Howdy,
I want an inexpensive strong 4" IFS suspension lift for my 86 pickup, which do ya'll suggested and where should I get it from?

Thanks,

Buddy

Superlift - all the way. Beefiest of the IFS kits out there. Not very man rear options, but the front brackets are my personal favorite.

Pick a local dealer if you can, or search the web for the best deal.

SAS!

But if thats not an option, I would try and pick up a used kit. People always get rid of them cheap after doing a SAS.

ya know....depending on what you are looking for, a 4" suspension lift may not be the answer. You really get nothing out of a 4" IFS suspension lift, but the extra height....no more articulation and your pocket is atleast a $1000 lighter.

I went with a 2" body lift, 1.5" rear springs and a little cranking on the torsion bars (1") and I've got 33x12.5's on their with no rubbing.....and it only costed me about $400 to lift it.

Just a thought anyway.

I kicked that around for 3 years. IFS lift or SAS. Performance wise, SAS is the way to go. Yeah, it'll cost you more, but...

If you can find a used one, then go for it. But paying that much $$ for a kit...it's like $800 bucks, not including the install labor. And it's not gonna work any better on the trail unless you add the extra stuff like the ball joint spacers, ect.

How many of you with IFS kits now wish you'd done and SAS?


I think I'll post a poll on that......

Hey Buddy- Those 4" lifts can run some good money.....maybe you might think about something like dual helper coils in the back like this http://www.gearinstalls.com/helper.htm

By the way, you are one geared up dude <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> 571
you have enough gearing for 38" tires.....if they could stuff in there.
ZUK

The guy says he wants an inexpensive IFS lift and you guys tell him he should SAS or do something else... sheesh.

Yes there are advantages to the lift, like a lot of increased ground clearances in areas other than between the wheels. Yes you can get more up travel since you have increase fender clearance. And yes you get a cross brace in most kits which is a welcome and necessary addition. Also you can fit larger tires which gives you an obvious trail advantage.

Don't put down the IFS lift because it has its place.

To answer the original question, your best bet is a used kit like Superlift or Trailmaster. My cousin bought a complete Trailmaster 4" lift from a junkyard for $300. You can find these for cheap from people who SAS. If you decide to buy new, you will be facing $800 or more, but you should get longer shocks along with that.

I have abused my Trailmaster a bit and it's held up okay. I would say th biggest issue with these is your alignment will not hold very well after trail abuse. To prevent it, you can weld up the crossmembers and add bracing - it will help. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

I have had excellent luck with my trailmaster 4". I beat the snot out of my truck and its held up great. My alignment goes off from time to time, but i usually just set the toe with a tape measure <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.

I may at some time do an SAS, but if you can get one cheap, ifs lifts work fine. the added clearance really does help, especially with xtra cabs such as mine.

I had a procomp 4" lift on my 89 taco. Worked great. I got some air a few times, and nothing happened to it. I had it for about 5 yrs and I had no problem. Others might agree, and others might not. I got that from 4wheelparts.com I think they have other kits too...At that time, the lift cost me around 680 bucks. I did the install myself in a little under two days. Not too dificult.

I'm curious what your plans are. Are you going to get rid of the body lift and replace it with the IFS lift? Also, are you going to keep the 36" tires or go with something smaller/bigger?

If you plan to combine the 3" body lift with a 4" IFS lift, I wouldn't recommend it. Tall trucks are dangerous, especially tall IFS trucks, because the suspension has little to no compression on the trail and your that much more likely to flip over if you're top heavy.

If you're going to keep running 36s, then a 4" IFS kit may not be a bad idea, especially if you are going to ditch the body lift. If you need more clearance, you can do a little fender trimming to make up the difference. You shouldn't need much.

If you were running 33" tires or smaller, I'd recommend not even bothering with a 4" IFS lift or even body lift and just adding some add-a-leaf and/or longer shackles in the rear and upper ball joint spacers for the front, but you'll need more to clear 36s.

As far as IFS kits go, I would absolute go with a kit that uses one piece drop brackets. I believe the Superlift kits have these as well as Trailmaster, but don't quote me. The multiple piece bracket kits sometimes have alignment problems and come loose.

Good luck.