The Rancho Lift

Thanks guys, I think it will be a good decision. I have a few things to work out though. What color? Red or Black lift kit? I like red because it will match my red accents but I dont want it to be too much.

I also have to see if bebes bushing kit will work on the rancho crossmember and the last thing is that on the directions you mark where the torsion bars are at then install them and line them up so I guess I have to un crank the t bars back to stock...I just hope I uncrank them to right height.

Hi Chris:I am just down here in the valley from your location and would not mind seeing the kit. Let me know if I can stop by when you are into it.

Chris, maybe we should do the lifts together :wink:. After seeing CJ (Thorparts / 4speedfunk) H3 this weekend, I will know for sure. Got money in hand, just need that extra little nudge . You going with Motorsports Tech spacers?

06 H3 man your truck will look good with that lift. Can't wait to see photo. If i'm not mistaken I don't think you can get the lift in red anymore but I could be wrong.

JoshuaL

Sierra h3: of course you can stop by. When I start it ill let u know I will also pm you my #

Solar: sounds good! Let me know what u think in person. And Nope im getting custom spacers from tim. The company that makes them are high quality and are used on buggies so I am not concerned on quality

Josh: thanks! I hope it performs as well as it will look or else I might have issues lol

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Awsome decision chris. Let me know too when you get into the lift kit I would like to check out the parts also. If you need help let me know I'll be glad to help.

how much does a rancho kit cost installed, approximately

wish my funds would get up so i can do a lift!!!! hahaha cant wait to see pics of it tho, its gonna be awesome!!!!!

Chris, looking forward to this evolution with your truck.

machineguneddie said:

how much does a rancho kit cost installed, approximately

Click to expand...

When all is said and done, I think $3,500 is not an unreasonable estimate.

Chris, either I missed it or you didn't mention your plans for shocks and the front drive shaft.

You can use the spreadsheet I provided the link for to estimate the vertical COG. Then you can calculate how much your vertical COG will increase due to the lift and calculate your new roll over angle with the new wheel track. I'll do the calculations for you when I get some time.

I'm still waiting to see the itemized cost breakdown.

mudbug said:

Awsome decision chris. Let me know too when you get into the lift kit I would like to check out the parts also. If you need help let me know I'll be glad to help.

Click to expand...

Alright Scooter, I will post up when I get the kit and when I install it and will contact anyone that is interested before then.

machineguneddie said:

how much does a rancho kit cost installed, approximately

Click to expand...

Install depends on who does it, where you live and current deals going on. I would say 500 to 1000 dollars for the install. The kit it self ranges too. I have seen guys sell them for over 3k and I have seen the 500 dollar rebate with it going under 2300. I have seen 1900 too. It all depends how long you wait for that right deal and the if promo is going.

JonBishop said:

wish my funds would get up so i can do a lift!!!! hahaha cant wait to see pics of it tho, its gonna be awesome!!!!!

Click to expand...

There will be lots of pics! dont worry about that lol

alrock said:

Chris, looking forward to this evolution with your truck.

Click to expand...

Thanks, the real test will be moab! hopefully I can make it.

Hans3T said:

When all is said and done, I think $3,500 is not an unreasonable estimate.

Click to expand...

Installed, yea that sounds right.

Portager said:

Chris, either I missed it or you didn't mention your plans for shocks and the front drive shaft.

You can use the spreadsheet I provided the link for to estimate the vertical COG. Then you can calculate how much your vertical COG will increase due to the lift and calculate your new roll over angle with the new wheel track. I'll do the calculations for you when I get some time.

I'm still waiting to see the itemized cost breakdown.

Click to expand...

Ahh thanks for the reminder! I knew I would forget something.

Shocks-Rancho 9000XL's

Front Driveshaft- Right now undecided. Tim said there is a spacer to help alleviate pinion angle issues but I think they blow up anyways so I will search around and see what has happened to other rancho lifted guys and if it normally goes out then I will replace it before I get to that point. I will probably go custom for that. I was thinking along the lines of a greaseable one.

COG-Thanks again for that link. I will try and get #'s up on the thread that I do when I lift it.

