do not have driveline vibes.
Lift components: All seem great except the u-bolts. The kit comes with standard u-bolts and I'm not crazy about needing two sets of tools to work on the truck. Plus, the stock u-bolts will work fine with the kit and the studs don't stick down nearly as far. I reused the stockers on the rear axle adn will be replacing the new u-bolts with the stockers on the front before I wheel and bend up the studs on the new ones. I suppose if you order the kit see if you can get it without the u-bolts and save a buck.
Ride: It's wicked stiff - edit, but softening up as it settles in. I was stiff before because it had no up travel but it still feels that way - edit, much better, front shackle angle allows for much more downtravel. I will say this truck should handle the weight of a lot of cargo with no issues. It is very flat when corning and has little brake dive. Still, it's buck board stiff to the point I think my butt will hit the floor from flexing the seat springs and I'm not that heavy -edit, again much improved with about 500 miles of driving on pavement. Maybe that's normal, I don't have much to which I can compare it. Either way, I'm going to roll with this lift for the forseeable future. If anything it should be very durable.
I haven't had it off road yet but hope to do so this summer. I suspect loaded with gear this suspension setup will start to show its strengths.
My overall verdict so far is that if you want a lift that is tough and easy on the wallet this will serve that purpose. If you want something with a cushy on road ride this isn't the best choice. -edit, this might still be true, I have never ridden in, for example, an OME soft kit'd truck, but I'm happy with the ride. Best of all, no lean!
Frank
Over the winter I installed a Hell Creek Suspension lift on the 60. I got a good deal on it, it was under a grand shipped. Below are before and after pictures.
Before lift nicely sagged, front pretty much sitting on the bumpstops.
Here it is after the lift but before it settled in a bit.
I need to take a current picture but the front setttled a bit more than the back. The truck sits level from a side to side standpoint and is just a tad higher in the back than in the front.
Lift height: I'm happy with the lift height. It's about what I was after. The lift introduced minimal bumpsteer and I do not have driveline vibes.
Lift components: All seem great except the u-bolts. The kit comes with standard u-bolts and I'm not crazy about needing two sets of tools to work on the truck. Plus, the stock u-bolts will work fine with the kit and the studs don't stick down nearly as far. I reused the stockers on the rear axle adn will be replacing the new u-bolts with the stockers on the front before I wheel and bend up the studs on the new ones. I suppose if you order the kit see if you can get it without the u-bolts and save a buck.
Ride: It's wicked stiff - edit, but softening up as it settles in. I was stiff before because it had no up travel but it still feels that way - edit, much better, front shackle angle allows for much more downtravel. I will say this truck should handle the weight of a lot of cargo with no issues. It is very flat when corning and has little brake dive. Still, it's buck board stiff to the point I think my butt will hit the floor from flexing the seat springs and I'm not that heavy -edit, again much improved with about 500 miles of driving on pavement. Maybe that's normal, I don't have much to which I can compare it. Either way, I'm going to roll with this lift for the forseeable future. If anything it should be very durable.
I haven't had it off road yet but hope to do so this summer. I suspect loaded with gear this suspension setup will start to show its strengths.
My overall verdict so far is that if you want a lift that is tough and easy on the wallet this will serve that purpose. If you want something with a cushy on road ride this isn't the best choice. -edit, this might still be true, I have never ridden in, for example, an OME soft kit'd truck, but I'm happy with the ride. Best of all, no lean!
Frank
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