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To Body Lift or Not to Body Lift

k5freak44

k5freak44

1/2 ton status
Joined
Jun 1, 2004
Posts
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Location
Texas
Hey guys,

right now im running 4in tc and i wana keep the flex and get a little more clearance for my tires. Now i have alreayd trimmed a little bit but since i might go up in size for my next tire and i also want to sandblast the underside of my body i want a little bit more room.

Im thinking 3in and some new poly mounts from ord. What are your opinions and why does every shop say body lifts on suspension lifts are a big no no.


THanks
 
personally, I dislike body lifts. I might get a 1" for more lift, without killing flex. 3", I wouldn't do. I've seen some (newer) trucks with body lifts, theres a big space you can see from looking at it 10 feet away /forums/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
 
the space really dosent bug me but will a body lift hurt my flex?
 
compared to adding 3" to your springs, it will be better. Your suspension will stay the same, your just lifting stuff from the frame, up.
 
IT's harder to tell when there is a body lift on our older trucks compared to the newer models. I don't think a body lift is that bad of an idea if you plan on doing everything to make it look right, otherwise it will look plain stupid. They can be a bear to install and to make it look right the bumpers need to be lifted 3" also.
 
Just cut your fenders. At that tire size you have no reason to need additional lift and you'll likely regret it if you add the body lift.

I used to have a 3" body lift and I took it off simply because I didn't need it anymore.
 
I think they say no no to a body lift AND a susp. lift, is cuz it raises the center of gravity..making it very top heavy.

I installed a 2" on a diff. vehicle and used poly bushings made it >3" compared to the worn out stock rubber bushings (a few were less than 1/4 " thick)
 
[ QUOTE ]
I think they say no no to a body lift AND a susp. lift, is cuz it raises the center of gravity..making it very top heavy.



[/ QUOTE ] Which is a weak argument because if someone had a 6" lift they could just go 8" suspension instead and it would be just as tall as adding a 2" body, plus with the body lift it would keep your drivetrain 2" lower over a strait 8" susp lift.
 
I've been told that the reason they won't install a body lift with a susp. lift, is because of lawsuits. I guess people have accidents, probably on or off-road, and try to sue them for it. I'm not sure how having the two together has any effect on that, but that's just what they told me. I run a 4" susp and 3" body lift, with 36's, and have never had any problems. I used covers for the gaps, and you can't even tell the body lift is there, til you look up close. as far as the bumpers...they do sell brackets to relocate them, but...most of them make the bumpers pretty much useless, and only for looks once you relocate them. I'd leave them alone. I left mine where they were, and the front looks fine, but it does leave a gap under the tailgate. I just cut a piece of alluminum, painted it to match, and bolted it in there, looks good. a body lift even makes some things easier to work on...such as, removing the tranny. you just gotta remember it's gonna be a little more top-heavy. depending on what type of wheeling you do, it may not even matter, like if you run mostly mud.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think they say no no to a body lift AND a susp. lift, is cuz it raises the center of gravity..making it very top heavy.



[/ QUOTE ] Which is a weak argument because if someone had a 6" lift they could just go 8" suspension instead and it would be just as tall as adding a 2" body, plus with the body lift it would keep your drivetrain 2" lower over a strait 8" susp lift.

[/ QUOTE ]I think the main issue is that a body lift adds a lot of additional stress to the mounting bolts for the body. I changed the ones that came with the kit to grade 8 bolts.
 
well im thinking i might because my truck will never see more then the occasional mud pit or the occasional trail. I DO plan on going up to a larger tire size and i dont want to hack too much away from my fenders. If i run in to trouble later ill take it out but for now i want to get one so i can access all the rust i have growing on my frame.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I left mine where they were, and the front looks fine, but it does leave a gap under the tailgate. I just cut a piece of alluminum, painted it to match, and bolted it in there, looks good.

[/ QUOTE ]I've seen people put aluminum between the body and bumper, looks silly to me. But thats just me.
[ QUOTE ]
as far as the bumpers...they do sell brackets to relocate them,

[/ QUOTE ] Nope, or at least none I ever saw before I lifted my bumpers.
 
I have a 1" body lift... depending on what else I was running, I might even go 2" on a rig. A little bit of room between the body and the frame can be very handy sometimes when it comes to working on / modding a rig.

Easy examples are when you add a driveline brake from HAD to your t-case... you need room for the rotor, if the body is right on the frame you're gonna have to cut some sheet metal. I used every bit of room I had after a 1" body lift when I mounted my rear shock x-member too.

As far as the "look" of a short body lift... I'll leave that to others to comment on, I don't really care. lol!
IMO, build you're rig to run in whatever environment you wanna take it in and don't worry about how it looks.

2583192599747qcIlwm_ph.jpg


gettin' it. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

j
 
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