NST Spec Body Lift Kit (1 Viewer)

[MTKID]

My DHL Shipment from PartSouq to offer the longest factory bolt at a price that makes sense just emailed me and shows an estimated arrival date of 5/3. I ordered those on the 14th and they're usually quite quick, so hopefully they arrive sooner for the kits that have been preordered.

Just quick FYI, I have also started to inquire about having a custom bolt made to match the fine thread in a longer length for these kits and any others in the future, but we'll see how that pricing comes back. If nothing else, there may be two coarse thread bolts supplied with their matching washers and nuts.

However, I picked this nice stack up from my machinist yesterday...

Thank you again!

 

[TeCKis300]

Miscellaneous Installation notes

Fender Wall liners​

The front axle has fender liners protecting the engine bay. These should be unclipped prior to lifting the body. They exist probably to manage airflow and to protect wiring/parts from stuff coming off the wheels, and are formed to allow relative movement between the body and chassis. Even with my .75" body lift, they need to be massaged after to add room to flex. There are two panels per side. They are secured with plastic clips of at least 2 types. For each panel, remove clips from either frame or body side so they float when lifting. I was too lazy to do anything special to reattach, and used tie wraps to provide stretching room. You can probably get creative with larger lifts and create extension panels with ABS plastic sheets.

Working around Slee Sliders​

There's multiple strategies to perform the actual lift of the body. If you have sliders, it might impede access to lift from the pinch weld. I was able to lift using short 2x4 (ideally 4x4s for stability) put against the bolt points of the OEM steps at the rear, and a flatter spot near the front. Exercise caution and be very aware of how the floor jacks or pieces of wood might pivot or roll out from underneath. When I got the body to the height I needed, I inserted additional pieces of wood against key spots between the frame and body as backups just in case. Watch those fingers for crush dangers!

Body Retainer Bolt​

It was touched on earlier, but this single bolt just behind the middle row floats and probably doesn't engage until an accident type situation to avoid the body from separating. Needs to be removed prior to lifting. There is just enough excess threads that it's perfect for a .75" body lift. There might be enough thread engagement for 1". I used a combination of nuts/washers to match the height of the body lift.

LRA Aux Tank Interaction​

For the small subset with 12.5 LRA Aux tanks, the spare access hole will not be aligned with the pass through on the LRA tank. I removed the plastic guide. Using a long heavy rod, I was able to bend the back wall just enough to still pass the keyed tool to drop the spare tire.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Whew, backfilled the OEM rear bumper cover install instructions.



View attachment 3608586

When do we get some side profile pics post body lift?

 

[TeCKis300]

When do we get some side profile pics post body lift?

Took a snapshot at lunch just for you. Really hard to tell there's a body-lift going on especially in proportion to 35s. It's a big truck and the step out height is up there in AHC high. Glad to have a step slider. Ergonomics for usability may be a reason not to get into too high of a BL unless really necessary for tire clearance.

 

[teejnut]

Took a snapshot at lunch just for you. Really hard to tell there's a body-lift going on especially in proportion to 35s. It's a big truck and the step out height is up there in AHC high. Glad to have a step slider. Ergonomics for usability may be a reason not to get into too high of a BL unless really necessary for tire clearance.

View attachment 3614919

That's in high? How about normal height?

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Took a snapshot at lunch just for you. Really hard to tell there's a body-lift going on especially in proportion to 35s. It's a big truck and the step out height is up there in AHC high. Glad to have a step slider. Ergonomics for usability may be a reason not to get into too high of a BL unless really necessary for tire clearance.

View attachment 3614919

Looks great. Thank you!

 

[GTV]

Really hard to tell there's a body-lift going on especially in proportion to 35s.

Especially when they're wrapped around 20" rims.

 

[TeCKis300]

That's in high? How about normal height?

The boards have taught me there is only one useful position to park with.

I'll grab a normal height shot later this week.

 

[teejnut]

The boards have taught me there is only one useful position to park with.

I'll grab a normal height shot later this week.

Someone should "reverse" the easy access mode switch to go to H instead of L

 

[TeCKis300]

More angles people have asked for

That's in high? How about normal height?

 

[linuxgod]

More angles people have asked for
View attachment 3616808

View attachment 3616809





View attachment 3616807

Too much open space in those fenders when you're in High. Need 37s to fill the void

 

[TeCKis300]

Too much open space in those fenders when you're in High. Need 37s to fill the void

Who am I to resist. Glad to have 200s anonymous help me with my addiction.

 

[MTKID]

I came in to the shop to work on kits this weekend and had a chance to make a phone call to someone who I had heard was at Cruise Moab.

This is Chad from Colorado and he happened upon my YouTube videos running big tires and asked a few questions and dove into fabricating his own body lift and getting onto 37’s for his ‘08 LC.

