well, im posting this again because it got deleted (BS) and i didnt realy get to see any responses, so...
I got a 94 2wd pickup. i have never had a truck before so this is uncharted territory for me. i have an disease that doesn’t let me keep cars stock for long after i buy them. so i decided i want to lift it because i already have a lowered car and want/need to be able to use the truck for truck things (light hauling and towing). i don’t plan on doing much offroading which is why i got a 2wd. after reading for the last few weeks on here and a few other sites i have come up with this... i want to use the 1.5 SDORI balljoint spacers, then some new torsion bars (either swayaway or downey) for the front. but the only thing i can come up for the rear is the shackle lift unless i do a flip kit or an add a leaf. then if needed i will do a 2'' body lift. my goal is to run 31x10.5x15 tires. im not sure how much of a lift i need to clear them but i guess i will find out. what do you all think?

 

I had the old Fabtech "IvanDan" longtravel suspension on my 2WD. I think it was like 7" of lift, and 31x10.50 rubbed pretty significantly. Fabtech offers drop spindles for 3" lift.

Note that the replacement torsion bars don't provide any lift and have a negative affect on the ride quality. I would stick with the factory ones...

As for the rear, I would just do a flip kit and an add-a-leaf, then "fine tune" it with a shackle.

Lastly, you will need to look into gears - with 31's you'll have a hard time towing anything with the factory setup. (I did!)

 

where did the tires rub on your old truck? and was it while offroading or while driving on the street and hitting bumps?

 

On the street hitting bumps. They rubbed everywhere LOL. Back of the front fenders and inside the rear fenders. I had some KMC wheels, no idea what the backspacing was though.

 

i still dont understard the concept of lifting a 2WD truck/SUV
I knew tc would chime in on this though.

 

Better than slamming it to the ground isn't it?

 

to each his own

 

Been there, done that and will never do it again. If you live in the desert then yeah but if you live in NY then no! It was cool don't get me wrong but the money spent, I could have bought a 4wd truck and went further than the geared, posi 2wd that I had.

James

 

yeup... waste of money

 

Which part of this did you guys not understand? He wants a lift for the looks - more power to him.

 

oh i understand just fine. I never told him to do or not to do anything.
Just voiced my opinion on what I thought and I think putting money into a 2WD is kinda worthless.
He can do whatever he wants.

 

well i didnt ask your opinon on what you think is right or wrong or a waist of money. i just wanted to know if my plan would work. and i know i wont be able to go rock crawling and trail riding but, i dont give a rats ass. im not into that stuff. i just want something to get me to and from work, then on weekends if i go camping, something to make it over the dirt roads with no problems. im also tired of looking up at drivethrew windows.

and just to throw it out there i do live in the mojave desert.

 

Sell the truck and buy a 4wd? You can lift it with some Fabtech lift spindles but I don't know if you need to buy control arms or not. You can get new springs for the rear or just get some long shackles. Don't get me wrong, my 2wd truck went many places like a 4wd can, but when it comes to mud and snow you might just want to forget about that. One thing I did like was the ground clearance and suspension travel. Not once did I ever have to worry about bottoming out.

James

 

Some other options if budget allows:

http://www.chaosfab.com/toy2wdballjt1.html
http://www.chaosfab.com/toy2wduni.html
http://www.esbfabrications.com/20kit.htm
http://www.esbfabrications.com/2wdspindle.htm

Here's my 2WD on 31x10.50's with longtravel:


:cry: I miss it. Here's why I don't still have it:

 

sounds good to me

 

digging this one up from the dead....
Before: stock hight, 195/75-14 tires. chrome wheels,


After: 1.5'' balljoint spacers, cranked in torsion lift, 235/75-15 yokohama geolander AT/S tires, black creager soft 8 wheels 15x7


next to come:
2'' body lift (to allow me to back the torsions off some) and rear 1.5'' lift shackles.

ps. im still not going to sell it and get a 4x4

 

Did you lift the back at all? Any rubbing in the front? I am at the point where I either want to do the same thing with my 2wd, or sell it and buy a 4wd.

 

Sorry, but Chris, just sell it and get a 4WD, its definately worth it.

 

Very nice looking truck.

Do those 235's rub on the bumper or valance when you are going over a bump and with the wheel turned?

 

no lift in the back yet, im going to order the shackles tomorrow and no rubbing on the bumper or valance. if i hit a hard bump while turning at full lock it rubs a little on the rear fender well. but once the body lift is put on that wont be a problem anymore. and the ride is a little more stiff with the torsions cranked up but, its not all that bad.