Body Lift Pros vs Cons

[BLOODBANE]

My dad has said it causes the body to bend and things like that. I'm not really sure if that's true or not.

They do cause some body "twist". At least on my Explorer it has. I have a 3" and when I needed a new windshield put in all the glass shop had to do was push the old one out. They used a little different stuff on the new one, so hopefully it will hold up. There is not a lot, but some.

The only real pro, is they make more room for bigger tires (and in some cases room for other mods, my Ranger has a 347/C-6 combo and everything fits pretty snug).

 

[LIMA BEAN]

Somebody on here years ago had a BII with 4X4's for body lift blocks and all thread for bolts, I think it popped up in one of the million or so Hockey Puck body lift threads.

 

[PanamaExpat]

All thread would be a bad idea. Bolts are not that expensive and in the case of a body lift--- Your life is riding on it. I don't even like the idea of using those aluminum spacers. Steel makes much more sense to me.

 

[4.0B2]

All thread would be a bad idea. Bolts are not that expensive and in the case of a body lift--- Your life is riding on it. I don't even like the idea of using those aluminum spacers. Steel makes much more sense to me.

good aluminum is plenty..
but yes buy bolts. I literally bought all my bolts, washers, and lock nuts for $45 in a grade 8 flavor.

 

[killj0y]

I have 265/75-16 tires(about 32") so I think it should look pretty good with a 3" bl. The biggest tire id put on this truck would be 33".

Im basically just mall crawling and playing around in the snow. Im mainly going for the look, but i also like the idea of having my front bumper/valence higher for playing in the snow.

On another note, anybody know how much a 3" body lift affects gas mileage?

The bumper bolts to brackets which bolt to the frame. When I took mine off I don't recall seeing enough adjustment for 3in. Can anyone confirm you need to modify? Or do body lifts come with new brackets? I ask because I'm not sure since I have a suspension lift lol.

 

[straycat]

I have the PA 3 inch bl and I have had it since 2001. It included the bumper brackets and I put them on. I lifted my 99 back in 2000 with the Fabtech 3 inch spindle lift and the 2 inch over coil springs. I have never had an issue with the bl or the suspension lift. My bumpers are strong and rattle free and I have my KC lights mounted on the front bumper. I have a Reese 2 inch front receiver hitch and I have a rear 2 inch receiver inch and they sit fine with the bl. I added the gap guards but did not really need them. But since all my other vehicles 2wd or 4x4 had lifts and a bl on them I and since I got brand new gap guards for free I just went ahead and put them on.

 

[bobbywalter]

nothing wrong with body lifts.


just like anything, proper install and maintenance is key.

 

[LIMA BEAN]

All thread would be a bad idea. Bolts are not that expensive and in the case of a body lift--- Your life is riding on it. I don't even like the idea of using those aluminum spacers. Steel makes much more sense to me.

Yea I wouldnt use all thread period I was just sayin "4x4's and all thread Yikes". If I were to make a homemade one I would just get a stick of UHMW then slice it and drill it. That stuff is indestructable and you dont have metal on metal. We use sheets of it on the bottom of our jet-boats so we can skid across gravel bars, boulders or whatever gets in the way. Here is some its white for food grade but I use black unless I am making fish cutting boards.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-inches-x...faultDomain_0&hash=item3f21b03cb5#ht_92wt_679

 

[bobbywalter]

i have destroyed all of my plastic kit blocks at one point or another...along with many sets of bushings/mounts.


not sure if the uhmw would be hard enough. worth a shot.

 

[PanamaExpat]

If you were making a shorter lift that uhmw looks like it would be the deal. You could easily do a 1.5" to 1.75" out of one stick. Depending on how bad you abuse your ride it should hold up for quite a while.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Pros... If you need to drop the transmission you can get at the bell housing bolts.

It was easier to drop the trans out from my V8 with the big C5 bellhousing than it was the A4LD from behind the 2.8.

Same goes for working on the V8 vs the stock V6 pre lift, everything is right there.

It makes everything MUCH easier to get at.