Hey folks, what combination of suspension/body lifts does everybody have? Post a pic if you can. I'm most interested in the body lift. I need to make up my mind before I have my custom bumpers fabbed in March, because I can't add a body lift afterwards.

-What size and brand of body lift do you have and how long have you had it?

-How hard do you 4wheel and have you had any stress related issues from the flexing? (cracked floorpans/beds, broken hardware, etc.)

-How much fabrication did the installation require? (dropped radiator, extended fuel line/shifters/wiring etc.)

-What is your overall experience with the body lift? Happy? Dissatisfied?

-Would you opt for a Body Lift again given the opportunity to go back in time?

Thanks everybody, I really appreciate the kind of feedback we exchange on this forum, and I value all your opinions.

 

Body lifts are EASY. All you ever wanted to know is here...go read. www.4crawler.com

I have 1" body lift on my 85 and had a 2" body lift on my 00.

 

Yeah, I would never do a body lift first unless it was just for show. I run a 3" suspension lift, and hope to add a 2" Body Lift soon to fit bigger tires. If you have a 3rd gen 4runner, I would go with Grimpy's setup, that was the model for my truck. And you can fit 33-34 inch tires that way too.

 

Anything more than a 1" BL is dumb.

 

Yeah, I've thoroughly read the directions at 4Crawler. In fact, that's why I'm questioning the body lift. If I'm going to opt for a body lift, I'll have to install it before my custom bumpers are fabbed next month or not at all, so you see the predicament I'm in? I've got the 3" ToyTec/OME lift ready to install, and I'd like to put some 33's under the truck eventually. I'm just gonna take a stab at the body lift. RB's instructions are very thorough, but it's clear that each truck is different, and each one may or may not require radiator drops, extended shifters and fuel lines, etc. I'll just dive in headfirst and see how it goes. Thanks for the feedback.

 

I have a 2" BL that wasn't too bad. I was lucky to have my Dad the master fabricator at my disposal. We spent a whole day fixing everything after installing the BL. The front bumper brackets were a pain and required some grinding on the bumper. Welding the extensions into the shifters needs to be done by somebody with some welding experience. I had a Drawtight hitch in the rear and had to totally refab the brackets for that. The clutch hardline had to tweaked. The battery cables weren't long enough intially but I just ditched the a factory bracket and rerouted the wire and fixed that. Overall I am satisfied. I don't wheel real hard. My buddy put his body lift through his Cab on his Taco but that was with some pretty hard wheeling. If you plan on wheeling it hard I would probably not do a BL. I wanted mine so I could clear 33's and be set up for the 3.4 swap when I get around to it. All depends on what you want. If nothing else.. 4" suspension lift for 2nd Gen installed... around $2500. Performance accessories 2"BL to clear the same tires... Less than $200.

 

Thanks UK. That's exactly the kind of feedback I needed.

 

Just remember...he has a 94 4Runner...you have an 03 Tacoma...completely different creatures. You need to look on TTORA or your local chapter and ask there and get some "apple to apple" experiential advice.

I did a 2" body lift on my 2000 and on several other 3rd gens and it is nothing, so like I said, you need some words of wisdom concerning your specific vehicle, not generic advice.

Good luck.

 

Right. I spent a lot of time on TTORA last night, and I found quite a few BL equipped Tacos that are perfect models of where I'd like to go with mine.

 

I had a '90 truck for 10 years with a 3" body lift. I ran 33/12.50 mudders pretty hard and never had a problem. A body lift will give you more room for bigger tires, and your center of gravity will be lower than with a susp lift. Better cornering, less tipping, but less clearance also. The truck I have now has 3" body and 4" susp. I run 35/12.50 BFGs and have plenty of room for travel. I like the combo of both lifts, but if I had to choose one, it would be the suspension. I prefer the clearance. Less likely to get high centered in my extra cab. It happened a few times in my last truck. But a body lift is definately better than none in my opinion.

 

[QUOTE=waskillywabbit]
I did a 2" body lift on my 2000 and on several other 3rd gens and it is nothing,
QUOTE]
makes me feel better about doing mine in a few months.

 

Who is fabbing the bumpers? If they're custom, why not have them extend the mounts with another set of holes for after the body lift?

 

[QUOTE=JHupp]http://www.wabfab.org/2000/bodylift/bodylift.htm

 

The guy fabbing my bumpers shouldn't have a problem making a bracket with two sets of mounting holes, but it shouldn't be necessary. I won't be driving the truck much, so I won't mind the big gap between the bumper and body. Likely I'll just remove the bumpers altogether. Armorology, who did Ric's 4Runner bumpers, is fabbing mine in late March

 

3"
Been on there for over 4 years and 100k miles.
No issues at all. None of claimed squeaks or rattles or flexing.
Makes it nice to work on things with the extra clearance.
I did the Marlin short throw shifters, so that also restored the missing shifter length and stopped the tCase shifter from interfering with the console.
Bumper brackets should come with the kit, but if not would be no-brainers to make. Also have an extension for the steering column and extension for the gas filler hose and vent.

I probably wouldn't do a body lift instead of a suspension lift since 3" isn't enough for really big tires. But together makes a good combo.

OTOH, can't say how you would fare on your taco.

 

I have NO IDEA what you're talking about unless a 2nd gen is WAY different from a 3rd gen... my BL was from 4Crawler and was completely bolt on. Not a spot of welding or fabbing needed. Was done in roughly 5 hours and rides basically the same as it did pre-body lift. I'm quite please with the outcome.

Here are some photos:

 

Good lookin runner ErikJeanna. My Taco will be similar with its 3" suspension lift and 2" RB (4Crawler) BL. I don't expect to have to do much fabrication on it for the BL, but each vehicle is different. I've got a radiator drop bracket and steering extension, and Hopefully that's all I'll need. But should I need to extend battery cables, fuel filler neck, or any misc. wires etc, like FlamedX4 did, it won't be a problem.

 

I had to do the radiator drop, bumper brackets and steering extension... that was it. They all took time, but needed nothing more than basic tools and some beer. Good luck and thanks for the compliment!

 

2" Tough Country Coil Spacers, 2" TrailMaster AAl.
3" Performance accessories body lift.
My automatic transmission has to work harder in the mountains and sometimes I worry about it, however it's got 150,000 miles and is doing well.
My cv's are fine. I have lockouts. I wheeled incredibly hard for about 6 months, and have ample body damage but no issues with cv's or driveline. I never got around to extending the fuel fill up tube after the body lift....i know i know, what a redneck i am. I will sometime soon. Other than taht......I would like to say this:
If I could do it over again I would spend my money first on a rear locker, then a front ARB...and wouldn't waste my time on lifting and gearing unless you were serious about wheeling offroad.
just my 2 cents.

 

3 Inch Body Lift, Custom rear bumper (Custom front bumper comming soon)
33 x 12.5 Tires