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Body lift questions

R

ramses

1/2 ton status
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Jul 2, 2004
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West Virginia
I think im going to install a body lift soon but I have a few questions about the installation. What has always kept me from putting a body lift on was how bad they look sometimes, but ive seen some that were done right lately and I couldnt even hardly notice it so im going to install one on my truck so I can safely put some 40's under it without trimming lol. Im moslty concerned about raising the bumpers and gas tank and covering the gap up, but id be interested to know any info on the other things ill have to do too, such as extending the shifters and anything else. I know there are a few other things to do too that I cant think of right now. Some pics would also be helpful, especially anything that shows what youve done to raise the bumpers and gas tank.
 
Some of the better kits come with brackets to lift the bumpers. You aslo need to add a spacer to radiator and/or shroud. Usually theres just a longer hose or extension for gas tank. May need a steering spacer as well as tranny and t-case linkage. Also you can buy seperatelly flaps to cover the gaps in yer wheel well. Ive seen people run body lifts no problem, but Ive seen bad things happen. Enough to know it wasnt a fluke and for that I will never use 'em. Would rather use a Zero-Rate and :hack: . If yer worried about the look of hacked fenders some good fender flares will cover it up nicely. But stay away for the cheap $50 kits and make sure it come with all the extra brackets and extensions needed.
 
ORD has a 1" body lift kit. I used it on my fullsize didn't have to modify anything else regarding linkage ect. Just had to readjust the clutch. One inch dosn't really do much, but anymore than that gets to be a hassle. If you need more clearance, get out the sawzall! Giant body lifts just get the center of gravity up too high IMO.

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i have sceen really really bad things happen,
i saw a 3/4 ton with 42's and it had a 3inch body lift dont correctly mind you and the body actually crumpled where the mounts are on the back of the cab from the higher center of gravity away from the frame. scarey stuff
i say :hack: and thats it!!!


LUKE
 
I put a 2in body lift on my project. I went with the 2in just for a little bit more clearance for tires even though I'm running 6in psrings and planning to hack the fenders. Plus it looks like it'll give me alot more room around the trans and xfer case.

I'm definitly going to have to do something with the steering. It's not horrible but it's definitly bowed slightly. the gas tank filler neck is streched a little but looks like it'll be ok. there is a nice gap where the bumpers would be but I'm making my own so that's not a big deal. I know people have bad things to say about bodylifts, but my thing is they're just like anything else. If it's done right then there won't be any problems. Right now the pucks are just in for mock up. When it comes down to it I'm gonna pull them and put some plates between the pucks and the body/mounts and also trash the grade 5 bolts that came with the kit for grade 8. Also I'll be running a full cage to the frame so I really doubt that a 2in body lift will give me much trouble.
 
I figured this would turn into a "body lift or not discussion" lol, I know all about the pro's and cons of them and actually im doing mine a little different to make it stronger but thats not what this post is about. My questions are about raising the bumpers and gas tank, what I have to do with the steering, and my biggest concern right now, what I have to do with the clutch linkage.
 
Bumpers, either leave them, fab up your own relocation brackets for your current bumpers and make new bumpers to accomidate for the body lift.

Gas tank does not need to be raised unless you want to for personal reasons in which you'll need to raise the crossmembers that the tank attaches too. Otherwise, just get a longer rubber filler neck tube.
 
The higher the lift, the more you pull your body away from the Z-bar which is attached to the frame. With a small lift, you only need to re-adjust the clutch to make up the difference. As you go with a higher lift, it is possible to not even get the clutch rod to reach the Z-bar. In that case, you can cut, add, and reweld the rod, or go with a 3/8 threaded rod and heim joints. That fix helps to eliminate the slop inherant in GM's original design. For steering, you should check out the Borgeson Double D shaft with U/Joint ends. It is very expensive, but its steering!! I would not even consider cutting and rewelding a steering shaft.

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I thought you just punched out the plastic pieces in the steering shaft and let it slide out when you raise the body?
 
I actually have a similar question that pertains to this topic. I know when I did a 1" BL on my YJ Wrangler I did not need any sort of extensions/reloaction brackets. Would it be the same for the K5? I wouldn't need to relocate the rad or extend my 4x4 shifter? (I drive an auto).
 
You can let the original steering extend by relieving the plastic retainer pin. Just be sure that with your body lift, you have plenty material left in the shaft to prevent it coming apart during extreme flex or airborne. I am very happy with the Borgeson replacement, but as I said, it is costly.
 
MudQueen, sorry I have not done a BL on an auto tranny vehicle. My guess is if your shifter is on the floor, no big deal. Column shift linkage problems could arise. On my vehicle, the 1 inch lift was a small enough lift that the fan still cleared the bottom of the fan shroud. But, I have the two piece shroud, and I plan to split the top and bottom and add a spacer. That way it will still mount at the top, but add clearance toward the bottom in case the fan might hit during flex or extreme bumps. I went with 1 inch because I wanted additional clearance w/minimum fender trimming. But I am only running 35 inch tires, and with a fullsize truck, I do not plan to do any rock crawling or extreme stuffing of the wheels. And, I just like the stance of my rig with the slight body lift. As I stated earlier, IMO a large lift creates lots of problems and raises the CG of the vehicle. With a radical lift, the vehicle is modified so much, why not just cut the wheelwell area?
 
Ok now im trying to figure out what brand of body lift to buy and either 2 inch or 3 inch. Most body lifts ive seen are Performance Accessories but I think I saw a Superlift body lift in LMC. Im thinking maybe that a 2 inch lift would not cause as many issues for my truck but im not sure. 1 inch isnt enough, I need at least 2 inch. I wonder if I just might as well go with the 3 inch kit since im going to all the trouble anyway?
 
Just make sure you look at what comes in the kit. Some dont include bumper relocation brackets and other little tid-bits you will want/need.
 
Summit Racing lists Performance Accessories body lifts with bumper brackets. Also lists the Skyjacker 3" body lift with bumper brackets. Maybe there different?? :dunno: I dunno Ive always stayed away from all body lifts.
 
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