Finally Deciding to Bite the Bullet.

[Wahugg]

Well I finally decided to stop reading and make this a reality; lifting and dressing my tb in some armor.

Currently my goal is not to go off roading that much. Here in Ohio I have not been able to find many decent trails, so trail riding will be secondary. My main goal is to be a mall cruiser!! No not really. The goal behind this is to make my trailblazer farm rated if that makes sense. The trailblazer was the closest thing I could buy to a framed 4x4 truck, and it does a great job on the farm. My only big gripes are ground clearance, the rear end sags when I throw some farm implements on there, and how I put a stone into the bottom of my radiator !!!!

So I was able to patch the radiator till the new one gets in Thursday, but that incident and one that put a crease in my gas tank has finally pushed me to upgrade.

After doing some reading I have narrowed it down to Z71 springs in the back with Blistening HD shocks. Now the one thing I am confused about is how some people say stick with the TB struts, while others say go with the longer Tahoe struts. They are the same price, so I am just wondering which one to shoot for. Also will this combination affect anything other than raising my rear end 1.5in, making it stiffer, and sag less under load?

The front end I am thinking of going the BDS route as well as Blistening HD shocks. I have read that Markmc’s product is a good one, but does cause huge wear on the upper mounts. From my understanding the BDS lift replaces the mount completely with its own, which is way more road bust. Does this sound like valid or good set up?

As for the armor I plan on just fabricating the radiator plate, oil pan plate, and gas tank plate on my own here in the shop. I will probably use ¼ inch steel or should I go ½ in steel? I have both in stock in the supply shed. Bartonmd wins my business for the front bumper because they look absolutely amazing, good reviews, and customization I heard is a possibility with him, or I could always find a local welder with better cutting and welding skills for adding brush guard on top of the bumper.

That’s my plan for now. I am currently on a 17in rim with a 28 or 29 inch (off the top of my head) Firestone Destination AT’s tire on it. They are pretty good in my opinion. Not the best but pretty good. I am thinking of switching over to Toyo Destination AT’s. My dad has had then on his trucks for the past decade, and they hold up pretty good and have decently aggressive tread.

Are there any aspects I might be over looking here before I start to go out and buy my parts? Also any order in particular I should go about installing these Items? Any insight, or critiquing would be great! Negative, positive, speculative, any kind of suggestions or comments would help me out.

Thanks
-Wahugg

[navigator]

I don't think there is a concern with Mark's new lift.

[bartonmd]

As for the armor I plan on just fabricating the radiator plate, oil pan plate, and gas tank plate on my own here in the shop. I will probably use ¼ inch steel or should I go ½ in steel? I have both in stock in the supply shed. Bartonmd wins my business for the front bumper because they look absolutely amazing, good reviews, and customization I heard is a possibility with him, or I could always find a local welder with better cutting and welding skills for adding brush guard on top of the bumper.

Look at how I do my radiator skids, with the support, etc... I do also suggest doing the holes in the front of it like I do, as that's the only airflow your power steering cooler is going to get... 1/4" is PLENTY as I use 7ga (.179, or just a little less than 3/16"), and myself and others have put these things through some USE, and they're holding up great! Design, though, has as much (or more) to do with overall strength of the system than material thickness...

Also, I assume you're talking about finding a better cutter/welder than you (as opposed to me), locally?

Everything I make is between "a standard base with custom stuff on it" and "full custom"... I do also have a tubing bender, and do brush/grill guards and such...








And my personal bumper


By the way, markMC's new front suspension lift does replace the upper mount, somewhat like BDS does, so using the stock upper mount is no longer a concern...

Mike

[Wahugg]

Thank you for the pics and the suggestions with the power steering rad. Totally forgot about that.

As for a better welder I think I might have worded that wrong. I am going to buy the front bumper off you, and see what you can do. I didn't know if you could add a brush guard on the top of the bumper, or all you did was sell the bumper its self stock. If you do offer welding on the upper brush guard I will defiantly go through you. But if you didn't I would have gone through a local welder. My weld's are strong and good, but when it comes to something already professionally made, I would just feel better if a professional finished up the job. I sure they could make the welds look better, or even stronger than mine, since that is their job. Sorry if you took it the wrong way.

So if marks new lift replaces the upper mount, what are the direct differences between marks and BDS lift now? I like to save money, but I like not having to take apart that strut assembly better.

Thanks again!
-Wahugg

[Trail X]

I don't think there is a concern with Mark's new lift.

Yeah, that was the old MarkMC spacer lift that reused the top mounting plate (or any lift that doesn't replace the shock upper bushings).

[The Roadie]

If you don't need articulation for lumpy trails, I'd recommend the aftermarket Bilsteins for the rear. The Tahoe shocks that get sold with springs sometimes have a very narrow body, and are just a minor upgrade from the Trailblazer OEM black Bilsteins.

If you need more weight capacity and less sag after you get the Z71 springs in, you might add the Airlift1000 bags inside the coils like I did for adjustability.

