OK i have my flame suit on so here it goes..........

I know there are some members here who have fabtech lift kits, and all I am saying is to have a club based on that. thanks:D

Count me in. I have always used Fabtech. Never really liked the track width increase with their lifts but I like the lift in general. I have the new 9" coil over system with all the bells and whistles ready to go on.

cool yeah i have the six inch system, its cool i have some words for the fabtech people about their shocks and uca's though.

I'll join.. Going to be ordering there new knuckles to bring my track width in about an inch

cool yeah i have the six inch system, its cool i have some words for the fabtech people about their shocks and uca's though.


Give Josh Lacher a call at Fabtech 877 432 2832.

Im in too! i agree on the upper control arms and shocks, bilsteins took care of the shock prob and ill be makin some UCA with Uniballs here soon. i just lost a upper ball joint last night wheelin in the snow. good thing i was only goin about 10 mph when it happened and it didnt mess nothin up!

awesome fellas, i will talk to a mod and see if it can be a dp club.

Ill join...... 8 inch.
Ill be the bad apple sayins stuff like front axle shafts are on to much of an angle and FABTECH Sucks.... Gone thru my second shaft. Yesterday.
FAbtech is like we want to sell. But yesterday broke down in a snow bank. They were not helping me for sure.
So flatbed tow home. And trying to find an axle.

Other than that great kit.. Just dont turn the 4x4 on.

We can officially be a fabtech club, just got lead mod approval.

Ill join...... 8 inch.

I've got one inch on you :P Heh

Ill join...... 8 inch.
Ill be the bad apple sayins stuff like front axle shafts are on to much of an angle and FABTECH Sucks.... Gone thru my second shaft. Yesterday.
FAbtech is like we want to sell. But yesterday broke down in a snow bank. They were not helping me for sure.
So flatbed tow home. And trying to find an axle.

Other than that great kit.. Just dont turn the 4x4 on.

Really? i four wheel the hell out of my truck and 4wd launch it alot too with no broken axles. i got 40,000 on the kit and 125,000 on the truck

I've got one inch on you :P Heh

but ill be tuckin 39"s and droppin the front on inch ;)

Let me know what you guys want to do, ie have a poll or whatever.

It's all about the extra inch :) let's see who can have full suspension travel without any bind or rub .

Club name? fabtech owners of america LOL, Pissed off fabtech owners club?

Fabtech Owners :)

Second the motion? I will wait till later on to see if anyone finds anything different then I will just say its Fabtech owners.

im in...check the garage

Anybody look at Norcal truck website lately? The website has listed a spindle kit for the older style suspension lifts that bring in the tires. Its almost 500 dollars:eek:

It's all about the extra inch :) let's see who can have full suspension travel without any bind or rub .

that would be me! :D fiberglass fenders really help as ill have no clearance issues :cool:. Ill have coilovers too down the road but it wont cost as much as fabtechs since i can fab the arms and what not ;)


I like F.A.B.T.E.C.H owners but i just need to come up with a good acronym lol

I have a fabtech sticker on my toolbox, does that count?:D

Yeah thats fine.

Sign me up. I'll join. But once I can afford a SAS I can't promised I'll still have Fabtech. :D

welcome aboard.

I'm in!! No problems with my kit.

welcome

Club name? fabtech owners of america LOL, Pissed off fabtech owners club?

ha-ha...good one

Anybody look at Norcal truck website lately? The website has listed a spindle kit for the older style suspension lifts that bring in the tires. Its almost 500 dollars:eek:

:D- been working on alot more to offer. We have already sold a few and Jeff said I should put it on the store so I did. Kinda cool if you ask me so you can update the truck and not feel like you must buy a new lift. More to come for you Fabtech owners:beerchug:

I have a fabtech sticker on my toolbox, does that count?:D

Nice!!

I'm In :D

Thanks Nick! Help us Fabtech guys out. Now I just have to justify the expense coming to your shop and convince my girlfriend that this is a worthwhile investment, she wants me to save for a house:eek: so my expenses will consist of me eating maruchan instant lunch for the next few weeks.

So far for the club name it is F.A.B.T.E.C.H Owners Club, and the acronym will need some "creative input" anyone want to chime in their opinion?

Forever
Always
Building
Trucks
Every
Chance
Honorably


I know it's cheesy.....but you asked for one
Josh

Im in!!!

welcome

Forever
Always
Building
Trucks
Every
Chance
Honorably


I know it's cheesy.....but you asked for one
Josh

not bad, not bad. anyone else have any ideas?

Am I missing something here ? Where is this club area we should have on here???
Also - Do I get any credit for naming our forum? :P

IM IN. 6 INCH WITH GREEN KEYS CLEARING 37s WITH NO RUB

IM IN. 6 INCH WITH GREEN KEYS CLEARING 37s WITH NO RUB


welcome

Am I missing something here ? Where is this club area we should have on here???
Also - Do I get any credit for naming our forum? :P


Sure, you can get the credit for that. Let me talk to the mods and see what i can do.

sign me up

welcome

any other acronyms for F.A.B.T.E.C.H?

IM IN. 6 INCH WITH GREEN KEYS CLEARING 37s WITH NO RUB

My turn! 8" lift dropped to a 7" on 37s with no rub lol. 39"s here i come! :ro)

by the way, how does your CVs like that angle? do you wheel off road at all?

i have had no problems yet. i have a little popping but not too bad with the hd tie rods and braces. yes i four wheel. not a whole lot but when i can. im tempted to go the the fiberglass fender route like you did, it looks sick IMO and i could clear bigger as well.

i have had no problems yet. i have a little popping but not too bad with the hd tie rods and braces. yes i four wheel. not a whole lot but when i can. im tempted to go the the fiberglass fender route like you did, it looks sick IMO and i could clear bigger as well.

huh well thats cool! id be afraid of breakin a CV but im also kinda hard when i off road lol. Thats kinda why i did the fiberglass so i could drop the front some and get a better CV angle but also run the same tire or bigger. my 37s are too small now!

Hey a heads up for you Fabtech'ers ... we are doing the spindle upgrade to a old 6" kit in about a week and I will post the install to show you guys what you get out of it.

Thanks Nick:ro)

Hey a heads up for you Fabtech'ers ... we are doing the spindle upgrade to a old 6" kit in about a week and I will post the install to show you guys what you get out of it.

Hey Nick,

I know you and I talked about these knuckles for my truck. Just waiting for the salt to clear to order them. Wondering if you did that truck yet and if there are any pictures. Let us know!!

Hey Nick,

I know you and I talked about these knuckles for my truck. Just waiting for the salt to clear to order them. Wondering if you did that truck yet and if there are any pictures. Let us know!!


Welllll.... No we have not done that truck yet. There was a issue getting the product from Fabtech. But we have 3 update kits on there way finally and after those I don't know how long it will take to get them. Fabtech has really slowed down there product stock :(.

uh oh...That don't sound good for me...Damn economy...Well hopefully end of this month or next month I'll be calling you about the knuckles...

Nick, I think that fabtech has the right idea in making this spindle kit but to pay 750 OTD for making your wheels come in an inch doesn't really make financial sense to me. I guess its just a waiting game though to see what they come up with. Is the fabtech spindle kit what fabtech is coming out with or is it something else?

Nick, I think that fabtech has the right idea in making this spindle kit but to pay 750 OTD for making your wheels come in an inch doesn't really make financial sense to me. I guess its just a waiting game though to see what they come up with. Is the fabtech spindle kit what fabtech is coming out with or is it something else?


It's a handling issue. Trust me. Buy it. Drive it. Like it :)

It's a handling issue. Trust me. Buy it. Drive it. Like it :)

That much of an improvement that handling got better? Wouldn't think it would do that much but then again...

