Chevy S-10 Pickup ZR2 Lift Kit

If you own an S-10 Blazer or pickup with the ZR2 package or a GMC Highrider, you have a pretty cool, off-road-capable rig right out of the box. ZR2 package content varies by year, but has historically featured some stout mods. Take the '04 Blazer ZR2, for instance. Its list of ZR2-specific goodies includes a special rear axle with 8.5-inch ring gear, limited-slip differential, larger wheel bearings, longer and larger axleshafts; strengthened front differential gears and drive axles; a rear-axle track bar; revised multileaf rear springs; 46mm Bilstein shocks; 31x10.50-15 on-/off-road tires; and skidplate package.

When you add a suspension lift to the equation, the full-framed ZR2's off-highway capabilities improve by leaps and bounds. There aren't many kits available in the aftermarket for the ZR2, but BDS Suspension manufactures a 5-inch kit that allows fitment of 32x12.50 tires. We hung out with the guys at Attitude Performance in Arlington Heights, Illinois, while they installed the aforementioned kit on a customer's '01 S-10 ZR2 pickup. BDS recommends that a professional technician install this kit due to its labor-intensive nature as well as the requirement that some stock frame components be removed from the vehicle. Total install time for this kit, not including front end alignment, is in the 10- to 12-hour range.

The information that follows will give you an overview of some of the major components of this 5-inch-lift kit. The photos show some of the new parts in place on the vehicle after the stock components have been removed per the instructions.