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Body Lift, 2" vs. 3" MADE MY MIND NEW QUESTION

Go with the 2" body lift or upgrade to a 3"

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GM4wheeling

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I did a little searching and couldn't find anything on this... if there's already a thread point me in the right direction.

Anyways, I've got to add a body lift to my truck because the cable on my front "hidden" winch behind my bumper ends up rubbing on the body just under where the radiator sits. If I get a really crappy winde up you can actually see the front of the body lifting up and down as the winch turns. Also I've gotten the tires to touch the fenders a few times so the best fix I can see for both problems is a body lift. I know 2" is recommended, and that's what I plan on doing, but I just know that once the 2" is on I'll wish I'd have gone for the 3" (bigger is better). Just want to know what you all think, and how much 1 more inch of body lift could hurt things. I'll throw in a pic of my "hidden winch". I just cut out the indented area the license plate would normally sit in and it worked out well. I just put the remote plug up on the grill on the passanger side in the blue strip.

front winch pic.jpg
 
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actually 1" is whats most often recommended.. it's what I run... ORD sells one..


I would consider a 2", but not a 3'.... thats just me...
 
normaly i wouldnt tell you to get a body lift...I would just tell you to modify the body where it hits.. but like what Ryoken said 1" is recommended but between the two..go with the 2"..Less stress on the body mount bolts and less mods elsewhere
 
when i bought my truck it had a 3" on it and i took it out and replaced all the body mounts with poly mounts and it really made a difference. body lifts scare me, but i did consider an ORD 1".
 
x3 but i have to put a 2inch one on my truck to clear my clocked 205 doubler...if it wasnt for that i wouldnt run one...oh and i still have to massage the floor a little...
 
my truck has a 3" body lift, it came with it so thats the only reason why. I'm leaving it in because my tires are to big and I don't have the money to make a bigger suspension lift yet. I would suggest doing a 1" body lift and start making some cuts.. fenders for the wheels and then w/e is hitting the winch... I haven't gotten my truck on the road yet but I'm scared to see how the body lift will effect her in the trails...
 
Everyone always badmouths body lift but in my opinion its not such a bad thing. The only negatives are LOOKS and the fact you put more stress on the bolt/mounts. However, if you have ever BROKE a grade 8 bolt on a 3" body lift done correctly(poly block over good original mount), come forward now...

When body mounts fail it is usually due to excessive frame flex. In that case you should cage your truck or brace the frame because eventually it will crack.

With our trucks you can get HUGE flex from 52" springs up front running only 4" of lift. Any more suspension lift than that is IMO not needed. The benifit of a body lift then comes in. It will limit the amount of trimming you need to do on the fenders and in my case allow me to still use most of the inner fender.

Another benefit of the body lift is that kit allows for a hidden winch, better geometry to the frame when building rock sliders, more room under the hood (not that we need it) ect...

Again just my opinion.
 
I've never had a problem with them, but I have seen pictures of people that have. The cab in one place, the frame in another. I don't run one yet, but I do plan on a 1". Just for maintenance purposes. Makes a difference. My '83 had 3" on it and I could feel the body moving during articulation. Never felt safe on the highway.

The saw (Not the 249, the Dewalt) does do miracles for clearance. If you're getting big enough on tires to have a problem right now, the fenders will eventually get cut. No time like the present. If you're having problems with the winch cable clearing, have you thought about changing how it leaves the vehicle? Maybe cut a hole in the bumper and install a guide? That would be better for off center pulls anyway.
 
My fenders are cut just a little.. but I guess I need to go more. I'm just not so worried about the 2" because it's not a pickup... the body being one piece should help a little with keeping everything straigh, but I understand, it'll also cause even more stress on the bolts themselves... I don't do anything too extream with it, don't really do much on rocks and such, so I think I'll be alright with a 2.
 
Alright, so after not taking most of the advice, lol, I made up my mind.

For those of you who have put a 2" lift or more on, what all comes with the kit, I didn't get the bumper brackets.. as I don't want to weaken my bumper, and I can't move it up anyways due to the winch. So as far as shift linkage, fuel tank filler hose, and that stuff what am I looking at? I've done one lift on a Ram before, and his kit said to cut the shift linkage in half and weld this rod in between to lengthen. Is this what I'm looking at doing or have they come up with something better.
 
mrdrinksalil said:
Everyone always badmouths body lift but in my opinion its not such a bad thing. The only negatives are LOOKS and the fact you put more stress on the bolt/mounts. However, if you have ever BROKE a grade 8 bolt on a 3" body lift done correctly(poly block over good original mount), come forward now...
Click to expand...

I haven't broken a bolt but on my truck the front passenger side body mount actually like popped out. The bolt and body mounts are fine but the metal circle thing for the body mount actually ripped out, it's pretty rusty but I'm sure the body lift had something to do with it.. Ill take pics when I get a chance...
 
Those cup washers can hold water and rust out. Once they rust out the bolt can pull right up through the rubber mount. I put extra coats of paint on my cup washers and coat the inside with never sieze.

Where you from in NY?
 
I put a 2" BL on my burb when I got it and it really improved the ride imo. I used energy suspension poly bushings, cleaned and painted the cup holders for the bushings and pitched the cruddy bolts they gave me and bought all new grade eight hardware for it. As far as linkage goes they send you a extension for the trans linkage but I just loosened mine and the shaft was still long enough. Also the filler neck and everything else gas tank related was plenty long enough although I did take out my gas tank when I installed mine. Hope this helps and good luck.
 
Oh yeah forgot if you still have the factory fan shroud you will have to cut a little bit out of the bottom to clear your fan.
 
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