Well if prices start getting a lot better would you like to let us know Nick? :D

x2 on getting the coilover conversion. I have the 8" now with everything you can get. Yeah Nick, reckon you could help us out when something happens?

I got my Fabtech coil over suspension complete from Fabtech direct for I think was $6100 total after totaling up the extras.
Parts break down was this:


(1) FTS21073BK Front Component Box
(1) FTS21074BK Leaf Spring & Hanger system
(2) FTS80045 Dirt Logic 2.25 Rear w resi
(1) FTS91004 CV Drive Shaft
(1) FTS91002BK Front Hyd bump stop
(1) FTS91003BK Rear hyd bump stop
(1) FTS71002 Tie Rod System
(1) FTS8004 Single performance stabilizer

I ordered my system back in October. Then I found out the guy I ordered it from was let go from Fabtech after many years.

They may cut you a deal directly,who knows. As far as them going out of business? Not a chance.

:eek: I had no idea they may go out of buisness

I got my Fabtech coil over suspension complete from Fabtech direct for I think was $6100 total after totaling up the extras.
Parts break down was this:


(1) FTS21073BK Front Component Box
(1) FTS21074BK Leaf Spring & Hanger system
(2) FTS80045 Dirt Logic 2.25 Rear w resi
(1) FTS91004 CV Drive Shaft
(1) FTS91002BK Front Hyd bump stop
(1) FTS91003BK Rear hyd bump stop
(1) FTS71002 Tie Rod System
(1) FTS8004 Single performance stabilizer

I ordered my system back in October. Then I found out the guy I ordered it from was let go from Fabtech after many years.

They may cut you a deal directly,who knows. As far as them going out of business? Not a chance.



Hey you are the guy I talked to yesterday. Sorry I was going fast, had 2 guys standing at the counter and was acting kinda pissy I was on the phone and not talking to them:rolleyes:. Thank man!!

Hey you are the guy I talked to yesterday. Sorry I was going fast, had 2 guys standing at the counter and was acting kinda pissy I was on the phone and not talking to them:rolleyes:. Thank man!!

Yep that was me. You seemed like you had a long bad day from the way you sounded on the phone :P Its all good. Make sure my stuff gets to me by Thursday!!!

OK i have my flame suit on so here it goes..........

I know there are some members here who have fabtech lift kits, and all I am saying is to have a club based on that. thanks:D
LETS HAVE A GAY FABTECH CLUB:rolleyes: FOR WHAT? THEIR PRODUCT SUCKS

LETS HAVE A GAY FABTECH CLUB:rolleyes: FOR WHAT? THEIR PRODUCT SUCKS

I get first dibs on "top". Well it's at least better than being on the receiving end aint it? :P

I get first dibs on "top". Well it's at least better than being on the receiving end aint it? :P

:D

LETS HAVE A GAY FABTECH CLUB:rolleyes: FOR WHAT? THEIR PRODUCT SUCKS

directly from the peanut gallery :p:

personally after all the trashing and beating i have put on thier product, i definitley cant say their product sucks. sure some of the stock stuff on the truck didnt last quite as long as id like but NONE of Fabtechs stuff and taken a shit yet! I beefed up the stock stuff and now my truck is close to bullet proof.

Ill do hard 4wd lauches (asfault too), romp up hills at full throttle 4wd and use to chase our race car across the desert on bad roads and everything else you can think of w/ 40,000 on the kit and 126,000 on the truck.

I like my kit thank you very much!!! :D

Can't complain about my lift either...Only thing I have to complain about is my passnger side lower bump stop got bent and just the wide track width. Once I get the new knucles I'll be real happy!! Never broke anything yet with hard wheeling.

anybody upgrading the sway bar end links? I just got my cognito HD ones and should be installing them soon. I will post up pics if possible.

I got a set of those. Again a lot of parts still not installed yet.

twistedlogic, what do you still have for sale?

Just the stock shocks, stock upper a arms, pair of HD Yukon rear axles. Thats about it right now.

I have the coilover kit and i freakin love it. Nothing wrong with it. The only problem i had was from the shop that did the install. Anyone looking to put it on their truck can ask me anything they want.

Is the coilover kit pretty functional? How is the ride?

I drove a coilover system and the 8" system in the same day. I was set. It drives like a Cadillac. I'm serious. It is WELL WORTH the upgrade.

I love it. Handles better. Smoother ride. Its funny because the more speed you carry over rough terrain the softer it is. I had the 8" kit on before and it is a world of difference. I have the rear kit in the garage waiting for intall.

Yep that was me. You seemed like you had a long bad day from the way you sounded on the phone :P Its all good. Make sure my stuff gets to me by Thursday!!!


Yea sorry :o:, It was a day of people wanting to buy product to mis-use it and I hate that because it will brake and then you had your questions at the end of the day and was concerned that you where going to buy something that would ware out to fast and be mad with the money spent. Your good tho and I received your email and will let you know.

Thanks man!!

FYI: For those of you who may want a complete Fabtech 9" coilover system with all the bells and whistles... depending on which path I chose within the next few weeks... I may sell my complete kit for the below manufacturing cost that I paid.

My post is here

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=300443

Mind you the Fabtech is an awesome system... I think I will see what not having IFS is like for the first time.

FYI: For those of you who may want a complete Fabtech 9" coilover system with all the bells and whistles... depending on which path I chose within the next few weeks... I may sell my complete kit for the below manufacturing cost that I paid.

My post is here

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=300443

Mind you the Fabtech is an awesome system... I think I will see what not having IFS is like for the first time.


It says I dont have permission to view the link.

It says I dont have permission to view the link.

Try again

http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/showthread.php?t=300443

Still have no access.

Go to the DelMarVa club. Click on the first post by me.

thanks.

:mad: i clicked on the link to the DelMarVa club, no threads came up.
I will see if someone can answer my issues.

Log out. Clear browser history and cache and all offline files.
restart computer

Log back in

*****s
All
Buyers
To
Eternal
Cash
Hole

that will work. i just installed the cognito hd end links, i like them. you guys tried these?

Have about 15k on mine already and working out great!!!

have not tried them but my stock ones have not broke either, must just be lucky

Norcal Nick was saying that sometimes they do break, I figured that since it is a relatively cheap upgrade, why not do it? Any of you guys do the spindle upgrade yet? I think I have a newer fabtech kit so I may be ok.

Just waiting for school to finish for the summer then will be ordering the spindles from Nick. Talked about this with Nick and just waiting on time and money...

Hell no! that would completely ruin my stance! lol. but no i like the extra width, fits perfect with my fiberglass fenders :D

iv been waiting to see someone pull the trigger on the narrow stance kit...... i want to see just how much it narrows up the front end, anyone know if u get any better steering angles w/ this upgrade?

