2006 GMC Sierra aka “granopy”

[Smileyshaun]

If you feel like everything is in spec and that leveling kit don't work you have 3 options from how id see it if it were my truck and i wanted to go bigger on wheels. Option 1 is to do a body lift, option 2 would be a solid axle swap which is what everyone i knows does when they get fed up with it, option 3 is a new truck with new style ifs suspension without torsion bars.
If you realy like how the truck is and rides id go with option 1 its the cheapest and least intrusive. The other 2 options take quite a bit of cash but would fix the problem.

tires fit fine without the lift I just want a little more up travel to keep it off the jounce bushing . I’ve owned a few torsion bar suspension gm rigs and this one by far rides the worst for some odd reason . I’ll get it figured out eventually .
doing a sas istempting I already have a 60 and a sterling with 4:56 stored away at my buddies shop but I honestly don’t feel like putting the time into doing it, just don’t have motivation I use to do fab work .

 

[Doran_of_OK]

I am trying to weed through the details between SAS or coil over for my rig. Just so I know what money I need to squirrel away and what friends I need to start making to get help with the fabrication process. I plan to use 2021 to get the wife and kid out in the wilderness and camp more often, then I hope she starts asking for more creature comforts and gets on board with some of the additions to our rig.

 

[Smileyshaun]

I am trying to weed through the details between SAS or coil over for my rig. Just so I know what money I need to squirrel away and what friends I need to start making to get help with the fabrication process. I plan to use 2021 to get the wife and kid out in the wilderness and camp more often, then I hope she starts asking for more creature comforts and gets on board with some of the additions to our rig.

from experience in doing a few sas swaps in my day the best way to figure it out is to price out all your parts and figure out how long it should take , then double that budget and triple the time and that should get you in the ballpark .

 

[Doran_of_OK]

from experience in doing a few sas swaps in my day the best way to figure it out is to price out all your parts and figure out how long it should take , then double that budget and triple the time and that should get you in the ballpark .

Haha, that is good to know. I know just finding the parts for a decent price will be time consuming.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Haha, that is good to know. I know just finding the parts for a decent price will be time consuming.

If you aren’t rock crawling or tackling super hard trails a SAS may not be worth the time and money . The coil over conversion is bolt on and will give way better road manners , if these different torsion keys don’t work I may just go that route later just didn’t want to spend that much on the truck right now as it’s dipping into my woodworking tool funds .

 

[Doran_of_OK]

Yeah, I am 80% certain I will upgrade to the coil over system because I will be using my truck as a daily driver, which means I will most definitely want the road manners of ifs

 

[Smileyshaun]

I will never buy a normal set of lift keys ever again , the amount of adjustment built into the suspension maxx keys make it so nice , I went a little to high for my liking but ran out of time tonight so tomorrow I will probably go down a 1/2 inch on the keys but the ride has improved dramatically. I will also get it up on the forklift to see how the suspension travels tomorrow .

 

[Smileyshaun]

Here is a quick little video of the road noise At 75 mph on the Kinda cleavers to me they are not much louder than an all season tire

 

[Smileyshaun]

Got some work done today
Dropped the front lift down 3/4”
Got the rear lift blocks in
Fixed the spare tire carrier ( problematic in these rigs ) and the 35 fits perfect
Suspension cycles well and nothing rubs at full stuff .

forklifts are great for suspension work

 

[Shakes355]

Now that is sexy.

 

[Doran_of_OK]

So far really impressed with them , they balanced easy , fairly quiet , seem to work very well in the snow so far . I took a 3mpg hit but will be swapping to 4.10 gears eventually so it should go back up a bit

I am interested in this point. Will you be re-gearing yourself or sending it off to a shop?

 

[Smileyshaun]

I am interested in this point. Will you be re-gearing yourself or sending it off to a shop?

it’s still a little up in the air on that and it will be a while but I may just track down a junkyard set with 4.10 or do a drop bracket lift and swap in a 9.25 front and a SF 6lug 14 bolt rear .

