Chevy Silverado HD Superlift Lift Kit

If you've got an HD Chevy or GMC for work and play, the chances are your truck has seen some miles that might be a little more strenuous than that of the average commuter car's. Parts start to wear out, and slop in the steering and suspension can become a real hindrance on a well-used vehicle. And, unfortunately, IFS vehicles sometimes see a little worse wear than solid-axle HD trucks, thanks to more moving parts. But, lots of people prefer the traits of IFS in their HD trucks, and we're not about to tell them they're wrong for loving their trucks.

We would like to suggest something to those loyal IFS HD truck owners though: take the time to either check or replace much of your steering and suspension. These trucks definitely wear out both of them, and you might find it easier to just replace an entire suspension and steering system than trying to figure out what's worn and how you can remedy it.

Chevy 2500 Hd 4X4 Superlift Bracket Suspension Kit

The Superlift bracket-style suspension lift comes with all the parts you see here. Unfortunately, the bracket-style kit does take a little longer to install than the knuckle kit does, due to the steering modifications and the drop brackets used for the upper A-arms.

The Superlift bracket-style suspension lift comes with all the parts you see here. Unfortu

This HD 2500 4x4 Chevy had close to 200,000 miles on it when we got a hold of it. It had an old suspension lift that was severely worn out, and steering that made us cringe. We got the steering tie rods and idler arm assembly replaced no problem, and turned to Superlift for a good quality kit that we knew would give the owner of this truck a great, firm ride in a truck he plans to keep for another 100,000 miles. We also opted for the Superlift Superide SS shocks to get the best package we could.

Since this owner liked a 37-inch tire on his truck but didn't want to run a body lift, we opted for Superlift's "bracket-style" lift kit instead of their "knuckle" kit. The bracket-style kit can be run at 7.5 inches taller than stock, as opposed to the 6 inches of lift that you can safely achieve with most knuckle lift kits.

We started the install with an uninstall of the old worn-out suspension the truck had on it. Luckily, nothing vital was cut off the truck's frame with the last suspension kit. If you're replacing an old worn-out lift kit with a new suspension, make sure to do a little research and verify that the old kit didn't require cutting off anything the new kit might need.

We started the install with an uninstall of the old worn-out suspension the truck had on i

Knuckle Kits vs Bracket-Style Kits
The difference between a knuckle kit and a bracket-style kit is mostly in the upper A-arms and steering. The knuckle kit uses a longer (taller) knuckle that keeps the upper A-arm in the stock location while being lifted. The attachment point of the tie rod onto the knuckle is also kept in the stock location so these are no steering drop brackets needed. The problem some people have with a knuckle kit is that it almost certainly increases the track width due to the fact that extra knuckle-to-wheel clearance must be achieved when using a larger knuckle. This necessitates pushing the track width out a little so the wheel clears the knuckle.

The bracket-style kits drop both the lower and upper A-arms and retains the factory knuckle. Since you retain the factory knuckle, there is no real increase in track width. The bracket-style kit does drop the steering, but gives a third pivot point on the centerlink to help keep everything tight.

Chevy 2500 Hd 4X4 Install Superlift Centerlink

Once all the suspension and steering parts were off the truck, we started adding the new kit. The Superlift centerlink was one of the first parts to go on, but only after we had checked (and replaced) the worn-out idler arm assembly on the passenger side with a new Supersteer heavy duty unit.

Once all the suspension and steering parts were off the truck, we started adding the new k

Most knuckle kits will only be safely lifted about 6 inches. The bracket-style kits can be cranked up from 6 to 7.5 inches of lift while still keeping proper alignment specs.

Once the steering was taken care of, we pushed the IFS differential back into place and got it bolted onto the Superlift differential drop brackets. Differential drop brackets sometimes vary from company to company. We suggest doing some research on drop brackets before you purchase a kit, as IFS differentials in certain kits have been known to bend the brackets, offsetting the diff and breaking CV shafts.
Once the steering was taken care of, we pushed the IFS differential back into place and go
Since we opted for a bracket-style kit instead of a "knuckle" kit, the drop brackets for the upper A-arms needed to be installed.
Since we opted for a bracket-style kit instead of a "knuckle" kit, the drop brackets for t
With the upper suspension point bolted on, we moved to the lower portion and added the subframe drop brackets for the lower A-arms. Both were built from heavy-duty box tubing, but came as bolt-together units where the middle portion of the drop bracket can be removed for servicing the differential.
With the upper suspension point bolted on, we moved to the lower portion and added the sub

Since this was still a torsion bar-sprung truck, we had to remember to lower the torsion bar crossmember with Superlift's drop bracket. Yes, dropping the torsion bars does negate some ground clearance at a crucial point on the truck's undercarriage, but Superlift makes these brackets especially strong in case you do end up occasionally touching that torsion bar crossmember in the dirt.
Since this was still a torsion bar-sprung truck, we had to remember to lower the torsion b
With the Superlift suspension on the truck, it was time to replace the A-arms, knuckles, CV shafts and everything in the front end. Most bolts were not tightened all the way so we could get everything to line up before cranking down on the bolts.
With the Superlift suspension on the truck, it was time to replace the A-arms, knuckles, C
Here is a shot of the C.S.S. link that acts as a third pivot point for the Superlift steering centerlink. It helps keep the steering very tight and from prematurely wearing.
Here is a shot of the C.S.S. link that acts as a third pivot point for the Superlift steer

Since all the parts were now on the truck, it was time to tighten every bolt in the IFS.
Since we wanted the best-of-the-best for this truck, we opted for the Superlift Superide SS shocks provided by Bilstein.....
Since we wanted the best-of-the-best for this truck, we opted for the Superlift Superide S
.....These shocks had exceptional ride control on the street and in the dirt, but they do give a little firmer ride than the standard Superlift shocks.
.....These shocks had exceptional ride control on the street and in the dirt, but they do

Since we had the truck apart, we took the opportunity to address some old brakes and some stock steering tie rods that had already been replaced twice. We threw on some EBC brake pads and rotors onto the front and rear of this truck to improve stopping distances. We found out that they made a big difference in the stopping capabilities of this truck. Instead of swapping new stock tie rods, the owner of this truck plunked down the cash for a Blitzkrieg HD tie rod kit that was many times stronger than the stock units.
Since we had the truck apart, we took the opportunity to address some old brakes and some
Some new 37-inch Nitto Mud Grapplers were obtained for the truck too. The owner figured that he didn't want to waste a bunch of money on new suspension and steering, only to have some worn-out tires continue to give his truck shakes and shimmies. The new Mud Grapplers looked pretty darned good on the black 17-inch Moto Metal wheels.
Some new 37-inch Nitto Mud Grapplers were obtained for the truck too. The owner figured th
How Did it Work?
The truck drove like a new truck again-something that is really nice after almost 200,000 miles of use. The steering and suspension were exceptionally tight, and a clunk in the drivetrain even seemed to go away.....
How Did it Work? The truck drove like a new truck again-something that is really nice af

.....In the rear, we stuck with the standard lift block that was already on the truck, but we still managed to see some pretty good flex with stock leaf springs and the new SS shocks. The tires do rub a little bit when fully turned and bumping around in the dirt, but that is to be expected when running 37-inch tires without any trimming and zero body lift on an HD Chevy truck.
.....In the rear, we stuck with the standard lift block that was already on the truck, but