UNlifting

[eighteenninetytwo]

Currently it has 18" rims with 35 inch tires which I personally dislike alot See pic.
if i were to replace with Standard 15 x 8 Rallye Rims and say 30" tires and keep the lift would it look tooo weird - opinions please?

Alternatively to unlift it I will need to remove blocks from the back, get new stock front springs, new shocks all round and new U bolts for the back. Anyone know of any places that do "unlift" kits ( my budget is stretched at present)?

[Ski-me]

You could search the junkyard for some stock height springs and shocks....but they may be worn out due to age. This could at least be the cheapest route to get you back down.

But before making the move, do your homework. What does the driveshaft look like? Was it lengthened for the lift or T-case dropped, or a combo of both? When you drop it back down, those may not work anymore or may need modifications.

Look at front steering too. Drop pitman arm or raised steering arm?

I agree with you on the wheels and tires.....but if they have decent tread, it might be worth a little money to someone with a more modern truck.

Then you need to find replacement wheels and tires.

Axle pinion.....again, depending on driveshaft. Is it pointed at t-case or is it parallel with your t-case?

Just some things to think about.

[kevinr1970]

IMO, it will not look good with a lift and stock size tires.

To un-lift it will cost just as much to lift it; everything they had to do to lift it, you will have to do to un-lift it (see above).
You might get lucky and find someone that has a K5 that wants to lift theirs and would be willing to do the swap, but that kind of deal is convoluted and not something I would be willing to get involved in unless I knew and trusted the person doing it.

[eighteenninetytwo]

Appreciate the opinion. I was thinking on those lines myself. What (sensibly) are the best types to put on 15 x 8 rims? Or should I just get 15 x 9 rims? It does have to lose a couple of inches in height.

[Ski-me]

Just re-read.....30" tire is WAY tiny (smaller than stock), and keep the lift will only look more goofy. 31" was factory size and does look even a little small. I would go 32x11.5r15 or 33x12.5r15.

Rim size, me personally, do not like the 10" wide rim....especially on anything small (rim edge and tire sidewall are almost the same). I would stick with 15x8 rims on tires sizes 33" and smaller.

I've had the 15x8 and 15x9 with 33" tires....looked nice.

I now how 35" tires and 15x10 rims (not my choice). I'm also thinking about going down to 33" tires but don't want to use the 15x10 rims. I may go the stock 15x8 rally's too.

Here are some pics, 15x9 progressive wheels on, I think, 32x11.5 BFG's. Stock height.

[eighteenninetytwo]

Are those wheels reversed? Or is it just because of the 9 inch width they look super deep?

[crashz]

If you don't drive the truck as a daily driver, you could pull off the wheels & tires, front springs, lift blocks, shocks, steering arm etc and sell them to finance the un-lift.

If you find a buyer for the lift, you've also found a donor for most of the un-lift parts!

As stated above, watch for the lenghtened drive shafts, indexing blocks and brake lines.

[Ski-me]

Originally Posted by eighteenninetytwo

Are those wheels reversed? Or is it just because of the 9 inch width they look super deep?

Nothing really out of the ordinary....just a tad deeper than the 8" ones. The wider wheel gives you the illusion of a deeper look and with 32" x 11.5" tires, they are borderline too wide. 33" tires would be more appropriate on the 9" wide wheel.

[Ski-me]

Was looking around and finally found it.


33x12.5r15 BFG tires on the stock 15x8 rims. This was my old suburban.