Fabtech filed for bankruptcy; :mad: I guess cognito parts are going on my lift kit

here's a question for you fabtech guys, I just bought a new truck 08 with a factory conversion lift 6 inch fab with double shock hoops and it seen to ride kind of rough and the white shocks don look very good against the red, whats your suggestions, swap to billisteins? it doesnt have any miles so maybe it will loosen up.

here's a question for you fabtech guys, I just bought a new truck 08 with a factory conversion lift 6 inch fab with double shock hoops and it seen to ride kind of rough and the white shocks don look very good against the red, whats your suggestions, swap to billisteins? it doesnt have any miles so maybe it will loosen up.

yes bilsteins will help greatly. if you do have the shock that goes from the LCA to the stock shock bucket, get rid of that and it will help soften your ride up some. having the two shocks on the UCA plus teh one lower one is way too much valving for the truck. jsut the two on the UCA are too much valving. switching to bilsteins will be something youwont regret. as Nick was tellin me, its not the lift that give people a roough ride, its the shocks they use. using unproperly valved shocks can make you think that th erough ride comes from your lift when it really aint that way.

that makes sense, so you can just eliminate the original shock if you have the Shock hoop..thats interesting.

yeah i did before i went with the bilsteins. i only got about two years out of the fabtech shocks. the bilsteins i expect to last almost the life of the truck

here's a question for you fabtech guys, I just bought a new truck 08 with a factory conversion lift 6 inch fab with double shock hoops and it seen to ride kind of rough and the white shocks don look very good against the red, whats your suggestions, swap to billisteins? it doesnt have any miles so maybe it will loosen up.
Check your tire pressures too. If you're running relatively light or empty and are running max load pressures you are gonna bounce ALL over the place. I'm running 37/12.50x17 Pro Comp Xtreme A/T's on chrome H2's and am running ~45-46 front and ~41-42 rear and it rides good. Still on standard Superlift shocks but will be ordering Bilsteins this week. Expect ride to improve significantly. Also I'm gonna do the cab mount upgrade, probably ride like a Caddy then!:cool:

They may cut you a deal directly,who knows. As far as them going out of business? Not a chance.
Say what?!:eek:

Thought you guys might be interested, I emailed fabtech about the bankruptcy and they said that they indeed filed for CH.11 protection but are still in business. So we will see what happens.


this is the email:
We have filed chapter 11 protection, that does not mean we are going out of business. So you can still purchase our product from any offroad retailer, we are doing business as usual.

Thank you



Armen Mosikian

Tech Manager

Fabtech Motorsports

4331 Eucalyptus Ave

Chino, Ca. 91710

Ph. 909-597-7800

Ext. 2236

877-432-2832

Fax. 909-597-7185

amosikian@fabtechmotorsports.com

http://www.fabtechmotorsports.com/

Awesome, thatd suck to lose ANY of the major players in that industry.

Good luck Fabtech!:cool:

not sure but figured this is the best palce for this question.

fab tech lifts and alignment specs.

every time i take my truck in to get the front end aligned the shop gets all pissy cuz they cant get it into OE spec at all and ask me what i want things set at. i dont have a clue. so..... lets see what works adn what dosnt for our fab tech lifted truck. could guys post up what lift they have, if its 100% by the book or if they have mixed in other non included in the kit parts and what they run for an alignment along w/ what they think of it?

ill dig out my old alignment sheet im sure it is in the shop somewhere.

03' CCLB 6" fabtech, fabtech tie rods, Cognito HD idler pivot box, Homemade idler & pitmen braces, cranked just about all the way up (its about 7.25" lift")

eats inner edge of front tires in about 8-10k of driving. steering wheel never ever has been set properly level when going in a straight line. ....... iv had 4 different shops align my truck in 2.5yrs.

im about to do more front end work and figure its time to think long and hard at what kind of spec's i should look for this time before i let my truck off the rack from being aligned again.

I had the same issue before with my lift. I don't know why the alignment is so f-d up though. Your steering wheel should barely move at all, maybe call Fabtech, check the cross caster.

I thought a Fabtech 6" kit used factory specs. Am I wrong? Do you guys have problems getting things set right? I am about to get my first alignment .

i have no idea and haven't spent much time looking into what the specs are for a 6" lift. i know w/ my cranked bars that will mess it up a touch but from what i was told last time its next to impossible to get anywhere close. one shop told me going to a tube upper arm gives for more adjustment but couldn't tell me how it is u actually get more adjustment other than "well...... u do"....... kind of lame. now that i got my drive shaft rebuilt its time for me start doing front end work.

i have no idea and haven't spent much time looking into what the specs are for a 6" lift. i know w/ my cranked bars that will mess it up a touch but from what i was told last time its next to impossible to get anywhere close. one shop told me going to a tube upper arm gives for more adjustment but couldn't tell me how it is u actually get more adjustment other than "well...... u do"....... kind of lame. now that i got my drive shaft rebuilt its time for me start doing front end work.

just for a sec... i hear ya.....I rub rubber off in the parking lots when i turn.

As far as I can read, it looks like the main problem with your lifts, is it's hard to get enough camber. It looks like Cognito upper arms help this out.
It just seems to be a issue to find specs to get things right. I can not find alignment info on FabTechs website. I never thought it would be a pain to get this simple info.
I just want as much info as I can before I buy new tires and get aligned. I don't feel like spending $1800 every year or so on tires because of rapid tire wear from an incorrect alignment.

I guess Fabtech uses GM specs because I have never heard of special alignment specs. I have so far been pretty lucky, my tires last a bit and they don't get worn incorrectly. I rotate and balance religiously though.

All fabtech kits are designed to be set to factory specs.

i have no idea and haven't spent much time looking into what the specs are for a 6" lift. i know w/ my cranked bars that will mess it up a touch but from what i was told last time its next to impossible to get anywhere close. one shop told me going to a tube upper arm gives for more adjustment but couldn't tell me how it is u actually get more adjustment other than "well...... u do"....... kind of lame. now that i got my drive shaft rebuilt its time for me start doing front end work.

well its cause your t-bars are cranked. the fabtech lifts are already desinged to have some crank in them to give you teh 6" of lift. cranking them more will actually cuase you to go out of alignement and not be able to get it back in. Ive tried it on my 8" kit and tried aligning a few others. Drop the kit back to 6" and id bet they can align it. If i remember right, there is even a specific warning in the instalation booklet that states " dont not crank the torsion bars anymore than the specified height given" cause it can cause these kinds of probs let a lone some broken CV shafts off road :D

well its cause your t-bars are cranked. the fabtech lifts are already desinged to have some crank in them to give you teh 6" of lift. cranking them more will actually cuase you to go out of alignement and not be able to get it back in. Ive tried it on my 8" kit and tried aligning a few others. Drop the kit back to 6" and id bet they can align it. If i remember right, there is even a specific warning in the instalation booklet that states " dont not crank the torsion bars anymore than the specified height given" cause it can cause these kinds of probs let a lone some broken CV shafts off road :D


sounds about right

true im taking my lift to a different level by cranking the bars but so have a lot of other people, my question is how have others that have done this had there alignment set and what did they think of it? playing by the rules is just no fun.

thanks

You may need to experiment to get the settings you want maybe get a similar lift kits specs for a seven inch lift and go from there

most of you run the dirt logics?

I do

how many miles on them?

bout 12,000. 2.25's in the rear and 4.0's up front.

mine were done at 50? not impressed

did you get them rebuilt?

no, swicthed brands

:rolleyes:What did you switch to? Im kinda stuck with the 4.0's. Unless some King coilovers would match up?????

fox

never really liked the dirt logic. They are kinda cheaply built and the tolerances are very low (lots of slop and loose fitting). Ill stick with my bilsteins or get some foxes down the road, maybe kings ;).

dmax, post some pics of how the coilover mounts to the shock tower and LCA and i can tell ya if you can run a different shock from king or fox

i agree. for the price i feel my dirt logics are junk, fox were less then half the price. we'll see how they last

Ill be taking all new pics this weekend. The ones i have are really outdated. New tires and wheels. New stereo. No more tail gate. LOL. Guess i have been lazy.

Anyone do anything new to their ride?

Suncoast stage IV, 1058 triple disk torque converter, transfer case bracket and EFI live!!!

Dmax, i hate you! lol when you bring your truck out im gunna need to take some measurements off your rear tire carrier so i build a few :D


Nothing too new yet other than i installed my on-board air in the tool box and ran two air lines with air chucks to each frame rail under the doors for tire fill ups and air tools :cool:. In 2 months ill have a Mike L. suncoast stage IV and a lift pump. 13 sec 1/4 here i come!

