Just read through the thread. Great looking 200 sir and good job on the BL!
Tappered Body Lift - (1"/1.5") front to 0" in back....
- Thread starter Newps
- Start date
-
- Tags
- 100 series body kit
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I did a tapered body lift with a 30mm front down to about 20mm in the rear. I am not a fan of body lifts (usually) but I was faced with a couple of choices to make - namely keeping my stock AHC suspension at any cost and secondly, clearing 35-inch tires without putting in larger bump stops as to keep the stock suspension range of motion. I think the AHC trucks only have about 8 inches of front suspension travel, maybe 8.1 tops. So I could not afford to sacrifice any of the travel. The truck looks good and it doesn't have the appearance of "rake" anymore even though the suspension geometry remains unchanged so the stability has remained the same.
The tires, even with 1.5 inches (almost) of body lift in the front, still rubbed a bit. Pinch weld hammer down and the plastic guard protecting the washer fluid bottle modified - all is good even under full compression and a sharp turn. I used a fancy plastic to make the spacers, the same stuff that they make cutting boards out of basically. I cut them and the first two positions were both 30 mm then I stepped down a few mm each body mount until I got to the rear of the truck.
There are two strange reverse mounts in the bed of the truck ... they aren't body mounts but you won't be able to live the body off the frame without addressing these. Also, TWO IMPORTANT things to note: The steering column will potentially be very tight, and if you loosen the yoke on the engine side of the firewall you will only have about 1/4 inch of spines left and that is going to be very sketchy off road - I found an extension from a company in Australia - slipped it in there and bam it was perfect. The next thing is the radiator/fan shroud .... you can redneck it and cut the fan shroud (please don't) or drop the radiator down 1.5 inches so the fan is again centered and doesn't contact the shroud (which it will if you don't move it). When you do this, take care that the lower mount busing is modified. The radiator is attached to the body, the engine to the frame - so when you drop it down you will need to make sure that it is secure and the bottom of it is not bouncing/wiggling around in there.
Check brake lines under full suspension droop, check A/C lines etc ... take your time. I was able to fab some brackets to put my stock bumpers back on the truck without a gap (waiting on BIOR and Coastal Offroad bumpers to come in). I fabbed the frame sliders and welded them to the frame, no kits really available for AHC that would work with the body lift as well.
The tires, even with 1.5 inches (almost) of body lift in the front, still rubbed a bit. Pinch weld hammer down and the plastic guard protecting the washer fluid bottle modified - all is good even under full compression and a sharp turn. I used a fancy plastic to make the spacers, the same stuff that they make cutting boards out of basically. I cut them and the first two positions were both 30 mm then I stepped down a few mm each body mount until I got to the rear of the truck.
There are two strange reverse mounts in the bed of the truck ... they aren't body mounts but you won't be able to live the body off the frame without addressing these. Also, TWO IMPORTANT things to note: The steering column will potentially be very tight, and if you loosen the yoke on the engine side of the firewall you will only have about 1/4 inch of spines left and that is going to be very sketchy off road - I found an extension from a company in Australia - slipped it in there and bam it was perfect. The next thing is the radiator/fan shroud .... you can redneck it and cut the fan shroud (please don't) or drop the radiator down 1.5 inches so the fan is again centered and doesn't contact the shroud (which it will if you don't move it). When you do this, take care that the lower mount busing is modified. The radiator is attached to the body, the engine to the frame - so when you drop it down you will need to make sure that it is secure and the bottom of it is not bouncing/wiggling around in there.
Check brake lines under full suspension droop, check A/C lines etc ... take your time. I was able to fab some brackets to put my stock bumpers back on the truck without a gap (waiting on BIOR and Coastal Offroad bumpers to come in). I fabbed the frame sliders and welded them to the frame, no kits really available for AHC that would work with the body lift as well.
Nice work and even better description of what it entails
Couple things, I would love to see any photos you took during the process and, of course, the end results.
Please share a link for the steering extension. That may be helpful for others also.
I thought I had heard those strange reverse body mounts were overload supports for the back of the truck. In case you decided to load a small pick-up worth of gold when overthrowing a dictator. The sheet metal can rest on the crossmember.
Good work @Escape Artist and applicable to the 200 also.
Last edited:
One other thing that I think is worth mentioning ... the shift linkage. The transmission linkage will need to be loosened up and then retightened or you will have some issues when you put it in park and try and take the key out of the ignition ... it doesn't trigger the safety switch etc because it is not far enough forward. It was easy to adjust. Also ... there is an extension for the low-range shifter so it can be raised up as it will appear to be sunk down a bit as the cab has lifted an inch or inch and a half above the transfer case.
This is the thread I used ... a great read.
[How's your 100 Series Body Lift? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hows-your-100-series-body-lift.188213/
The steering shaft extension is 17.5 mm in diameter with a 36 Spline count. I almost ordered one from Australia for 200 bucks plus shipping but found one stateside for less than half that. This is the one I went with and it worked like a charm. Got it from Parts Shop Max. Great customer service too by the way.
store.partsshopmax.com
This is the thread I used ... a great read.
[How's your 100 Series Body Lift? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hows-your-100-series-body-lift.188213/
The steering shaft extension is 17.5 mm in diameter with a 36 Spline count. I almost ordered one from Australia for 200 bucks plus shipping but found one stateside for less than half that. This is the one I went with and it worked like a charm. Got it from Parts Shop Max. Great customer service too by the way.
Steering intermediate Shaft Extension for Nissan & Toyota
Adds 35mm to the steering shaft for use when relocating the steering rack forward so the steering column will reach the steering rack. This is a
store.partsshopmax.com
Here is how the truck sits now ... pretty level. Bumpers don't have a gap ... looks good. The body is not raked forward even though the suspension and frame are slightly to keep the stability.
Hey, whereabouts did you adjust the shifter linkage? Is this under the body near the trans, or in the cab, under the center console coverings?One other thing that I think is worth mentioning ... the shift linkage. The transmission linkage will need to be loosened up and then retightened or you will have some issues when you put it in park and try and take the key out of the ignition ... it doesn't trigger the safety switch etc because it is not far enough forward. It was easy to adjust. Also ... there is an extension for the low-range shifter so it can be raised up as it will appear to be sunk down a bit as the cab has lifted an inch or inch and a half above the transfer case.
This is the thread I used ... a great read.
[How's your 100 Series Body Lift? - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/hows-your-100-series-body-lift.188213/
The steering shaft extension is 17.5 mm in diameter with a 36 Spline count. I almost ordered one from Australia for 200 bucks plus shipping but found one stateside for less than half that. This is the one I went with and it worked like a charm. Got it from Parts Shop Max. Great customer service too by the way.
Steering intermediate Shaft Extension for Nissan & Toyota
Adds 35mm to the steering shaft for use when relocating the steering rack forward so the steering column will reach the steering rack. This is a