I agree - even 1/4" steel is a bit of overkill for armor. But if you have it in stock, go for it.

"Farm-rated" isn't a category we anticipated, but I *did* photoshop this up years ago when another member hit a few on a farm trip:

[bartonmd]

Thank you for the pics and the suggestions with the power steering rad. Totally forgot about that.

As for a better welder I think I might have worded that wrong. I am going to buy the front bumper off you, and see what you can do. I didn't know if you could add a brush guard on the top of the bumper, or all you did was sell the bumper its self stock. If you do offer welding on the upper brush guard I will defiantly go through you. But if you didn't I would have gone through a local welder. My weld's are strong and good, but when it comes to something already professionally made, I would just feel better if a professional finished up the job. I sure they could make the welds look better, or even stronger than mine, since that is their job. Sorry if you took it the wrong way.

So if marks new lift replaces the upper mount, what are the direct differences between marks and BDS lift now? I like to save money, but I like not having to take apart that strut assembly better.

Thanks again!
-Wahugg

Yeah, I can do about whatever you want... Just get a hold of me, and we can talk (type) about it...

Not a whole lot of difference between MarkMC and the BDS, now, on a functional level... You're going to have to take the strut assembly apart for any kind of safe lift you do on this platform... There is a guy on eBay selling outside-the-strut lift spacers, but that causes the down-limiting component to be the upper ball joint, which could turn REALLY bad for you at some point, if the upper ball joint came apart while you're going down the road...

Mike

[Blackout]

Where from Ohio are you?

[Wahugg]

Lol I got a kick out of that one Roadie. I guess I will just have to be the local cow pie guy.

I understand that no matter what I need to take my strut assembly apart. I was meaning to say that I would prefer to put a good quality lift on, and not have to worry about having to take apart it apart for a few years versus putting on a cheaper lift and having to mess with it all the time.

So Marks lift is up to par BDS wise? Or more importantly, which one will squeak less? Squeaking drives me nuts!!!

As for where in Ohio, I am south of Columbus by about 30 minuets on a farm. But I am up there every day for high school, and on the weekends for my job or friends place.

Thanks all for the help.

-Wahugg

[Blackout]

Ah. I live in Reynoldsburg and go to school on Georgesville Road so if you need any help or want to meet up and compare some mods and stuff let me know. Maybe we can catch some trails sometime.

[Wahugg]

Ah ok. I am over by your neck of the woods all the time. Most of my life happens in Grove City except for school and the farm of coarse. I will hit you up if I never need an extra set of hands.

Thanks!
-Wahugg

[v7guy]

I've been running marks new lift for a couple weeks now (around 500mi). No squeaks or rattles and is of good quality. You won't go wrong if you go that route. I've been happy with the purchase.

[Wahugg]

Well guys I just want to update you on my situation.

I have been saving up the money slowly to get all the parts needed for this project. Being a high school student this has been difficult due to low wages, and small hours but manageable. Monday was the day I was going to buy all the direct parts, and start talking with BartonMD about the bumper but a situation has arisen, but is a good one.

I recently did an eagle scout project for BSA, and my grandfather as a "good job" kind of a deal is allowing me to store his Cessna 172 down here indefinitely, so I may get my pilots licence. He is offering to pay for the hanger rent cost, but everything else is on me. Fuel, maintenance, classes, and certifications are all on me and they are pretty steep. I was forced to make a decision between the airplane or my truck modifications, and I went with the airplane. The thrill and feeling I get when I fly is irreplaceable, and the opportunity I am presented with can not be turned down.

I am saddened that I can not do what I want with my truck right now, but maybe in the summer when I have a whole day to work I will have some more money to work with. Until then I will probably just be reading, and enjoying the stories I see on this website, and ship in when I can.

Thanks all for the information you have provided thus far, and hopefully I can finish what I planned in the future.

-Wallace Huggett

[djthumper]

That sounds pretty reasonable. So are you an eagle scout yet or still working on it?

[Wahugg]

Technically, I am not one, but realistically I am one. The Troop approved, and the district approved of it but now it has to go up to nationals to get approved, and my card issued. Once the District board approved it is pretty much a given that I will become an official Eagle scout. I just have to wait for a few months for the paper work to be filed, processed, then issued. So until then all I can say is I completed my Eagle scout project successfully and with approval from the district board.

-Wahugg

[HARDTRAILZ]

Thats cool. I debate about getting a pilots license. Just wish there were more hours in the day... Congrats on the approval!

[djthumper]

No, you can say that you have completed your board. I am an eagle scout and have sit on the boards. Now I just prep people going before the boards and mentor them in completion of their packets.

Normally national does not reject the decisions but for some reason it takes them at least six weeks to complete things.

[Wahugg]

Sorry I didn't mean to take anything away when I said approval, it was not my intention. I meant approval by the district board, so thank you for correcting me there.

-Wahugg