THE ULTIMATE DAILY DRIVER CHEVY?
Ok, so you bought your used Chevy. It's got the 350 you wanted, so you can tweak it a little. Plenty of things to do to a small block Chevy for more power. You don't want to do too much, and you want to keep it smog legal. Lift laws are popping up all over the US, so that may be a consideration in building up your truck's suspension. Maximum allowable tire size laws, based on GVWR are in effect in many states. It would be a shame to build a truck that you could never drive on the street. If that's your goal, then good. Go as tall as you want. I personally wouldn't put larger than 36" tires on a full size Chevy. I recommend a maximum of 6 or 7" total, suspension and body lift. A 4" suspension lift, and a 3" body lift, fine. A 6" suspension lift, perfect. Body lifts have their perks, as well as downfalls.
The biggest drawback of a body lift is it's harder to reach the motor when you open the hood. A bonus? You can change your spark plugs easier than ever, through the wheel wells. You can easily get your hands up near the top bellhousing bolts. More room near the distributor too. Careful when loading the bed if you have a body lift. Stock, the bed sits directly on the frame rails. With a 3" body lift, the bottom of the bed will be 3" away from the frame rails. Odd that mini truck kits come with little 3" tall pieces of steel, that must be welded to the underside of the bed, to support this area. Full size lifts do not include these. A load of 2x4's is fine, the weight is distributed evenly, and supported. A ton of crushed stone may buckle the bed, directly over the wheels. It may not. I'm not willing to take that chance. Are you?
The benefits of a suspension lift, are less in number... More wheel travel, and articulation is a benefit. The ability to mount larger tires on the rig is another. Larger tires mean more ground clearance. Wheel travel is the biggest benefit. Depending on the lift
components,
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