I have an idea...(body lift and flat belly content) (1 Viewer)

[FJ40|RUNNER]

So I've been really pleased with the performance and appearance of my basically stock 79 40, as seen here:

I've relocated to AZ and am getting excited about the next stage of the rig. What I intend it to continue to be is a streetable 40 that doesn't stray too far away from being 'period correct' in appearance and spirit.

That said, I want to be a little more capable than I am with a lunchbox in the rear and my 32" TSL skinnies. I actually love the TSLs, so I have been thinking my next step would be to the 34x9.5 TSL. I originally figured I would either do a low as possible SOA or custom spring pack, but then @White Stripe made me have a potential epiphany with his talking about his 2" body lift.

Historically I've always hated body lifts, but upon his explanation (here: Drivetrain Options) as well as the fact that the rockers hang damn low relative to the frame on a stock 40 and I don't want to cut them make me feel like it might be a good idea.

So I thought that was something worth possibly considering...THEN I realized I could probably have a flat belly if I lifted my drivetrain with it, and it sounds like an awesome idea.

So my thoughts now are for my next step in tire size to just consist of the body/drivetrain lift and minimal bumpstop adjustment/cutting. What are the flaws in this plan?

I am not looking for/expecting to get crazy flex out of my SUA setup as I would prefer to not cut a lot (I feel like the floodgates will open if I allow myself much leeway), I like the tall skinny look so I want to stay damn low, and obviously like the idea of a flat belly. Anyone do anything like this/am I making sense?

 

[White Stripe]

Having a flat belly will help you slide over rocks, but with the 40's short wheelbase, its not really that much of a issue. Raising the motor would take some work. You would have to raise the radiator, and Im not sure how you would do the front motor mounts since they are angled. Lifting the motor and drivetrain will also raise you center of gravity but not much. I would do the body lift, put a really good skid plate under the rig, and see what you think. You can always raise the motor whenever you want, but I would try wheeling it without raising it to see what you think. I would also put some rear fj60 springs in the back which will significantly improve flex. If you want soa type flex, put rear fj60 springs up front as well. I would do the body lift for sure though, its great. The most important part in hiding it is the rear sill. I took a piece of 2x2 steel, cut the ends to mimick the angles of the factory rear crossmember, boxed it, and drilled holes for the bolts and painted it the same color as the crossmember(black)Nobody notices hardly. If you just put 4 blocks back there its very noticeable. Your 40 is newer than mine, so you will have to watch the wiring harness, and hoses carefully to make sure nothing gets overstretched. Im not sure how the fuel tank is mounted in a 79 and up 40. With my 77 the fuel tank is mounted in the body.

 

[Vossie]

fuel tank on 79 and later is mounted under body. shouldnt be an issue when doing a body lift. tank should just raise up with it

 

[Downey]

Body lift kits were (past tense) very popular on mini trucks a few years ago because they were "immediate cheap lift", but the problem was they set the body up on a flexible "stilt", with more leverage on the mounting bolts. This caused the sheet metal floor pans to crack all around the body mounting spacers. This then caused some very serious accidents/deaths during panic stops, several cases of vehicle body leaving the frame (translation= decapitations/law suits). On the one hand, you could weld the spacers to the FJ40 frame so that they didn't move around so much, but on the other hand the FJ40's hot riveted frame is much more flexible than the rigid mini truck frame, so even a welded-on spacer block is going to move all over the place, even more exaggerated movement/leverage out on the top end of the spacer.

 

[Rock40]

It's a good idea but you're much better off getting the lift you're after from swapping leaf springs. Body lifts are sort of a thing of the past and can be very unsightly if not dangerous as Downey mentioned. A set of FJ60 springs might do you very well

 

[White Stripe]

I have no issues with my 2" body lift moving around. As long as the bolts are tight, I see no reason to for concern of sheering in an accident. Plus 40s have a lot of body mounts for such a small body. I wheel it pretty hard. I think it looks pretty good. I get a fair amount of compliments on the look of my 40. Plus the body lift gives more room for up travel while keeping cog low, all while not cutting up the vintage body to fit bigger tires. U do have to modify the battery tray bracket.

 

[FJ40|RUNNER]

Yeah another thing I forgot to mention was I plan to tie a cage into the frame at the same time. I really need to get the cage in, so I need to sort out my plans with respect to body lift as well.

I understand the 'stilts' concern, but if you're tying it into a cage at multiple points additionally is it fair to say it's no longer an issue?

 

[GHalll]

I wouldn't put a body lift on mine, I think they're ugly... They make me cringe. Just my unsolicited opinion. Just stick with suspension, more functional.

 

[jim land]

box your frame and tie the cage to it for less frame flex

 

[Downey]

White Stripe, absolutely love your rig and what it can do. When I used body lift kits on mini trucks (Desert race Pre-Runners) I had to weld steel plates to the floorboard where the body mounts sit. Your second photo above (hood to grille panel relationship) gives a fairly good idea what's happening in off road terrain regarding "flex").

 

[White Stripe]

White Stripe, absolutely love your rig and what it can do. When I used body lift kits on mini trucks (Desert race Pre-Runners) I had to weld steel plates to the floorboard where the body mounts sit. Your second photo above (hood to grille panel relationship) gives a fairly good idea what's happening in off road terrain regarding "flex").

Thank you sir! Appreciate the compliment. I still have one of your old tbi kits on my rig with your adapter. Love not having altitude or angle running issues!

 

[White Stripe]

I think the fj40 body is made to flex. Every 40, whether its got giant tires on it, or stock, if you take it offroad the frame and body flex like crazy. People have been offroading 40s for a long time, and the results have shown that the flexing doesn't hurt the frame or the body, it can take it. The stock body mount pads measure about 2"x2". That is factory. When you put a body lift on, you are putting 2x2" blocks under the body mount pads. Your just making them taller. If you leave them somewhat loose and don't tighten them down enough, then things are going to move around and cause structural issues. But you could run into that by not having a body lift and not tightening the factory mounts down enough. The factory did not bolt the roll bar to the frame, they just reinforced the roll bar mounting points to the body. They did a good job too, I have never seen a factory roll bar fail in a rollover. I have seen people add on cages to the factory roll bar, and not tie the additions into the frame but rather just add decent sized plates where the new tubes mount. In a rollover those did not fail either. The fj40 body is a beast, it can take a awful lot of abuse. Im not saying don't tie it into the frame because it will add additional safety by doing so. Im just saying the fj40 body is tough compared to other types of rigs. Really tough...unless its got a lot of rust, then it can get sketchy. I love my body lift and the additional tire clearance while keeping center of gravity low. I run circles around people that gain the same fender clearance with only suspension lift-especially on side hills when they are crapping their pants and Im not because of the better center of gravity I have. I used to hate the idea of a body lift myself. But I gave it some thought, put some real effort into installing it so it looks ok, and enjoy the results.

 

[pbgbottle]

I've had a body lift in my rig for years never had an issue. That being said I never used the lift block with one long bolt. I used square tubing and two short bolts per mount to do the lift. No body movement at all. I did just do the
Four individual mounts on the rear crossmember and it does look fugly , one day I plan on just pulling the 4 spacers and replacing it with one long piece of square tubing to hide the gap . Or just install a custom rear tire carrier and it will hide the body lift.