lifting a 2wd silverado

what all do i need to do a few inch lift like 2 or 3 inches just for looks not going offroading oranything. and if u change tires how do u get the spedometer to read accuratly again. i am thinking of doing all this and if there are any kits where can i get them and how much will the run . thanks

Just get spindles in the front, shackle, leafs, or blocks in the rear are the easiest. If you wanna go cheaper get springs and not spindles in the front, but I wouldnt recommend it.

You can get a computer programmer like hypertech to calibrate the speedo, or take it to a shop.

I have some 2.5" lift springs that I havent installed yet. Why do you not recomend doing just the springs and not the spindle?

like I said I havent installed them yet so before I do, I want to know if I need to buy more stuff or sell the springs.

Simply changing the springs may change the caster and camber characteristics of your front end, leading to abnormal tire wear. Spindles will change the height at the axle, so you are actually raising or lowering the axle point on the truck without altering any of the other geometry. Also, by adding springs without also adding lifted shocks, you may be putting the stock shocks in an extended position they weren't intended to go to. Spindles avoid this problem. As for the speedo, if your vehicle is OBDII , your local Chevy dealer can simply reprogram the onboard computer to allow for the tire size. Hope this helps.

ok, I know about the shocks, and I understand about the spindle.
Next question for consideration.... after I got the shocks the question about the control arms (A-arms) arose. I was told it was "recomended" to replace the upper A-arm with a 2.5" or more lift. Why? nothing is conected to the upper arm. The shock and spring go from the lower arm through the upper and attach to the frame/shock tower.

These are just some of the questions and responses I've got from various other people because I'm wanting to do this same thing to mine. I hope this helps Sportin83 in your decision making process.

I still havent put my new springs in because I havent been able to get definite answers and everyone has a different one. When I bought the springs, It was "this is all you need", then it was you need upper arms, and now spindles...? which is it?

hope this helps.

I have some 2.5" lift springs that I havent installed yet. Why do you not recomend doing just the springs and not the spindle?

like I said I havent installed them yet so before I do, I want to know if I need to buy more stuff or sell the springs.
With springs, you're ride quality is going to suffer a lot more. Of course, you HAVE to use springs on bigger lifts/drops sometimes. I'm not against springs by any means. But from my experience with drop trucks, i see them on an as needed basis. But with a lot of things, some people prefer their own styles. Mine just doesn't involve springs.:icon16:

Simply changing the springs may change the caster and camber characteristics of your front end, leading to abnormal tire wear. Spindles will change the height at the axle, so you are actually raising or lowering the axle point on the truck without altering any of the other geometry. Also, by adding springs without also adding lifted shocks, you may be putting the stock shocks in an extended position they weren't intended to go to. Spindles avoid this problem. As for the speedo, if your vehicle is OBDII , your local Chevy dealer can simply reprogram the onboard computer to allow for the tire size. Hope this helps.
Thats what alignments are for. Get the camber/caster adjusted and everything is all good. ^This is another reason i prefer spindles.

I suppose another way to get a quick look would be to jack your truck up a couple inches, and take a look from the front at where your tires are in relation to where they were. Remember, with the A arms, they swing thru an arc as they go up and down. While it may not, this has been known to change the camber on some A arm vehicles. Simply putting springs in will push the arms down and they will arc slightly in as they go down. Not a big problem, just a way to see what it will do. As the sports car guy pointed out camber is adjustable, but that's an additional expense to take into account. I have thought about putting 2" of lift in the front of mine, but if I do it, I'll go with the raised spindles, because I know that will not require any shock/spring changes. AND all the other geometry should remain unchanged. I have never heard of changing just an upper A arm. It seems to me if you have to change one, you have to change both. I'm not saying you can't, I just haven't run into an A arm kit that didn't have both upper and lower arms in it. I'm NOT trying to sway anybody here with what's best or worst. Just throwing in my $.02 to try and save some possible headaches down the road.

I just realized what you were asking CJ 4x4. It should be an either/or deal on the springs and spindles. Either use the springs, OR go with the spindles. If you go with both, you're going to double your lift. I'n just saying I would go with raised spindles on my own lift, although the springs initially look like the less expensive option.

I know about the either/or on the springs and spindles. And yes, the initial cost of doing the springs is cheaper....$130 shipped. Thats when people started saying it was recomended to replace the upper A-arms also when doing springs 2.5" or more. Nothing was mentioned about that when I bought the springs. (Ebay and nothing mentioned in the ad. Ad said "this is all you need") I'm just trying to find out yes definitly change the A-arms or no just the springs will work just fine. And then why did they recomend the uppers and not the lowers where the springs work from.

Does 'recomended' mean yes or no.

Wish I could lend more wisdom on the subject, but we've just reached the limit of my knowledge. I would hate to steer you wrong at this point. Good luck, and keep us up to date.