Oh and a new addition to the roof that ill be building for more lighting :p:

I am looking to put in some led tail lights and perhaps sulastic shackles.

I am looking to put in some led tail lights and perhaps sulastic shackles.

totally forgot to mention those! they shoudl be on the order list here soon lol. Man i hate those free way ripples

they work as good as they sound?

well gonna have to forgo upgrades, found out my cv boot sprouted a leak, gonna cost 500 bucks or so to fix by the stealer.

anyone done upgrades?

Screw the dealership!!!!!!! I just priced out an OEM CV shaft with Oreilys and it is 69.99 for a NEW one. PM me if you need more help.

they priced in labor and everything already, i had minimal choice in this matter, independent mechanics in my area that are good are slim to none. kind of caught between a rock and a hard place.

drive it to me on a weekend. ill put it in your truck for a six pack :D

Its actually really easy to do it yourself.

drive it to me on a weekend. ill put it in your truck for a six pack :D


Less the cost of fuel, I would do it.

Its actually really easy to do it yourself.

Right now I just don't have the time to do it.

I just busted one on my truck the other day. The ones I have on my truck from fabtech are $540. Im gonna buy the OEM one from the parts store and take the Fabtech shaft I have and use the bearings, boots and housing to rebuild it.

"Club Fabercraft"

Less the cost of fuel, I would do it.

agreed

"Club Fabercraft"


Are we making fun??

Anyone try out the cognito limiting straps?

Has anyone come across the thread beside chevy1925 from the member vmaxup about his issue with his fabtech 8 inch? He says that his cv shaft broke off from where it meets the spindle not where it meets the differential. I have never heard of this issue w/the 8 inch lifts. He started a fabtech haters club so want to see if this can be resolved.

That wouldnt be a Fabtech specific problem anyway. No reason to start a "haters" club.

I've read all his posts and people have asked for better pictures and still haven't gotten them. If you look closely at his avitar picture you can see his bars are way cranked up because of the gap between the jounce bumper and the a-arm while he says the bars arn't cranked at all. Could be because the truck was jacked up but who knows. Don't get enough pictures or anthing to figure it out.

Like chevy1925 pointed out all the lifts are the same with the only difference being the new spindals that they came out with and all the while he keeps saying his is different then the rest.:drinking:

I know the guy doesnt like his kit right now but lets not hate a hater, it only makes us look worse specially bein a fabtech club ya know. Im lookin at this and tryin to see if maybe ill be able to turn him around and enjoy his kit. You cant please everyone but you can sure try to make things better.

I know he has not posted alot of pics but i found some in the thread he posted about breaking the axles. Ill see if i can get to see teh truck personally here soon so we can figure something out.

the thread is confusing the heck out of me, is he cranked or not? how do you snap off a cv joint from the axle shaft, by introducing poor angles, thats what i thought it was anyway.

do anyone know if u can use the upper ball joint sold for "conito" tube UCS's with a "fabtech" UCA? i cant find a vender selling replacement fabtech upper ball joints but i can find cognito replacement upper ball joints. iv never had the 2 arms side by side to check this for my self was hopping someone else has replaced there ball joint and has some ensite on the matter for me.

thanks

The upper ball joints should be the same ones they use on the cognito UCAs. They are not press in ball joints like OEM.

is there a part # to reference the ball joint for the fabtech UCA's? im trying to make sure if i order the cognito ones they will work. at 40 buks a pop id like to not get stuck w/ the wrong parts.

these are the ones im looking at.

http://www.norcaltruck.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=1153&osCsid=4442bb12b1317c53bb9a16214f0f10a1

http://www.norcaltruck.com/shop/images/Balljoint_8.jpg

thanks

i believe they are the same but here is what i picked up. i got mine from NAPA (part number NCP 2601313) for about the same price and i know these fit as well as hold up alot longer than the factory fabtech ones (they have a teflon coating so if you dont grease them very much it wont ride metal on metal, thus not wearing them out as fast)

does this look like the one your talking about?

Part: NCP 2601313 Product Line: NAPA Chassis Parts Price Unit : : 43.49 Each

http://partimages.genpt.com/largeimages/236967.jpg

http://www.napaonline.com/NOLPPSE/%28S%28pg2khk45xcaqgm55fljygj45%29%29/Welcome.aspx

thanks

It looks right. Replaced my lower ball joints at 70k. Hopefully my uppers will last for another 20-30k who knows.

im having a hell of a time finding shocks to fit my 6" lift w/ dual shocks. i got my arms and hoops at 2 different times and now i need shocks. is anyone on here running bilstiens? im looking at some 5125 series shocks part # F4-BE5-6251-H6. can anyone confirm if these will work for me?

yes they will bolt right to your truck. they are what i have on my truck. I think they may be a little stiff for you if you do alot of on road driving. i got these ones as i liked the stiffer valving for off road use but still rides pretty good on road. If you call Nick at Norcal he can set you up with ones that will great for you

bout had it w/ fabtech ............

9th alignment was today.

stock UCA = too much negative camber

fabtech UCA = too much positive camber

tech was really nice and let me sit in while he did my truck, we swapped in both arms, lowered,raised the truck (aka adjusted torsion bars). nothing we could do got the truck where it needed to be. best we could do is either 1deg positive camber or 3deg negative camber. WTF?..... iv been battling this problem since the min i bought the truck. my front tires are once again trashed and i don't want to replace them till i get this fixed.

have other fabtech owenrs had this issue?

my only fix at this point is custom UCA's which ill make in a few weeks when i have a free day. nothing a grinder and tig welder cant fix.

and i thought my shock hoops were a paint to install ug........

up till today i thought something was wrong w/ my truck AKA damage or B. it was the shop (i have used 5 alignment shops so far) ...... now i clearly see its a design flaw w/ the lift.

aside from this i haven't had any issues, but this is a big issue. maybe its a 6" lift issue that was fixed w/ the 8" kits?..... i was looking to install the updated narrow style spindles but i cant justify blowing more money on fabtech parts at this point.

anyone else had this much a problem w/ there 6" fabtech lift?

bout had it w/ fabtech ............

9th alignment was today.

stock UCA = too much negative camber

fabtech UCA = too much positive camber

tech was really nice and let me sit in while he did my truck, we swapped in both arms, lowered,raised the truck (aka adjusted torsion bars). nothing we could do got the truck where it needed to be. best we could do is either 1deg positive camber or 3deg negative camber. WTF?..... iv been battling this problem since the min i bought the truck. my front tires are once again trashed and i don't want to replace them till i get this fixed.

have other fabtech owenrs had this issue?

my only fix at this point is custom UCA's which ill make in a few weeks when i have a free day. nothing a grinder and tig welder cant fix.

and i thought my shock hoops were a paint to install ug........

up till today i thought something was wrong w/ my truck AKA damage or B. it was the shop (i have used 5 alignment shops so far) ...... now i clearly see its a design flaw w/ the lift.

aside from this i haven't had any issues, but this is a big issue. maybe its a 6" lift issue that was fixed w/ the 8" kits?..... i was looking to install the updated narrow style spindles but i cant justify blowing more money on fabtech parts at this point.

anyone else had this much a problem w/ there 6" fabtech lift?


If you are using fabtech UCAs yeah 6 inch lifts tend to have issues with those control arms. The fabtech UCAs are better designed for the 8 inch lifts. The six inch retains the OEM UCAs, and I have no idea why you are having alignment problems. Is your wheel backspacing too much/too little? What size tires? If you have cranked tbars, they could affect the alignment as well. Its hard to say off hand without really seeing the trucks suspension.

tried to align my truck w/ the bars cranked, set at stock, set all the way down and everywhere in between. ......

my fix is to ditch the fabtech arms and make my own. nothing a tig welder and grinder cant fix haha.......

i cant wait for my truck to have a be aligned properly.

