The lift finally showed up from Cognito Motorsports out of Bakersfield, CA. The boxes were very big and very heavy. This day turned out to be the beginning of a very extensive month-long project.

Kevin made short work out of the packaging and pulled out all the parts to double check if we had everything.

Before the lift could be dropped off at the powdercoating shop, some of the factory suspension components had to be removed that also needed painting. So Dan and Kevin got to work...

The work area is always kept clean....

The Pitman arm gave us some of the most trouble on the entire project. That thing just didn't want to come off, and caused one of our quality Harbor Freight pickle forks to break.

Since Kevin had no shirt on for the entire project, Dan got the torch out to remove the bushings from the factory control arms. The control arms were going to be powdercoated so the bushings had to be removed. We found the torch to be the easiest way to get them out.

After just 1 full day of work, the entire factory suspension was removed. The next day the parts were dropped off at the powdercoating shop, where they'll be for 2 long weeks.

After about 1-1/2 weeks, the powdercoating shop finally called and we picked up the goods. We took Mom's burb so we could lay everything neatly, ensuring that no pieces are scuffed or scratched.

The color Kevin chose was a 2 stage candy blue. The torsion bars were chromed. The color really matches well with the truck and really sets it apart from a typical lift kit.

Kev didn't have time to get started, so he rolled the tire up next to the truck while Brennan held the dual shock hoop up to get a picture of what it will look like. Its a real motivation booster to finally see the parts come in so we can get the project rolling again.

The front crossmember drop down bracket was the first item on the list...

Kev is deep at thought in the lift instructions, which can get confusing at times. (this is the only time kev worked with a shirt on...)

While we were waiting for the new bushings and ball joints for the control arms, Kev got to work on installing the new rear leaf springs. We went with an 8" leaf pack by Deaver Spring, and utilized the factory 2" block, which gave us the height we wanted.

You gotta love the GM engineers, who make it impossible to pull the front spring bolt without dropping the gas tank.

The factory rear springs are finally dropped out, up next are the new springs.

The new leaf springs were almost twice as heavy as the factory ones, but they do have a quality ride.

We lower the truck down on the tires, to see what height we got. Kev is about 6 feet tall...

The new tires/wheels really look better than the stock combo

The front is finally finished up, and turned out really nice.

The color, combined with the chrome wheels, fox shox, and chrome torsion bars really make the truck have a clean look.

The truck settled a bit, but is still much higher than before

Since Mike's truck is still bigger, Kevin is most likely going to add a 2 or 3" body lift on top of his suspension lift. This will ensure that his tires do not rub the fenders while off-roading.

The project took much longer than expected, costed much more than expected, but definitely turned out nicer than expected.