Ok so I'm getting ready to buy a Pro Comp stage 1 6" lift for my 08 FX4 Screw.....

I ultimately want to get 8" out of it and I know of the standard routes to do so....AAL or bigger block in rear and Bilsteins set at 2" or undesirable stacked spacers or coilovers cranked up front.

I was leaning towards the Bilstein route but an idea hit me today while I was daydreaming sitting at a light. See if you follow me on this one...

An AS up to 2.5" is perfectly ok on the stock set-up right?! The stage one drops the suspension components 6" and adds a 6" spacer on top of the OEM strut assembly right?! You can theoretically stack the two and get up to 8" of lift but the undesirablitity comes in stacking the spacers right? Any problems with getting a custom 1 piece spacer made to create the 8" of lift I want?

I have a 2" billet leveler up front that measures 1.5" and the Pro Comp spacer measures 6" so I would need a 7.5" spacer to achieve the 8". I'm getting ready to draw one up using CAD and price it using billet aluminum. I believe it's going to be cheaper to do it this way than to go the Billstein's and it will replace the supplied welded steel Pro Comp spacer with a solid Billet unit which is much stronger.

Anybody have any additional thoughts on this matter? Any reasons why it wouldn't work or be a good idea?

I don't want to spend the money for coilovers so that idea is off the table

 

In theory this could work, but you have to get the measurements correct and to use a strong material. Im not sure what the pro comp spacer is made of, seems like it could work if you can get it made.

 

why not just buy a 8'' lift like a rize or bds from the start..... that way you keep your stock angles and have the option of going bigger if you wanted later down the road.... if you go the way your thinking you will be maxed out as far as lift from your suspension but if you start with an 8'' you will still have a option to go bigger.....

 

I would say Price is the main reason. Rize lifts are expensive.

 

a custom 8 inch spacer would run more than the Bilsteins....

 

Plus you would still have the cheap OEM coilovers.

 

Ride has it right.... Have you ever priced a Rize 8"? Much more expensive than adding another 2" to a 6" stage 1.

Besides...I don't want to go any bigger than 37's and 8" is enough to do that. I plan on using this truck for work and hauling stuff. Even with 4.88's a 40" tire is going to bog the the truck way down...not to mention break stuff a lot faster. In my own personal opinion, 37's are the biggest you can go and still use the truck for everyday purposes.

 

Are you sure about that?

Just from my minimal research thus far, I've come up with an under $150 price for a 6061 aluminum set-up. It will have more than enough structural rigidity with the method I plan to construct it. 1/2" plates for the top and bottom of the spacer with a solid 2.75" rod as the height, I can do all the machining/drilling myself and have someone else weld it.

I still haven't decided to go this route though. I was just tossing around the idea and thinking through. I thought about the pro's and con's and I do need a stiffer strut up front to handle the bigger tires so it'd probably make more sense to just go with the Bilstein's.

 

x2... Bilsteins would probably ride better too.

 

tlt008

why not just add gussets to the pro-comp spacer, it would easily triple the strength of them and should cost you about 40 bucks total. You could model them after the A/S gussets, just make them big enough to fit the pro-comps.

 

What do you mean when you say "gussets"?

Could always just replace the bolts on the spacer and the ones on the strut assembly with longer ones and add a 3/4" plate slid onto each side. Not the same as stacking spacers though it is generally close but much stronger i would think.

That would cost less than $50

 

Scratch what I said haha...

Online metals has 6061-t6 in 6" round by 8" for 123 per 8"... I'm sure being a machinist you can get it for way cheaper.

 

Yeah I checked out Online Metals after I wrote that reply to your first comment because my brother uses them a lot. I figured out that I could get it all done for about $100-125 that way.

I'd still have to buy stiffer struts though which would increase the price of the whole mod to about $250 or so. The Bilsteins are $300 and a lot less hassle.

....just paying the extra $50 makes a lot more sense IMO.

Anybody know where the best place to get the Bilsteins from is?

 

im gonna save you some time w/ an 8" spacer. call BDS, buy the spacer for their 8" kit if you want a spacer

 

Just to satisfy everyones curiosity....

Does BDS sell just the 8" spacer and if so how much?

I'm gonna get the Bilstein's myself if i can find a good place to get them. I need stiffer struts.