Already done a suspension lift on your 4x4 & still find your wheels are rubbing?

Or you want extra height or ground clearance.

A 4x4 body lift is made up of spacers, which go in between your 4x4s body mounts and the cab of 4x4s. Body lifts are designed to lift the cab of the 4x4 up higher from the chassis providing the 4x4 with a higher lift. This enables the 4x4 to fit larger wheels & give a greater clearance from the ground to the 4x4 sills; this can be a huge benefit. 4x4 body lifts also make the 4x4 look better, larger & give you much higher ground clearance to protect your cab from ground damage while 4x4’ing.

4x4 body lifts are generally a cheaper alternative to suspension lifts & won’t add as much weight to your vehicle as only small spacers are added. Some 4x4’s with IFS can only install a suspension lift of a few centimetres, which means a body lift may be the only alternative if you require more lift from your 4x4.

A road test must be completed before and after a body lift to ensure no new noises are evident.

One of the main benefits of a body lift is gaining extra clearance in your guards to fit bigger tyres & help stop the tyres rubbing on the vehicle's body. Bear in mind before doing a body lift to your 4x4 you will need to make sure the lift will be high enough to handle the bigger wheels when the suspension flexes, otherwise you risk doing more damage to your 4x4 or damaging your tyres from rubbing.

Handy Hints when installing a 4x4 Body Lift Kit

1. The day before you intend on installing your Body Lift Kit we usually recommend you use a pressure cleaner to clean underneath your vehicle thoroughly to remove any mud / grease built up over time. (At your local car wash is a good idea)
2. Locate your body mounts on your 4x4 and give them a good coat with your favourite penetrating oil (WD40 / CRC / etc.) to ensure the bolt will be able to be removed easily
3. Find a level flat area to do your modifications
4. Chock the vehicle's wheels to ensure the 4x4 will not roll
5. Put the vehicle in Neutral & release the handbrake
6. Before starting double check the length of the steering column, brake lines, gear stick, wiring, fuel filler & any other parts that connect from the cab to the chassis or drive train to ensure they are long enough to accommodate the body lift
7. Before starting if you have a bull-bar you will also want to check the position the headlights will end up as once the body has been lifted your bull-bar may block the headlights beam
8. At this stage we generally loosen the fuel filler & steering column. (All 4x4’s are different so each case will vary)
9. Loosen all body mount bolts from the 4x4. (While the principles are the same a ute will generally need the tray to be lifted separately to the cab)
10. While there are many ways to lift the body off of the frame we suggest the use of hydraulic floor jacks. When raising your 4x4 you should only do one side at a time, this will prevent the cab sliding off the chassis. (Make sure you take your time finding the best position to lift from with safety & keeping the cab chassis stable)
11. Remember when placing the body lift blocks that they should sit on top of factory rubber 4x4 mounts instead of underneath.
12. At this point when inserting the new body lift bolts you may need to reuse the washers off the original bolts. (Hint- Try placing the old head into a larger socket from your set and hit the threaded end of the bolt. Make sure you do not damage the washer)
13. At this point some 4x4’s have issues with their gear stick hitting the floor pan. You may need to either cut the floor pan or heat & bend the gear stick to enable proper gear shifting function. (Be careful not to heat the gear stick too much as this can cause issues.)
14. Once you have lifted the body & placed all new body lift blocks & bolts you should now check the function of the handbrake, as some vehicles will need adjustment.
15. Reconnect & tighten fuel filler, steering column and any other necessary parts you have loosened to enable the lift
16. Reconnect any wiring you have disconnected from the 4x4 cab
17. You are now on the home stretch. This is the point that you can tighten the body lift bolts to the factory torque specifications & thoroughly check all wiring, pipes & levers before road testing the vehicle

When road testing your 4x4 after the body lift it is very important to listen for any noises out of the ordinary. If the road test has completed with no sounds or handling out of the ordinary well done, now its time to check if your state road authority requires engineering compliance for roadworthy / to be legal.

An engineer will need to take into account the following in their report:

• Material the body lift blocks are made from
• Total Height of the 4x4
• The size of tyres on the vehicle
• Steering shaft
• Brake lines
• Gear stick
• Headlight line of sight (ensure bull-bar is not blocking)

We suggest before performing any modifications on your 4x4 to check with your local road authority to make sure the modifications you want to make will be roadworthy.

If you require any further information on the supply or installation of body lift kits feel free to get in contact with us.