He chose to do a 3” body lift! Before you freak out, thinking no Land Cruiser should be on that tall of a body lift, don’t forget that Monica, the 200 of Canguro racing was engineered on a similar size body lift by a well respected race fabrication shop. If you’re curious how they resolved the steering on Monica, here is what her steering looks like…

Completely custom work that I’m pretty sure no one here will be copying.

By choosing to do 3”, Chad has also been able to retain all the inner fender liners with no issue and just did his own fabricated radiator drop bracket, body mount chop and trimmed some behind the front and rear wheels.

That is Jason’s silver LX with the 1.5” body lift (and cut front fenders) behind Chad’s 3” BL LC, both on 37’s.

Admittedly, that is quite a tall body lift and not a size that I will be offering, but I wanted to share his experience with installing his own fabricated body lift and not using a steering extension!

I had to call him to understand how he did this and if there were any side effects. We spoke for a long time about his rig and future projects he is working on for his 200 and other 200’s through his new company J2Hundy Outfitters.

The LC has a different steering system without the VGRS module on my LX and it simply allowed a lot of extra steering shaft to extend from the firewall.

I share this information because everyone, myself included, has questioned what the limits of the steering system are for a body lift without a steering extension, and I feel this is a good example, not necessarily to be imitated, but to give some reassurance that our steering systems are not near a breaking point at 1” or even 1.5”.

Chad has been to Moab 4 times now and other local trips and trails in Western Colorado, so it hasn’t just been sitting in his garage. It has seen some serious use on trails like 7 Mile Rim and Hell’s Revenge.

I will proceed forward offering the 1.5” with less hesitancy about the steering linkage and I hope this gives others some confidence as well to consider the 1.5” if they are seriously wanting 37’s.

Chad does not frequent this forum yet, but if he accomplishes some of his future goals, he will certainly be a front runner for supporting our 200’s that are trying to get onto “just a little taller tire”. His wife drives an LX570 and he would like to find a newer LC to also work on parts for his new company (possibly a two door truck conversion!). I look forward to seeing what he comes up with and hope to possibly even work together with him on some projects. He is on Instagram as j2hundy_outfitters.

 

[teejnut]

I'm in for the 1.5" body lift, can you add me to the list?

How much of Jason's fender did you have to trim for the 37s?

 

[MTKID]

Thank you for your support @teejnut !

We trimmed quite a bit, not necessarily because we had to, but because in my experience, how good it looks creating such a gap above the front tires, 37’s included. It seems to help reduce the look of rake at the front and I try to do things both for function and aesthetics.

These are the initial measurements from front, middle and the arch at the top back.

These cuts are made using this tool…

Then I clean up the line, which we took a fair bit more from the back top of the arch to our visual preference using this tool…

There is a fair amount of artistic license taken in this last step and I cannot make the two sides perfectly symmetrical but I’ve gotten better over the years and am proud of my work. The challenge I created for myself was cutting the passenger fender first and then having the interference of the windshield washer fluid reservoir right behind my cut line on the driver’s side.

I will be ordering this reservoir and trying to fabricate a bracket that I can offer for people to mount this one to the left of the driver’s headlight, in a similar spot that has been used on the Rago Fab reservoir.

Aluminum Washer Fluid Relocation Reservoir - 3rd Gen 4Runner/1st Gen T

Introducing the 3rd Gen 4Runner and 1st Gen Tacoma washer fluid relocation reservoir. This replaces the factory washer fluid reservoir with a custom made aluminum reservoir. The reservoir sits behind the passenger side headlight and in front of the air box. Welded together from 5052 aluminum...

snowboundcustoms.shop

The option for the 4Runner has two ports and I will be ditching my headlight washers.

I’ll be reaching out to Trim-Lok again this week to see if there is something that could be created similar to this but less commercial and obnoxious…

 

[linuxgod]

Stupid question, what's the torque spec on the body mount nuts? I'm chasing a noise that bothers me and some of the Tundra forums say it could be a loose body mount shifting around. (Note I'm on factory mounts, I don't have a body lift at that time, but figured this would be the thread to ask!)

 

[MTKID]

Stupid question, what's the torque spec on the body mount nuts? I'm chasing a noise that bothers me and some of the Tundra forums say it could be a loose body mount shifting around. (Note I'm on factory mounts, I don't have a body lift at that time, but figured this would be the thread to ask!)

40lb/ft but I’d check that single middle one just behind the second row first.

 

[linuxgod]

40lb/ft but I’d check that single middle one just behind the second row first. View attachment 3618979

Thanks man!

 

[Wafflroo]

Is the 1.5” kit still in the works?

 

[MTKID]

1.5” is still in the works with some radiator drop brackets and a small number of the spacers cut. I’m just waiting on custom bolts. But I have installed two 1.5” kits and one of them with just the coarse thread version of the 230mm bolts. So that is an option if you’d like it sooner.

Here is a shot of @Taco Supremo ’s LX. 1.5” BL but still looks pretty stock. He’s planning on re-gearing this year and trying to get onto 37’s next spring…