Cost breakdown- I took this from Reapers locked and loaded thread on another forum but These are comparsions
He did the lift, rims, same tires, install and a front locker.
Locker-1800 For me nothing. No locker yet lol
Lift-2500 w/shocks I would say this is comparable to me not sure on final cost yet but in this ballpark
Wheels-1000 I will be spending about 200 bucks on spacers. this is for the front and rear(about 100 each pair)
Install-1200 for reaper with new rims put on his tires, lift installed and the front diff w/locker install, for me its free. I tried to get a cost breakdown with comparisons and he was probably the closest and easiest to compare seeing he posted his costs. A thanks to reaper for the #'s!

Feel free to ask any other questions guys, I will be testing this on local so cal trails and then moab. Hopefully I get out in april. I have seen a stock suspension H3 (just tbar crank) do lots of moab on videos and pictures. In stock form they do great it seems, If I get out there I will be so pumped! I can meet everyone and hopefully get the ultimate test on this rancho kit. I just want to offer as much info as possible for this. If all goes well on the testing period then this will be a building platform for more mods that will be built off the rancho kit.

I have yet to see many rancho lifted H3's in moab videos. Has anyone run out there? I know the Hummer engineers did but they didnt give us too many videos or pics.

I have a mixed lift part tuff country part Rancho. I called both companies they the both told me the same things about the drive shafts f & R that they are still within limts for angles so there should be no problems. We only have about 3k miles +/- on ours no problems yet.

As for the rim backspacing the problem isn't with tire rub its with the rim clearing the knuckle. Iknow it was measured at one time the thread is around here somewhere but from what I can remember the min was was like 4.8 to clear on a rim smaller than 20" (Rancho will clear 20" rims with 5" BS) that is why they say 4.5 BS min. We have 20" with 4.5 BS andhave tons of room. I would try with the 1.5" spacers I am sure the are slight variences between knuckle, rim and spacer so it might work.

On our we have Tuff country swaybar endlinks and the heim joints are already sloppy easy fix I will just get some good greasable ones.

Istill need to do some sort of UCP when I get back home.

1 thing I wish the Tuff country had was the rear brace arms fo the cross member. but I think adding a good UCP will make up for it.

Oh and the alignment on either kit from what I have heard and seen on ours almost maxes out the adjustablity of the camber (I think it was the camber)

Ours has the Rancho leafs in the back and still sits low and the front is on the jounces. I may add shakles to get anothe 1" out of it. As far as I can remember the Rancho kit comes with new shackles which I didn't get. that maybe y I am short an inch or so.

Oh btw this is the easiest lift kit I have ever installed on a IFS. There was nothing hard about it at all. If you have removed spindles or knuckles before and got the hang of it. Thats about the hardest part. Oh wait sliding the ABS rubber mounts up the line to line up wth the brackets was a PITA.

Make sure you do the bump stop brackets while everything is tore out makes it much easier. (did mine after since I ordered them after the kit was installed)

Just make sure you follow the instructions step for step even if you think its not right. Trust me I jumped ahead then found myself redoing some things SMH live n learn.

Any q's feel free to ask :cheers:

I've had the Rancho for a couple years. I'm very happy with it and I think it improves the H3's ride, handling, and off-roading ability quite a bit. Install was easy and the instructions were spot-on. No real issues, other than the skid plates. You'll have to do something custom if you want bottom-side protection, as the GM UCP kit will no longer fit.

Regardless of what companies tell you (of course they'll tell you its okay)...the stock front driveshaft is stretched to the limit. You have to slip the boot down on the stock CV joint to get the extra angle that the Rancho requires. I feel this is sort of a band-aid fix, and my shaft didn't last too long after adding the lift kit. The stock driveshaft is not a very robust piece to begin with, and I probably would have left it alone but, since it failed...I went for the Cardan upgrade. It wasn't much more money than a stock GM driveshaft, and now I can wheel with confidence knowing that 6-ball CV joint is gone.

