every body lift kit i look at says excluding diesel.....does anyone know why you can't put a body lift on a diesel?

 

My guess would be that the manufacturer never tried one on a diesel and dosen't want to assume responsability if something does not fit right. I have installed a couple of body lifts on gas trucks before. It is never as easy as you'd wished it were. The radiator and shroud will need to be lowered. If it's an auto, its linkage will need to be lenthened. Various fuel lines and wires may also need attention. If it is a stick shift, your shifter will be lower than it used to be. Know what you're getting into before you try it. Also if you live in the rust belt like me, many of the old bolts won't come loose without the trusty smoke wrench (oxy/acy torch).

 

I have a two inch body lift on my 86.
It took several hours to raise the cab. Several more hours to get the 4x4 shifter to work in 2 high.
Brake lines were just long enough.
Emergency brake cable was not, had to make a new bracket for it.
Cut the bottom out of the fan shroud to make it work.
New cab bolts are included so cutting the old ones off is not a big deal, but I used a cutoff wheel so I did not burn the rubber bushings. The ones under the radiator disinegrated anyway because I could not get the cutoff wheel in there.
I have a dump bed so I did not raise it.

 

It is my understanding that there are too many components with a diesel engine, which makes it difficult to do a body lift.

 

I've got a 2" on my '89 F350 CC 2wd. Bought it at summit racing for 90.00, it did say "not for diesels" but I have no idea why as it fits just fine. Look at the dieselstop.com and look up la350 and their are pics in my gallery


Lance

 

That's a really nice job on the lift, Lance. The proportions are really great - from a distance it looks stock. I like how it solves the 'firewall problem'. Any particular headaches you encountered while you did it? How long did it take? (inquiring minds wanna know...)

Dave

 

Dave,
Thanks for the good words.

The lift was not without hassle. The cab came up ok. Steering shaft slid apart as designed, didn't have to move/adjust any hoses/wiring. It is a bit of work getting the new bolts into the forward most cab mounting holes but the skinny arm of my 6yr old son solved that issue. I did have to trim the lower portion of the fan shroud by 1/2- 3/4" or so.

The bed was a problem. The bolts used by Ford are "carriage head" in that they have a square section below the round head. These held fine while torqueing on them from below (no need to remove tanks or ANYTHING underneath). The forwardmost bed bolts however will make a felon out of you. They are not carriage but an oval shape and they immediatly stripped out. With no way to hold the head from spinning, I had to weld a nut on the top so my 6yr old could hold a backing wrench on while I wrenched from below. Somewhat simple but I had just built us a new house and had not wired any 220v in the garage for my welder yet. That took a couple hours before I could actually start welding.

I have a small floor jack. That and a few blocks were all that was needed for the actual "lift". I'd give yourself 3-5 hrs depending on whether or not you have any 6yr olds around (funny, I can't get my 8 or 11 yr old sons out to help, just the 6er thinks its cool to help dad!)

Let me know if you have further questions,

Lance

 

Lance -

Thanks for the info! I have a chance to buy a buddy's 20-year-old F250 6.9. It's in great shape (he's _serious_ about maintenance!), but the cab/bed mounts are all original. Seems to me I could kill two birds with one stone: replace worn out mounts (while retaining a stock appearance) and make a future turbo install much easier. I _really_ like the fact that it'll take a minimum of modifications to get the job done. Dave Sponaugle mentioned that the e-brake took some work. Did that happen to you. I'd like to limit the lift to as little as possible. I figure that'll help keep the mods simple while providing room for the turbo downpipe. Anyway, that's the plan...

Dave

 

Dave, with a two inch lift I think I could easily put a 4" or 5" downpipe off my ATS turbo.
The reason I made a new e brake bracket was because my cable was streched real tight to the cab floor after the lift. I was not comfortable with it so tight buit it actually went up without the new bracket.
I spent much more time trying to get the transfer case to go into 2 wheel high than any thing else after the lift.
You do need to check the steering column shaft to make sure it is still hooked up, mine also slid apart and was OK.
The 4 speed shift lever is two inches closer to the seat in reverse, 2 and 4 but it is only a problem when someone is sitting in the middle of the seat.
Also when the drivers side goes up, keep a close eye on the brake lines below the master cylinder. They have plenty of room for the lift, but you do not want them to kink while lifting the body.

One other trick I learned was loosen all the cab bolts, but leave the nuts on the end of the bolts on one side of the cab. Remove the nuts from all the bolts on the other side and jack that side up first and install the new mount bushings,lift blocks and bolts finger tight.
Then remove the nuts and jack the other side up, install all the hardware there. Then after you let it all back down tighten everything and finish the job.

