Trader's, a name that's been around our industry for as long as we can remember and sells just about any truck part you can fathom, now offers a line of lift kits to pump up your GM truck. The company's kits come with all the necessary parts, from lift spindles to tubular upper arms, to complete the job.
The cast-iron lift spindles provide 3 inches of lift, while the new springs add an additional 4 inches. The control arms are constructed of DOM tubing and come with the ball joints installed. To install this kit, you'll need to weld the carrier bearing mount into place and cut off the factory bumpstop; it'll take a little more than just sockets and wrenches to put it all in. Luckily, the rest of the components bolt in using most of the factory hardware.
Because we wanted to complete the look, a larger wheel and tire package was in order. This lift should provide enough clearance to run 32-inch tires without any problems - maybe even 33s with some body trimming.
We used a set of Welds' Velocity 6 wheels from the EVO line; with a forged one-piece design, they are extremely strong and have a five-layer chrome finish to make maintenance a snap. We wrapped the rims in LT325/60R18 Nitto Terra Grapplers, a 33-inch tire featuring a balanced void ratio for excellent off-road traction and on-road behavior.
The kit also comes with a limited lifetime warranty on all the parts and takes only a few hours to install. We went to Trader's to watch Richard Pineda, master install guru, put all the parts on this previously lowered truck.
1. To begin, the truck was...
1. To begin, the truck was put on the rack and the wheels were removed.
2. The kit from Trader's features...
2. The kit from Trader's features a 3-inch lift spindle, 4-inch lift springs, new bumpstops, tubular upper control arms, lift blocks for the rear, and a whole new set of shocks.
3. With the wheels out of...
3. With the wheels out of the way, Rich began the teardown. The tie-rod ends came off with a few good taps of the hammer to dislodge the tapered end.
4. The caliper came off next...
4. The caliper came off next by removing the two through-bolts and all the brake line retaining nuts. This allows you to leave the brake lines attached to the caliper but still give it enough slack to hang out of the way.
5. The rotor slid off once...
5. The rotor slid off once the caliper was removed.
6. The upper and lower ball...
6. The upper and lower ball joint nuts were loosened, but not completely removed.
7. With a jack underneath...
7. With a jack underneath the lower arm to prevent the spring from unloading and flying across the room, a few good hits with the hammer broke the ball joints free.
8. The spindle and hub assembly...
8. The spindle and hub assembly were then taken to the bench.
9. After removing the three...
9. After removing the three bolts, the spindle and hub were separated.
10. Rich then bolted the new...
10. Rich then bolted the new lift spindle to the stock hub assembly.
11. A few drops of Loctite...
11. A few drops of Loctite were applied to the threads before torquing the bolts to 133 lb-ft.
12. The upper control arm...
12. The upper control arm was removed and placed in the swap-meet pile. The factory hardware and alignment plates were retained for the new arms.
13. With the arm out of the...
13. With the arm out of the way, the factory upper bumpstop was cut off per the instructions.
14. The new upper bumpstop...
14. The new upper bumpstop plate was then bolted in using the lower bumpstop bolt.
15. The new upper arm was...
15. The new upper arm was installed with the factory hardware.
16. The lift spring followed...
16. The lift spring followed right along. Care was taken to clock the spring so that it would index into the pocket correctly.
17. A spring compressor was...
17. A spring compressor was used to collapse the spring and make an easy install of the spindle.
18. A jack supported the lower...
18. A jack supported the lower arm as the spindle was installed. Once the nuts were tightened on the ball joints, the jack was removed.
19. The brake caliper was...
19. The brake caliper was then slid back into place, and the brake lines were rerouted so they wouldn't interfere with the tire or be stretched in a full-turn application.
20. The spring compressor...
20. The spring compressor was removed and the new shock installed.
21a. The shocks out back were...
21a. The shocks out back were also replaced.
21b.
22a. With the lift blocks...
22a. With the lift blocks installed, the U-bolts were tightened to factory specs.
22b.
22c.
23. The filler piece for the...
23. The filler piece for the carrier bearing was clamped onto the factory location.
24a. The filler piece was...
24a. The filler piece was fully welded in; this new bracket moves the mounting point back and will correct the angle to prevent vibration.
24b.
25. Although this truck had...
25. Although this truck had pretty big rolling stock before, you can now see the increased diameter provided by the Weld/Nitto combo.
26. The Velocity 6 wheels...
26. The Velocity 6 wheels from Welds' EVO line are a forged one-piece design with a chrome finish; easy to clean and strong enough for this truck. The LT325/60R18 Nitto Terra Grapplers feature a staggered-shoulder lug design to ensure traction in deep sand, loose gravel, and mud. The balanced void ratio of the 33-inch tire provides excellent on- and off-road behavior and are mud and snow (M&S) rated for all-season performance.
27. With the truck back on...
27. With the truck back on the ground, Rich trimmed some of the lower valance so the tires wouldn't rub.
28. Now the truck has the...
28. Now the truck has the best of both worlds: rugged off-road performance with good ride quality. Trader's recommends retightening all the hardware after a few hundred miles, just to be safe.
Converting Metric Tire Sizes To Inches
Example Tire Size: 325/60r18
The first number on the tire is the total width in millimeters, measured from sidewall to sidewall. To convert to inches, divide by 25.4. For the example tire, the width is 325 mm, or 12.80 inches. Overall width: 325 (mm) / 25.4 (mm per inch) = 12.80 inches wide.
The second number is the aspect ratio. This is the ratio of sidewall height to width. In the example above, the tire is 325 mm or 12.80 inches wide, so multiply that by the aspect ratio 60 (percent) to find the height of one sidewall. Section height (sidewall height): 12.80 inches x 0.60 = 7.68 inches high.
The last number is the diameter of the wheel in inches. To figure the diameter of a tire, take the sidewall height and multiply by 2 (remember that the diameter includes two sidewalls; one above the wheel and one below the wheel), then add the diameter of the wheel for the answer. Overall diameter: (7.68 inches x 2) + 17 inches = 33.36 inches tall.