i recently purchased a rough looking '81 F-100 with I6 300 in it, and am looking to put on a decent lift, but have little knowledge on it, so here are some questions...
1. What are the major differences between a suspension and a body lift?
2. Do i need a suspension lift for moderate off roading? nothing worse than 3 foot mud, or 50 degree inclines, and no crawlin on rocks?
3. Would a 4'' body lift fit the bill for what i need?

Just hoping to get some advice on this one, thanks.

Semper Fi

 

Firstly...you get what you pay for. Sure, body lifts are cheaper, but are less reliable, cause major retrofit issues (bumpers, fan shrouds, possibly shifter levers, etc..). In my opinion, stay away from them! I think they are ugly, and throw your center of gravity way off. Stock suspensions are susceptible to failure off the road. Suspension kits offer heavier duty pieces, more suspension articulation, and can stand up to the abuse! If you plan on tackling deep mud, better make sure youre driveline can take it (and you have appropriate gearing). Also, alot of these decisions come down to what your budget is. Body lifts are cheap. Suspensions are not (well, some are, but I plan on installing a 4" Trailmaster lift with their Superrunner package. It changes all the front tie rod angles and..something else. My brain is a fuzz right now. Point of the rant...quite a few more dollars). In the end, yes, a body lift will fit the bill, but you cant forget what you have in mind for this truck later in its life....whether you plan on driving it into the ground, or building it up to be a competent beast.

Rich

 

wheel is absoultely right on every point.
I just want to add my 2 cents.
A body lift won't do anything for your offroading ability except allow you to install bigger tires. All a body lift does is relpace your stock body mounts with taller ones, thus lifting the body off the frame. You won't gain any ground clearance accept what you will get from larger tires (2-3 inches depending on current and intended tire). All of the shortcomings of the stock suspension are still there with a body lift. If you try going through a 3 foot mud pit on a body lift, you're going to have fun time digging the mud away from your frame in order to get unstuck.
I'm not bashing body lifts. I just think they have their place. That place being combined with a suspension lift to achieve that little extra tire clearance. Take that with a grain of salt from someone who believes a 4X4 is meant to be wheeled, not just look tall and pretty.
BTW, from what I have seen, the biggest body lift is 3".

 

Oorah! From a fellow Marine, usmc_ford Where are you stationed at?
My question to you is, how big of tires are you wanting to install? A body lift is okay in my opinion as long as you don't go beyond 2 inches a body lift leaves gaps between the body and chassis. The gaps are less noticeable with 2 inch lift. A suspension lift comes with taller springs to raise the chassis giving you more ground clearance. I am running Rough Country 2 inch add-a-leafs in the rear on my 84 and I plan to install 2 inch lift coil springs in the front so I can bolt on 33s. If you plan to go bigger than 31 inch tires I strongly recommend changing your gears. I plan to go 3.55 gears when I install the 33s.

 

currently the tires are gonna stay the same since the only crawlin I will be doing is over the little compact cars here in Norfolk, VA... haha. But the lift is mainly an asthetic thing cause the truck looks kinda stupid to me right now... but that is just me. don't want to invest too much cause the Corps will be sendin me to the sandbox pretty soon, so just the basics till I get back... but any feed back is enjoyed.

Semper Fi

 

I didn't think my 84 really looked stupid... it just needed an ALTITUDE adjustment. Are you planning on bringing the ol Ford out to 29 Stumps? I'm guessing you may not be able to have it out there because of the smog laws. I know mine wouldn't pass a tailpipe test because it has been DESMOGGED Right now I'm in Okinawa so I can't do anything with my truck till I get home. Seeing how I'm stuck out here for a while I'm going to order all the parts and have them sent home so I'll have some thing to do when I come home on leave. OORAH!

 

I think that if I get "sand detail" I will probably drop this truck off in Tx (home) and pick up my other truck - '73 F-250 w/ 390 and 4 on the floor lookin for more mods.... plus a healthy rebuild. Unless I am mistakin it is old enough to get away from the Cali Smog-sniffer right? Besides I like the pull that 390 has over this I6 almost anyday... but first I have to finish duty here at FAST, then it should be off to Cali for the last year or so of my contract.

Semper Fi

 

Yup, youre in the clear with the '73

Rich

 

I personally love my I6 but the 390 does pull nice especially in the dunes.