 

Dave -

Thanks for the 'heads up' on the brake stuff. Since I'm looking at 3.5" - 4" for the exhaust, a 2" lift sounds great. Franhkly, I wouldn't mind a 1" lift. I kinda figure that by the time I regain the height lost from collapsing bushings and add one full inch on top of that, I'd probably have plenty of room for a 3.5" system. I like the your idea of loosening all the mount bolts, and then only removing the bolts on one side at a time. Great way to ensure bolt alignment! (That's usually the kind of thing you look back at and say, "Dang! I shoulda done....") I can easily live with the shifter being closer to the seat. Matter of fact, if I decide I don't like it, it's pretty simple to unbolt the shifter, heat it up and bend it to preference. (I taught off-road diesel mechanics for awhile. Our motto was "Beat to fit, paint to match.") I'll definitely remember to watch the brake lines as I lift. Kinked lines won't do much for brake performance! Thanks for the ideas - this really does look like I could reasonably pull it off on a Saturday. (Well, it's a goal....)

 

You could buy a 2" or 3" kit and then cut them in half on a bandsaw to get a 1" or 1 1/2" lift. You most likely would have to buy some shorter bolts as I'm not they would be threaded far enough.....

 

My kit had everything I needed as far as spacers and bolts to do the entire truck. Since I have a dump bed, I have enough spacers left to lift another cab with no bolts for it. Well I have bed bolts, but they are different than cab bolts.

 

Whats wrong with throwin some blocks between the leafs and axle. Sounds a hell of a lot simpler unless youre just doin it for the downpipe clearance.

I know a guy who ran his Powerstroke in the sled pulls and just ran his exhaust out the hood so he could clear a 6 inch short stack. Made a hell of a mess on his windshield. Smokinest thing you ever seen, more than a hot runnin Cummins.

 

Nothing wrong with that on the rear axle, but it messes the steering geometry up on the front axle. It is also will not pass inspection in WV if done on the front axle.
I did mine just for the downpipe clearance.

 

Dan, you're right - nothing wrong with suspension blocks. There are a lot of reasonably priced kits out there that raise (or lower) leaf spring suspensions anywhere from 1" to 5". In fact, if you've got access to some thick-walled square tubing, a chop saw or band saw, and a few basic files you can whip out your own in no time. And for just about zip on the cost. On a 2wd, the front springs will require spacers, or replacing with taller aftermarket springs. As Dave Sponaugle points out, this definitely changes front end geometry. You're gonna hafta deal with this, or replace front tires _reeelly_ often. Here in east TX there are a few heavy truck frame and alignment shops that will set up modified twin I-beam front ends. They use a large hydraulic jaw set-up to grip the axle and physically bend it forward/backward (initial toe adjustment) or up and down (camber). This sets the steering geometry back to stock specs. HOWEVER, as Dave also points out, you might wanna do some research to be sure that you don't run afoul of the local inspection guys. Here in Texas, that's not an issue, but YMMV...

There's two reasons I'm doing the cab lift thing (as opposed to the much-simpler suspension lift). First, I figure that'll take care of squashed, worn out bushings that are squeeking and not doing the best job of noise/vibration isolation. Second, like you and Dave both mentioned, it buys me the clearance to simplify a future turbo downpipe installation. It'll also allow the addition of taller tires without suspension mods. Benefits now, benefits later. Such a deal!!

Dave, I saw a picture of your truck on another thread. That is a _SERIOUSLY_ nice ride! You're lift looks very clean, not obvious. That's exactly what I'm looking for. Nuthin' obvious; none of the mods show. Just a clean 'ol truck that looks good. (In automotive circles, the term for this is 'sleeper'.) <grin> Right now, I have a sorta/kinda wish list on mods based on cost and cost-effectiveness:

Body lift - cheap (under $100); immediate and future benefits

5sp ZF - from what I hear, not as robust as the T-series, but to me, the MPG advantage of an overdrive outweighs this; also, much cheaper than aftermarked OD setups

40-gallon behind-the-axle fuel tank - twice the capacity (and range) of the existing tank; it also adds about 275# - 300# behind the axle. That'll help ride when empty and definitely help traction during February (our 'slick' month). Sure beats throwing feed sacks in the bed. <grin> Also, I don't loose bed space.

Positrac/LSD unit for the rear axle - twice the traction, minimal cost; used on ebay for cheap

Looking at your bed set-up sure gives me some ideas about future uses. You mentioned that your bed dumped. Is this a kit, or did you hafta fab it yourself? As my family responsibilites change/increase (aging parents, in-laws, etc), the idea of a highly useful, adaptable HD truck becomes really attractive.