Ritzy4Runner

iTrader: (1)

I have been considering doing a body lift for my next "major" mod. So I have read few write ups here about body lifts. Sounds like an interesting "mod" that is really not very difficult and one I know I could do myself with my son's help! But first to the court of public opinion!

Which of the these is the best option, 1" or 2" or would it be better to just leave it stock? I do understand that the first thing is, what are you trying to accomplish. I am (and will continue) running the stock 16" Toyota wheels with 265/75/16R multi-purpose tires. I have no intention of going to bigger meats or wall crawlers. This is a daily driver/light 4wheeler. Looks are always a perk but I also want stability. Will the 2" lift really make the truck look "modified" or is the 1" enough to increase clearance without making it look less OEM? I know Toyota designed our trucks with specific parameters in mind so I want to know the opinions of those who have done the lifts and their own preceived benefits.

I have read some of the threads on installs so it seems to be a pretty straight forward mod. What are some of the things you need to take into consideration? Problems encountered during installation. What things would be good to upgrade during the mod? Extra components or other modifications needed for one or the other? What is the cost of these liftkits and the best place to locate them? Seems Roger Brown is the preferred lift from my reading. Are there other lift kits out there and their relative quality vs cost?

The more input the better guys and gals and THANKS !

86blue4runner

Dude, please keep searching...this topic has been covered way to many times. Every question you asked has been answered more than once. In fact there should be a sticky thread for body lifts. Not trying to be rude by any means, but re-posting material that had been posted hundreds of times before gets old after a while. And there will be a few guys that will flame you for wanting to do a body lift...so i hope you brought full turn-outs.

Godzilla

These cover everything and answer pretty much every question;
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/1...d-pics-137859/
http://www.sonoransteel.com/body_lift.html
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/BodyLiftKit.shtml

IF I was you with a 98, I would ditch the body lift idea, and put on a mild suspension upgrade/"lift" to raise you up to 99 height. This will most likely achieve your "needs". You could achieve great stability based on your suspension of choice (Bils or OME for shocks) and (99', OME906/890, PP<-might be discontinued, for springs)

Godzilla

I agree

toyNG

this was covered twice last week.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116.../#post50992296
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116.../#post50991107

I made comments on each of those. Same advice would apply to you. However, I don't really see the point of a BL if you don't want larger tires. The main purpose of a body lift is to allow for bigger tires.

FWIW, the 1" is much easier to install than the 2".

And if you do get one, definitely go with 4crawler.

Ritzy4Runner

iTrader: (1)

Not to sound like I don't have a clue and that I didn't do a search, what I am asking is a bit different then the threads that have been posted before. I was asking those who have ALREADY done the lift and what issues they encountered, what they preferred. Iam not looking for "how to". But if 200 people did a 1" lift and another 200 did the 2" lift there are going to be pretty close to 400 different opinions on why, advantage of one over the other, and as one of you recommended, do a suspension mod which is totally what I am looking for opinions on even doing a body lift. There are lots of reasons for doing them or not doing them. I DID a search and what I am looking for is better addressed in my questions for opinions on personal experience. I have been on this site long enough to know that some will always come up with "this was already discussed" responses. The input about the reasons for a lift are what I am after, advantages and disadvantages. THIS is information that helps in decisions of to do or not to do. So keep the opinions coming. I would agree that if its been such a high profile topic as was mentioned then maybe collecting the information and putting it in a sticky thread would be the best way to go. Ohand I usually do bring my asbestos underwear when I post here

Rock Slide

iTrader: (1)

As you know, I added a 1" BL. It was rather straight forward IMO. Besides adding the steering spacer, no other modification was required.

I can't speak to a 2" BL. Don't know what additional mods, if any, are required. Both Steve and Roger have great info on BLs on their respective sites too.

You could always look into a 1.5 BL as well.

Godzilla

Well maybe its just me but those threads answer pretty much every question you had. Most of them have peoples suggestions and what they did and how they like it.
And yes, many threads are repeated, however this topic is more common than the "what tire" threads.
Consensus is the smallest you need. SO try to just use a 1'.
Also 265/75/16 really dont need clearence, and I cant see many people putting a body lift on a 3rd gen just for the 265/75.
With your goals a body lift in my own opinion (one of the 200 that havent put it on) would be pointless.

KBToys

When I had a tacoma, I first did a 1inch bodylift. Real stright foward as install goes. As far as ride goes there was no difference after the install. A year later I swaped it out for a 2inch bodylift to fit 33's. The big difference is the radiator need to be modified with the 2inch.

