First things first. All credit for this idea came from Slomo. We were discussing ways to mount a Hi Lift on the ARB. I've been using plain old 1/2" bolts with nuts on them to raise the jack up. Problem was that I could not open the hood with the jack mounted this way. Not very safe. We were discussing potential ways to still use the tabs on the ARB, but move the mount point forward just enough to be able to open the hood yet still be sturdy enough to support a 60" jack. Mo suggested that a piece of billet aluminum milled at an angle with bolts tapped in top and bottom might work. We never pursued the opportunity, but his idea never left my thoughts. Fast forward several months. Headed up to visit the inlaws in Norcal. Prior to leaving, I took a piece of 2x4 and built a 'prototype' of wood and dowels (dowels to mimic the bolts). I played with both 33 and 45 degree angles to see what would give me the forward angle I'd need to have the hood clear the jack. 45 degrees worked. FIL has every tool known to man (or at least close) including a metal lathe and milling machine. He also had a hunk of billet aluminum he'd been given. Each piece is 4" cut at 45 degrees top and bottom and the mounting surfaces are 1 1/4" so they fit inside the outer 'rails' of the Hi Lift. I cut the rough outline on a metal band saw and finished off the final shape of the mount on his milling machine. Machine cut thru the billet aluminum block easily. We tapped the top and bottom to accept 1/2" bolts. Cut the heads off two of them for the top and use a 1" bolt for the bottom that bolts onto the ARB tabs. While I didn't have the jack with me on the trip, we did have the 80 and I knew the spacing on the tabs would be fine for the jack having used them with straight bolts in the past. The protype, while crude, gave us enough of a template to lay it out on the hunk of aluminum and mill it. Drilling the holes and then tapping them with all his tools was very easy as well. I still need to put some loctite on the top bolts as they are to stay in. Sorry for the quality of some of these pics. Flash card may be going bad.
Custom Hi Lift Mount for ARB
- Thread starter Brentbba
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Very nice, I want a set.
me want a set too. I just went HD and bought screws, wing nuts and stuff....
That definitely beats the bolt with a stack of washers that I saw last month! Nicely done.....
- Thread starter
- #6
LOL!
Yep - glad those are gone and I can get the hood open w/o removing the jack first.
I have no plans on making more as these are one off, but if there's a LOT if interest, I can take these to a metal fab shop (?) and see how much it would be to have some made, then go from there.
My big debate:
Leave the billet aluminum natural or paint them black like the ARB?
thats pretty slick! i used some 3" body lift pucks, and some old cab mounting bolts bolts from my 4runner. doesnt push the hi-lift forward like yours does, so the rubber handle keeper slightly interferes when i open the hood. works well though...but it doesnt have the billet blingness like yours do!
I've had good luck with these: Modular Hi-Lift Mounts (1.875" (1-7/8") diameter-With Billet Aluminum Wing Nuts
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cool idea, Brent. Let me know if you want help sourcing a production run, I know people. 
I ran mine like that on my 70 for a while. The heavy end will rattle a bunch offroad. I lost the base on the highway because the cotter pin rattled loose. I tossed it in the back of the truck. I eventually took it off the front of the arb.
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
Why not just cut the tabs off the ARB and re-weld them facing forward? Then you can just use a straight mount made from pipe or tube.
That Hi-Lift foot just rattles like crazy, so you need a way to control that.
Better yet, just mount the bar, and keep the guts inside where it's cleaner.
(Or leave the whole thing at home and hope your buddy brings one.)
That Hi-Lift foot just rattles like crazy, so you need a way to control that.
Better yet, just mount the bar, and keep the guts inside where it's cleaner.
(Or leave the whole thing at home and hope your buddy brings one.)
- Thread starter
- #13
I've had good luck with these: Modular Hi-Lift Mounts (1.875" (1-7/8") diameter-With Billet Aluminum Wing Nuts
Looked at those, but didn't want to drop the coin. FIL had the billet laying around and the tools. Several hours later working with him and learning how to use the milling machine and I had one very cheap!
Andy - yes the foot rattles, but I've become accustome to it. I don't have the welding skills you have to cut and weld the tabs. Besides - that would look butt ugly.
Nak - it there's interest...
Last edited:
Slomo
It's Complicated
Looks very good Brent, you whipped out exactly what I pictured in my head when you proposed the idea. 
Appreciate the credit but you thought of the idea I just threw out the angle effect.
Appreciate the credit but you thought of the idea I just threw out the angle effect.
