Body Lift

Anyone have any photos of a 3rd gen with a 1-3” body lift? I have done some searches but I can’t find anything that specifically states that it has only a body lift. I would like to do the body lift first and then come back later and do a 2-3” suspension lift for a total of 4-5” or lift with new tires once my tires wear out (brand new truck), but I want to see what it looks like first. I just think my TRD Sport really needs a 2” lift ASAP for looks.

 

Body lifts are kinda 1980's gone with the dodo. Tacoma doesn't gain any tire clearance with it, and with all the harnesses it ends up being more trouble than its worth. They exist but are quite rare. I've installed a few body lifts and I would never do that to a new truck.

A leveling kit will get you lifted real quick for very few bucks.

 

Its funny I was reading about the Toytec 1 inch body lift. Lots of great reviews as ones that have installed it that a one inch is about all. Looks like the norman is about 8 to 10 hours. The rear bumper needs a new bracket to raise it up some and you need to use the radiator brackets. Nothing wrong with a body lift!

 

We're talking about a body lift not a spacer lift.

 

i’ve had the understanding that a body lift was a spacer lift. My apologies.

 

No worries. We learn something new everyday. It's all good.

 

I always thought it was a misnomer. Because, if you lift the suspension you are also lifting the body. Think about it. If you lift the truck, then the "body" is also lifted. Am I totally wrong in my thinking about this?

Forgive my ignorance on this topic. I have never had a body/suspension lift, and probably never will. My truck height it great the way it it.

 

A body lift kit raises the body of your vehicle up a few inches while leaving the suspension and wheels at their original height, and a suspension lift extends the suspension and raises every part of the vehicle.



Body lift is typically done by adding spacers over the vehicles' original body mount bushings. This type of lift shouldn't affect your ride quality or handling in any way.

Suspension kits raise the height of the vehicle's suspension. This is a more labor intense installation, however, the end result gives vehicles the highest lift options. The vehicle's stock suspension components are replaced with bigger/longer components. This can dramatically increase the vehicle's tire clearance.

 

Just say no to body lifts.

1'' isn't worth the effort and 3'' is asking for a host of issues.

Too many gaps and spacers, line and cable extensions, etc...

(And yes I'm sure someone has run one for 100k miles with no issues, sun shines on a dog's ass somedays too)

 

I haven't heard that one in years

And yes -- just say no to body lifts.

 

The only legitimate use of a body lift IMHO is a 1” body lift to help clear 35” tires. From what I’ve read, 35” tires are so tall that they contact the top of the wheel well. The more popular solutions are extended bump stops and tubbing the top of the wheel well. I’m not going go as far to recommend a body lift for this care, but I do see it as an option.

For general info about lifts I recommend this article.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-ultimate-tacoma-lift-guide.509171/

This video and the others on the channel are excellent.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l1tTelhdEiM

 

A one inch body lift is not a big deal in my opinion. Everybody says don't do a body lift but nobody says why or gives any reasons as to why no. The one inch kit doesn't require a lot of brackets or relocations of lines or other items like a 3 inch kit would do. I use to run a body lift and suspension lift to get 35s or 38s under my trucks back in the day.

 

Well put. I did a 3" Body lift on my 1st. Gen . It worked okay. A 1" Body lift. To help Clear could be just the Ticket. Depending on the situation. IMHO: It could be a Better Solution than extended Bump Stops. It would allow for further Articulation. I've seen a Picture of a fully Articulated Rear, in this thread. Where he was getting Tire Scrub on the Fender Flare. With a 1" Body lift. It would have cleared by 3/4". Sometimes one extra inch is all that is needed. You could still Tub, and Trim further, if needed. But you already have a 1" head start.

 

1” Toytec, rear bumper still hanging low on 34’s. I’ve installed 3 of these on my Tacoma’s over the years, never had a single issue. Solid puck only & install it yourself. It takes about 6 to 8 hours by yourself, easy install, just lots of little things.

PS, I would not install a 3” body, it would look ridicules, a 2” is pushing it, 1” is just right : )

 

I agree. 3". Even with gap fillers. Doesn't look right. But I can see. Where a 1" would give you the extra Clearance . Without being noticeable, and causing issues. I wouldn't go more.
Beautiful Truck!
I'm still thinking about De-badging mine. I like the clean look.

 

There are plenty of reasons but most people don’t want to hear it. However, the crux is that it provides no added value for the time and money for a 3rd Gen.

Body lifts have there place but most would only recommend them if needed. As an example, I run a 1” body lift on my Jeep, it’s not to fit tires, it’s because I raised the entire drivetrain by an inch to fit within the frame and run a flat belly skid.

 

This is just my opinion on it:

I have the Toytec 1" Body lift on my 3rd gen. 1" is about all you want bc it wont look right going to 2" or 3". I like it overall but I had to put some serious work into it. I wouldn't recommend the Toytec version of it for the 3rd gen Tacoma either.

1" Body lift is a good compliment to a suspension lift because then you don't have to go as high for a suspension lift which will help save your CV Axle Boots. A 2" suspension and a 1" body is a good combo, or I guess a 3" and a 1" body is doable too but you are again putting a lot of stress on the CV axles and will be changing boots or whole axles more frequently. Plus a lot of 3" lifts in the front don't exactly ride very well.

The Toytec kit doesn't come with a 1" longer steering shaft coupler. You are supposed to just loosen it up and allow it to stretch out and then retighten. Well I wasn't comfortable with it because the shaft basically moves all on one side of the coupler and doesn't give a lot of connection left. I was worried about losing my steering while driving faster so I purchased a longer coupler from Daystar and it was expensive. It was also a pain in the butt to install. Plus make sure you bungee your steering wheel in place so that you don't damage your clock spring behind the airbag.

The Toyec kit comes with brackets to lower the Radiator. That didn't fit well at all. I had to drill holes in the Radiator support to allow the heads of the bolts to clear on top.

I would go with this kit instead of Toytec's:

https://www.daystarsuspensionparts.com/pa5611

You will see a slight crease in the front bumper which doesn't bother me at all. Hell, I have seen stock tacomas after a little bit of offroading have the same crease as well.

The rear bumper doesn't move with the body lift. What I did was take 3/4" spacers and raised the rear bumper up and left the brackets that support the hitch alone and you cant even notice a difference in the rear now. Or at least you would have to really focus on it to see a difference.

Like I said, its a lot of work for 1" I would never even consider going 2-3" because then you are going to struggle with making sure that you don't stretch your ABS lines in front and other wiring as well.

 

I agree. But no matter your reason for doing a Body lift on your Jeep. The end result was . You also gained clearance between the Tire , and the Fender. A Body Lift is Pricey, and a lot of Work for what little is gained. Unfortunately , The only way you will know whether it's worth it to you, or not. Is to do one. There are probably fewer of us . That would do one. Than those that won't. The reason I will: I only have to do it once. I already know what a pain in the A** they are. They do not take the place of a Suspension lift. They just provide that little bit of extra separation between the Body, and the Tire. It may not even save you from Trimming. But you won't have to Trim quite so much.

 

If that is your concern then you would need to run 37s or larger and at that point you are already hacking up the frame, and trimming other things, so it’s even more of a waste.

 

Like I said: Not many see the Value. I made a valid point, whether you want to acknowledge it, or not. You get a little clearance, from a lot of work. You don't have to run 37's to get the Clearance. With a body lift. You have just further separated the Fender from the Tire. Whether it's worth it , or not for you to go that route. Is a matter of Opinion. To most, it's not worth it. To some it is. Obviously to you, it's not. But just like my opinion. Yours isn't the only one that counts.
I'm out.