My vote is to get the Cognito UCAs if you want non OEM units. I would be interested to see you make your own UCAs.

ill just make my own, wont be much work really, i build them for vw's and audi's. these Chevy arms arnt much different just way bigger.

once im back from this trip ill pop out the fab tech arms and put in my first set of self made arms.

i wish when i talked w/ fabtech in person at 4WPW Truckfest here in denver they told me correctly that their tube arms aren't meant for use w/ a 6" lift. guess the person i spoke to wasn't up on there products, instead the person i spoke with told me they will fit any HD truck as they are built to stock specs w/ the ball joint being the main difference.

ug........

I'm in. 02 Duramax with 8" lift. 38's on 24's. Cant quit ripping rubber boots on cv

show pics! welcome. I just replaced a cv boot not long ago.

04 8inch

welcome.

i wish when i talked w/ fabtech in person at 4WPW Truckfest here in denver they told me correctly that their tube arms aren't meant for use w/ a 6" lift. guess the person i spoke to wasn't up on there products, instead the person i spoke with told me they will fit any HD truck as they are built to stock specs w/ the ball joint being the main difference.

ug........


This is true...the Fab arms are designed for there 8" kit only. On a 6" they will not align right and saw the tire off and not track straight down the road. I have seen many guys with this set up but they are not right. I would have thought Fab would put a big NOTE to not use on a 6". You can simply see this when you look at the UCA facing up-wards and the lower control arm is facing down, not right.

This is true...the Fab arms are designed for there 8" kit only. On a 6" they will not align right and saw the tire off and not track straight down the road. I have seen many guys with this set up but they are not right. I would have thought Fab would put a big NOTE to not use on a 6". You can simply see this when you look at the UCA facing up-wards and the lower control arm is facing down, not right.

So whats the best fix for this problem without replacing everything? New uca's?
I had my truck aligned by the dealer twice now and they said the caster was maxed out, toe and camber were on speck but the truck will allways follow the crown of the road is what they told me. Im not too concerned unless the tires wear prematurely...they told me they wouldn't?:cool:

If you have a Fab 6" then use the OE control arms.

Problem is that many people have caught on to the fact that using a bolt on mount for dual shocks to the OE UCA can drive the pressed in ball joint out of the control arm so they are selling the after market UCA w/bolt in ball joint to be stronger. This is the right way of doing it but the Fab UCA is designed to work with the 8" kit and how the spec's are set up.

So whats the best fix for this problem without replacing everything? New uca's?
I had my truck aligned by the dealer twice now and they said the caster was maxed out, toe and camber were on speck but the truck will allways follow the crown of the road is what they told me. Im not too concerned unless the tires wear prematurely...they told me they wouldn't?:cool:

Like Nick said, put the factory UCA's on or get some cognito UCA's if you want to runt eh dual shocks. Runnin dual shocks on the stock UCA's is a bad idea as Nick stated.

The caster will not affect tire wear, it will only do as you say. The issue is that with the new spindle your steering axis inclination has been changed and causing more tire scrub when you turn. I have never seen the SAI change from an UCA as it should not but it could possibly happen.

Ok thanks for the info guys, I dont have the OEM UCA's so thats not going to happen, plus I dont really want to get rid of the hoops so I guess if I don't have to worry about it trashing my tires I wont worry about it right now, it's not real bad but it will follow the crown a little more than usuall. So cognito UCA's would be the only true fix to the problem?

About the only best option to do next.

if you swapped out the uca's with cognitos would you have to swap the double hoops also?

I am not 100% sure, never tried it to see how the shocks would line up. Sorry wish I could say.

ok thanks Nick

I'm glad I came across this thread. I just sold an 04 with a 6" kit that gave me 100,000 trouble free miles. Now I'm stepping into a new Dmax and want a bigger kit to run a minimum of 37" tires. I want to go Fabtech, but people talking issues scares me a little. I'm looking at going a traditional kit (not coil over) because of the expense. Does it come down to the installer or just chit house luck?

Well I had a long discussion with Armen at Fabtech and he told me that they make a 6inch kit that includes UCA's, Double hoops, and the whole bit thats specifically made for their 6 inch lift. He thinks my alignment problem might be do to the idler or pitmans being worn? So its going back to the upfitter on monday to get checked out.

Well I had a long discussion with Armen at Fabtech and he told me that they make a 6inch kit that includes UCA's, Double hoops, and the whole bit thats specifically made for their 6 inch lift. He thinks my alignment problem might be do to the idler or pitmans being worn? So its going back to the upfitter on monday to get checked out.

Is he talking about kits now? I never knew any of this?

I'm glad I came across this thread. I just sold an 04 with a 6" kit that gave me 100,000 trouble free miles. Now I'm stepping into a new Dmax and want a bigger kit to run a minimum of 37" tires. I want to go Fabtech, but people talking issues scares me a little. I'm looking at going a traditional kit (not coil over) because of the expense. Does it come down to the installer or just chit house luck?

Fabtech makes good 6 inch and 8 inch kits, I would definently get it again if I could. Any lift kit you are going to have pron issues. I would recommend fabtech.

Count me in!!! Fabtech 6" suspension lift on my 2001 Chevrolet 2500HD Crew Cab Short Bed Duramax Diesel 4X4!!!:)

Can any of you shed some light on a vibration on a little harder than normal acceleration!!! I tried to add shims to the carrier bearing spacer without any luck!!!:eek:

How about this for F.A.B.T.E.C.H.!!!:):D

F = Fast
A = Awesome
B = Beast
T = To
E = Enjoy
C = Cruising
H = Highway

Is he talking about kits now? I never knew any of this?

Everyone on here tells me that Fabtech doesn't make an UCA for their 6 inch kits, so if you have the double hoops and fabtech UCA's on your truck the UCA's are for the Fabtech 8 inch kits, which if it was the case it would cause problems. But Armen says this is not true, and that they make UCA's just for their 6 inch kits.

Allow me to clarify what I have understood, Fabtech does make UCA, double hoops yadayadayada however these components are much better suited to the 8 inch kits. You can use them on a six inch kit, Armen is right about that but the way that the 6 inch kit is designed makes alignment a pain, and causes poor ride quality. Now I am not a pro mechanic or alignment specialist so I have talked to Norcal Nick about this before and he (Norcal Nick) has expressed the same issues. PM him and he can explain to you what has been previously explained to me, thats all I can think of at the moment.

How about this for F.A.B.T.E.C.H.!!!:):D

F = Fast
A = Awesome
B = Beast
T = To
E = Enjoy
C = Cruising
H = Highway

works for me, welcome.

took me way too long but i got my fabtech UCA's to fit,work,align better than stock. that is if i can still call them fabtech UCA's any longer.

i built a jig for my new UCA's based off the research on what issues i had w/ the fabtech UCA.

once the jig was made i cut the fabtech arm into 5 pieces.

biggest changes was, installed new bushings that are a oem style bushing using the stock style press fit washers on the ends.

its so nice to have UCA's that actually fit into the frame mounts with out any extra force needed.

i spent 3hrs at the alignment shop w/ my truck on the rack playing with ride height and the front alignment. i can get 100% perfect alignment at any ride height now.

im so glad that now i can get new tires and see them last longer than the 5500 miles i was getting out of them before they would eat the edges off of them haha.....

took me way too long but i got my fabtech UCA's to fit,work,align better than stock. that is if i can still call them fabtech UCA's any longer.

i built a jig for my new UCA's based off the research on what issues i had w/ the fabtech UCA.

once the jig was made i cut the fabtech arm into 5 pieces.

biggest changes was, installed new bushings that are a oem style bushing using the stock style press fit washers on the ends.

its so nice to have UCA's that actually fit into the frame mounts with out any extra force needed.

i spent 3hrs at the alignment shop w/ my truck on the rack playing with ride height and the front alignment. i can get 100% perfect alignment at any ride height now.

im so glad that now i can get new tires and see them last longer than the 5500 miles i was getting out of them before they would eat the edges off of them haha.....



