Chevy & GMC Vans

hey yall i have a 95 AWD i want to run 31s which i know atleast i will need 4 inches of lift. and my 95 has the steel leaf springs and the 36in torsion bars. so would overland be my best bet or is there something else out there?

Overland is the easiest! They have done the work for you.

What he said!

I'm going to hijack this thread so I don't have to start my own. I'm considering a 2-3inch lift for the spring/summer fun. I'd like to keep away from body lifts, what path would you guys recommend for just suspension lift? I know overland has the shackles (I think thats what, 2 inches?) as well as the larger leaf springs. Up front I know you can play with the torsion keys but that only ballparks an inch or two and I've read about increased wear.

scarecrow...definitely go with the Overland Vans kit. The engineering and design is already done and his prices are very good.

outofthebox...I would highly recommend doing the 2" body lift up front and then using the keys for fine tuning. In the rear I recommend going with the add-a-leaf. If you want more body control, pick up a set of OLV's performance hangers and chassis control bars.

Or you could break new ground and go with the 4" lift spindles and some big o'le springs in the back.

astrozam wrote:Or you could break new ground and go with the 4" lift spindles and some big o'le springs in the back.

Looks like theyre only for RWD vans. Looks like a lot of work to get them right too.

"*Note: The HD Astro/Safari Lift Spindles are built to handle the stress of big tires. Although a direct bolt-on spindle they do require the use of a full size 1500 van/truck brake rotors, bearings, wheel nut and calipers. 4 wheel ABS Vans will need a 1500 ABS backing plate"

Alright someone explain the "torsion keys" to me. Overland has these:
Hi-Lift Torsion Keys
"These re-indexed keys are custom made exclusively for OLV. They provide maximum lift from your torsion bars. Standard in our 4" kit and now available seperately. Simply replace your OEM keys with these for maximum lift."

I'm rather unfamiliar with the suspension set up in these vans, I've had sports cars all my life (well and a few volvos) but never anything with leaf springs/awd, so forgive my ignorance.

The rear, so long as I'm looking at everything right, is simple to lift, either larger leaf springs, new shackles, or spacer blocks. The front being independent, not as easy. I'm assuming the torsion keys were originally meant to center the vans height, but we can adjust them to raise it a good deal beyond factory specs? So if these larger keys (again, if I'm looking at this right) would extend the height adjustment availability? So this is a alternative to body spacers.

Do you know the prices of the extra parts mention from the Overland van site?

1. OLV's performance hangers

2. and chassis control bars.

Are these recommended for the 2 inch lift kit as well ?

Or are they only needed for the 4 inch lift,

Thanks,

Astrophysics

Astro/Safari HiPo Spring Hangers & Chassis Bars ML8506-HiPo-SH/CCB $325

85-94 Astro/Safari Lifting Shackles ML8595-LS $100/pair
95-06 Astro/Safari Lifting Shackles ML9506-LS $100/pair

outofthebox wrote:Alright someone explain the "torsion keys" to me. Overland has these:
Hi-Lift Torsion Keys
"These re-indexed keys are custom made exclusively for OLV. They provide maximum lift from your torsion bars. Standard in our 4" kit and now available separately. Simply replace your OEM keys with these for maximum lift."

I do not recommend these keys as they will put the front axle cv half shafts as well as all the steering components and such high angles that you WILL be replacing parts much more often. The amount of lift you get just from the stock keys is plenty for the stock axles and steering idler arms and tie rod ends. Lockdoc had a set on his 4x4 and removed them after he spent over $700 on all new ball joints and steering components due to wearing out in very short time.

outofthebox wrote:The rear, so long as I'm looking at everything right, is simple to lift, either larger leaf springs, new shackles, or spacer blocks. The front being independent, not as easy. I'm assuming the torsion keys were originally meant to center the vans height, but we can adjust them to raise it a good deal beyond factory specs? So if these larger keys (again, if I'm looking at this right) would extend the height adjustment availability? So this is a alternative to body spacers.

For the rear the best combination is to do the add-a-leaf and shackle. If only doing a 2" lift, go AAL. If going a full 4" go AAL and shackle. If you want 5"+ you will need the AAL, shackle and performance spring hangers. DO NOT GO WITH THE BLOCKS! These increase axle wrap too much and if installed per the instructions, will tear the mounts off the rear axle.

Astrophysics wrote:Do you know the prices of the extra parts mention from the Overland van site?

1. OLV's performance hangers

2. and chassis control bars.

Are these recommended for the 2 inch lift kit as well ?

Or are they only needed for the 4 inch lift,

Thanks,

Astrophysics

These parts can be installed on any combination...stock height, 2" lift or 4" lift. They replace the stock spring hanger and weld on the rear end of the sub frame. I have a set here that I intend to install in the spring.

Okay, I did a search and didn't see that anyone else had mentioned them, but I'm wondering if anyone has looked into the Chevy "lowering shackles" at Autozone, part #13-4100 to use in place of the OLV 2" lift shackles. I've seen these same shackles used to lift Dodge trucks and Ford Rangers with no problems, but no one has mentioned them here.

There on the shelf at my local Autozone for $35, but I cannot find them on their website to show, so here's a link to a random website, for reference:

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/64 ... e_kit.html