Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

Hi guys,

I know a lot of you run body lifts, so I wanted to get some of your opinions. I stopped and talked to my local mechanic today and asked for a quote on installing a 3" body lift on my Ranger. (2000, 4x4 offroad, 186k). He quoted me $350 parts and labor, which I liked the sound of, but he actually tried to talk me out of it. He said that the 3" lift will put a lot of stress on my driveshaft and u-joints, and potentially cause me some issues down the road... but I wasn't sure how seriously to take him since I know how many of you guys on here have body lifts. My question is, considering the mileage of my Ranger, do you think I should be worried about what he said and go with a suspension lift instead, or just go ahead and do the body lift?

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

All you are doing is lifting the cab and bed off the frame 3" how are you gonna mess the drive shaft and u joints up?

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

its the bigger tires that will have issues but if u have 4.10s ull be fine....bs on the mechanic...and do it urself too

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

some mechanics man people are crazy

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

and my uncle who is a mechanic worked hard to convince me to shell out for a suspension lift...

im 2wd...no way am i gonna do that lol get the body lift and if u wanna go higher then get a sus lift on top of that

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

Unless he was thinking of what some jeep owners do. They do like a body lift and drive train lift not sure how all that works.

You will be fine going with the lift. What gears do you have now? http://www.fordrangerforum.com/drive...xle-codes.html

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

nothing...

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

youre not really going higher off the ground eric. a body lift allows for bigger tires. because the frame stays in the same place, you still have stock ground clearence. granted you do get like an ich n a half with bigger tires.

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

haha i know i worded it wrong then lol


but i do think you get better body ground clearance on uneven terraiin like ur back end wont get all fucked up but thats besides ur point

and doesnt a sus lift lift the frame? vs a body lift, lifts the body?

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

thats correct eric

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

i've been bodylifted for over a year and a half now with no issues and i beat the hell out of my truck.

if you do decide to do the lift, and want some help let me know... i live in greenville.

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

Haha, so many replies, thanks guys. I think that answers my question... I'll check what gears I have in the morning. I have no idea what the mechanic was talking about, but he was adamant that I not do it, so I figured it was worth checking out.

----------

I wish man, I don't have the time between work and school though.

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

Love this forum...

Thats your ticket bud. I did mine by myself and used the instructions. Lube your body bolts ahead of time and as long as you have a basic set of tools you can do it. But I am sure with someone who has done one the time is cut in half.

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

Thanks for the offer man, I'll see how it works out. I need to wait a month or so before I buy the lift since I'm getting new wheels this month :p

Re: Effect of a 3" Body Lift on the Drivetrain?
 

Mechanics are knowledgeable, but dont always have common sense, or want to listen to anyones opinion or reasoning.