Did you put your lift on yourself? I can tell you that all the components of the lift combined weigh upwards of 300 pounds. It will cost more than 50 bucks to get it to Hawaii.

 

i was thinking the same thing about flying and paying extra baggage fees cause i dont own a suspension lift but after seeing how much it weights i guess he will have to take the whole family and use 1 of everyones 2 bag limit for it.

 

new valance is $70, you can buy gap guards for $70 also , or you can make your own. cost me $100 to have the exhaust moved.



Tylus: if you can install it yourself , go for it, its a great value.



you can hide it pretty well

heres my 2wd valance mod to cover frame horns in the front:



heres Nooq's truck with the hitch moved up:




heres jesse101's truck with side steps :



this is an old pic , but i also painted the gap guards/wheel wells so it all flows together

 

Hey Ty, check into how much shipping is to your F.P.O. address, it might be cheaper than having it go directly to your house.

 

thanks, but thats a no go also 06yz250f...family of 5 flying in todays airline prices

minimum of $2,000 just for tickets and then the rental car. I ain't going anywhere for 2 yrs. would really like to visit Austin/Belton though


I won't be unhappy with it. just my vision unrealized/postponed for a little while. I'm still enjoying the extra power...which I don't think will ever get old



didn't even think about the FPO address. I'll look into that. thanks 05redfx4

 

Body lifts are junk. I don't care how many people have them, or how well engineered they seem. You get what you pay for... They are cheap and look just that way when your done even when you use gap guards and a 2wd valance. Its obvious from a mile away for tons of reasons.

I would pay to get a bigger lift before I would spend 900 bucks on a crappy body lift and install. Seems unreasonable to most, but that is just they way i would do it. I know everyone that has one stands behind it and praises them, but i HATE them. Try working on the engine, easily, with a body lift.

Tylus get the suspension lift. Do it right the first time, if you feel the need to go bigger get some coilovers, bilsteins, or a leveling kit to stack on top. For me a body lift will NEVER be an option, I hope we can sway you the same way

 

if i could put 24k into my truck , i obviously wouldnt put a BL on either

 

would only be $400 max since I'd do the install myself


I feel the same way as you FX4life...well, mostly anyways. They have come a long ways from the galvanized fence post cut into 1" blocks that you see on Jeeps.

 

dont do a body lift. i had one on my ranger and ever single morning when i would wlk out to my truck and see that extra three inches of frame sticking out i just got pissed. i think they look like ****. Nothing beats a suspension lift.

 

And i would definitly have had a supercharger/built tranny in the first 24k. DEFINITELY.

 

This is the exact reason why i got the body lift, i didn't want to get crank my coils or add a spacer and have bad cv angles, have to buy new UCAs ect...

Honestly, since you tow a lot and supercharged, I think the best way for you to go would be do the body lift and save the extra money to re-gear; leave your suspension and drive train in the factory location/angles. If you didn't tow at all, i'd say get the suspension lift. The only regrets from mine is my intake not fitting the same and the steering wheel having a little extra "play"

 

I've had two body lifted trucks.
No body movement during lots of flex (wheels of the ground). Bumpers always lined up just right. The bumper brackets were stronger than stock, but I had receivers. I moved my receiver up 3" to keep it tucked under the bumper. Gap guards do a good job of hiding the space under the bed and engine. Never had trouble working on the engines.
BUT, I probably wouldn't do another one myself.
I hate the way the frame shows underneath on some trucks. My ranger showed bad. I had plans to make rock sliders (which would hide the frame too) but never got around to it. The main reason I went with body lifts was because the suspension lifts were crap and I was cheap.
Later on, when I had money, I wanted to buy a suspension lift but didn't want the height of suspension and body lift, and had NO desire to remove the body lift (PITA).
I say, since you can fit 35's with the leveling kit, just do that for now. When you're back in the lower 48 you can get a suspension lift and you'll be much happier with your choice.

 

x2! and there's nothing wrong with spending 24k to do it right.

I think the several posts of guys who have done them and wouldn't again is what you are looking for Tylus. I mean, look at all you have to do just to get the negatives to not be seen! Brackets, gap guards, custom hitches, raising the exhaust...crazy when the susp. lift makes all that go away. I know when I'm doing something like this, and I'm researching 6" lifts now, if I force what I'm trying to do it always bites me in the a** and I know it. (It only took me 40 years to learn that too...but to you, my gift! ) If I really want a 6" lift but say "nah I think I will just do a body lift" even though I know I hate them, 100% sure I will regret my decision. I can't swing a 6" lift right now so I will be waiting till I can. Don't make a hasty decision just because the wife gives the go ahead. It sounds like you don't like BL's but you want a lift. Do yourself a favor and wait.

 

dont let everyone get you down about the body lift... sure theyre not as good as susp. lifts, and you may get more frame showing, but it will still look good and as long as its well engineered and well installed, you wont have any problems. and since you work at a machine shop you can probably rig your bull bar to work. do that and just paint black any exposed body and frame to hide it, and you will be looking pretty good.

my wife has a 3" body/1" susp. on her taco and it looks pretty good. we also were able to install her brush guard with some modifications you can see below, just a little cuttin and weldin

 

Man just do what you can afford. Look, these guys that have a "real lift" are gonna dog anybody that has a body lift. What gets me is that half the people on this site that has a "real lift" probably don't ever get off the pavement. They may claim they do....but they don't. Its all about what is popular. Sure if I had the money I would go with a suspension lift. But, I don't.

Now back to the body lifts. People complain that the frame shows too much. That maybe true on some trucks like chevys, Gmc, etc. In my opinion, they look like crap on them. As far as our trucks I have not seen one truck on this site or with my own eyes, that makes me notice the frame hanging too low. As far as the big "gap" ......well thats what gap guards are for. Exhaust, move it up. If done correctly these body lifts look very good.

Don't get me wrong, a suspension lift would be very nice to have, if I could afford it. But I'm not "settling" for a body lift. If I get a body lift it will be put on by me and a few buds. Save some money in the long run and have fun doin it.

My opinion is this. If you see yourself maybe affording a suspension lift within a year , save up and go for the suspenion lift. If you don't see yourself getting that kind of money anytime soon, go for the bodylift. Don't worry what these members may think of you or your truck, you will not be "settling" for a cheap bodylift.

Take a good look at IDNC76's truck. Can you honestly say his truck is crappy and cheap? IMO IDNC76's truck is one of the sharpest trucks on this site. Also, check out 04F150supercrew's truck. Them 2 trucks are alot sharper than some on here that has a "real" lift.

Like you, I'm looking for a lift soon, hopefully this summer. I may luck up and find a cheap suspension lift or I may just go with the body lift. Either way I won't go wrong. Both look good. And i'll be happy with whichever I choose. My truck is my toy, my tow is my truck and I've never "settled" for anything that is junk and cheap. What I put on my truck, is carefully thought of and I do try to think of the pro's and con's of anything. The pro's on a body lift out weigh the con's if its done correctly.

Good luck with your choice