I have a 03 SCrew and really want a lift.

Unfortunatley, my wallet doesn't want a lift.

I want to compromise on 3" Body Lift.

A guy at my work says that BL are cheap looking and crappy, and that everyone will know that I am poor because of my lift.

So what are ya'lls opinion on BLs, I mean ya'll are the real people who matter not some guys that is under sexed and drives a mitsubishi diamonte.

PS--- at first I will have to run my 31's until I can get bigger tires

PSS---I want to keep my stock FX4 rims so in the end she'll have 33's with that lift, how will that look? are 33's to small looking for a 3" BL?

 

What an a$$hole, I hope he is a freind and not just a shop owner b/c this is not a good way to earn anyones business, I dont care if they were the best in town I would not let them do it for that coment, I would drive to another towna dn have it done, would not give this a$$ one penny. Also if you dont have the money dont settle for something you dont want, save money and go about it the right way the first time, I know you dont want to hear this, but you will thank me later

 

I had a body lift on my old truck and cranked the torsion bars a bit and I got asked all the time if I had a suspension lift.

One thing I think you should definetely get, if you do the BL, is a set of gap guards. They easily install in about 5 minutes with hand tools in the wheel wells to hide the gap created by the body lift.

Here's a picture of my old truck with 35" Geolander M/Ts and 16x10 Atlas wheels.

 

Your friend is a moron.
33's or 35's look good with a body lift. I have pics of both on my Screw in my gallary. Just click the little camera icon. Also, check out how I mounted GM towhooks to clean up the look of the front end. Our trucks look great with body lifts.

 

Generally speaking I would have to agree with your friend (even if he is being an ***). There are a lot of rigs out there that just dont look good with a body lift, F150 is NOT one of them. These trucks look great with the body lift! Throw some gap guards in there and your golden. Nerf bars also improve the look after a body lift, in my opinion. The other great thing is, right now you can go the cheaper route... lift it up and get some 35" tires under there. Then down the road, once ya got some extra cash saved up, buy yourself a suspension lift. That way you will already have the BL... and you'd be able to put some big **** tires under there.

 

There is nothing wrong with BLs, and your buddy / co-worker or whatever is an idiot. I get compliments all the time and occasionally asked what kind of suspension lift I have. I love that question...

BLs traditionally have gotten a bad wrap in the past for a few reasons:

1. Morons would use homemade BLs that consisted of hocky pucks and
2x4s. This shouldn't even be a consideration.

2. There will be a gap between the body and the frame, but Gap Guards fix this eye sore and blend very nicely. They are a necessity IMO. But for whatever reason, people who don't know anything about BLs to begin with forget that these are an option.

3. A professional install would run you $500-$1000, which is outrageous for a $200 kit. That's because the project itself will take you 12-18 hours.

If they are done right, they can look really good and give you a couple extra inches of ground clearance by installing bigger tires.

They are a nice cost alternative to suspension lifts. I off road somewhat frequently and love it. Never had any issues.

I have pics of the install process in my gallery and all kinds pics of the finished product. I think you should go for it. I will probably never own another pic up without installing at least a BL on it. Maybe a suspension lift if I have the funds. Besides, suspension lifts can be added underneath the BL at any time.

If you do decide to go for it, I would recommend doing the install yourself with a buddy or two.

 

Leveling kit, Body lift, or Crank the torsion bars. And slap some bigger tires. These are the most "economical" ways of lifting the truck. I have seen the body lifts on the F150 and they look nice(IMO). You will definitely read ALOT of opinions on lifting a vehicle. Some members will lift and put some bigger tires, only to come on the thread to get info on how to get better gas mileage or noises and issues due to a poor installation. You have to do what the wallet will allow. (and in my case, what I can convince the wife the truck needs ). Regardless, Be happy with what you get the first time. get the installation done right the first time and enjoy the new look of your truck. By this I mean, If you know you want a 4' or 6" lift save up for it or find a company who will finance 0% for 6 months or 1 year. Do things right the first time and you will be pleased and won't be dishing out money left and right fixing something.

 

No he doesn't own a automotive shop, I am in the military and we just call our workcenters "shops" and he is not a friend, just a under-sexed co-worker.

 

Thanks for all the responses!

JK007, I have told you before that your truck is my inspiration for mine (with my own lil' Texas flare mixed in)


I have been talking with my friend (he is a Jeep man) and he says that BL's are fine for what I do with the truck. And I trust his opinion more then my co-worker.

Also how hard is it to install the BL in my drive way with a weekend and some friends?

What would 33's look like on my truck with a 3" BL (i.e. would the truck look unproportional with the tires?) Because I really like my OEM rims.

 

Oh yes, gap guards are a must!

 

Thanks. 33's would look good, 35's would look better. But your OEM rims and tires would look fine until you upgrade.

The installation can be done in the driveway on a weekend. The toughest part for me was removing the bed bolts... Here's an idea of what you're in store for and a couple of shortcuts that can be taken, along with some prep work to do before starting the project. Start at post #25 of this thread and read till the end:

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=287738

If you have any questions along the way, just post them in this forum. Everyone is really good about helping each other out.

Good Luck.

 

I'd have to agree that body lifts do look good on our F-150's. I think BL's have come a long way in general. I admit, I used to be against them, saw some fugly looking older style F-150's with them (may not have been install properly) but the ones I see on this site look great.

 

Check my gallery. I have a 3inch body lift with 35s.

 

Couple of buddies would be great over the weekend! 33's look cool with the BL...IMO it's what I got! I threw in a level kit and block as well.... gran total so far.. about 600 I got my stock 17's on some 33's

 

Ya i have plenty of friends with BL's. look amazing on f150's when done right!

1) Have to have gap-guards
2) Nerf bars are a must (I have a set ill sell for cheep, westin (nice)
3) who gives a **** anyone who says anything bad is just jealous because for 1) they probably dont own a ford and 2) their truck isnt lifted 3) They dont live in texas (sorry, its the truth) lol jk.......... no, but really.