body lift install
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All Star
Joined: Mar 2008
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body lift install
has anyone bought a body lift kit and installed it themselves? how much work was involved? did you get the gap thing also?
i am asking cause they want $450 to install...that a lot of money!
i am asking cause they want $450 to install...that a lot of money!
Record Breaker
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 2,032
Likes: 1
From: Elk Rapids, MI
I did the body lift on my truck 8 years ago (I was 19 and quite new to trucks in general) and figured it all out fairly easily. I got a performance accessories one, and if I remember correctly the directions were OK... thats about it.
The gap guards are not needed on a dodge. Most people cant even tell that my truck even has a body lift... its just not as noticeable like the Chevy's are. Theres less frame showing with a 3" body lift on a dodge than there is with a stock Chevy, HA.
Its a pretty basic operation. But, aside from just removing the stock body bolts, jacking the body up, installing the spacer and new bolts, you also have to extend some linkages as well as the gas tank filer line, and lower the fan shroud (comes with brackets).
On my truck, I did not have to extend the transfer case or tranny shifting rods as they have an adjustment screw which allowed for enough adjustment in the stock unit (older dodges need the extensions welded in, but not sure which years).
I also had to lengthen my steering shaft. If I had the cash I would have just got a new Borgenson steering shaft that will work with a body lift (I'm still saving for one of those, although its really not that much money).
My kit did not come with bumper brackets for some reason (don't know if I went cheap or what, but most do). All I did was modified my stock brackets in the front and drill new holes with the stock brackets in the rear.
All in all its pretty easy, just be careful and raise the body slowly so you can watch for stretching lines and stuff like that.
The gap guards are not needed on a dodge. Most people cant even tell that my truck even has a body lift... its just not as noticeable like the Chevy's are. Theres less frame showing with a 3" body lift on a dodge than there is with a stock Chevy, HA.
Its a pretty basic operation. But, aside from just removing the stock body bolts, jacking the body up, installing the spacer and new bolts, you also have to extend some linkages as well as the gas tank filer line, and lower the fan shroud (comes with brackets).
On my truck, I did not have to extend the transfer case or tranny shifting rods as they have an adjustment screw which allowed for enough adjustment in the stock unit (older dodges need the extensions welded in, but not sure which years).
I also had to lengthen my steering shaft. If I had the cash I would have just got a new Borgenson steering shaft that will work with a body lift (I'm still saving for one of those, although its really not that much money).
My kit did not come with bumper brackets for some reason (don't know if I went cheap or what, but most do). All I did was modified my stock brackets in the front and drill new holes with the stock brackets in the rear.
All in all its pretty easy, just be careful and raise the body slowly so you can watch for stretching lines and stuff like that.
Grand Champion
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,099
Likes: 6
From: Colorado
I have a 3" PA body lift installed right now. I did not install it myself though because I was traveling on business and wanted to get the lift on so I could get my 35's on when I returned home. So I had a trusted 4x4 shop do it while I was out of town. It took them 8 hours, and that was with 2 people with tons of 4x4 knowledge and experience with body lifts and a full shop with unlimited tools.
I had bought my kit on e-bay from a guy who bought it for his truck and then never got it installed before he sold his truck. It came with the bumper brackets so the shop used them, but as olyler already stated, they are not necessary. Gap guards are not necessary on Rams either since our trucks have the wheel well liners. My steering and transmission linkage needed the extensions provided with the kit, but my transfer case did not.
Keep a close eye on the heavy ground wires that come off the engine and connect to the firewall. I had to relocate mine because they were so tight. I also had to buy a new vacuum hose for the brake booster. The booster is mounted on the firewall, but the vacuum hose goes to the intake manifold on the engine. After the BL install, it was so tight that it kept popping off the vacuum port.
That's all I can think of. I recheck all the BL bolts about twice a year, but so far I have not seen any problems with it at all. PA makes a well designed kit that doesn't have any of the issues you commonly hear about BL's (that have given BL's a bad name). I plan to eventually go with a 5" or 6" suspension lift and remove the BL, but for now, the 3" suspension and 3" body I have works for what I need it to work for.
I had bought my kit on e-bay from a guy who bought it for his truck and then never got it installed before he sold his truck. It came with the bumper brackets so the shop used them, but as olyler already stated, they are not necessary. Gap guards are not necessary on Rams either since our trucks have the wheel well liners. My steering and transmission linkage needed the extensions provided with the kit, but my transfer case did not.
Keep a close eye on the heavy ground wires that come off the engine and connect to the firewall. I had to relocate mine because they were so tight. I also had to buy a new vacuum hose for the brake booster. The booster is mounted on the firewall, but the vacuum hose goes to the intake manifold on the engine. After the BL install, it was so tight that it kept popping off the vacuum port.
That's all I can think of. I recheck all the BL bolts about twice a year, but so far I have not seen any problems with it at all. PA makes a well designed kit that doesn't have any of the issues you commonly hear about BL's (that have given BL's a bad name). I plan to eventually go with a 5" or 6" suspension lift and remove the BL, but for now, the 3" suspension and 3" body I have works for what I need it to work for.
Grand Champion
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,099
Likes: 6
From: Colorado
No thanks, my wife complains enough as it is. lol. Plus, I don't want to have to upgrade axles. I personally think 5-6" with 35's is the perfect proportion for a Ram. At that size, they just look right in my opinion.
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About $500 if I recall correctly.
Silver - I respect your decision to break to "Break the cycle" of upsizing lol. Let's see if you can really do it. Might sound good now, but give it a year or so and you might get bored. Althogh I do agree these trucks look great with the 5-6 inches lift 35" tires combo. The stupid thing is they used the same springs on the regular cab trucks as they did on the ext. cab trucks. So 5" of lift on a regular cab is about the same as 6" of lift on an ext. cab.
Silver - I respect your decision to break to "Break the cycle" of upsizing lol. Let's see if you can really do it. Might sound good now, but give it a year or so and you might get bored. Althogh I do agree these trucks look great with the 5-6 inches lift 35" tires combo. The stupid thing is they used the same springs on the regular cab trucks as they did on the ext. cab trucks. So 5" of lift on a regular cab is about the same as 6" of lift on an ext. cab.
Grand Champion
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,099
Likes: 6
From: Colorado
I get a little bit of a break because i know the guys who own the shop and most of the mechanics at the shop. It was about $500 though. Normally I would have installed it myself and wouldn't have spent that kind of $$$. But like I said, I was in a bind and needed it to get done while I traveled, so I sucked it up. Full price should have been closer to $650 or $700. Figure that most places charge between $65-$90 per hour for labor, times 8 hrs.