So I installed a 2 inch body lift (only in the cab haven't gotten around to the bed yet) and just the other day I went over to my moms house to pay her a visit. I stayed with her over the summer once and she got a bunch of complaints about my "****ty looking truck" parked in the community. Something about lowering property value... I told the 85 year old navy caption who was complaining that I dont leave home without my town chain and I could fire up the old girl and pull his house over... he went inside and locked his door.... Anyways... There is one parking spot in the community that has this huge shrub beside it and it is also nose downhill and at a pretty crazy and substantial back left tire up twisting the frame sort of deal. I usually park in that spot as to "shield my trucks awesomeness from the less appreciative neighbors". Never noticed any problems with the torque on the truck besides noticing the top of the bed line and the line under the rear window was crazy twisted. Is it normal for the bed and cab to twist under load like that? My first visit after installing the lift kit i pulled into the spot and as the frame twisted up immediately the cab started to vibrate with the engine. Not good not good. i parked out on the street and walked in. Any idea what the issue is and how i can fix it? I am concerned because i am gearing up to take my father on a 3k mile trip with the truck and my 11 foot cabover camper that weighs 3k+ lbs. If something is loose or messed up I cant imagine all of that weight in the bed could be good for the situation. Thanks guys, and happy trucking!

-Lyle

 

00ps.... 1985 F350 6.9 4x4 Crew

 

There is a set of railroad tracks here in town right off a main road. You have to turn uphill over the railroad tracks to take a certain street. It is off limits to semi-trucks. They will bottom out. I took me crew cab over it one time, and have the dent in the back of the cab where the bed kissed it. These frames have a lot of flex. They can and will twist more than you expect.

I bet when you had the frame twisted up tight, your firewall came in contact with the drivers side cylinder head. They get close with a body lift. You notice they don't sell a 3 inch body lift for a diesel, because they will hit the cylinder head.

 

I never had any issues with my motor making contact with the firewall until I installed a 3" body lift . Now it does ...but you gotta get her in a helluva bind

 

interesting.... so is this something i should be worried about? is the motor making contact with the firewall a bad thing?

 

I did a lot of research before installing the body lift. Personally I despise I body lift , I worked at a custom truck shop years ago , and I've lifted a lot of trucks over the years. I always tried to stay away from the body lifts , they just don't look right . Among other reason , loss of frame rigidity , etc. But in my case I didn't have a lot of options . I fit a extended cab short bed body onto a regular cab long bed frame. Had to use the body lift to clear the contour in the frame for the reg cab. But yes its normal to make contact between the firewall and d-side head with the 7.3/6.9 if you put her in a twist, with a body lift on these trucks . But it also takes a hard twist . Did you go back over your mounting bolts after you drove it awhile , and it settled ? Because that will also affect it . Check your alignment of your cab too , especially if the bolts worked loose. I had to massage the fire wall a bit on mine, but it works great , and I've got plenty of room for my turbo now . If I ever get all the bugs worked out (trying to fabricate a GTP38 from a 95 PSD to fit .)

 

if you plan on putting a slide in camper in your truck, the last thing you want to do is put a body lift on it.

most vehicle manufacturers, ford included, recommend that you do not use a slide in camper on a 4X4 vehicle because the raised suspention will make it unstable and prone to rollover.

 

As long as it's only rolled once it's okay:

 

Ok cool thanks guys. Ill try to scope it out and modify the firewall if that indeed is where all of the vibrations are coming from.

The reason i lifted the truck was because i have oversized tires and the bed was rubbing on the tires after the truck squatted with all of the weight of my 11 foot slide-in. The truck seems to handle the weight ok and doesnt seem crazy unstable... I was talking to a friend at work who mentioned i might want to ad an anti sway bar on the back for added stability and to help the truck handle the load a little bit better. It looks like my truck has one in the front already. Does this sound like it might be worth doing? Thoughts?

 

Honestly if it were me, and all you need it for was wheel clearance when you had your camper in . I'd went with airbags