Before: A basic plain-Jane 1999 Z71 on 245/75R16s.
Raising A 2007 Chevy 4x4 6-inches
The venerable Chevy pickup truck has always had a fan following that loves them no matter what. However, in stock trim, they all seem to look the same, and many enthusiasts personalize their trucks with lift kits, wheels and tires and many other aftermarket accessories. Every few years, truck makers throw a new twist at their loyal buyers — and the aftermarket manufacturers, by redesigning some or all of their trucks. For 2007, the halfton Chevy 4x4 is one of them. The 2007 K1500 4x4 truck featured here, displays an example of Fabtech’s fast response to such changes.
Not only is Fabtech fast to respond, but they do so with quality and style too. This kit features a full 6-inches of lift to allow the truck to run 35-inch tall tires. Fabtech recommends 35x12.50R17 tires on 17x8 wheels with 5-inches of backspace. While this may seem like a small tire to some for the size of the lift, Fabtech points out that the wheel wells on the new Chevy are tall, but narrow. Without major modifications to the body, a larger tire will not fit properly with this size lift.
The Fabtech lift for the 2007 Chevy half-ton 4x4 is offered in a basic lift configuration, with upgrades available for the front struts and rear shocks. The front suspension is raised utilizing a new front and rear crossmember setup that is made from laser cut and precision formed 3/16 steel. The stock upper and lower A-arms and front differential are removed from their mounts. Then a few modifications are made with a saw and grinder for clearance reasons. Specifically, cutting is required on the two rear A-arm crossmember brackets, and the front A-arm lower mounts must have the lower pocket corners squared off. The differential then has to have some non-critical material removed. This allows the differential to fit in a new, lower position and for the new Fabtech differential skid to provide as much ground clearance as possible. If you have leased a truck that requires being returned to stock form before turn-in, only the ends that are cut off the two rear A-arm crossmember brackets have to be rewelded. None of the other modifications prevent reinstalling the stock components.
Here you can see the stock front strut, the stock strut with extension kit and the replacement coil-over front stock. The upgrade to the coil-over shock not only looks cool, but they are also rebuildable and re-valvable.
Some of the more standard lift components found in this new Fabtech Chevy kit are spacers to allow the reuse of your factory front CV shafts (read front axles), Impact struts to strengthen the new two-piece front crossmember and sway bar and brake line drop brackets. The new Chevy kit also comes with new steering knuckles that are not only taller than stock, but more massive too. A neat trick from Fabtech is to reposition the front anti-sway bar, and then add extensions to its ends to allow more clearance for the front CV shafts. Along with the new knuckles, the kit utilizes new outer tie-rod ends that are shorter, and slightly thicker than stock and are made of steel rather than aluminum. These should be more durable over the long haul than the stock items. At the rear, the kit is a simple spacer block, longer U-bolts and extensions for the brake line and bump stops. This keeps kit costs down and maintains the factory rear ride and load capacity.
In standard trim the new Fabtech Chevy K1500 kit comes with brackets to extend the lower half of the front strut assemblies. This allows reuse of the stock front struts in combination with a new set of longer, mono-tube rear shocks. In our installation, we witnessed the use of Fabtech’s remote reservoir shocks at the rear and new replacement coil-over shocks at the front. The new coil-over shocks feature a pivoting head for more suspension travel without binding on the rough stuff.
In our opinion, the new Fabtech 6-inch lift kit for the 2007 Chevy K1500 offers a nice street ride. Unfortunately, at press time, we have not had the chance to take the truck out for any real off-road testing. In the style and looks department, the truck is a head turner on the highway or in a parking lot. We’re confident that in the dirt this lift kit will shine.
Left:The two rear A-arm
crossmember brackets
must have a small section
cut from them. This is the
only modification that prevents
the truck from being
returned to stock.
Right:This small locating pin
on the upper differential
mount must be cut off to
install the kit, It is a simple
operation.
Left:The front differential has
to have some non-critical
material removed. This
allows the differential to fit
into its new, lower position,
and for the new
Fabtech differential skid to
provide as much ground
clearance as possible.
The new crossmembers,
(in blue) lower the upper
A-arm mounting points and
the new differential lowering bracket drops the differential down.
Left:With the new drop down crossmembers and the differential in place, the
stock upper A-arms are reinstalled. Note that the differential skid plate
protects the differential as well as strengthens the cross member assembly. In
addition, struts are fitted between the two drop-down brackets for additional
strength.
Center:At the rear, a simple spacer block with
longer U-bolts provides the lift. This keeps costs
down and maintains the factory ride and cargo
capacity.
Right:The installation of rear remote reservoir
shocks is one of the upgrades Fabtech offers for
this kit.
Left:Here we see the new lift with the optional
coil-over shock in place.
Right:The Fabtech kit comes with new outer tie-rod
ends which are shorter than stock to work with
the replacement steering knuckles. They are
slightly thicker and are steel rather than aluminum.
This should mean a more durable part.
Left:Here you can see the new front suspension
fully assembled. The kit is well built and the
installation is clean and simple.
Right:Here you see a comparison of the stock
steering knuckle (hand held) to the new Fabtech
knuckle on the truck. Notice that the Fabtech
knuckle is taller and made out of thicker
material than the stock part.
SOURCE:
Fabtech Motorsports
4331 Eucalyptus Ave.
Chino, CA 91710
909-597-7800
www.fabtechmotorsports.com