Hey yall Im running a 1998 extended cab with the 4.6 I recently put in an airaid cold air intake and have a Flowmaster 40 installed. My next project is a lift. I originally wanted a 3 inch body lift but have now been talked out of it. The only issue is I still want 2-3 inches of lift. What are your thoughts on this?

 

Why would you not want a body lift? Our trucks work great with body lifts.
Your options are to crank up your torsion bars for about 2 inches of lift, install a 3 inch body lift or go with a 4 to 6 inch full suspension lift.

 

Just got some negative feedback when it came to doing a body lift on my truck from some friends of mine. But ive also never talked to someone who actually had a body lift installed on their truck. Thats what I wanted to hear, thanks a lot!

 

There are a lot of rumors and flat out lies out there about body lifts. Some of them likely started by the suspension manufacturers.

Granted, a body lift not properly installed is bad news. A mechanic who does not install it correctly, and then is faced with a claim is going to blame the kit, right?

Some people will say that a body lift is inferior to a suspension lift for off-road use. That depends on the suspension lift. For off-road use, you want ground clearance and articulation to keep the wheels on the ground and absorb bumps.

Ground clearance is measured at the lowest point, the differentials. Your ground clearance is a function of your tire size. Your suspension will have nothing to do with it.

Most of the suspensions on the market do not change the range of motion of the control arms, so your articulation does not change a bit.

 

i am one to say a suspension lift is superior to a body lift. but i also dont disagree with a bodylift. they can do a good job allowing room for bigger tires to raise that ground clearence.

but one disagreement, suspension does have something to do with ground clearence. i know lowest will be the diffs but when going over hills, angles, ledges, through muds up/downs have less to drag, etc will make a difference.

for the op, body lifts done right are just as good. there is alot of little things overlooked like trans shift cables and stuff. i've had one on a previous truck and considering one on my current truck.

 

Funny thing is my buddy was asking for a small lift on his dodge 1500 and he got a reply from his friend saying bring over like 8-12 hockey pucks and pick up some longer bolts at a hardware stuff. Hahahahaahahaha WRONG!!!!!! This is why body lifts get a bad reputation because of idiots like him. I almost went off on the guy. But me knowing what I know I lead him in the right direction so hopefully he does the right thing and not use hockey pucks.

But what I'm trying to say is body lifts made by actual manufactures for example performance accessories is an excellent product. Your body style from what I hear is a lot easier to install than us 04+ guys. Just pick up a set of gap guards for about 100 bucks and you won't be able to tell its even on there. Won't even affect the ride of your truck.

Crank your torsion bars first to level it out or and see how you like it. Then decide whether you wanna go bigger from there. Remember if you do crank the torsion bars do them the same amount of times each side. Then go get an alignment. First take some pics before and after and post lol

 

Exactly.

 

also if your truck is a 2wd you can do lift spindles for 3" up front

 

Go with a body lift first bc if you use the 3inch spindle lift your gonna have to take them off if you get a suspension lift

 

Thanks all, I have 4wd but now have more motivation in getting the body lift after hearing all the good news. Thats exactly the reason for joining a site like this. appreciate it all!

 

Dude.. dont let someone talk you out of a body lift. Its the best way I could have spent $175 when lifting my truck. Its normally people that dont have one, and have no experience with them that hate on them. I bought mine and put it on myself.. its more than worth it IMO.

 

welcome rhart. you could also do some searches or check the pic gallery to decide which route to go. take the time and get the info and you'll be happy with either one.

 

Thanks again, Ive seen the look of a lot of trucks, especially my year and make, that have done a body lift and I really like how it looks. This is why I originally wanted to do a body lift. Thanks for reassuring me, I needed to hear that from people who have done it themselves.
Hey b2therad, about how long did it take you to install by yourself?

 

It took me an entire weekend to install mine, but I was working by myself most of the time.

 

x2. my old S10 took 4 hours but these f150's are more complicated! but it can be done.