• If you currently own, previously owned or want to own an Avalanche, we welcome you to become a member today. Membership is FREE, register now!

Will This Work?

AvMike8.1

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
12
Location
Long Island, NY, USA
Can anyone tell me if this system will work on my K2500 Av? ????

Fabtech 2500 6" Suburban/Avalanche Lift

So far the only lift kit for the 2500 I have confirmed is from Rancho (a 4" kit) but due to the design of the subframe, not much ground clearance is gained...

I'm looking to get more ground clearance, I figure if I go with a 6" lift I might be able to fit 35" tires, what do you think?

G-xx: fixed url
 
It looks like it would, the Sub K2500 is pretty much the same frame as the AV K2500 - lots of $$$ and work. I talked to 4wheelparts earlier this spring and they said that one was coming from Fabtech - I would call them and have a long conversation before jumping in. ;D
 
If you plan on doing the istall yourself ask them to send you a set of instructions before you lay out your hard earned cash. :0:
 
The Fabtech kit will work on the AV. I was at a local shop this weekend and they installed one a week or two ago. They were not overly impressed with the kit though. They seemed to think that there will be problems with it. Surprising because Fabtech has a great rep and are probably one of the more expensive kits. Regardless these guys install alot of lifts and generally are provide pretty reliable info.

They have also installed the Rancho kit and were quite pleased with it. They directed me towards RCD's 6" lift and said they had installed quite a few of them in Chevy HD's. They say it's the lift to get. They were not sure if it was possible to put the kit into an AV, but were going to enquire after the weekend. I also sent an email to RCD. I'll let you know what I find out. You can check out the kit at:

http://www.racecardynamics.com
 
Everything should work fine except for the bumper brackets. The Av obviously has different bumpers that will require a little customization.
 
Let me start by saying that 35's will not fit without some major trimming to the front wheelwells. I just installed the Fabtech 6" with 10wheels and i now know that 33's or maybe 34's would have been better. Tha fabtech kit is the same for both the 66 and 71. With the 71kit though you have pieces left over. Let me know if you need more info. Dave
 
Hey Dave,

I hope you didn't take any offense to the Fabtech comments on this posting. As I said it was just speculation by installers. I'd be interested to get some first hand feedback on how the truck now handles. I just ordered the RCD 6" lift kit for my 2500. Pretty excited about it. Are you getting any rear axle hop? Did the kit reduce body roll at all?

Your truck looks great! I think these trucks were made to be lifted.

Jake
 
No offense taken at all!!!! I now own an off-raod shop and got a really deep deal on the Fabtech. Installation was straight forward and the best thing is it retains the rear load leveling shocks. The ride now is even better than before beleive it or not. I'm really happy with everything except my choice in tire sizes. I STILL need to do more trimming on the front wheelwells. Let me know how the RCD kit works for you. I might need to do some checking into maybe stocking a kit or 2 for my business.
 
It's funny you just answered all the questions I posed on a posting at the RCD6" thread. I didn't read this until after. I was wondering about the 35's. My truck was on the hoist today and it was looking like it might be tight. How much cutting did you have to do? Just the wheel wells or did you have to cut cladding also? Chances are I'll be in the same boat. I'm putting 34.8" MTR's(315/75R16) on my truck. I wonder if the 2500 has anymore clearance in the wheel wells. I don't think it does.

I'll let you know how it works out. The guys at the shop were really impressed with the kit. It looked pretty impressive to me.
 
Jake, I had to do alot of cutting of both the front and the back of the wheel wells. There is a bracket just behind the lower part of the bumper that also had to be relocated forward just a bit. Don't think that you won't need that bracket either. I think it keeps the bumper from flapping around. It's hard to describe how much cutting has been done so far. Best we have found is to start taking it off a little bit at a time then turning the wheel to check for clearance. Remember that real world driving is different than sitting in the garage. The front end drops while braking and turning at the same time. I'm having some more trimming done this afternoon. I'll let you know how it turns out. the Dave
 
The June issue of "Off Road" magazine also has a detailed installation article about the 6" Superlift kit ( page 58 ).
 
Hey Dave,

Just wondering how much clearance you have between the inside of your sidewall and the steering knuckle up front. I just came from the shop and I'm thinking I should have gone with a narrower tire or a rim with less back spacing. As it is now there is only about 1/16" of clearance between the knuckle and the sidewall. It's not touching but there's no room for give or wear of bushings. Any thoughts anyone?
 
Jake, Fabtech says you need a wheel with a 4 5/8" backset. I went with 16x10 wheels. I just measured mine and i have about 1" clearance from sidewall to knuckle. I'll check the Fabtech catalog tomorrow and make sure i'm telling you the right backspace. Does the Av look awesome otherwise with the lift? You won't beleive the reaction you'll get from people when they see it lifted. Let me know how it goes. the Dave
 
Hey Dave,

I was told I need a minimum back spacing of 4.5". The wheels i am using have about 4 1/4" back spacing. I thought that was better than 4 !/2" or am I thinking about this incorrectly. Wouldn't increasing the back spacing move the tire closer to the knuckle. The truck looks awesome. The kit is beautifully made. I took some pics of the install. I'll post them when I get them back. I had to use my conventional camera, my digital is in the shop.

Just anote for people who don't have digital cameras. You can have your photos from a normal camera put on a CD so that you can post them on the web. You can even take your negs in and have them transferred to a CD. It is best to do it when you initially have the film developed, this ensures the best possible digital transfer.
 
Back
Top