How to Lift a Truck and Why You Might Want To

Apr 22, 2021

When you buy a new truck, you’ll likely find that the rear end sits a little higher than the front. Manufacturers design trucks this way so that they are level when you load up the rear. As the heavy materials go in the back, the truck levels off. However, some people do not prefer this. If you’re one of them, the solution to this problem is to lift your truck.

Lifting your truck is physically altering the car, raising one end or the other to the desired height. There are a number of ways you can lift a truck, depending on your budget or how you want to impact truck handling. Below is everything you need to know about why you might want to lift your truck along with how to go about it.

How to Lift a Truck

Lifted light blue vintage Chevy truck — Image via Pexels by JJ Whitley

To lift your truck, follow these easy steps. First, decide on a method for lifting your truck. Research your model truck and the best ways to lift it. Also, consider what you are trying to achieve with the lift and your available budget. With enough research, you should be able to decide on the method that is best for your car.

If you’re unsure, it’s best to talk to a professional. For example, the service center at Rydell Chevrolet can answer any questions you may have about raising your Chevrolet truck and the best way to go about it. Expert mechanics perform lifts on trucks all the time and therefore know what to recommend for your specific situation.

Another reason to talk to a professional mechanic is you’ll likely want them to perform the work as well. Lifting a truck requires equipment and parts, something you may not have at your disposal. It’s also essential that the person performing the work does it well, as you don’t want your truck to break down as you’re driving.

Of course, if you have some experience with working on trucks, you may be able to do it yourself. To lift a truck, you’ll need tools such as a vehicle jack, a socket wrench, a torque wrench, and a lug wrench. You’ll also need a safe space to work, such as a garage or flat driveway. You’ll then want to follow the instructions provided by the lift kit you purchased or follow some directions online. Again, you should only attempt this if you have a good deal of experience working on vehicles.

Reasons to Lift

The biggest reason to lift your truck is to alter the appearance. If you do not regularly load the rear section with cargo, you may want to level off the appearance of your truck. Another possible reason is if you want to install larger tires on your truck. To fit larger tires you need more space, which is what lifting provides. Finally, if you drive off-road a lot, you may wish to give yourself more clearance on the bottom of your vehicle so that you don’t scrape anything.

Types of Lifts

Once you decide you want to lift your truck, you then need to think about how you’ll go about lifting it. There are several options available to you. For example, you could use a body lift, in which you place a space between the frame and body mounts. The benefit of a body list is that it allows you to install larger engines and transmissions, along with larger tires.

Another option is a spacer lift, which lifts a truck about an inch or two. A spacer goes between the suspension and the mounting location of the suspension. These are a relatively affordable option if you only want to lift your truck a small amount.

For an easy way to lift your truck, consider using a torsion bar. You can only lift a truck a small amount with torsion bars but they are easy to adjust should you want to change anything in the future.

Use coil springs to lift your vehicle if you worry about the spring rate and have a specific height in mind. However, lifting your vehicle with springs can also impact the quality of your ride and how long the suspension lasts. You may also want to research replacing coil springs on your specific type of vehicle, as it is more difficult on some vehicles than others.

Finally, if you want to raise your truck more than two inches, consider going with an independent suspension system. When going with this option, keep in mind that it can cause more wear on the boots and joints, so you’ll need to lower the front differential.

Other Considerations

Finally, before you start the process of lifting your truck, there are a few other things to consider. For example, if you raise your truck more than two inches, you’ll likely need to replace your shocks as well. Without doing this, your truck could bottom out when you drive over a dip.

In addition, changing the angle of a vehicle might impact the direction of your headlights. You may need to adjust these or install new lights so that they are pointing in the correct direction once again.

Finally, make sure you have a compatible brake system with anything new you install. For instance, larger tires put more strain on a braking system. So, if you lift your truck and add in larger tires, you’ll also want to look into upgrading your braking system.

There is a lot to consider beyond just the height of your truck when lifting it. Be sure you consider all the factors involved before you make any changes to your truck so that there are no surprises along the way.

Contact Rydell Chevrolet for Help

To make this process much simpler, contact Rydell Chevrolet. We can not only lift your truck for you but we know all the extra considerations that go into it. We’ll walk you through the whole process, give you an estimate for the work, then take care of it for you. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, contact our dealership today.