body lift

[2stroke]

I have a 89 f350 DRW 2WD and want a 2 or 3 inch body lift. All the sites I go to say not for diesel--what gives? I also am wondering about the fan shroud clearence as well as stearing shaft length any input and where to buy would be great.

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

I love my body-lift.

The main reason to buy a "kit" instead of just making riser-blocks yourself is to get all the different bolts in the proper length.

There is no real reason the kits say "not for diesels".

You can go up 2-inches with no engine clearance issues; go up one more inch to three-inches and for some mysterious reason the engine contacts the fire-wall and makes a terrible racket.

It is nigh impossible to clearance the offending sheet-metal with the engine still in the truck.

A replacement steering-shaft is necessary, regardless of any information to the contrary.

In un-molested form, the factory shaft is barely engaged; and, once the body is lifted, things start getting dangerous.

The lower half of the fan-shroud must be sacrificed; or, the whole shroud must be re-mounted lower on the radiator.

With all that said, I would not hesitate to add a body-lift; the added clearance makes everything else one may ever have to do so much easier.

 

[Can30Diesel]

I have a 3 inch body lift in my truck. Its been that way for about 2 years now. I didn't have to extend anything other than the steering shaft. I did have to build a new transfer case shift boot but since you are a 2wd, that won't be a problem.

No real issues overall. However one thing that seems true, the body lift affects how stiff the truck is when it comes to frame flex. The body provides some structure there. Having said that, this truck has done everything from pulling travel trailers to bombing around in the bush without a problem.

One real nice part of a body lift is dealing with things like the fuel pickup in the tank and the transmission/extension housing/transfer case bolts. Suddenly you have 3 inches of space to play with.

Would I do it again? Yup, but I would probably get a kit rather than making my own.

 

[2stroke]

Any good manufactures come to mind? Thanks for the input

 

[2stroke]

Also where do you get a longer stearing shaft?

 

[2stroke]

Gee arent there more with experience over this??????????????????????????????????????????

 

[Can30Diesel]

Well I never went with a kit, mine came out of a dodge pickup and all I really used was the bolts and pucks, I made everything else. So I'd be a poor guide on brand recommendations. However I would imagine that the more complete the kit the better, some come with steering extensions etc so I would use that as a guide.

As for a steering extension, one option is to buy an aftermarket one like this:
http://tal4x4.com/borgeson-ford-steering-shaft/000980

In my case I still need to extend mine. Its been running for years with the stock shaft, but these things only need to break once. Mine just seems seized in place, I tried moving it. I highly recommend you get the shaft extended, unlike me.

The shroud by the rad needs to either be relocated or removed. I just removed mine and I have had no real problems.

Some other installation side notes:

Be prepared for rusty bolts
Now is a good time to check your body mounts and bushings for wear/replacement
Battery ground cable lengths may need to be adjusted (I replaced mine during the lift because they were shot, so this just came to mind)

Hope this helps.

 

[cpdenton]

I have no experience with these particular trucks, but I have put a body lift on several newer f150's and one ranger. All 3 inch. I used the "performance accessories" brand. The kits were complete and even had the steering shaft extension. All new hardware. An extention for the manual shifter. All the brackets for relocating the bumpers, blah, blah, blah.

IF I decide to do a list on my 2wd, this is the route I will go. I still have some clearance issues on my downpipe and up pipe, so that would be the main reason to me for a lift. Maybe even some 19.5s or something.

 

[TWeatherford]

If I were to do it again I wouldn't do more than a 2". I'm doing a 1 or 1.5" on my 97 dually. 3" is enough that its a little hard to get in and out of, but the stance is pretty nice. I bought a kit on ebay, they're still available, which came with a steering shaft extension, works perfect. It is a pain if you have a manual transmission and 4x4, as mentioned, to make the shift boots work. It took me 5 minutes with a crowbar to clearance the drivers side of the body off the head, and I've never heard them contact. If you go with a borgeson or flaming river steering shaft, you could make your own easily enough. Just take all the bolts out, run to the hardware store, and get grade 8s 3" longer, and make a spacer out of metal or stacked hockey pucks (I wouldn't stack 3 though). I'll measure mine in my 97 if I remember, and post the factory lengths so you could have everything ahead of time.

 

[lotzagoodstuff]

I bought my 2" body lift from Performance Accessories. Very nice, complete kit, I didn't use the bumper brackets as I wanted to do it a little different for the hidden front reciever, but overall money well spent.

The only other thing I did was add a couple of hockey pucks where the bed cross members were hanging above the frame rails. It wasn't necessary but it was cheap and made me feel better about having a big load in the bed of my truck.

Good luck