hey guys im about to possibly purchase a 3" body lift for my 04 fx4

i have some questions

does the kit come with something to lift the exhaust up with the body?
towing package?
what about the tow hooks? how does that work out?
and give me any other info i should know ..thanks

ps.. i got a really good quto from my local 4x4 shop of

for the 3" PA kit w/ all 4 gap gaurds INSTALLED $950!!

 

i think id find some friends and buy them all beer, cost u alot less than 950

 

$950's not bad including gap guards. i got an exhaust shop to change my exhaust set up, i have a thread with some pics in the exhaust section. you can also fab up the tow hitch too, to make it sit where it was stock. only thing u cant really change is the tow hooks, u can take them off , but thats about it

 

i didnt think it was a bad price... there only charging me $450 for installation.. and from reading on here other people havae been getting charged $800-1000 for there BL's.

did you mod up your Tow Package?? do you just make new brackets that angle up to raise it 3" higher?

you basically got the exhaust shop to just bend you some aluminum to fit w/chrome tips?

 

Not sure what you mean by "mod your tow package" ??? As for a hitch, you'd want to make brakets that help relocate it higher. Not sure if anyone sells em over the counter, but if ya lay under there long enough, I am sure an idea will come to ya !

An exhaust shop would be able to play with the hangers, and do different bends to allow it to look snug and stock.

You will also need to cut your valance up a little bit. The tow hooks will need/should stay in the stock location, by raising the body up, the hooks will no longer line up with the little slots in the valance. Cutting out the bottom of the valance, so its a large opening, seems to be to the best bet. There are pics like this on the site.

It does sound like a decent price. Was that $950 for the parts AND labor ?? Just curious, why body lift instead of suspension lift ?

Also, just so ya know, a lot of places quote a much lower price on these newer trucks, thinking its the same work as its always been. These trucks tend to be far more of a PITA and end up taking longer then, say, a old 80's Ford. Some places will realize this part way through the install, contact you and ask for more cash (saying it was harder then expected, they got to a certain point, need more cash or they put it back together as it was ) , where as most places simply step up and do it for the quoted price. Just wanted to throw that out there, so you know ahead of time, and can be sure of everything. How reputable of a shop ? Have they done this before ? On this style of truck ?

 

$450 , i take then never did one of these trucks lol. get that in writing. mine was about 1k without gap guards all said and done. i didnt do anything with tow hitch yet, thats my next plan of attack.

 

You can mount chevy tow hooks and they fit inside the frame perfectly. At least they do on 97-03's. Yes and exhaust shop will have to do your exhaust. And once again, tow hitch can easily be raised. I just left mine alone. Doesnt look bad.

 

heres my hitch with my new exhaust setup

 

damn that looks good.. is that your hitch unmodded??

would they muffler shop be able to bend say a Magnoflow side exit exhaust?

Yes that $950 out the door.. they are very reputable shop.. and most people down south here have F150s so yes they work on them alot.. Camper City.. they have locations all over i believe..

 

Exhaust shops can do pretty much anything.

 

I left my hitch alone, and bent my brakets to raise the exhaust. Just used a bottle jack and a chunk of 4x4 to push it up.

 

I'm not sure about my GM towhook mod on the 04-08's but I'm sure you could fabricate something.

 

if you are going for appearance, theres really not too much you can do with the tow hooks, b/c either way the frame sticks through the valance openings for the tow hooks, ya kno.

 

unless i get someone to weld them over the frame, once the truck is lifted.. it should look completely stock

 

On my 01, I trimmed about 3 inches of the frame off like the directions in the body lift kit advised.