Lifting on a Budget (1 Viewer)

[ThatGillyGuy]

I've been creeping this forum for a while but still can't find the answer I need, so here's my first post!

I recently bought a '97 LX450 with 233,000 that's bone stock. I'm looking at two inch lift springs as mine are sagging pretty good. Is it possible to sneak by with Monroe shocks and two inch lift springs? I can't break the bank on this right now so a full kit is out of the question. I got the lift bug when I pulled off my rotted out running boards and pulled the trigger on 285/75/r16 Treadwright's.

 

[BILT4ME]

Buy the OEM Tokico shocks. They are less expensive and better than Monroe.

Yes they will work with a 2" lift.

Watch the classified ads above for used lifts they come up frequently when people go higher or swap to stock height it don't like the ride a particular lift gave them.

 

[Jgunner]

Used is a great way to go, if i was buying shocks right now, id sell my fox’s for half of what i paid with low miles. Placing a want ad is the best way to get what you want as not everything for sale is listed currently or guys might be swapping stuff out soon and you can get em before they list em.

 

[Jgunner]

I've been creeping this forum for a while but still can't find the answer I need, so here's my first post!

I recently bought a '97 LX450 with 233,000 that's bone stock. I'm looking at two inch lift springs as mine are sagging pretty good. Is it possible to sneak by with Monroe shocks and two inch lift springs? I can't break the bank on this right now so a full kit is out of the question. I got the lift bug when I pulled off my rotted out running boards and pulled the trigger on 285/75/r16 Treadwright's.

Which treadwrights? Fyi, you can fit that size stock, no lift needed, i ran 35’s for a couple months with worn out springs.

 

[BlueCruiser84]

I ran and wheeled (fairly hard) some $12 rockauto clearance Monroe shocks for about 5 years with a 3” lift. There was almost no downtravel, but that didn’t stop me! I still have them in the rear, but I put some dobinsons up front. The Dobinsons are waaaaaay better, but they also cost 10x more.

Just buy some used front lift springs. Spacer in the back and 35s. Done.

 

[Skrugg]

Really the best part of the upgrade is the new springs. I would at least go with new springs all around; my stock springs at 250k were worn, floppy and dangerous. Much less body roll with new springs now, even though I'm sitting 2 or 3 inches higher.

 

[Skrugg]

Also, I used some cheap gabriel ultra-truck shocks when I budget lifted my old Isuzu trooper and I loved em. I don't know how they'd feel on the cruiser, however. Maybe someone who's used them can chime in?

On the old isuzu forums people would always research and post cheap substitutes for lift components with part #'s. I used some cheap jeep springs with the pigtails cut off for the rear springs in the trooper. I wish someone would do the same for the cruisers, but I don't think the sponsors would like it

 

[slow95z]

get some cheap rancho shocks as money allows. there is a sticky here with shock lenghts and rancho part numbers.

 

[ThatGillyGuy]

Which treadwrights? Fyi, you can fit that size stock, no lift needed, i ran 35’s for a couple months with worn out springs.

I ordered the AT Warden 10-ply. The roads I hunt on aren't the best, a lot of sharp ledge up here that slices just about everything.

Also, thanks for al the info. Hoping I can pull all of this off in the next month or so!

 

[jimep]

Bringing up an old thread because I'm surprised there's not much more on here about budget coils, but here's my junk on almost new ram rear 1.5" lift springs brought used on a budget. Icon 212150's now in the front, paired with low milage but hard used rear ome 860 coils. 315/75/16's. Broke one of the front ome springs so had to find something different. Need to cut a little off the pigtail to fit on axle side. They are a dual rate coil spring advertised as low side softer than stock and hard side 75% harder than stock. Having problems finding consistent spring rates on the Rams but went for it. Hard side does seem stiffer than the 861's I had, haven't had time to test them too much to see how they perform on the soft side or off road. All my sway bars are removed but I think I will need to put the rear back on to keep the flex more consistent between front and rear but it should match pretty close. If anyone has access to Ford Expedition rear coils or oem Ram rear coils I would like to see how they would compare to stock height coils. Pigtails would or may need trimmed up but height, rate, diameters, and wire seems close to some of the shorter lift (stock to 3") aftermarket coils sold for our 80's
Edited to say these coils sit about the same height as my 861 coils with 1.25" spacers.

 

[jimbote]

Bringing up an old thread because I'm surprised there's not much more on here about budget coils, but here's my junk on almost new ram rear 1.5" lift springs brought used on a budget. Icon 212150's now in the front, paired with low milage but hard used rear ome 860 coils. 315/75/16's. Broke one of the front ome springs so had to find something different. Need to cut a little off the pigtail to fit on axle side. They are a dual rate coil spring advertised as low side softer than stock and hard side 75% harder than stock. Having problems finding consistent spring rates on the Rams but went for it. Hard side does seem stiffer than the 861's I had, haven't had time to test them too much to see how they perform on the soft side or off road. All my sway bars are removed but I think I will need to put the rear back on to keep the flex more consistent between front and rear but it should match pretty close. If anyone has access to Ford Expedition rear coils or oem Ram rear coils I would like to see how they would compare to stock height coils. Pigtails would or may need trimmed up but height, rate, diameters, and wire seems close to some of the shorter lift (stock to 3") aftermarket coils sold for our 80's
Edited to say these coils sit about the same height as my 861 coils with 1.25" spacers.
View attachment 2826062

Looks good. What year and model RAM? Brand of coils?