Looking into getting a Fabtech
 

Hey yall, I am thinking about getting a 6" Fabtech for my 2wd. Was going to go with a leveling kit at first but then thought might as well go big the first time. However, being clueless about well, everything, I need to ask questions. Will my 18" Rockstars work on a Fabtech? Because if for some reason they won't my idea of lifting just got shot down. And also, how much have yall payed to have these things installed? I was thinking it would be around $600 but just want to get a better idea for it. And I have 285/60/18 toyo A/T's on my truck and dont plan on buying new ones anytime soon. How bad will it look to have basically a 32" tire on a 6" on a 2wd? Any pictures of anything near this set up would be great.

Thanks in advance for the help guys,
Barrett

Fabtech :thumbsup:

First off, the Fabtech kit for your year specifies a backspace of up to 5". If your wheels have more than 5" of backspace, then they won't work and you'll need new ones.

Assuming that your wheels do fit, your lifted truck with small tires.....well, it's what you can afford for the moment. Does it look funny? That's up to you to decide.

$600 for installation? It all depends on which shop you go to. Local market rates will vary. Kids at the In-N-Out burger joint in my town make about $15 an hour. The starting wage is $12.50. Do kids in your local burger spot make that?

Don't worry. You can sell your wheels & tires to help offset the cost of the new wheels & tires you'll need for your lift.

Also consider that you will want to re-gear with your lift. You will need at least 4.10 gears for your 35" tires. Factor that into your budget also.

Get some more quotes. Go online. Walk into local shops and ask them to give you a packaged deal for parts and installation. Figure out what everything is going to cost: lift kit, gears, wheels, tires, installation, et cetera. Then you can start saving up.

Consider a different lift brand to start. Not that there is anything wrong with Fabtech, they're just overrated therefore over priced. And like Fifty150 said, the look of the tires is for you to decide.

With the smaller tires it will look funny but i guess if you don't care than it doesn't matter. Also you won't NEED gears right away.. i never got them and i put 36's on my 2wd but it will help. And since your truck is a 2wd it should only cost like 500 or so to install, that is what i have charged when i put the fabtech kit in on several trucks i have worked with. I would go with fabtech.. you can go cheaper with procomp but it isn't as nice of a kit and it isn't as well constructed in my opinion. Good luck

I'm not exactly sure about the back spacing on my wheels, but if it won't fit I'm pretty confident they fit on a pro comp, theres no way im parting with them. And I didnt think regearing was necessary for 35"? I know it brings back alot of lost power but its still ok without regearing?

And I was thinking about a pro comp or skyjacker at first but decided I'd rather get a fabtech, may be a few hundred more but I think I would like it more as well. And I would rather pay for something I will love rather than buy something just because its a little cheaper.

And thanks thorherc for the more idea of how much it should cost, helps to hear a response who has something like what i want to achieve. But does it feel alot more sluggish without the new gears? Or is it still fun to drive?

I'm running 35's with my factory 3.73 gears and it is sluggish but with the Edge it feels like it has factory tires on it.

BTW I also have a PC 6" and am very pleased with it, but if the money is not an issue then by all means go with Fabtech. They do look pretty sharp especially in blue.

Money is a factor but for 150 or 200 more I'd rather get a fabtech.

But I asked a few shops about install etc. All of them quoted me over 2k for the part+labor, the one I remeber the most is 2.4k out the door, does that sound right? They mentioned pro comp and now I am thinking about going back to see what a procomp would cost out the door. Really want to get lifted for 2k or maybe a little less, not 2.4k. So maybe if yall have a lift where you got a good deal on a procomp also it would be helpful.

Thanks

You can actually measure the backspacing for yourself before deciding what to do. You do have to remove one of the tires from the wheel though. Lay the wheel with the back of the wheel facing up. Take a straight edge and lay it across the wheel then take a ruler and measure form the hub mounting surface to the straight edge and that'll give you your backspacing.

IMO you can ignore the comment about Fabtech being overrated therefore overpriced. When I bought my Fabtech lift it was $1425 which isn't much more than the Pro Comp Stage 1 kit, but IMO far superior. Also I purchased the lift through the install shop and they only charged $650 for install. Your best option may be to order everything through the shop because if you bring the kit in yourself they may charge you more for the install.

Also it's not a requirement to regear when moving up to 35's. I ran my stock 3.55 gears on my truck for 9 months after lifting my truck and adding 35's. However, it was a huge difference when I finally did upgrade to my Yukon 4.56 gears. Regearing cost me $750.

I also have a 2WD that I lifted with a Fabtech basic lift so one thing to keep in mind is the lift blocks the kit comes with are small so you'll want to upgrade to Fabtech 5" lift blocks. Here's a breakdown on cost;

Fabtech 6" lift kit - $1425
Install - $650
5" lift blocks - $135

Hope that helps ya out.

wxscpo, that helped me out a ton, thanks a lot! So the shop wanting 2.4k out the door seems a bit high then compared to your figures? Makes me feel better knowing there actually a chance of getting it lifted for closer to 2k.

Don't think I am going to take the wheel out to check bs though, 1 reason being I would screw it up somehow I know it.

And how small of blocks are we talking? Will it be bulldogged that much with the blocks originally in the fabtech?

Thanks alot

I say either get a procomp or a fabtech, i just took my truck to rancho yesterday for the time and that procomp lift held its own and i was beating the piss out of it, just like
06hd said fabtech is overpriced but it is a better looking lift, so if your not taking it offroad procomp would fine or if you want to beat the piss out it, it should still be fine, but if your looking to save some money, procomp would be a good lift, but i also got rid of the big spacer up front and got some fabtech coilvers

hate to say it but i think you ll prolly need new wheels, they look like the higher offset version.

for myself when the time comes , i will prolly go with pro-comp

1) i like the price lol
2) plenty of others run this lift without any problems
3) i dont off-road
4)i like the accessories , skid plate , traction bars etc....

ahh damn it, I thought I saw someone else who recently got their truck lifted had Rockstars with a procomp? So if I cant fit them on a fabtech I guess I will be going procomp, I like my wheels to much to part with them.

depends on the backspacing you have on those