body lift

[jer1]

putting in a body lift to clear bigger tires is it just a matter of jacking up one side at a time a and putting them in. also what about steering linkage that has to come in to play.

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

depends on how big the lift is. Roger does a pretty good job at explaining this.
4Crawler Offroad - Custom Body Lift Kits

 

[KLF]

There are several things to keep in mind besides the body mount bolts and the pucks, like the radiator, bumpers, brake lines, electrical stuff, steering shaft, and the fuel filler hose. How high do you want to go? I have a 1" and it was really easy.

Ya, Roger is the man to talk to, he will hook you up.

 

[jtaco1]

Very easy to do, I just put a 1" on mine so I could lift the drivetrain. Unbolt all the bolts, I didn't care about the body on mine since it is a wheeling rig, so I just put a highlift under the rocker and lifted it up until I could put the new pucks in, then set it down. The nice thing about the 1" is that you don't have to extend anything. Took about 1.5 hours by myself, I did use air tools too which helped.

 

[WristPin]

body lifts are lame. dont install one.

get a suspension lift. suspension travel is more beneficial than a body lift. its better to be top heavy cause of the suspension lift than a body lift. and a 4-6" lift is all you need.

all the body lift provides is tire clearance, and excess body roll.

with the suspension lift you get increased articulation, tire clearance in the fenders, increased chassis ground clearance. dont believe me? post a thread here and ask the same question. or just do a search. all the replies will be the same. DONT DO IT!

 

[jtaco1]

body lifts are lame. dont install one.

get a suspension lift. suspension travel is more beneficial than a body lift. its better to be top heavy cause of the suspension lift than a body lift. and a 4-6" lift is all you need.

all the body lift provides is tire clearance, and excess body roll.

with the suspension lift you get increased articulation, tire clearance in the fenders, increased chassis ground clearance. dont believe me? post a thread here and ask the same question. or just do a search. all the replies will be the same. DONT DO IT!

I totally disagree, here is my 4 Runner with the 1", we wheeled this weekend and I had no problems, wheeled with truck with SAS and 36's and 39's and ran several black trails at Rausch Creek. I am still IFS, on 35's with stock suspension and a 1" rear shackle to make up for the sagging 20 year old springs. The body lift helped tuck the drivetrain up a little, and it is nice and low so it is very stable. I will agree that big body lifts, over say 2" are stupid and can lead to problems, I know, I had a 3" on my Tacoma before and it was a pain in the ass, always felt like I was going to tip over.

 

[KLF]

body lifts are lame. dont install one.

This is a blanket statement that doesn't always apply. I'm really glad I have a 1" BL on my truck, as I was able to also lift the drivetrain (BudBuilt crossmember) and engine (spacers under the engine mounts), gain more room for the front shock hoops, and get good access to the frame rails for my sliders. I had a friend at a machine shop cut the pucks for me from a solid chunk of 2.5" aluminum bar stock, and I replaced the bushings with poly, new SS bolts. I've made so many changes to my frame now that the BL is permanent.

Anything taller than 2" is risking damaging the cab or frame. Think about the torque on the body mount bolts when you slam on the brakes or hit a big bump. Eventually they will rip out of the body or bend the frame mounts.

 

[Hilux]

I broke a kids heart one time. He had just got some spiffy tires on his "Z71 Off-Road!" and was driving and a tire just fell off. Now I don't know if this was a pre-existing problem or not, but I'm guessing the concussion from the truck hitting the ground was not good for his 3" BL. Once on the RollBack I could see and didn't want to break it to him (although I eventually did) that a puck had completely punched a hole in his sheet metal and it was sitting funky, slouched down on that one corner.


Given the nature of "professionalism" that is normally associated with the cheapest thing. I would not be surprised if this was a shotty job by Jethro down in the holler, and not a common problem with a quality BL and manufacturer.

What I mentioned above, and the stress I believe the added leverage on the BL in the event of a crash will ad, does not make me a fan of 3" BLs.....sorry.

 

[WristPin]

This is a blanket statement that doesn't always apply. I'm really glad I have a 1" BL on my truck, as I was able to also lift the drivetrain (BudBuilt crossmember) and engine (spacers under the engine mounts), gain more room for the front shock hoops, and get good access to the frame rails for my sliders. I had a friend at a machine shop cut the pucks for me from a solid chunk of 2.5" aluminum bar stock, and I replaced the bushings with poly, new SS bolts. I've made so many changes to my frame now that the BL is permanent.

Anything taller than 2" is risking damaging the cab or frame. Think about the torque on the body mount bolts when you slam on the brakes or hit a big bump. Eventually they will rip out of the body or bend the frame mounts.

I understand that. Agree too. I dont have the bud, so I did not think about the benefits of that. Seems like a good idea after all.

But like I said, if its done to only fit tires, its lame. And generally, you wouldnt do a 1" lift for tires. 3" is ridiculous.