1990 Chevy K1500

In early December, I decided that it was time to replace the Rancho 2"-3" lift kit.

I wanted a kit that actually dropped the front suspension components to eliminate the steepness of the tie rods and control arms. I also wanted a kit that was mostly bolt-on, so I'm not required to cut the vehicle apart to install it. I chose Rancho's 4" GM IFS lift kit. It was installed by by 4x4 Performance Specialties in West Point, PA.

Here is a road test of the Rancho 4" kit by TruckWorld.

During the installation, I chose to replace almost everything, including the idler arm, pitman arm, tie-rods, and upper ball joints, just in case mine were damaged. I selected the Rancho RS9000 5-way adjustable shocks so I can easily adjust the damping of the suspension.

The Rancho 4" kit includes:

• Heavy-duty sub-frame
• Drop brackets for the torsion bar crossmember
• Dropped steering centerlink with an additional center "idler arm" for more stability
• New upper control arms
• 2.5" Lift blocks for the rear
• Miscellaneous brackets and hardware

We ran into almost every problem you could imagine. The folks at 4x4 Performance Specialties were very particular, and paid close attention to every detail.

Removing the Old Kit

The old suspension was so hard to remove that they had to literally use a huge metal bar to pry everything loose. It took at least 4 hours longer than expected for disassembly.

Back to the 2-bolt Idler Arm

We tried to use the 3-bolt idler with the bracket from Fly-N-Hi, but after lots of measurements, we determined that the bracket did not place the idler arm at same distance from the front of the truck as the original 2-bolt arm. Without going back to the 2-bolt idler, the new steering centerlink wouldn't bolt up. We used a Moog heavy-duty 2-bolt idler arm. The additional center idler arm that Rancho adds to the vehicle should help minimize the wear on the 2-bolt arm.

Snow Plow Mount

4x4 Performance had to trim the support bracket for the snow plow in order for the Rancho sub-frame to bolt-up properly. This shouldn't be as much as an issue with the newer plow kits where most of the plow framework is detachable from the truck.

Rear Lift Blocks

I wanted to keep the Rancho Add-A-Leaf that we installed with the first lift kit since they strengthen the rear and may reduce axle wrap. The new Rancho kit includes 2.5" lift blocks for the rear, but the blocks plus the Add-A-Leaf raised the rear so high that the shocks wouldn't quite reach. And the installer said it looked like a funny car. :) So we swapped the blocks for a pair of 1.5" blocks from another manufacturer.

Alignment Problems

After everything was assembled, the height was set slightly higher in the front then Rancho recommends in the installation guide. I wanted enough height in the front so the vehicle sits fairly level, rather than sitting low in the front as these trucks often do from the factory. But we couldn't get the driver's side into alignment specs.

After careful measurements and comparisons to other trucks with the same kit, we discovered that the frame was still bent from my accident almost five years ago. No wonder I've had so much trouble with alignments! After careful consideration, the folks at 4x4 Performance decided to do some custom work to shift the upper control arm away from the frame to compensate. Finally we could bring the front-end into correct alignment.

Summary

The installation took about 9 days. I've only had the new kit for over a week now, but I'm very happy with it. Here are some of the things I've noticed so far:

1. The ride is greatly improved.
2. The suspension is no longer as stiff, and the torsion bars are hardly cranked at all.
3. The lower control arms are almost parallel with the ground rather than at a steep angle.
4. Virtually no "bump-steer" or looseness in the steering system.
5. I have plenty of room for the 33"x12.5"x15" BFG AT tires. The increased tire size made the truck ride smoother.
6. The front suspension is very quiet over bumps. With the old kit, everything seemed to rattle over bumps.
7. The suspension likes to "creak" just as I come to a stop, or just as I pull out from a stop. But this is common from what I was told. This was a problem on the Rancho 2"-3" kit as well, but it could have been a result of crashing the vehicle, and not the lift kits.
8. The Rancho 9000 5-way shocks are great! Lots of flexibility in the ride (from very soft to very stiff). I'm still experimenting with settings.