85 chevy shortbed 4x4 ? lifts and gears

old blue tie

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I am going to be driving it on the road and pulling a 24ft pontoon with it.I really want to go with a 4 inch lift(blocks or springs) .What is the biggest tire i can go with and what size rim would you go with that looks good and is a common size?With that size of tire what gear would you run?The truck has 700 overdrive trans in it that has just been rebuilt.I was going to go with 350 turbo but i wanted overdrive.THANKS ALOT
 
Personally, I wouldn't go any higher than a 35 and go with 4.11 gears. (Provided it clears.) That should allow you to still have adequate towing power with a good tough look. Is this a 1/2 ton? What size rims do you have on there now? Can't remember but seems like they had 16". 16" is a fairly common size so you should have a lot to choose from in tires. Stick with whatever size you have on there now unless it's something redonkulous like a 20".

Just my 2 pennies.
 
whats ur budget? if you want a quality lift, off road design has some nice stuff for lifts. check them out. the shackle flip in the rear is a nice setup. along with the other do dads they offer. i had 4.10 dif ratio in my suburban with 30's and it towed great with a th400. derick at colfax told me that 4.10's are good combo with 33's. a 35'' max on the tire height though. 16'' wheels always looked good to me. thats what i had.

and i believe 4 inches on a strait axle cheby will clear 34's with zero trimming. 35's if to trim the bottom edges of ur front fenders....dont quote me on that though

btw i like the screen name :huggy:
 
When I had my K5, I had 35's with the 700 and 4.56 gears. That was about the upper limit that I wanted on the highway RPM side of it, but it would tow about anything I wanted behind it. Keep your factory rear springs (if they're not sagging), and run a shackle flip from ORD in the rear. I had 4" Superlift springs on mine in the front, and they rode quite well, provided you have a decent shock as well.

35's might clear with 4" of lift, depending on the backspacing of the wheels and the condition of your body mounts.
 
im runnin 36's on my 75 jimmy with 4inchs with sagging springs and it only rubs every now and then up front while turning if you hit a bump or something.......i used to tow with this same truck on 33's and 4.10's and it towed great, has a t350 tranny
 
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