i'm sure this has been covered but i think I've looked absolutely everywhere on the internet for these questions all to be answered

alright so i have a 1987 2wd 4 cylinder 4 speed hardbody for free. it is in great shape and has only 133,000 original KMS on it. i want to get the most lift out of it without spending tonnes of money. basically i want a 3 inch suspension lift and a 3 inch body lift. i was hoping to fit some 33" MT. basically this is my winter truck because i have a custom car for the nice seasons. but i want this truck to be my snow/ mud truck. i will only be doing a little offroad driving. mainly i want it for snowboarding and weekend offroading. i know AT tires probably would be better but i love the look of MT's. (plus I have a hookup at a tire/rim store)

i want to know the best way to lift it (parts etc...) and what else i will need to do (steering, gearing, etc...) keep in mind i'm not gonna be going crazy in it and i really don't want to spend too much on it.

i worked in a bodyshop for a while and have some fabrication skills, but am a total noobie when it comes to things such as steering and gearing.

thanks in advance!

Forget the notion of 33s on that truck. With the gearing it has, it will grunt even turning 235/75/15s which are only 29" tall.

4x4s need stacked lifts to clear 33's. The best you'll do with a 3+3 combo is probably a set of 31s with some front fender trimming. For suspension, you'll need a set of aftermarket upper control arms and a torsion bar crank up front, and an AAL with longer shackles in the back. Body lifts are self explanatory and all parts can be found at 4x4parts.com

Again, with 3.7 or shorter gearing in the rear axle, the truck is really going to struggle with those large tires. Also,2wd pickups suck snow and ice, so plan to throw some sandbags or something in the rear, and invest in a set of tire chains to fit whatever tires you end up running. You can regear the H190 rear, however, in cases where I've seen new gears installed, the H190 does not offer the adjustability to get the backlash right, and you end up with a noisy rear axle. Also, the gears are expensive.

If it were my truck, I'd just do the body lift and get a set of aggressive 235/75/15 tires and run it till she dies.

OK since im a total moron and don't have the truck in my driveway YET. i took a look at it because basically i have no idea if it is a 4 or 6 cylinder. so i popped the hood and see that it looks to have 4 spark plugs on the right side of the engine and two on the left. does this mean it is a V6 or am i just dumb? its an 87 4 speed standard

Does it have a single valve cover, or does it have two?

The Z24 4cyl engine of that vintage actually has 8 plugs. Look again.

yeah turns out to be the Z24 4 cyl. gonna go with 3+3 lift and 31's m/t's and hope for the best!