Body Lift???

Body lift's have been frowned on for years! Why? Back in the late 70's, early 80's when people were stacking blocks to get height and even under the front solid axle... they also used to drill out hockey pucks and use them for a body lift and even went as far as to stack them! Yup, back in those days people didn't know better or they just wanted the cheapest thing to jack up their truck to bolt on 44's... remember those days??? Not showing my age here??? lol...
But that is where the body lift got the bad wrap from. I never used the hockey pucks, I purchased a commercial body lift... and they are still in business today! Their kits included the proper grade hardware and high pressure blocks!

I installed my first body around 1984-85ish, it was a 3" body lift and I already had a 3.5" Northwest Off-Road suspension lift and with the total of 6.5", I cleared the 35" BFG Mud T/A's I was running at that time... I wheeled that truck pretty hard and it was airborne quite often and never had issues with the body lift... well, long story short and multiple Toyota trucks with the same body lift, sometimes using the 2"... in 31 years I never had a body lift fail...

Is all of the hype from hockey pucks? Yes, they cracked and people had a slight problem and who knows if others thought about the proper grade hardware???

Just thought I would put this out there, so many seem to pass on that "Body lifts are bad"... and how many have actually had bad experiences from the commercial kits? Not homemade crap...

Trucks I have had over the years with 2" and 3" body lifts:

1983 with 3" body lift


1984 4Runner with 3" body lift


1993 with 2" body lift


2003 with 1.5" RB body lift


And my 2014 current truck, 2" body lift

 

Well, next time someone gives the "OMG, you want a body lift???" I guess I will have to ask them what their experience was... bet it will be... "well, I heard bad things"....

 

My 1980 Toyota ran a 3" body lift 3 in suspension, I ran a IH Scout with a 2" lift-4 in suspensino, the Chevy pictured is running a 2 1/2"(under the cab to match up the custom bed- with a two in suspension. Not hockey pucks mind you but metal spacers. I have never had a problem and these rigs got driven hard.

 

Awesome! I had a 1986 Dodge Royal SE W150 that I ordered, lifted it with a 3" body lift and a 5.5" Superlift suspension lift with 36" Swampers... no issues with that PA body lift.

 

I run spacers but only because they came with the truck when I bought it. I've been airborne a couple of times and wheel'd hard a few times. Nothing has broke yet but down travel is almost completely gone, so I'm still saving up for a real suspension lift.

 

We are talking about body lifts, between the body and frame, not a suspension spacer where you lose suspension travel.

 

Too much suspension lift leads to problems... vibration, torn boots, u-joints failing... sometimes a couple inches with a body lift gives you the clearance you need without the headaches...

I have 2 3/4" suspension and a 2" body lift in my 2014, running 33"X12.5" Mickey T's with no rubbing... I took a pass on the bracket lift!




ForeRunner, what looks like shit?

 

I'm gonna leave now

 

^ this, to be honest

 

Why?

 

What is is "wrong" with a body lift? If you goal is to mount and clear larger tires- not talking looks because you dont like the gap in the frame showing but talking function then what is really wrong. I can argue the center gravity is better maintained with a body lift.

 

Before body lift



With 2" body lift


Before



After

 

The separation is difficult to overcome(aesthetically).

 

Separation is difficult to overcome? Did you see the comparison above? They have "Gap Guards" that actually protect your engine compartment much better from mud, water, dust, sand, salt, ice, snow etc... than the stock ones.

 

I'd be willing to bet 8 out 10 people have no idea what they are looking at when they see a body lift.

 

I've only seen horror stories of the body lift spacers/pucks/whatever you call them punching through the body at some point down the line. I'm sure you could chalk it up to not taking proper precautions but it is enough for me to say no thanks.

I think over 1-2" it starts to look like crap, gap guards or not.

Just my opinion.

 

I like the way the frame hangs out further under the body. So sexy.

 

Punch through the body? The body doesn't lay flat against the frame to begin with... if you punch through, most likely you have a lot more dama
ge than just that because you came down off the Empire State building...