I am going to run 5.29's with ARB's front and rear on my 94 Ex-Cab and I am going to use the stock aluminum rims because I like them. I am planning lo pro bumpstops, balljoint spacers with lift cranked in (rancho torsion bars) and a 2" body lift. I know I am in for fender trimming and hammering the seam flat. I have a line on a used trailmaster bracket lift, and a used Jack-It bracket lift....are they even necessary or worth it, or will I be good with the 4 to 5 inches of lift from the BL and BJ spacers? I would love to see a pic of anyone with this combo.

 

i would just use the bracket lift up front and springs in the back

 

Personally, I would not use BJ spacers for any sort of lift, but rather for more travel.

One thing you have to look for with BJ spacers is that the tire or rim will not rub on the upper control arm once installed. Bracket lifts like the Trailmaster kit are also likely to cause issues with rubbing.

You might be able to visualize what I mean, with regards to rubbing with a bracket lift, from the following pic of a ProComp lift with 3.75" backspaced rims. BJ spacers will also have a similar issue since they also push the knuckle down and put the tire close to the control arm.

Stock rims would be almost 3/4" closer to the control arms than what you see in the picture.

You can see the stock knuckle curving in just above the tie-rod end / joint and the extension going up to the upper control arm / ball joint. It also bolts to the knuckle where the tie-rod link would mount and provides a new location for the tie-rod to connect. In the picture you can also see some evidence of rubbing on the inside edge of the tire caused by it contacting the sway-bar when the suspension is compressed- this is also where the tire would contact the upper arm if rims with improper backspacing were used. ProComp recommends rims with 3.75" backspacing or less used with their kits (as do most other bracket lifts) because of this rubbing issue.
If you want to run stock rims with a lift, but the rims would cause rubbing on the control arm, wheel spacers are available through several places which would push the wheel out far enough to eliminate the rubbing.

 

I was pretty sure the backspacing on my stock rims was 3.5....but that is from memory, I could be wrong. I am working out of town and dont have my truck to measure the BS, but the two IFS lifts I found are where I am working...so my dilemma. I run sand dunes and faster fire roads and such, so I need the suspension firm. I currently have Rancho Torsion Bars cranked with a 2" block in the rear and 32" BFG's. Truck looks good and does surprisingly well. If I add the BJ spacer, I can relax the bars just a bit and still gain an inch of lift. I would still like to see a pic of someone's rig set up like I described.

 

if your runnin dunes i would rather have more suspension travel than lift, more lift = easy turnover, plus once you go bracket you cant go back, you have to cut off one of the old mounting hole ears to clear the new bracketry, at least on mine (procomp stage 2)

 

stock BS is around 4.75" on stock alloys, not 3.5"

since you've said you want 5.29 gears, i'm assuming you're going with 35"+ tires; therefore, you'll need new rims because most big tires are 12.5" wide and will definitely NOT clear the upper a-arms with stock 4.75" BS. it's also probably not so wise to put 12.5" wide tires on a 7" wide rim assuming you somehow get the arms to clear.

 

Actually, lower gears with smaller tires is common on dunes since it makes it easier to keep engine speed up and the tires floating on the sand. Also makes it easier to get moving if you bog down in the sand. And... I put a ProComp II on my 88 and didn't have to cut anything.

But as mentioned, on fast roads and sand/dunes, travel is a good thing: thousands of dune buggies and sand rails and trophy trucks can't be wrong . You actually want fairly soft suspension, but enough shock dampening to keep from bottoming out and enough rebound dampening to keep from going airborn. This type of driving is where IFS long travel suspension systems shine.