Definitive 1" Body Lift How To (1 Viewer)

[Bambusiero]

Just completed this job - new body bushings & 4-Crawler 1" body lift.
Thanks to the OP @CruiseOrlando - the pre-prep to-do list was very helpful.

> In addition - I suggest - remove the engine wire harness retainer bolts - on the firewall near the heater control valve - just to give the wire harness some wiggle room slack - since you are lifting and tilting the body back and forth.

An additional benefit of the body lift - it opens up a gap between the EGR pipe and the Engine Wire Harness - reducing heat aging stress on the wiring.

> Another suggestion - strap under axles / over frame - with sturdy load straps - to prevent chasing the springs as you lift the body. You will get a much more controlled body lift.

I also had difficulty shifting into Park, and fixed just as @GW Nugget showed in post #20 - adjusted the shift linkage right to the end.

 

[Will Van]

Instead of modifying the lower mount I modified only the side mount and drilling on the front of the body. I modified the radiator side mounts.

View attachment 1426143

Were you able to utilize the upper radiator mount bushing with the smaller sized upper mount hole?

 

[Seattle LX450]

Hi all, I'd rate this project a solid 3 bananas out of 5. I'm no mechanic, but I'm good with my hands. Here’s the scoop. It took me about 20 hours to complete the 1-inch lift. I had to take one major shortcut and didn't replace the bushing housing in the rear—just added the 1-inch spacers (juice not worth the squeeze to get the rear body lifted that high, and working around the muffler).

Here are my top five goofs:

1. No proper garage (I hate being a driveway mechanic!); 2. Should have had a buddy to help; 3. Cut my fan shroud to give it some clearance only to replace it (Oops!, I cut the shroud in hopes of not having to lower the radiator only to still have the fan slapping against the lower radiator hose); 4. Tried putting the rear bolts in top to bottom—flip them, folks wasted 30 minutes; 5. Spent two hours on one stubborn bolt (Bolts have minds of their own – would recommend when you get to the last bolt or two moving to a couple of jack points to help use the trucks weight to adjust any body-to-bolt hole misalignments).

One win: I used a 12 mm socket with a universal pivoting ratchet adapter to access the upper radiator bolt by only removing the front grill. Haven’t had the slipping out of low gear issue yet, but I do have to do a little kabuki dance to get my key out of the ignition

 

[Seattle LX450]

Hi all, I'd rate this project a solid 3 bananas out of 5. I'm no mechanic, but I'm good with my hands. Here’s the scoop. It took me about 20 hours to complete the 1-inch lift. I had to take one major shortcut and didn't replace the bushing housing in the rear—just added the 1-inch spacers (juice not worth the squeeze to get the rear body lifted that high, and working around the muffler).

Here are my top five goofs:

1. No proper garage (I hate being a driveway mechanic!); 2. Should have had a buddy to help; 3. Cut my fan shroud to give it some clearance only to replace it (Oops!, I cut the shroud in hopes of not having to lower the radiator only to still have the fan slapping against the lower radiator hose); 4. Tried putting the rear bolts in top to bottom—flip them, folks wasted 30 minutes; 5. Spent two hours on one stubborn bolt (Bolts have minds of their own – would recommend when you get to the last bolt or two moving to a couple of jack points to help use the trucks weight to adjust any body-to-bolt hole misalignments).

One win: I used a 12 mm socket with a universal pivoting ratchet adapter to access the upper radiator bolt by only removing the front grill. Haven’t had the slipping out of low gear issue yet, but I do have to do a little kabuki dance to get my key out of the ignition

Sorry lost the last part of my write up. Haven’t had the slipping out of low gear issue yet, but I do have to do a little kabuki dance to get my key out of the ignition when in Park. Any tips? Also added a pic. I do feel replacing the stock bushings after 30 years and the 1" lift did improve the road feel, slightly reduced road noise, and gave me much needed room in my rear wheel wells that helps me stand on my tire to get to my roof rack as well as provides trail clearance.