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Got some work done today
Dropped the front lift down 3/4”
Got the rear lift blocks in
Fixed the spare tire carrier ( problematic in these rigs ) and the 35 fits perfect
Suspension cycles well and nothing rubs at full stuff . View attachment 184147View attachment 184148View attachment 184150View attachment 184151View attachment 184152View attachment 184153View attachment 184154View attachment 184155View attachment 184156

forklifts are great for suspension work

Nice work. Truck looks good.
Couple questions. I'm curious why bring the front down 3/4 inch if you knew you were raising the rear? Will you be towing or hauling a lot or do you prefer a slight raked look?
Also, when you fixed the spare tire carrier, did that also mean that you did modifications to help the 35 fit, or does the 35 fit with the stock carrier and under-bed dimensions?

 

[Smileyshaun]

Nice work. Truck looks good.
Couple questions. I'm curious why bring the front down 3/4 inch if you knew you were raising the rear? Will you be towing or hauling a lot or do you prefer a slight raked look?
Also, when you fixed the spare tire carrier, did that also mean that you did modifications to help the 35 fit, or does the 35 fit with the stock carrier and under-bed dimensions?

I brought the front down to lessen the cv angles .
35 fit fine with no mods , skinny tire for the win again

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I brought the front down to lessen the cv angles .
35 fit fine with no mods , skinny tire for the win again

I forget, what did you lift the front with again?

I have Bil 5100's at the top, which is 1.8 inches of lift or so. I just did my front sway bar links and am wondering if I should bring it down even just one notch.

And long live the "pizza pie cutter" skinny tire. All the k2500 and f150 plow trucks out here use the tall and skinny. It's better in the snow on the roads

 

[Smileyshaun]

I forget, what did you lift the front with again?

I have Bil 5100's at the top, which is 1.8 inches of lift or so. I just did my front sway bar links and am wondering if I should bring it down even just one notch.

And long live the "pizza pie cutter" skinny tire. All the k2500 and f150 plow trucks out here use the tall and skinny. It's better in the snow on the roads

i have lift keys set at about 2” of lift

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Ah

i have lift keys set at about 2” of lift

Ah, right. Of course. I even commented. Yeah I'm still up in the air over adding rear blocks or just lowering the front by one ring.

But before I worry about that I have to do 100,000 mile service and see about some 33 inch tires first.

Theres a guy local who has a 2500 version of your truck. Same color and everything. He hauls scrap metal with it, has a big ARE metal cap on the back. Overall looks like a good solid truck, I just cant justify the expense of buying it

 

[Smileyshaun]

Ah



Ah, right. Of course. I even commented. Yeah I'm still up in the air over adding rear blocks or just lowering the front by one ring.

But before I worry about that I have to do 100,000 mile service and see about some 33 inch tires first.

Theres a guy local who has a 2500 version of your truck. Same color and everything. He hauls scrap metal with it, has a big ARE metal cap on the back. Overall looks like a good solid truck, I just cant justify the expense of buying it

Years ago I had a 2008 that I had a 1.5” body lift on and the rancho ready lifts on and 33s , probably could have squeezed 35s on but I blew a tire the day before a trip so had to getwhat they had in stock .

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Years ago I had a 2008 that I had a 1.5” body lift on and the rancho ready lifts on and 33s , probably could have squeezed 35s on but I blew a tire the day before a trip so had to getwhat they had in stock . View attachment 184703

Solid looking truck. And I even like the color. It being newer than your current ride, I am guessing something catastrophic went down with it?

 

[Smileyshaun]

Solid looking truck. And I even like the color. It being newer than your current ride, I am guessing something catastrophic went down with it?

no I have vehicular add and find any reason to get rid of a rig , it’s kinda a problem but I did make 3k on the rig . My main issues where it was a Canadian rig and had lots of rust and the almost white interior was impossible to keep clean.
Looking back it’s a little sad how short I keep vehicles
After I sold the blue Chevy in 2016 I picked up a zj jeep and did some mods
Then got a sequoia

then a Yukon
And a pathfinder because the fiancé father had one when she was growing up

Then a suburban to flip

the decided I wanted a new rig I wouldn’t have to work on but it ended up being a lemon and in the first accident I was in



So traded it in on a older Subaru
Then got granopy
And in the middle of all that there was my long term project of the blue mule