I have an 8" Fabtech suspension lift on my truck with 38" tires on it. They rub a little bit when i turn and am on an incline. I want to make that stop but i dont want to go with smaller tires and i have trimmed the fender as much as I am comfortable doing. so my next thought would be a body lift. I just dont know how much i want to do. Any suggestions? also how hard are they to put on (driveway install?) also, is there any specific brand that has good kits? and will the body lift affect the way the truck rides?

also i have concerns on how it would make the engine bay look...would it look funny if everything was like 2 or 3 inches lower than it would be normally? also is there any problems with things fitting after moving up the body of the truck? I know i have to do bumper brackets and i also have a brush guard so that would have to get moved up too right?

if anyone has any ideas or comments on this please inform me. I am always open to suggestions. Thanks

 

oh and it is a 1997 f150 extended cab...if that makes a difference. Thanks

 

With the year of your truck it should be a pretty easy install. A 3" BL should give you the clearance you need. Most of the kits have everything you need for the install just not sure with that year of your truck.

 

performance accessories is the best BL brand. and get gap guards. if you don't want it noticable you have the BL raise your exhaust and trailer hitch if you have one, and for the most part people won't be able to tell at all

 

I am leaving my exhaust where it is and it looks fine. The kit came with the parts to lift the trailer hitch though. The gap guards go in your wheel wells so you don't see the gap between as far as uner the hood goes, you won't be able to notice a huge difference.

 

The 97-03 F-150's look great with body lifts.

 

there just seems like there is so much that you have to do...with the bumpers and the trailer hitch, exhaust and the brush guard and the gap guards. How do you lift like the bumpers, trailer hitch and brush guard and still keep them strong?

 

The body lift kit comes with brackets to relocate the front and rear bumpers 3" higher.
As for your brush guard Im not sure how it mounts but you could redrill the holes and mount it higher or make some kind of a custom mounting bracket that will mount it higher to match the level of the body. As for exhaust there is not really that mouch you can do other than take it to a shop and have them modify it/ rebend then re mount it so it is level with the body. I just waited until after my body lift to get my full exahust done.

But the 97-03's look so good with the 3" body lifts you cant even tell if you get the gap guards. They show so little frame rail compared to the big duramax diesels, dodges, and powerstrokes that show alot of fram rail stock, then when you add a body lift they show almost the whole frame rail front to rear.

The 97-03's look very natural with the body lift, I would highly recommend one to get an inexpensive extra three inches to clear your tires. Not to mention they are super easy to install!

 

You don't have to modify the receiver hitch or exhaust, but it will look better. Our trucks came with a hidden style reciever, so with a body lift it looks like the hitch on most of the trucks you see on the road. The kit comes with front and rear bumper relocation brackets, so that's not a big deal. The only thing is sounds like you will have to address is fabbing up a way to raise your brush guard 3 inches. I have a ton of pics in my gallary of my body lifted Screw.

 

The guy who is lifting mine has a brush guard with a body lift and you can't even tell it. 3" isn't that much so it is hard to tell.

 

i thought you already had a body lift... i thought it was the 6" Fabtech and a 3" body lift

 

I do, well I will. Everything is being installed on the 15th. The guy who is doing it has the same set up, so I know what mine is going to look like, plus I have asked him a ton of questions, like will I have to raise my exhaust, etc.

 

sorry i was talking about the OP... i know what you have.

 

sorry trim, damn can't wait for this weekend.

 

no it is 8" fabtech...all suspension