Ok I have a 1997 f-150 and im tired of the stock look i want it more aggressive looking. The thing is my truck is a v6 and i know if i put a 6" suspension lift and 35's it would be a load on my engine prolly even after gears?...Would it be worth buying a 3" body lift for my truck or are they just junk? Also would it interfere with my Manual transmission? Also would my best bet just to be buying the 4" suspension instead of the 3" body?

 

There is nothing wrong with a properly designed body lift, like the Performance Accessories kits. I'm on my third truck with a PA body lift and have never had a problem. The body lift's bad reputation comes from idiots trying to make them out of hockey pucks, metal tubing or even wood.

 

i know no matter what lift you put on you wont always have the same quality of driving but how well is the PA body lift do?

 

A body lift does not affect quality of driving...period...

the kit is fairly inexpensive and easy to install and a great way to clear bigger tires...

i have a 3 inch PA body lift on my 99 2wd with a v6...have had it on since 2002...no problems...i even wrecked my truck and the body did not fly off!...the kit comes with a 3 or 2 inch extension for the shifter depending on which kit you get...i did not put the extension on mine...so my shifter sits a little low...when i installed my body lift i put it in 2nd gear so as to know i had the ability to shift all the way into gear...i even tow with my bumper being lifted too...i pull my samurai around with no problems...the v6 4.2 has more power than you think...

i am running 35's...the power is great...

 

yea the v6 is alot more powerful than most people think i just didnt know if putting bigger tires would take much away from it, which i wouldnt put anything over 35 on the truck..Thanks for the info though its helped out alot!

 

hockey pucks sounds like somethin i'd try cause i have like 1 bazillion sittin in my garage cause I play hockey

 

I have a 3" PA body lift with a v6 and manual transmission. I went with 33's because I knew the 35's would kill the power. As for the transmission, PA offers a shift extension kit. I think it runs about $70 bucks or so. The extension kit is not required though, it just means that your shifters will sit about 3" lower than where they are now.

 

the truck looks great man thanks for the info!

 

You shouldn't have too many worries about the PA BL Kit. I'm on my second. The kits are good and aren't that difficult to install on the 97-03s. I've installed 2, and also totaled one truck last winter with the kit on it. I had my entire family in my Scab (wife and 2 kids) and because I was sitting higher up, the impact wasn;t that bad at all. My 1 year old didn't even wake up.

They can look really good also if installed properly. I have pics of the install process with captions in my gallery. Good Luck. You definately want to go with Performance Accessories though, best Body Lift kit on the market.

 

yeah ive always worried about the manual transmission and the quality but now i know and I believe im going to order one here in the next week thanks for all the info!

 

I got an 05 4.2 v6 w/manual tranny, no probs here either! gonna install the BL yourself? save sum $$$!!!