I am sure its irritating that you had to do all this crap just to fit the UCAs. Constant trips to the alignment shop all add up too.

i feel like i have to pay a toll to work on anything below the frame and in front of the cabin. if im right iv had my truck in the alignment shop more times in the last 2yrs than i got to go fishing.

its amazing how the UCA's did "fit" but w/ a bit of abuse then not much adjustment was able to be done to the camber once they were installed. now things are much more manageable.

i hope now i can enjoy my fabtech lift with lots of miles of smiles.:D

i feel like i have to pay a toll to work on anything below the frame and in front of the cabin. if im right iv had my truck in the alignment shop more times in the last 2yrs than i got to go fishing.

its amazing how the UCA's did "fit" but w/ a bit of abuse then not much adjustment was able to be done to the camber once they were installed. now things are much more manageable.

i hope now i can enjoy my fabtech lift with lots of miles of smiles.:D



Amen

Count me in!!! Fabtech 6" suspension lift on my 2001 Chevrolet 2500HD Crew Cab Short Bed Duramax Diesel 4X4!!!:)

Can any of you shed some light on a vibration on a little harder than normal acceleration!!! I tried to add shims to the carrier bearing spacer without any luck!!!:eek:

Well I solved the vibration problem. I had to replace the center support bearing assembly and both rear u-joints. I also replaced an idler arm and both front bump stops that were deteriorated!! The truck rides very well now and no vibration at take off!!!

Did you visually check the u joints? How do you know that they were faulty? Just wondering because I have had similar vibration lately and if the u joints are a pretty cheap and easy fix, I am gonna do it.

Did you visually check the u joints? How do you know that they were faulty? Just wondering because I have had similar vibration lately and if the u joints are a pretty cheap and easy fix, I am gonna do it.

The mechanic at the dealership diagnosed the u joint problem. He put it on the rack and checked them while it was in gear. He could see them binding or seizing up and the center support bearing was also bad. The rubber bushing in the center support was deteriorated.

Im in I Have Fabtech 9" longtravel check out 3500 in garage!!!! I have installed alot of kits and i think fabtech kits fit and install the best! Had that axel problem in the past with a few of my customers trucks who switched shocks without limit straps. The fabtech shocks do suck (non dirt logic) but they are designed to keep the thing from drooping out too far. At full droop in 4wd the cv will break or pop out of the socket but only on some trucks its weird??? (i noticed in the pic it had BIl. shocks) UCA would be nice with their kits.

welcome Eliminator619. That long travel kit is a nice ass kit. x2 on the UCA for these kits, I would much rather have the ball joints be removed easier than those pressed in one.

Can someone with a 6 inch lift do me a favor? You know where the end of the front bumper can rub tires right? Well I think my tires are bigger than when the tires they used to install my lift kit were and the tires are rubbing when I reverse and when I turn sometimes. Just wanted to see a measurement from where you cut the front bumper so that you could turn the tires lock to lock without rubbing. Thanks appreciated.

I'll join the fabtech club as long as the tech support is good. Cause thats what I need with this POS lift kit.

This truck is a highway princess, literally has been off the pavement 2 times in its life (23,000 kms). The first time it was off road and put into 4X4 I broke a CV shaft. Talked to fabtech and they said the wrong CV spacers were sent with the kit and it was pulling the inner joint too far out of the socket.

Ok that problem is adressed so now today I notice my tires are very off camber and there is a bit of uneven tire wear. Take it to the shop for an allighnment and the pitman/Idler arms are toast. No the tortion bars are not cranked up.

Is this what I'm gonna have to deal with? Changing front end components on this truck every 15,000kms?? This is garbage, I could not be more dissapointed with this kit and its performance. Never again.

Sorry but I had to rant.

welcome! we are here to help as much as possible.

I'll join the fabtech club as long as the tech support is good. Cause thats what I need with this POS lift kit.

This truck is a highway princess, literally has been off the pavement 2 times in its life (23,000 kms). The first time it was off road and put into 4X4 I broke a CV shaft. Talked to fabtech and they said the wrong CV spacers were sent with the kit and it was pulling the inner joint too far out of the socket.

Ok that problem is adressed so now today I notice my tires are very off camber and there is a bit of uneven tire wear. Take it to the shop for an allighnment and the pitman/Idler arms are toast. No the tortion bars are not cranked up.

Is this what I'm gonna have to deal with? Changing front end components on this truck every 15,000kms?? This is garbage, I could not be more dissapointed with this kit and its performance. Never again.

Sorry but I had to rant.


hate to say it but yes, the fabtech kits wear steering parts very quick. for you a set of cognito supports should really help you out with the idler/pitman arm problem. You may also wanna look at your upper ball joints as the ones from fabtech do not last long. i think i posted in here about the better ones i have found and last lots longer.

In all honesty your really have not done that bad. Yes the cv issue is no fun but they sent you the right part atleast to address the prob. the steering is jsut one of this kits quirks. Almost all lifts have thier issues and are not perfect but you can get them damn close with a little more aftermarket stuff. i got 55k on my lift (put it on at 90k and it now has 144k) and have added a different steering kit, the upgraded ball joints and bilstein shocks as well as lowered my 8" to 6.5" and i hammer on this thing off road all the time. So far no issues and she rides great.

what ball joints did you add?

they are the moog ones. the ones fabtech sends you dont have a teflon liner so when you push the grease out of the ball and cup after 500 miles you runnin on metal. the teflon will hold the grease inside better and acts as a lube should you forget to grease your ball joints every oil change. Not sure if i posted a NAPA part number in this thread but if you look up "fabtech upper ball joints" i have a thread that i started that has the part number

All you had to say was Moog ball joints and I am with you man! I put the lower ones on my truck already. The uppers are ok so far.

All you had to say was Moog ball joints and I am with you man! I put the lower ones on my truck already. The uppers are ok so far.

haha yeah but i like to be thorough :D. Yeah they are a great joint for the money! that and the lifetime warrenty through NAPA is a nice little complement as well. yet to have to pay for a ball joint or steering part in the last two years cause of that warrenty :cool:

Updates on things guys? I have a few mods as soon as my bonus and raise come in :D.

On the table

M80 wheels
4 inch Deavers
MBRP 4 inch catback
The mods so far I am thinking of, over 1k of investment lol.

I'm thinking of doing the deavers to. Let us know how you like them. Its either those or the shackles for me.

I like the shackles too but its like spending a couple hundred bucks more and supposedly getting a much better ride as opposed to just getting the shackles will have to talk to Nick.

Do any of you guys own a set of Fab-Tech traction bars. I found some on the net for about $600.00 (new). They look very well built. Anyone with Pros or Cons. Anybodys seen them cheaper?

I love my Fab-Tech lift...and don't mind the extra wide track in front. Really throws some serious mud while 4 wheeling :D

I have fabtechs tractions bars. Never had any others but they do the job. Sure you can find them cheaper

Do any of you guys own a set of Fab-Tech traction bars. I found some on the net for about $600.00 (new). They look very well built. Anyone with Pros or Cons. Anybodys seen them cheaper?

I love my Fab-Tech lift...and don't mind the extra wide track in front. Really throws some serious mud while 4 wheeling :D

I have them. I got them for a pretty good price through ORW IIRC. I havent had any major problems with mine specifically, but heres my critique: I think having urethane bushings on both ends doesnt allow a ton of non-parallel axle movement. For example if the right wheel goes up 12" while the left stays on flat ground a pretty big bind scenario is created. I imagine the fix for this may be a heim on one end. The other theoretical design issue about them is the axle side bar mount. It uses a plate that is attached to the underside of the spring pad that is tightened using the ubolts. This is not a huge issue, except that I feel it may help to loosen up the ubolt nuts. Also one other design thing that i am not 100 on board with is the frame side mounts. On the Driver side they push out the parking brake cable which is not ideal. Not a huge issue, but if I crank down on my parking brake, occasionally my AMP steps get hung on the parking brake cable.

The thing I like about the fabtech is the quality of construction and the sturdyness of the design. Like the Fab lifts everything is what you would need +1 in terms of material thickness.

I would probably make my own if I was going to do it over again. I would use a delrin bushing on one end and a heim on the other. Then I would weld the mounts to the axle. Not as easy of a bolt on as the Fabtech bars.

Hmmm traction bars....

I have them. I got them for a pretty good price through ORW IIRC. I havent had any major problems with mine specifically, but heres my critique: I think having urethane bushings on both ends doesnt allow a ton of non-parallel axle movement. For example if the right wheel goes up 12" while the left stays on flat ground a pretty big bind scenario is created. I imagine the fix for this may be a heim on one end. The other theoretical design issue about them is the axle side bar mount. It uses a plate that is attached to the underside of the spring pad that is tightened using the ubolts. This is not a huge issue, except that I feel it may help to loosen up the ubolt nuts. Also one other design thing that i am not 100 on board with is the frame side mounts. On the Driver side they push out the parking brake cable which is not ideal. Not a huge issue, but if I crank down on my parking brake, occasionally my AMP steps get hung on the parking brake cable.

The thing I like about the fabtech is the quality of construction and the sturdyness of the design. Like the Fab lifts everything is what you would need +1 in terms of material thickness.

I would probably make my own if I was going to do it over again. I would use a delrin bushing on one end and a heim on the other. Then I would weld the mounts to the axle. Not as easy of a bolt on as the Fabtech bars.

Donovan thanks for the great write up. Somewhat concerned about the parking braking hitting the Amp step. Also about the U-bolts...Has your U-bolts ever come loose? Even with these small defects, I believe this is the way I'm going.

Now just have to get a good price...which brings me to my one dumb question: You stated you got your through ORW IIRC, where is this (sorry). And how much did you pay??

Thanks again for the great honest write up!!

What's been going on guys?

Um...let's see. Put new upper ball joints in. Was pretty easy, took a couple of hours. The grease had leaked out all over the spindles so I took some extra time to clean that all up. Not perfect but much better.

Planning my steering repair/upgrade. I'm leaning toward going with the Exaxt kit but not completely decided yet. It will be a spring/summer project.

Brakes are on the menu as well either around the same time as the steering stuff or later in the summer. They still stop truck but do the shimmy and shake during the process.

Other than that...the sun came out in Washington so I got to roll my windows down for a bit! That was fun with the radio blasting!

Yea I hear ya on the rain. I am looking into getting some new wheels and possibly an exhaust system. First though I have to get my truck serviced and then I can play a bit. That exaxt kit looks to be killer I don't know yet if I will upgrade but with an 8 inch kit probably a good idea. Thats it so far.

Well got my EFI Live from MMLMM in and DSP 5 switch. wow what a difference! rollin into the throttle in 2nd gear will break my 37s loose on Mikes race tune! will be hittin the track for new times soon.

Other than that i had to replace my rear u-joints (had one lock up on me), startin to look for a 5" muffler back exhaust cause towin with the way i have it now resonates way too bad, and am now lookin for 4:10 gears as well :D

Cool one day i will have EFI live just want to wait until I build up a trans before I do though. I enjoy the ppe on two however.

I am tuned with EFI live and have a built transmission. Cant break the tires loose.

I am tuned with EFI live and have a built transmission. Cant break the tires loose.

hehe i must be special then :D. this is at 7000 ft too. cant wait till i hit phoenix this weekend (1200 ft) and see what she does

what gears do you have Dmaxthad? I bet we will find a way to make your tires break loose :D

Had a long talk with my good friend who tuned my truck. He built that tune back in June and has learned a whole lot more since then. Ended up with a weak tune trying to keep the smoke down. (pretending to be Gale Banks) USMC just moved me to Jacksonville, NC so im gonna hit up Diesel Addiction and have those guys tune me.

I have the stock 3.73's

Had a long talk with my good friend who tuned my truck. He built that tune back in June and has learned a whole lot more since then. Ended up with a weak tune trying to keep the smoke down. (pretending to be Gale Banks) USMC just moved me to Jacksonville, NC so im gonna hit up Diesel Addiction and have those guys tune me.

I have the stock 3.73's

Yeah i was gunna say your tune may not be very powerful. if i jsut slam WOT from a stop with no boosted launch, half way through 1st gear when the turbo lights i spin, then 2nd hits and it keeps goin but only depending on the asphault (sp?). the really rough, grabby stuff i only spin through 1st but i add a little boost upon launch and i start loosing lots of rubber :D. good thing i get that little helper button called "4hi" :cool:

yea def increase the HP/TQ. With 37s may want to gear lower.

ok so i have a 6 in fabtech kit and was wondering if anybody knew how much i would have to change to go to the 9 in long travel setup?

basically the whole kit would have to be changed out so drop brackets, comtrol arms, shocks, jsut about everything

only kit that you can upgrade to the 9" long travel is the 8" kit. The upgrade packages is a little cheaper.

New member here! 8" kit that seems to be Ok now, tho was messed up by dealer install. They spent many man hours trying to get alignment etc right, but I discovered that the uca's were installed on the wrong sides. I've had tire wear issues since but I dont pound it on the oilfield roads anymore. Have a cognito brace kit to install soon...

I had Schwabs do my 8" scab tech with the duel shock kit just for the warranty, and so far i have been through atleast 3 sets of front shocks before they were "redesigned", 2 sets of rears, 3 sets of U-bolts on the right side, 2 sets of towers (which were also "redesigned"), and still my right side overload spring wont stay in the leaf pack. It never has since it was installed. I haven't been off road in a month and it still walks out. The only good things I can say is that they have good customer service for Les Schwabs and myself. Also, the front axle angles are much better than I had expected. I'm still using my stock CV's with no problem.

Yeah the kits have some issues but they are decent kits overall.

I'm happy with mine. I've replaced the shocks with Bilstiens and the ride is tons better. I think with every lift kit there are going to be issues to dial it in. The bottom line is that the GM engineers design the truck a certain way and we go in a change everything around. If we are lifting them, we need to accept the fact that we are also going to be dumping more money into the front end, bigger tires, gearing, shocks, etc. There is more TLC and maintenance with lifted trucks. Period.

Personally, I love my truck but it's a love/hate thing. Love the truck, hate the spending. To me it's worth it, to others maybe not.

Found out my hyrdoboost has some seepage. Not happy right now :(
Their saying 1000 just for parts.

damn! really?? is it leaking or just misting

fabtech club member addition :)

just put my 8" on with bilstein 5100s and LOVE it!!!

damn! really?? is it leaking or just misting


I am getting a second opinion. The service manager told me it was seeping. That was his words. I am having another shop look at it and see, if it is then they are only charging me 500 installed so f the dealer on this one. 1000k just for the part is ridiculous.

fabtech club member addition :)

just put my 8" on with bilstein 5100s and LOVE it!!!


welcome, enjoy the kit its pretty nice.

fabtech club member addition :)

just put my 8" on with bilstein 5100s and LOVE it!!!

