I'm hopping on this thread, I have the same question. I have the 3" RC kit and want to go up the next 4.5". RC will sell the pieces, springs, u-bolts and brake cable bracket. Don't have a quote on it though.

I'd like to go with those Bilsteins later. Have RC ones in now and they're fine, but I hear they lose their ride after a short while.

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5100's have almost no listed application for the 2wd trucks. The Bilstein booklet on their website will list each model of the 5100's and their specific application (ie "z71 4x4 with 0-2in of lift"). If you are still rocking on the stock 2&1 half ton leaf pack in the rear and only have the 2 inch blocks, then you are sitting at about the stock ride height of a comparable Z71. Thus the above shock in parenthesis is what you want and will work.

I rebuilt my suspension and replaced my 2&1 packs with 3&1 3/4 ton leaf spring packs which give ~2 inches of rear lift on a half ton. I use the 5100's that are for a Z71 in the range of 0-1" of lift and they work perfect for me.

As for the front, if there is nothing but spindles/knuckles for the lift then you are golden. They don't affect any angles at all, just simply place the wheels 3 inches lower on the knuckles themselves, so all the stock geometry is fine and the shock geometry hasn't changed at all. This is the proper way to lift a 2wd, so be thankful the previous owner did it right.

They don't make 5100's for the 2wd front end at the factory geometry, but they do make 4600's. The 4600's and 5100's are the exact same operation and internals, just slightly different externals and the 5100's are more diverse for lifted setups. If you are keeping the the stock geometry, the 4600's will be what you want. However, if you are looking to lift a bit more, im not sure what to tell you as you may need a longer shock.

When lifting with light springs you typically need new upper control arms to keep the angles of the ball joints not extreme and allow proper up and down travel without contacting the frame with the UCA. Granted the inch or two you are talking about isnt a lot, but its something to keep in mind.

Also, purely out of curiosity, are you on the stock coils? And how close are your lower control arms sitting to your bump stops? If touching, whats your mileage on the truck? I only ask as I diagnose why my new coil springs are poo-poo-ed out in under 30k and sitting on the bumps now.

Hope it helps.

 

Hey thanks for the reply. That helped. So I would assume if I were to lift it 2 more inches in the front I would just need the shocks for a 0-2" lift in the front as well. I know Z71s are different but would that work the same?

The bump stops were about 1/4" from the LCA. Truck has a little over 170k miles with the original springs as far as I know.

 

Well the problem is that Im pretty sure the shocks on a 2wd front end are different than 4wd (they mount differently). I can't say for sure though, so definently check up on that. I am sure Bilstein makes a compatible shock for what you want to do, but it may take some digging. Worst comes to worst, you can always give them a call and pose the question to see what they say.

And thanks. That helps a lot actually.

 

Awesome. Thanks again!

 

Here you go

https://cart.bilsteinus.com/results?yea ... 2189715334

Was doing some research today and came across that. Seems Bilstein has updated stuff since I last searched for things. Should be exactly what you are looking for I believe.

 

Oh sweet. Thanks, that helps a lot!