BajaRunner

I put on a 2" body lift and if I were going to do it again, I'd stick to the 1". 2" is just a little too high. Of course, it makes things nice a spaced out...like taking out my starter was a breeze.

Its straight forward. Just disconnect your steering at the rag joint, stick a 4x4 on top of your floor jack and jack your body off the frame. Place in pucks and bolt down.

Bandit Runner

I have a 1.5" body lift with 265/75/R16 tires. (No suspension lift yet) I works really well. Couldn't be happier.

In my opinion, 1" would be barely noticeable, and 2" got too complicated. So I comprimised at 1.5". Perfect!

I am no mechanic, and even I was able to install it with no issues. I did it by myself and took my time, about 4 hours.

4Crawler was great to deal with too. Really knows his stuff.

eburkett

how hard is it to install a 3" BL, i know you have to ad steering extension but is there much else?

Ron Helmuth

In 2 posts SC4Runner and BanditRunner answered 93% of my questions-questions that I never would have gotten answered if we all stuck to this "do a search" theme.

I find the search function sucks-yes I can get 53 posts about body lifts-but Ritzy is looking for specific opinions from people who have done it-not just the wanna beeeees. I get better results just paging back through as many pages as possible.

I am with Ritzy-I am considering a body lift myself, but I quickly discover that a lot of the fine minute details are glossed over by those that have technical know how. If a job is really simple I want to know-if it is not I still want to know. I plan and plan and plan some more before I plunk down my green.

No offense to either of you;
86Blue4Runner-your Runner is significantly different from our 3rd gens. Hence a body lift would have specific differences for you than for us.

Godzilla in Vancouver- clearance remains an issue if you run 265/75/16s and need/want to run factory front mudflaps-I do and I do-this is one reason I am considering the body lift in addition to my Old Man Emu spring change out.

I listened to many of you say these tires would fit just fine, and they do-so long as you don't give a rats behind about running flaps.

Each of us comes from a vehicle that is the same-yet different....That is why I love the RitzyRunner writeups, he thinks of every possibility and details it to the nth degree...

and you guys tell him to "search".... show some respect please.

Re-Read the specifics of what the original poster is asking for.

Godzilla

Well not too sure on the differences but I have 265/75/16 TG and have the limited flares and even some added flaps and have never had an issue under any situation so far. The only time I have rubbed is when a large branch wedged itself between tire and flare under compression.
Ya sure, every thread is going to answer different q's, but if you learn how to use the search function to weed out the crap and also utilize other forums, a question like this is quite redundant.
Also read my posts, I directed him to search yet also gave my input on what he is actually looking to achieve based on his info.
And as for "offense" . I'll take it as such. I dont see how there was any disrespect from either.

Gerdo

Do it right and do a suspension lift!

I HATE BODY LIFTS !!!

Benny_Wiskas

Thoughts:

0" - most practical since you don't really need it to clear tires
1" - just to spend some money and look slightly different from nonlifted 4Runner
2" - IMO look tacky b/c of gap between body and frame

A buddy told me that his 2" made his truck feel tippy on the trail at times.
I'd just not do a body lift b/c simply not needed.

boostedka

what modifications did you have to do with the 1.5 inch lift?

Bandit Runner

Boosted,

The 1.5" body lift didn't require anything more than a 1" body lift would. These are the things you need to check or take care of:

1. Steering - Add steering extension to rag joint.

2. Automatic shifter linkage - Simple single bolt adjustment.

3. Radiator fan shroud - Remove.

4. Front bumper - Adjust or leave as is with gap.

5. 4x4 shifter - Ensure shifter doesn't interfere with floor cutout opening.

6. Spare tire winch access - Ensure your lowering tool will still fit through the openings and align with winch.

All of these things are explained in much better detail on 4Crawler's website.

OSU4Runner

2" is the most you should go and go with the 4crawler kit. You won't have to worry about the front bumper gap or radiator problems with that kit. I did the 2" kit...I'm happy with it. The only downside is the gap between the hitch and body...so I just removed my hitch...I'm ordering a Kennnesaw Mountain rear bumper with the hitch build in. Another downside, like others have said is the spare tire carrier...but I can't fit a 285 under there anyway so I just removed the entire thing.

Ron Helmuth

thanks BanditRunner for that list and OSU4Runner for your input