How to: 3rd Gen BODY LIFT. Install.

[n.gardner]

.

 

[tanjr720]

Thanks for the info i have an 02 xlt i want to lift.your pics helped alot
tanjr720

 

[n.gardner]

So to anyone who has done this,
how tall are the stock body mounts?
I was considering doing the 1.5" body lift, but if the stock body spacers are an inch or larger than ill just do the 3"

thanks
Nick

 

[Ronin8002]

Anything you put under the body mounts will give you lift, whether its 1.5" or 3". What is different between them is what changes you need to make to the rest of the vehicle to make it happen. I think you'll be happy with either, but if you're not planning on a strut spacer lift I'd say go for the 3" and call it a day.

 

[n.gardner]

see thats the thing,
i already have a strut spacer kit installed,
i'm likin the 1.5" idea
plus no bumper brackets or steering changes ...
?

 

[Ronin8002]

Oh in that case I'd say personal preference then. If you're running only 265's you don't NEED the full 3" body lift for clearance unless you just want it for the looks.

 

[n.gardner]

lol yeah,
i just ordered some 285 75 so i'm thinkin 1.5 BL would go nice,
thnks thou man!

 

[JoeyNoodles]

Nick, if your interested I'm also thinking of a 1.5 inch lift I'd be willing to split the kit with you.

 

[n.gardner]

JoeyNoodles-
I sent you a PM

 

[lounge lizard]

I just picked up a 3" kit from summit racing for the 1997--2000 f-150 for $100.00 and it comes with all kind of parts that I know I won't need.

how many blocks do I need under my 1997 explorer awd?

it came with 16 plastic blocks and 4 steal spacers for the bed.

 

[selliott97]

What year is your Explorer? How long did the install take you?

 

[fangsnu]

heat the puck nuts under the vehicle and use a pry bar to hold them in place and they spin right off.

 

[lounge lizard]

my explorer is a 1997

it took me about 7 hrs to put it in

 

[Doramy03explorer]

sory i kno i should not post here but this will be my first 4x4 exploration.what do i need 2 lift my 2003 ford xlt 4.0l is there a 2'' lift cani see some pics of 1'', 2'', 3''and soforth

 

[fangsnu]

well to be honest i would love to go another 3 inches lol. I have 3 iunch it took me 1.5 hours but i do have access to a lift and i am a tech full time. I strongly recomend heating the body pucks up till there cherry red but the one around the gas tank make sure you dont hit the tank or have any type of gas fumes.

 

[Ronin8002]

sory i kno i should not post here but this will be my first 4x4 exploration.what do i need 2 lift my 2003 ford xlt 4.0l is there a 2'' lift cani see some pics of 1'', 2'', 3''and soforth

I don't think there's a 2"...the brackets in the PA 883 kit are designed for the 3" lift blocks.

You can do a 1.5" lift though by cutting the 3" blocks in half...that's what I did. You don't need any brackets or steering shaft extension....just trim the fan shroud and lower lip on the rear bumper cover a bit. You will also need to buy some longer body mount bolts from boltdepot or similar...about 30 bucks worth. I am about to get a bunch of 3" blocks that I was thinking about cutting up and selling. PM me if you want to buy a set.

Here's some pics of my truck when it had just a 1.5" body lift and 265/75/16 tires. Hard to tell from the pic but with those tires and the 1.5" lift it sat about 2" taller than stock

 

[JSHaag]

Havent been on here awhile but I get on here and see people taking credit for a lift I tried out and thought of first ugggghh makes me sick, but you know what all you have to do is look back and you can see who the pioneer is..

 

[Ronin8002]

Never took credit for anything or said I invented the mod. Just posted up my experience and a write up.

Fair enough, though. See the edit in the 1.5" lift sticky.

 

[zpaperboyz]

I too gave credit to the source I got the instructions from. I posted them with a few tweeks as well. I also included detailed photos which had been lacking on posts in the past. I'm a photographer though not a mechanic so that goes without say.

 

[941Explorer]

So this Sunday me and my friends are going to try to put the body lift on my Ex how long should this take ???