suspension lift question

okay guys, im a super noob to the whole 4x4 thing...so i have a question. what is the easiest possible way for me to lift my x 2 and a half inches.... i have a buddy who knows quite a bit and i work in a machine shop so i was thinking about makein the spacers for the leafs myself....would i have to get new torsion bars? and what else would i need?

thanks
the super noob

making the spacers for the leaves?

why 2.5"?

How about 3"?

Anything over about 1.5"....you'll need new UCA to allow you to get a wheel alignment.

As long as you need new UCA's...might as well go 3".



A key - question...why are you lifting it?

If its for aesthetics...there are cheaper ways to get the height, and depending upon what you need the X to do for you that it can't now, there are different paths you could take...each with pluses and minuses.

Do you plan on offroading it?

The xterra is spring under axle, so leaf spring blocks (which is what i assume you're talking about) will actually lower the back of the truck, not raise it, like they do for spring over axle.

Unless you're talking about shackles when you say spacers.

Where in Pa are you?

if the shackles are the things that connect the leafs to the frame then yeah thats what im talking about...yes i plan on offroading it...just alittle though, nothing crazy. im in northeast pa...carbon county...3 inches sounds good too. like i said im new to this whole thing and i have no idea so any help would be great.

Thanks Guys
Juice

OK - if you take the oem shackles and measure them for width and so forth...you can make new shackles that are longer, and will lift the rear...

...the basic idea is that, for every 1" longer eye to eye the shackles are than the oem's, will make the truck 1/2" taller in back.

A shackle only rear lift should be limited to about a 6" long shackle, providing about 1.5" of rear lift. (Over the roughly 3" long oem shackles...)

To get another 1.5", you could add an AAL in back.

For the front, you'd need new UCAs, like SLRs stage I for example...and a steering reinforcement kit, like SLR or L&P for example.

You still crank the t-bars to get the lift...but the new UCA's let you get wheel alignment at the 3" lift height.

You want to remove the rear sway bars btw...they will dent up your p side shock and or break when the suspension droops on that side.