spindleshanks

OK, I spent close to eight hours today installing the 2" 4Crawler Body Lift. I did it without air tools, in a cramped, unheated garage. In addition to the lift itself, I installed the radiator drop brackets and the steering shaft extension, both from 4Crawler. Currently, I need to do some fine tuning on the job before considering it done. All of these issues are expected, but I could use any advice that may be out there. Here goes...
Steering shaft extension: The splined steering shaft goes downward through an adjustable sleeve where it mounts to the rag joint. The sleeve is splined too, and has a small bolt through it to tighten it in the desired position. The sleeve slides up and down the splined shaft to a degree, but movement upward (away from the rag joint) it is limited by the length of the flat track it follows on the shaft. When the flat track disappears and the shaft returns to a fully round state, the sleeve cannot travel farther unless the bolt is removed. I removed the bolt and got everything put together, but that bolt will not reinsert because the shaft is out of its adjustable range. I'll need to take some metal off of the shaft to make it work.
Shifters: Because of the new ride height, the shifter would not originally engage 2nd gear. I removed some metal from the shift gate bracket, which allowed it to move freely into gear. But with the lower rubber boot, which serves to keep the weather out, installed, it doesn't want to stay in 2nd or 4th gear. The boot itself is trying to force the shifter back into the neutral gate. My options include either bending the shifter or removing some of the rubber boot, which I don't want to do because it will allow road noise and debris inside the sealed cab.
Fuel Filler: During the lift installation, the fuel filler nozzle was pulled through the fuel door compartment. Before I left the truck alone for the night, I removed a bracket that holds the filler neck to the frame, which allowed me to at least get the filler nozzle back out into the fuel door area where I could put the lid back on. I don't think an extension will be necessary.
Before and after pics soon, any feedback will be heartily appreciated!

ecchamberlin

How about some pis of all that work?

spindleshanks

I'll get some tomorrow. It'll be much easier to show some of that crap than to try and describe it, lol.

garrett1478

same thing happened to me with the 2nd gear not engaging fully. heres a fix that worked for me, it was easy

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/1998-4r-manual-transmission-help-needed-65574/

basically, redrill the 4 holes to where the boots do not restrict the shifters movement

ecchamberlin

I Love 5speeds but it sounds like the Auto BL's are a bit easier to adjust for.

garrett1478

on autos, i believe (at least in my experience) you still have to adjust the shifter a little (a nut that connects the stick to the tranny). its just one of those inconveniences that happens as a result of a body lift...

ecchamberlin

Yeah on the autos there is a bolt/nut that connects the linkage and shifter and needs to be moved just a slight amount for a 1"BL. Easy day and could actually be adjusted a ton more which is kinda suprising.

spindleshanks

Thanks Garrett... I trimmed out some of the aluminum shift gate, then flipped the lower rubber boot upside down. It's retardedly brilliant, and it worked.
Just gotta get her offroad and test in real world situations!

spindleshanks

Before (with the stock tires)

After (with Body Lift and 265 75 16s)

A couple of notes to the body lift process:
First off, RB did a great job detailing in his instructions what to expect from this job. But there were a couple of details that I failed to notice during the procedure. More careful work on my part would have helped.
First off, I didn't notice the rubber flaps pinned inside the front wheelwells (I suppose they keep mud and water from splashing directly into the engine compartment) These are pinned with plastic round tabs to the frame rail and to the wheelwell (to the body) so they stretched as I lifted the cab, and eventually a couple of the tabs gave way. Currently they're still installed, but they flap freely in places. Do I need these? What has everybody else done with theirs?
Secondly, I failed to notice the manner in which my ARE camper shell is curved at a forward angle over the back of the cab. As I lifted the cab, its rear roof contacted the topper and pushed it rearward, taking some paint off it in the process. The damage is now unnoticable; just a warning to others.

Note that the bumper gaps will go away with my new bumbers, which will begin to be fabricated April 1. The wait is killing me!

garrett1478

most people either buy new gap guards or use pond liner to make their own.

are you makin' the bumpers yourself? what are they gonna look like?

spindleshanks

Armorology in Colorado Springs is doing my front and rear bumpers and maybe sliders as well. The guy is booked solid. I scheduled back in early February, and the soonest I could get in was April 1. And I have to drive 2 hours to get there! lol. Ric's bumpers were fabbed by Armorology. My front will be similar to Ric's, with a winch and stinger. I like his work because he uses sheet steel and not just tube steel. Kind of like a hybrid bumper. The rear will be a real simple number, a lot like the Warn bumper available everywhere.

garrett1478

sweet, looking at ric's bumpers amorology really does some seriously nice work

spindleshanks

They sure do. Check out www.armorology.com. Good stuff.

spindleshanks

Here are some more nugs of wisdom for anybody looking to install a body lift...
-Have ample tools. If you don't have air tools, make sure you have wrenches AND ratchets. Your sockets should include deep and shallow. I found that a good set of adaptors (3/8 to 1/2" adaptor and 1/2" to 3/8" adaptor) help make up for a lack of socket variety. I used the hell out of my ratcheting wrenches, too. Have a BREAKER BAR handy!
-Prelube all the hardware days, weeks, even months in advance. I like PB Blaster better than WD40. My vehicle has absolutely NO rust, and the bolts still fought me after two weeks of soaking in lube.
-And folks, get a high lift jack like RB recommends. My floor jack required up to 10 blocks of wood to bring it to the correct height, and, needless to say, this is very unsafe.
-Whether or not you're using a 4Crawler body lift, you should download and print RB's install instructions from http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...ft_HowTo.shtml
These instructions are very thorough, and if you read them through two or three full times before beginning the install, you will be exceptionally well prepared for the job. Hell, I highlighted certain parts of these instructions and took notes in the margins days before even opening my toolbox. Thanks 4Crawler!
Hope this helps somebody somewhere! Good Luck.

Crux

So when does the suspension lift get installed?

spindleshanks

It's sitting in my garage right now....smartass Here's the deal...I have OME shock absorbers for the rear, but really wanted to get a set of KYB Monomax shocks for the front. So I contacted my former KYB boss, who now no longer works there. He's in Indiana, and at his new job still calls on the same accounts he's sold KYB to for 30 years. So he says he can get me some free goods. Turns out, his friends' distribution center in Minn. has to source the shocks elsewhere, I'll have to pay some freight, and it's been months. Every time I'm ready to give up and just go out and buy a set, he calls and tells me "I didn't forget about you, they're on the way"... So I keep waiting and waiting. Doug at ToyTec e-mailed me a while back wondering if I had installed it yet and wanting some pics, too.
The package I have consists of the OME 881 springs, Alcan AAL, OME rear shock absorbers, brake line extension, and front differential drop. I'm ready to roll on the installation, but circumstances won't allow it.