Pics?? C'mon...throw us a bone!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/kidnrg/new%20batch/SDC10196.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/kidnrg/new%20batch/20100316093033.jpg

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its an 8" relaxed to 6", sorry the pics aren't the best, i'll get new ones soon :) about to buff/wax the truck soon!

I have a 6" Fabtech lift. Is anyone running 18" or larger wheels with 35" tires and 5.5" of Backspacing. I want to try and tuck the wheels under the fenders a little bit if possible. Right now they are 3" outside the fenders.

Thanks

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its an 8" relaxed to 6", sorry the pics aren't the best, i'll get new ones soon :) about to buff/wax the truck soon!

Oooh, pretty! That looks really nice! Noticed you have the tubular UCA's and the trac bars for sale. Do you not need them? How did you install the the 8" w/o them? Surely not with the stock UCA's? Also, I'm thinking about lowering mine down to 6.5" or so. Did you adjust the rear to level the truck or do you just live with the slight rake? Oh, and be real careful about hitting curbs and other solid objects. Those stock tie rods won't last long. You can get sleeves, Fabtech or Cognito tie rods, or (my personal choice) the Exaxt steering kit. Nice truck!

fastrr:

Fabtech now has a new spindle design which tucks the wheels under the fenders just a bit more. Nick has them on his website (can't link right now; website seems to be down). If I remember right they are just under $500 and will work for both 8" and 6". In fact, I'll bet Stewart has the new design in his truck b/c you can see the tires are much farther inside the wheel well.

Nevermind on the UCA's...just saw that you're running the Cognito UCA's. :rolleyes:

Tie rods is definitely next I'm just driving carefully until then :) want to do tie rods and some 1 or 1.5" rear spacers sooooooooon. Rear of the truck only has a 4" block and the front torsions have zero bolt tension on them, they're resting on the cams. With that setup its almost perfectly level imo. Thanks for the compliments :)

Hey Stewart, what offset or backspacing are you running with your wheels? Also, do you have the updated Fabtech spindles?

not sure on the wheel backspace because i wasn't the one who originally bought them, the previous owner did. however i don't think they are agressive, they fit 33s with only fenderlining trimming and a slight level. my spindles are the classic spindles, i like the agressive wheelbase so i will be keeping them :)

its an 8" relaxed to 6", sorry the pics aren't the best, i'll get new ones soon :) about to buff/wax the truck soon!

Very nice stew! glad to see what i told you to do worked out so well :cool:. truck looks awesome! Now i just have to do my bumps the right way so your not the only different guy that lowered his 8" fabtech kit the right way lol :D.




by the way, anyone care to take a guess as to how Stew got his to drop 2"s with awesome steering angles and cv angles and didnt cut the yellow bumpstop?? :D:D:D

Lowering keys and bump stops off a 6" kit or his just cut down...

Magic?

A lot of time and some power tools

hell yeah a lot of time :\ practically did this lift by myself in my driveway

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good as new! fabbed up some temporary shock extensions today to get me by until i can get some custom length 5100s for my dual shock hoops, test fitted the typical white-body fabtech 8" dual front shocks just for grins and they have to completely bottom out to fit between the hoop and upper arm :O

That's awesome! One question...why not just go with a 6"?:confused:

i purchased this kit used, had 2 things to reference...the spindles had a 6 and 8 part number on them (same for each kit) and the kit only had 4" blocks. so because of those two things and the price of the kit i jumped on it ASAP and it ended up being 8, lovely! in the end i'm happier, the cv angles are very impressive now and the truck handles good until the shock issue rears its head. once the dual bilsteins are on everything will be fine i'm sure

That's awesome! One question...why not just go with a 6"?:confused:

his actually came out better this way. wil have an awesome ride with lots of wheel travel in the right area and perfect cv/steering angles. its the same thing i did to my truck but i first cut the yello0w bumpstops to see hwo it would all work.

ok guys, fixed my shock extension issue on the truck and everythings good now. finally got to drive it with the right length shock, perfect alignment, and the new tires. holy shit!! never driven in a lifted truck that felt so good :) its all thanks to chevy1925's help, thanks for like the 100th time dude!

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decided it was time to take clean pictures :) missing 1 door molding still :\ very very very happy with my fabtech purchase!

I'd take the moldings off. Looks way cleaner with them gone.

haha no prob stew. glad shes the way you want her! nothing like that feelin gof accoplishment in getting what you ahve wanted forever :D

I recently bought an '05 that came with a Fabtech 6" installed. Previously I've always bought new trucks, and therefore bought and installed the lift(s) myself. I've always stayed away from Fabtech because I didn't want to deal with the wide front track. I was able to take care of that on this one pretty easily however, with different offset wheels, and spacers in the back. Now that I'm actually driving around a truck with a Fabtech lift, I don't like Fabtech for a whole new set of reasons. Previously I've bought RCD (x2), and a Superlift on my last truck which was a dually, as Superlift was the only one I could find that specifically listed a 1-ton app. Neither the RCD nor the Superlift(and this truck had airbags) required altering the driveshaft angle, but on the truck with the Fabtech, it needs to be addressed. The other thing I don't like about it is although all the trucks had the same shocks (Bilsteins), the one with the Fabtech lift rides pretty harsh compared to the others. And all had 35X12.50s as well, so it's not the tires.
Sorry for being a party-pooper, but that's my $.02

ok guys, fixed my shock extension issue on the truck and everythings good now. finally got to drive it with the right length shock, perfect alignment, and the new tires. holy shit!! never driven in a lifted truck that felt so good :) its all thanks to chevy1925's help, thanks for like the 100th time dude!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/kidnrg/new%20batch/SDC10204.jpg

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decided it was time to take clean pictures :) missing 1 door molding still :\ very very very happy with my fabtech purchase!

That is one badass truck! I think I might need more stuff for mine... Uh oh, I can feel money itching to escape my wallet! Noooooo!

I recently bought an '05 that came with a Fabtech 6" installed. Previously I've always bought new trucks, and therefore bought and installed the lift(s) myself. I've always stayed away from Fabtech because I didn't want to deal with the wide front track. I was able to take care of that on this one pretty easily however, with different offset wheels, and spacers in the back. Now that I'm actually driving around a truck with a Fabtech lift, I don't like Fabtech for a whole new set of reasons. Previously I've bought RCD (x2), and a Superlift on my last truck which was a dually, as Superlift was the only one I could find that specifically listed a 1-ton app. Neither the RCD nor the Superlift(and this truck had airbags) required altering the driveshaft angle, but on the truck with the Fabtech, it needs to be addressed. The other thing I don't like about it is although all the trucks had the same shocks (Bilsteins), the one with the Fabtech lift rides pretty harsh compared to the others. And all had 35X12.50s as well, so it's not the tires.
Sorry for being a party-pooper, but that's my $.02

Sorry to hear you're having problems. Which driveshaft are you talking about? Front or rear? Also, have you checked the clearance on the UCA bumpstop? When the truck is "riding pretty harsh" how would you describe the feeling? Clunking, jarring, etc...

I've got the 8" w/ 5125 Bilstiens once I fixed a clunking caused by the upper ball joints, the thing rides NICE! In fact, my wife says it rides better than her car and most people who ride with me can't believe it feels so good. :D

its all in the bilstein's dude! my mom drives a GS and an IS daily and keeps talking about how good its driving right now on the highway, compared it to a caddy haha :) (they stole it for a colorado roadtrip, god i miss it already!)

thanks for the compliments btw :)

oh also, surprisingly enough i did end up with the 4hi 40+mph highway speed driveshaft vibration. any cheap way to fix this other than the $300+ driveshaft replacement? it doesn't bug me, i live down south and will never need 4hi at great speeds but just curious!