Body Lift

[Brandon_Kelsey]

Okay, so on my 1992 Ford Ranger SuperCab, I got 31" rubber. I love it, but they rub on my fenders when I cut the wheel too hard. I'm thinking about putting a 2" body lift in so that doesn't happen. The only thing is, I've never done a lift before. Any tips or advice to help me out when I get into it? Anythings helpful. Thanks.

 

[Mark_88]

I think the hardest part of a body lift is dealing with rust issues...the other things are fairly easy as long as the mounts are not rusted...but you will probably have to replace all the hardware including the bolts...which should be Grade 8.

Lifting the cab one side or end at a time requires a fairly serious jack, hoist, or even a forklift...it is not heavy (600 or so lbs) but you certainly want it stable. I removed my cab the first time (not for lift) with a forklift and it was much easier that way...recently removed the cab with a hoist and this had to be the best way of all, as long as you are just plunking it down on the same frame...only problem with complete lifting is the steering, parking brake, motor ground wire and battery cables, and a few others must be either removed or slackened.

I've seen it done with just a jack and did my rear mounts this way myself.

Oil everything as good as you can...the back two mounts are held on by the bottom nut/washer and are fairly easy...clean up the threads with a wire brush and soak them in PB Blaster or similar...the fronts may be reversed (nut on top) depending on the year. A good air gun or impact drill will help...

The bed requires a T-55 socket but you may want to try a Johnson bar (long bar) to break the rust...bolts may snap if rusty so soak the C-nuts from underneath as much as possible in PBB and let them sit overnight...and have replacements in case they are too rusted.

I just removed a box from a 92 and the bolts and clips were good enough to use again with a bit of cleaning...

 

[truckfan]

Here are some links that can help you:
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=110865
http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/Summer2003/LiftingOnABudget.htm

 

[Brandon_Kelsey]

I think the hardest part of a body lift is dealing with rust issues...the other things are fairly easy as long as the mounts are not rusted...but you will probably have to replace all the hardware including the bolts...which should be Grade 8.

Lifting the cab one side or end at a time requires a fairly serious jack, hoist, or even a forklift...it is not heavy (600 or so lbs) but you certainly want it stable. I removed my cab the first time (not for lift) with a forklift and it was much easier that way...recently removed the cab with a hoist and this had to be the best way of all, as long as you are just plunking it down on the same frame...only problem with complete lifting is the steering, parking brake, motor ground wire and battery cables, and a few others must be either removed or slackened.

I've seen it done with just a jack and did my rear mounts this way myself.

Oil everything as good as you can...the back two mounts are held on by the bottom nut/washer and are fairly easy...clean up the threads with a wire brush and soak them in PB Blaster or similar...the fronts may be reversed (nut on top) depending on the year. A good air gun or impact drill will help...

The bed requires a T-55 socket but you may want to try a Johnson bar (long bar) to break the rust...bolts may snap if rusty so soak the C-nuts from underneath as much as possible in PBB and let them sit overnight...and have replacements in case they are too rusted.

I just removed a box from a 92 and the bolts and clips were good enough to use again with a bit of cleaning...

Is there a list of things that need to be removed or slackened? i dont wanna lift up my cab and have something snap on me. also, would you recommend a 2 inch or 3 inch lift? i just need my fenders to clear the 31 inch tires.

 

[swynx]

i installed a 2 inch body lift on my super cab (cleared 31s), a 3 inch is just a few bucks more than a 2 inch, if you dont want quite 3 inches you could cut an inch off that way if you decide you dont like the 3 you could have 2 or even a 1 inch body lift.

i never disconnected anything when doing my lift, i just payed attention. but nothing ever got tight. didnt even need the steering shaft extension.

ive read about people on here installing a 3 inch body lift without using the steering extension or putting slack in any thing.

for me the worst part was the front, it was super rusted and i had to use a pipe wrench to get a hold of the nut. in a super cab there isnt much room in the back to use a cheater bar. i had to use a cheater bar on every nut/bolt. it took about 8 hours to do the cab alone. i would grease the crap out of the bolts when you put them back in.

if i was to redo a body lift i wouldnt buy the kit. the washers that came with my kit just got all bent up before i even got to half the torque specs, you can buy all the hardware, and you can get the lift blocks for cheap. i took pictures of the block and bolts dimensions for my 2 inch lift, and there on this site somewhere if you want to go that route.

 

[4x4junkie]

I had to undo the ground strap at the rear of the engine to the firewall and put a small extension bracket on it when I did a 2" BL on my '90 (a longer strap would work just the same). Other than that I don't recall any issues, though it's been awhile.