On my H3...the backspace issue is actually the TIRE rubbing the knuckle (not the rim). I'm running 17"x9"s with -11mm offset, and this gives me about 3/8" of space between the inside of the tire and the knuckle. This may be different if you're running 18" or 20" wheels. Beyond this tight-spot at the top of the knuckle, I have zero issues with 35" tires rubbing on any part of the vehicle...front or rear...
View attachment 2018

Like all H3's...the Rancho rear springs are saggy after a six weeks or so. Like Mudiak...my H3 sits slightly nose-up too. And no, the kit doesn't come with replacement shackles.

Don't worry Chris, your drive shaft won't fail until you get to Moab. :wink: Probably get the replacement by the end of the week. 11 months to go on the AAA premier? :whaa:

I asked Brodie about shocks for the Rancho lift. He said the Rancho shocks are throwaways. He recommended Fox instead.

oh wow I retract my statement the way it looks with the 20 is if it was in more the rim would hit I stand corrected. But the Tuff countries are a bit different shaped than the Ranchos also.

On your drive shaft failure the few I have talked to said they didn't have any issues, glad to hear about yours (not glad that it failed on you just someone with realworld experience that I trust) I may just replace mine before it fails. I was also kinda worried about the rear it looks pretty bad then with axle droop not sure how much flex room we have left in it.

manI could have sworn the Rancho came with new shackles but this was a while ago when I was comparing geuss I would have lost that bet lol

Ah you know what I was thinking about was the shock space block things. Tuff country don't have those. Never mind :wink:

4speed, what is your distance from center hub to bottom of your fender? I have mine at what was recommended and it is sitting on the jounces. I can't remember the #'s right now just wondering what your gap is between your jounce and arm

Mudiak -- how long did it take you to install the lift from start to finish once you had it up on a lift?

I didn't use a lift, I did it in my carport on jackstands. I did it on a Sunday I was by myself and was taking my time it took a full day prolly could have done it faster if I was fully dedicated but I kept stopping to watch football lol

That was with the add a leafs I eventually swapped out to the leaf packs which actually take less time. Then I cahnged the tuff country "bumpstops" over to the Rancho brackets That was a PITA becasue I already had everything together.

There is nothing real complicated about it compare to other IFS lifts. This is simply bolt on.

I may have to go with a bigger spacer. I am not sure. I know that rancho lifted H3 on stock rims back in some european country had 2in spacers. He went up 4inches in height and went out 4inches in width too.

Portager:That is probably my luck. I would bring a spare for that trip! I talked to Tim about upgrading down the road. I dont want to spend money on expensive shocks if I dont like the kit. I doubt that will be the case but I will wait it out then upgrade. Fox makes good stuff.

I have two questions: 4 wheeler magazine said there was less flex after the lift but rancho had that issue with the springs but solved that issue. I may give them a call and see what they did for that soultion but do you guys notice any more flex? I will probably run those until I can afford some deavers Those bastards flex like its nobody's business. I think they aren't too far from me either so that will cancel out the shipping back and forth guess work too!

Also who had a tbar crank before the lift? did you just uncrank it before you installed the lift? They said to mark where the t bar is positioned but if I mark it where it is at now I will be rancho lifted and T bar cranked...

what they mean by makrk it is just to make sure you get same bar on the same side and in the same groove position. You have to totally remove the bars to install the kit so they just want to make sure you put the bars in the same way they came out.

That part I understand but would the marking be different when uncranked right?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

I run my Rancho very low...cause the rear has the squats. A-arms sitting on the bumpstops is fairly common, though. Unlike most vehicles...they're part of the working suspension on the H3...not just a cushion to bottom against. I can't get a measure right now because it is loaded-down and heading to Rausch Creek first thing tomorrow but, I'll get some dimensions and post em on here when I return.

The driveshaft is not a requirement. It just makes sense to upgrade if your stock one takes a dump on you. Its not the angle that kills it...its a ripped boot, which leads to lack of lubrication. The increased angle is tough on the boot, even though the joint itself can handle it. Once the boot rips...its toast.

ok sounds good no hurry still got alomost 2 months before I am home. I know the hole jounce is part of the suspension thing I was just thinking mine was low since the instructions said around a 1/4" gap (can't quit rememebr what it said) but if I go that high it will look reall butt low. But if yours is sitting the same as mine that makes me fell better about it