To lift or not to lift that is the question

[CatFish]

I am seeing/hearing that lifts can be a problem and two of the items on the check list refer to them, so I have a couple of questions about them.

Check list references:
•Ever been lifted or torsion bars cranked?
•Condition of CV joints? (Can be damaged after being lifted)

Ok first I would like to say I did do some searches on lifts but there is so much information to weed through it could take days just to find the answers I am looking for. I am looking for a VX to buy and I may have found one I like but it has a 3” lift on it, the owner does not know how it was done or what parts were involved he says the previous owner did it.

1.Does lifting a VX throw off the suspension? Does to drive and ride correctly?

2.Alignment problems?

3.How hard is it to take the lift off and put it back to stock?

4.Should I steer clear of VXs with lifts or is it not a big deal either way.

5.Would you buy a VX with a lift? If Yes or No why?

I would love to hear your opinions, please tell me more if I did not ask enough questions.

Thanks,
Chris

[Ala5ka]

It depends on how tall it's gone. If it's just a couple of inches I'd say there is no prob. OME rear and T bar crank is perfectly fine. With bigger tires and lil lift you get speedo off, and a little stiffer ride, maybe some MPG's will go away as well. The key word in this argument is "moderate." Don't go huge unless you want to do some real work. 2-3" no CV problems, steering problems, alignment should be done after lift, not hard to put back to stock, if the old owner did it it's probably just t bar crank and either spacers or new springs very easy to reverse.

[CatFish]

Thanks, so a 3" lift should not be a deal breaker if the VX is a good deal for the money.

[tom4bren]

Thanks, so a 3" lift should not be a deal breaker if the VX is a good deal for the money.

As long as the CV boots aren't torn, then I'd say go for it.

Some ... not all VXs with 3" lift will start tearing CV boots very soon after the lift. If PO did the lift some time ago & there are no problems then I'd say you won't experience any in the future either.

Unfortunately I wasn't one of the lucky ones. My CV boots tore soon after purchase & I had to do the diff drop. No problems since.

[Ala5ka]

If you wanted a lift you've got your rig already for you, if you don't want it reversal is very easy and there should be no long term damage

[VXorado]

I wouldn't buy a VX with a lift if you don't want to keep it lifted. Yes it is fairly easy to lower the VX back down to stock if you have the stock VX coil springs and if the tires aren't over sized. Otherwise you'll need to source VX coil springs & buy smaller tires.

I love the look of lifted VXs and have 5" of lift myself. I ran into problems with the suspension and drive train until I worked out the issues. I like working on the VX so it wasn't a problem for me.

Like others said, check the CV boots first. Afterward, a test drive will tell you if there are any issues caused by the lift. You'll notice vibrations and suspension clunks if the lift caused the VX any problems.

Good luck.