History related, when did people start lifting Chevy trucks?

[Logbed]

Hi,
For the old gurus there, when did the world see the first lifted Chevy trucks and when did it start turning into a phenomenon? Ford had the Highboy already in '67 so I guess there must have been people lifting Chevys around those times as well?

 

[Keith Seymore]

I'd say when they made the first 4wd conversions,

NAPA conversions started in the mid 1950's.

K

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[fast 99]

In this state when they quit enforcing bumper height limits.

 

[nvrenuf]

I believe @Keith Seymore meant Neapco, not Napa.

 

[mlsceo]

I believe you meant NAPCO, not Neapco

 

[1STLS1]

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I believe the Postal Service used to do this for rural deliveries back in this era or as the meme reads....

1927: Ricky Dale Everclear becomes the first man to put oversized rims on his truck with his girlfriend's tax return.​

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I believe you meant NAPCO, not Neapco

Napco like this one(seen at Lone Star Roundup in Austin, May '25):

 

[Ricko1966]

I believe @Keith Seymore meant Neapco, not Napa.

I bet spell check had a hand in that. It gets me all the time. Sometimes I'm surprised people understand my posts.

 

[Grit dog]

Maybe google is different in Europe but here it says aftermarket lift kits started in the 70s. Which makes sense as the previous decade was when all the mfgs finally began offering factory 4wd pickup trucks.
With my earliest memories being in the late 70s early 80s lifted trucks were around but not common. It was a big deal to see a lifted truck back then. Ingrained in my memory because my dad would always comment how stupid or impractical they were. “Spend all that money for a lift and big tires and only increase the ground clearance under the diffs by a couple inches…..waste of money!”

 

[xm20k]

A properly lifted truck with actual mud tires can be a thing of beauty. Don't care for the modern lifted trucks by that I mean the mall crawlers and pavement princesses with the low pro tires and the wheels that have no backspace and massive spacers making them stick out even beyond the fender flairs.

Like this garbage, I swear the ones around here can't keep their wheels in their own lane almost took the front driver wheel off one the other day on my way home from work.

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I prefer my 2-wheel drives lowered but when you start looking like your junks been stepped on, I'll pass.

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[bucket]

Maybe google is different in Europe but here it says aftermarket lift kits started in the 70s. Which makes sense as the previous decade was when all the mfgs finally began offering factory 4wd pickup trucks.
With my earliest memories being in the late 70s early 80s lifted trucks were around but not common. It was a big deal to see a lifted truck back then. Ingrained in my memory because my dad would always comment how stupid or impractical they were. “Spend all that money for a lift and big tires and only increase the ground clearance under the diffs by a couple inches…..waste of money!”

The old guys that I used to work with always said the same thing. I didn't think much of it until I started buying and driving trucks. When I lifted my Suburban, they both said the same thing again... "What the hell for? The pumpkins are still close to the ground". When I mentioned approach/departure angles, less chance of getting high centered, larger diameter tires being less effected by small bumps/holes and the fact that the diffs raise up over the obstacles when the tires do, they both were looking at me with stupid faces and said "Huh... never thought of it that way".

 

[Keith Seymore]

I believe you meant NAPCO, not Neapco

Dammit.

K

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I was in high school in the early 80s, and the group of gearheads was small at that school. One of my friends had a '74 K5 Blazer in the Olive Green metallic and white top, think the interior was the green vinyl. It had a little bit of lift and bigger tires. One of the guys had a late 70s F250 with a big lift and large mud grips. He actually did some muddin around the back of the school grounds, and I got a ride in the Blazer once. We went in some areas near the school that were cleared for building homes on; all that area is subdivisions now. It was fun but I wasn't a fan of the ride with the short wheelbase. Those are the first 4x4s I was around much, and they were uncommon to see on the road then. Not like today's pavement princesses....

 

[bucket]

I was in high school in the early 80s, and the group of gearheads was small at that school. One of my friends had a '74 K5 Blazer in the Olive Green metallic and white top, think the interior was the green vinyl. It had a little bit of lift and bigger tires. One of the guys had a late 70s F250 with a big lift and large mud grips. He actually did some muddin around the back of the school grounds, and I got a ride in the Blazer once. We went in some areas near the school that were cleared for building homes on; all that area is subdivisions now. It was fun but I wasn't a fan of the ride with the short wheelbase. Those are the first 4x4s I was around much, and they were uncommon to see on the road then. Not like today's pavement princesses....

I forgot to mention in my previous post, those older guys told me the first lifted trucks in the area (shop is in Columbus) was in the mid 70's.

In my specific area (London area), big lifted trucks were very very common to see everyday in the 90's. A truck on 44's was somewhat common even. I think I knew at least 3 people running 44's. Most, but not all the lifted trucks were pavement pounders. Many on 1/2 ton axles too. But they still looked cooler than today's pavement pounders.

 

[HotWheelsBurban]

I forgot to mention in my previous post, those older guys told me the first lifted trucks in the area (shop is in Columbus) was in the mid 70's.

In my specific area (London area), big lifted trucks were very very common to see everyday in the 90's. A truck on 44's was somewhat common even. I think I knew at least 3 people running 44's. Most, but not all the lifted trucks were pavement pounders. Many on 1/2 ton axles too. But they still looked cooler than today's pavement pounders.

Cause old trucks look cooler lolol