ok got the 2008 3500 hd ltz dmax , now had to personalize it a bit . did some searching on used fs sections on diesel forums and craigslist . as well as a few shops i deal with for work to get some good deals.

parts ill be using

Fabtech 8" lift (new knuckle that bring in the track width 1.5 in on both sides)
atlas rear 7 rear springs (1 inch blocks)
bilstein 7100 dual front and dual rear shocks ( 8 total )
EXAXT steering kit
20x10 4.5 backspace i.c.c.e. wheels
37/13.5/20 toyo open country tires

next round i have a bit more

sound system
amp running boards
and maybe a grill

i brought the truck home from the dealer for some minor warranty work and started disassembling the suspension
took of the torsion bars , bracket , leaf springs , and front diff
got the rear end completely done and now i need to fab up the shock mounts to run the dual shocks , i am going to also fab a new cross member for top shock mounts , here is where i stopped today
the cool part is i will have under 5k into the entire lift/wheel/tire combo finding parts used and doing it myself with some help from a couple friends

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/2010-03-24185910.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/2010-03-24191037.jpg

here is the beefy steering going in as well

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/2010-03-24191119.jpg

i still cant beleive how burly this kit is .

the truck wont actually sit that high either , its about 3-4 inches higher than where it will sit .the leafs are completely loaded as the shackle still needs to move a bit . im hoping to work on it a bit tomorrow and finish up on friday to get the alignment done and relax for the weekend.

wow! looks great! please post some more pics when done! dont forget pics of the cv angles and how the track width looks! nice work so far!

more pics!

hope your not wanting the truck to sit level as normally when you put a lift on you lift the fornt lets say 8" and the rear 6". this is due to the fact that the front of the truck at stock hieght is usually 2" lower than the rear. If you knew this already, my bad. just lookin out for ya :D

yeah im not exactly sure on the springs exact heiight for the rear. so i used the 1 block that i got with the kit . i will see where it sits and then leave or remove the block from there.

on my truck im set at 8" in the front and have 6" deavers out back with a 1" block and it sits level.

Looks good so far! Can't wait to see the finished product.

When are you planning on building the motor and twins for the tow truck?

not for a while i passed a random smog station yesterday and those things make me scared . next time im on a street and see chp lights and prepare to stop signs make a quick turn.

not for a while i passed a random smog station yesterday and those things make me scared . next time im on a street and see chp lights and prepare to stop signs make a quick turn.

Bummer! Are you from CA or another emission state?

Any which way all your rides look nice. Any plans for interior or just going simple on this build?

this truck is going to be a DD . simple is fins since the interior on the ltz is already pretty nice. its going to haul the SS to and from the tracks far away the local track ill still drive the ss too and from. i just want to make this truck a little more personalized than all the stockish 6 inch dmax's around although here in ca there are tons running 10+ lifts.

Great looking truck, keep us posted.

man just woke up , had a long night yesterday . got real sick towards the end of it but i kept welding . the perches on the axle are done , the shock hoops are pretty much on , the passenger side hook and a arms are all done . today i will tackle the steering components , the torsion bars, the support bars , a slight alignment to get me through the weekend . last i still need to finish the cross member and relocate some sensors'cpus in the rear frame. also have to re charge the shocks , cant wait to drive this beast.

i didnt realize how much work this was going to be , even with 3 of us its still a ton of work but this isnt your everday lift. so it should look tits when done

well count another 9 hr day in , got the rear end done , most of the front end just need to finish minor stuff tomorrow . hopefully i will drive it home.

cant wait to see pics!

ok man what fun that was, but its done . have an issue with an abs light that i think i must have pinched a sensor , need to get to a tech2 to check and also change some parameters( tire pressure sensors and add back up cam)

but here are some pics of the progress and completion

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02937.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02939.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02944.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02946.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02948.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02949.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02950.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02951.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02952.jpg
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b351/04chase/DSC02953.jpg

should be busy with minor stuff next weekend too . so far ive driven it 5 miles and its awesome , already getting lots of looks almost reminds me being in the SS.

Did you work directly with Fabtech to spec the shocks and stuff?

Nice Job man! let us know how it rides! how are the cv angles? and how bout the track width?

track width is great , the front and rear are dam near even . my cv angles are ok not as flat as some kits but not outrageous . for the ride height it is at im happy . any lower and rubbing may be a bit of problem .

no i didnt work with fabtech on the shocks , infact i need new rear shocks , i need to find someone willing to trade the 14 incher with the 12 inchers. but other than that im happy with it .

ive never had a lifted truck and driving higher than everyone is pretty nice . this thing is already getting alot of looks , cant wait to get it how i want it . now im glad i have a long bed , they look awesome lifted . stock not so much

What did you use to spec shocks you need?

Great looking truck, very well done.

bought the kit used . after some reasearch and help from my bronlaw , we found the shocks to be pretty good choices)bilstein 7100's . we recharged them today and they all were fine . however the way we put the mounts on the frame and axle they are a bit long and there isnt much we could do to make the mounts further apart. the top mounts are about 1" inch from the bed and near the bottom of the axle so i put a wtt thread on racedezert and hope someone will want to swap . if not i may go to some non reservoir shocks . as soon as i hook up to the boat it will be close to bottoming out . so i need shorter shocks and bags.

looks great what kind of wheels are those