I just bought a spotless 4cyl. 2wd 1982 picup (delux). it is easily the gayest looking thing ever and i wanna do a 2 or 3 inch lift on it.... I am not interested in body lift as i think they look cheesy but i dont know what to do. PLEASE HELP!!! What are my options and do i need to redo all sorts of things such as the driveshaft etc.???? I do not want 4wd because i bought this for the mpg... but i want it to look a little nicer you know? Let's just call it a 1982 prerunner build! Thanks!

 

I take mild offense to your distaste for the way the truck looks stock, I used to drive one at stock height and that truck went places trucks on 35's wouldn't dare. Anyhow, I too asked myself that question years ago and the only thing I ever came up with was to shackle the rear, and crank the torsion bars in the front, which can cause alignment problems. Not an easy thing to get into unless you do your own fabrication.

 

i kind of want to to some thing like BMcEL did with his 2WD 80:
https://www.yotatech.com/members/bmc...ms-beater.html


BL lift info:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/BodyLiftKit.shtml

 

yeah that truck is exactly what i wanna do to the "T"... it's perfect! thanks for the help... i gotta try to get in touch with that dude

 

Got your email, figured I'd reply in your thread.

There are no suspension lifts available for pre-84 4x2s so you're pretty much stuck with the body lift option, unfortunately. I installed a 3" on my '80 and cranked the torsion bars until it was level. Tires are 32x11.50R15. Had to modify the fenders a little and they still rub. The wheels came off a Ford Ranger but there are J**p and other wheels that fit too. You just need a 5"x4.5"(114mm) bolt pattern.

Good luck and welcome to YotaTech!

 

yhanks for the reply and the "welcome"! How was your stick??? I'm trying to figure out if im gonna run into a ton of problems shifting or any other problems and how's the gas mileage??

 

Not sure I follow the question. If there aren't any excessive grinding noises and it doesn't pop out of gear, it's probably fine.

Gas mileage is around 15/19 city/hwy.

 

Oh sorry I meant when you lift the cab did you run into any issues with the stick shift?

 

Had to trim the top of the tunnel just a little. 4crawler sells shifter extensions if you don't like the shorter shifter...I left it the way it was.

Where's the pics?

.

Edit - shifter extension link:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...hifteExtension

 

Haha... I dont understand how to upload pics...

 

Register with Photobucket, upload your image(s), copy/paste the [IMG] link here.

 

i mean in my option ur talking bout fuel mileage if ur gonna be lifted and have all terrain tires why not just make it 4x4 i mean ur prolly not gonna notice a huge diffrence in fuel economy havin the same size tires and lift 2wd vr 4x4 i dont think the mpg is gonna differ to much maybe i am wrong though mainly weight ..axle t case drive shaft is bout the only wight diffrence

 

Hey guys I have an 83 2WD and have spent a good amount of time messing around with lifts and suspension mods and I thought I might be able to help.

If you just care about looks then a body lift with some new rubber should accomplish that. My truck has had both a 2 inch body lift with 30x9.50 15's and a 3 inch lift with 31's.

Because i live in the middle of no where and off-road driving is part of my commute i have replaced most of the front suspension components. after breaking and UCA I found that the arms off of my 87 2wd fit with only minor modification, so do the lowers. The frames between 79-88 are actually more or less the same and the differences deal with the spindes and ball joint set up. That being said, if you are looking for some real performance you can order up a kit from total chaos. They will deny that it works due to liability reasons im sure, but with only moderate fabrication skills you should be able to pull it off. Their kits are a bit pricey but you cant beat their quality and performance for a bolt on.
You just need to decide what your purpose is, if you want to do some hard driving through the desert then 2wd with some travel is probably the best choice. If you want to hit the trails then you may want to look into a 4x4. Ill post some picks of my 83 so you can get an idea

 

Where's the pics?.........................LOL...