pyrojoe22

86 toyota pickup 22R 5 speed manual, ifs, reg cab, short bed, 4x4

I currently have the Roger Brown 1" body lift. Love it! But I need a 3" for the engine I'm putting in this summer. Just want to know from someone who's already been through this, what I'll need to do exactly, because all the write up's I read say each truck will vary.

Here's what I'm guessing I'll need to do for now:

-Extend the gas filler (Not sure how to do this)
-Relocate the radiator fan with some drop brackets
-(I'm building custom bumpers so don't care about those)
-Get a steering shaft extention
-Shift stick extentions
-Bed overload extensions


Are there any wires that need lengthening? Or hoses? And do I need to cut out the floor where the shift sticks come through? I can't think of anything else. Just want to start compiling stuff so I can get this thing on ASAP. Thanks!

2DoorRunner

What engine?

pyrojoe22

sorry I'll edit that in. It's the 22R with 5 speed manual

2DoorRunner

What engine are you putting in i mean?

pyrojoe22

Oh, the Mercedes OM617 diesel

2DoorRunner

Ah yes. Pretty sure thats a tall ass motor. Should be a cool swap

Seems to me you have a good understanding of the body lifts. My best advice is to find a couple write ups, and read those. And a couple sites that sell the lifts, and read their install instructions.

pyrojoe22

Yea, debating between the OM617 and 4BT, just cant decide which will get better mileage.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Cut the hood rather than install a body lift. Unless its just a show truck.

If you wheel it, do NOT install anything taller than a 1" body lift. Especially since you are talking SAS and 37's.

pyrojoe22

Why not?? All the yota's I wheel with have SAS and 3" BL running 37's. Some have 22RE's and others have the GM 4.3 V6 swap. The body lift keeps a low center of gravity...

blake.nemitz

om617 will be a better choice weight and clatter wise

pyrojoe22

Ya, I'm pretty set on the om617. Just saw the mpg #'s for it though which shocked me. The 4bt is 400 lbs heavier, has a rough frame shearing idle, and costs $2000 vs the light om617 with smoot idle and $300-$800 cost. It just lacks power, and ease of modifying. Both call for a 3" body lift though...

Anyone out on here runnin a 3" BL on their off road rigs?

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

My shop help Sparky has one on his 87. It seems to work fine. Not a fan of it myself.
For the hassle I'd just sell the 1" and buy a 3" with all the needed pieces from 4crawler.

Got several friends with 4BT in Toyotas, ones a 92 pickup the other a 01 SAS Tacoma. Weird hearing them drive up

:wabbit2:

pyrojoe22

I've always thought they were dumb until I read in to them a little more. Apparently toyotas sit lower on the frame than any other vehicle, so a body lift for them isnt as extreme as for other vehicles. Do you guys not like them because the idea of the cab sliding and shearing off the bolts if your trucks driving sideways on a steep hill for example or something? I just don't see why theyre so unfavorable.

2DoorRunner

Thats what i would do. And agreed. Big body lift=bad if you are going to wheel hard.

False. Keeps a lower COG than a suspention lift. But still raises it.



Also check out the VW diesel swaps, i love those

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Go get a wire coat hanger. Cut off a 2" piece and a 1/2" piece.

Tell me which piece is strongest.

Tell me which piece you can bend the easiest.

Moment (in-lbs) = Force (lbs) x distance (in)

A 3 inch body lift in essence triples the reactions on your mounts.

All things being equal the taller the body lift the worse moment you are putting on everything.

On a street ride who cares, on something you might roll or flop, a body lift is a cheap option to fix the problem. Same reason you don't see them on competition classes etc.

:wabbit2:

yotarob2005

I don't either. I already have a mild IFS lift and just ordered a 2" 4crawler BL to do a small drive train lift. I think that where most go wrong is by not replacing the body mount bushings at the same time, could see it being dangerous if one of those break. Otherwise I say it's just like any other lift....as much as you need but as little as possible.

yotarob2005

Are you talking about the longer bolts for the BL? If you get the upgraded HD hardware that 4crawler sells then wouldn't it be possible for the longer bolt to be just as strong? Are the OE bolts grade 8?

pyrojoe22

OE are grade 5 im pretty sure. I got stainless grade 8 when I did my 1" BL. So that's an upgrade. It's my daily driver and off road weekend warrior. It's not like I'm throwin it off cliffs and rolling it. If I should stick with the 1" BL, then how much lift suspension wise do I need to clear 37's? I was thinking all pro's 6" lift springs with 63" chevy springs in the rear and a 3" BL would do it (that's what my 2 friends have for their 37's)

yotarob2005

I wouldn't do stainless bolts if you can avoid it. Stainless steel is very corrosion resistant but not as strong as good old grade 8 steel.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

37s typically require at least 4" springs and tubbing the firewall and trimming the fenders. Whether that is a hack job or done nicely is a matter of opinion. I think it's pointless to lift a truck nicely like you want and then just beat the tires and fenders to death. If it's going to be wheeled then limiting your travel because of tire rubbing defeats the whole purpose.

I'm not anti body lift, I just don't go over 1" personally as there are other more practical ways for clearance. Dropping a 4BT in your engine bay isn't the norm either.

:wabbit2: