Off-Road Bumpers

[micahturner]

I'm trying to find a maker of off road front and rear bumpers. I'd also like to know how labor intensive a 3in body lift would be keeping in mind that I have no idea what I'm doing.

[DeadlyPeace]

A 3" BL isn't that bad to put in, but can take some time to do if you're working by yourself. Most BL's come with everything you will need. Other then lifting the body you will need to extend the steer bar (under the hood) and lower the radiator so it stays in its natural place with the engine. You could lift it with the body, but you'll need to get new hoses so they don't kink. You'll also need to disconnet the brake line from the firewall. The line can just be stretched out a little and it will be fine. For lift the body just undo one side at a time and loosen the other. lift the one side up far enough for the new spacers to fit in place and put the bolts in. Don't tighten them down. Lift the other side and do the same thing. After all the bolts are in and everything is sitting in place then thighten everything down. The radiator you could leave for last or disconnect and let it rest against the body while lifting it.


As for bumpers try marlincrawler.com, or allprooffroad.com

[Sean]

A 3" body lift and not knowing what you are doing pretty much go hand in hand.

[colosusabbott]

sean said:

A 3" body lift and not knowing what you are doing pretty much go hand in hand.

kind of like being the moderator of a toyota offroad message board and not knowing shit about shackles go hand in hand right?

[cr884runner]

colosusabbott said:

sean said:

A 3" body lift and not knowing what you are doing pretty much go hand in hand.

kind of like being the moderator of a toyota offroad message board and not knowing shit about shackles go hand in hand right?

Kind of like that annoying guy on the forums that tries to talk about how much he knows and be an nuisance to this forum rather than helping others.

[colosusabbott]

cr884runner said:

colosusabbott said:

kind of like being the moderator of a toyota offroad message board and not knowing shit about shackles go hand in hand right?

Kind of like that annoying guy on the forums that tries to talk about how much he knows and be an nuisance to this forum rather than helping others.

i tried to help you. your too stupid to understand so i gave up on you.

[cr884runner]

Your the only one on this forum that tries to show up everyone else. Everyone was getting along until you tried to outsmart everyone. The purpose of the forum is to try to help others regardless if you know everything or if you don't. Calling out the mods is also a thing not to do even if he is right or wrong. Not here to cause an arguement as you are the one who started it with your little sneer remarks.

[larry073]

LOL I though this was about bumpers......JERRY... JERRY... JERRY. I think everyone needs to just chill , what works for one person may not work for another, so just deal with it.

[rsdan]

okay so we all know that colosusabbott is an idiot. Back to the body lift question now- I wouldn't go with a 3 inch body lift (btdt) the most I would go would be a 2 inch body lift if any body lift at all. You will run into a few problems (but what can you expect for a cheap lift) Such as radiator mounting, bumper mounting, *shifting* (especially the transfer case lever)

Also other little problems may arise, if you want a cheaper lift go with ball joint spacers if this is an IFS truck or shackles if it is a solid axle truck. Sorry to all you body lift guys...

[cr884runner]

I would go with a one inch if any as with one inch body lift you will provide better cooling for your engine, get that extra inch of lift you needed for those bigger tires, and plus it won't be noticeable like other body lifts... o ya most importantly, unless i am mistaken, if you do a one inch body lift you don't really have to mess with anything like the rad and bumper mounting and all that other stuff... correct me if i am wrong...

[rsdan]

Roger Brown sells a 1 inch body lift (based off his motto "lift as much as needed, but as little as possible." With a 1 inch body lift you can fit 33's and yes you won't need to mess with as much stuff.

[DeadlyPeace]

Actually I guess the first question to micahturner should have been, what's the reason for wanting a 3" BL and what type of wheeling this truck would be used for?
But just for shits and giggles.............


Doing a BL lift (like almost everything) has its pros and cons. One nice thing about a BL is that it's cheap and even with the extra items you need to deal with to make them work right it's still fairly easy to install. This giving you the room for bigger tires.

Also with the bigger the BL is the more it will show of your frame, which some people don't like. This can be completely or somewhat hidden with rock sliders depending on the application. Also the bigger the BL lift the higher COG is. This making easier for roll overs. Also a bigger BL can be more prone to going through your floorboard if too much pounding is put on them (like jumping your truck). A BL lift (so I've heard) will also put stress on your frame too, but I'm yet to see a problem with it so far out of 10+ years with a 3" BL on my DD/trail rig.

Now no matter what size BL you put on, you will still have to deal with the bumper, but any good kit should come with the spacers for that.

1" BL - You shouldn't have to deal with anything, but the lift kit it's self.
2" BL - You should only have to deal with the radiator and maybe the brake line on the firewall. Not sure on the steering bar though.
3" BL - You should have to deal with everything mentioned above.
4"-up BL - You'll have to make yourself and really be stupid to want to do.


IMHO I think.......
For a DD or DD/trail rig a BL isn't that bad as long as you don't mind the frame showing and you are aware of your COG. If your rig does see the trails then I would try to get most of your lift and tire clearance out of a SL first. Maybe a 1" BL for just some extra tire clearance would be ok as long as you don't have plans on doing a SL.

For a trail rig only, especially a rock crawler, I would do my best to leave a BL completely out of the equation.


I'm sure there many be some other pros and cons and opinions, so feel free to express them.

[colosusabbott]

i made a 6 inch body lift on my 91 k5 but it was a PAIN. i used schedule 80 tubing which is about 3 inch diameter and a quarter inch thick, had 10 peices cut 6 inches long. i welded them to the body mounts, ordered grade 8 bolts from fastenal. used all new energy suspensions red polyeurothane bushings. i had to make bumper brackets, make gap gaurds out of an old bed mat and some self tapping screws. i had to completely make a steering shaft from scratch with a universal joint on each end. i had to make an extension for my transfer case stick. i had to extend the shifting linkage but you have to do that anyway even with a 1 inch body lift. i had to make a new gas filler hose. i had to replace some ground wires with longer wire, all my vacuum hoses in the engine bay were too short.

was it worth it? yes!! i now have 6 solid inches of lift that doesnt affect my drivetrain.

i started with a real 3 inch body lift and was looking for a cheap way to get more lift. so i made the 6 inch body lift, made some longer shackles for the front, did a home made shackle flip in the rear, and made a set of 2.5 inch zero rate AALs in the front. on top of the 12 inch super lift i put on it to begin with.

[DeadlyPeace]

colosusabbott said:

i had to extend the shifting linkage but you have to do that anyway even with a 1 inch body lift.

Yes with an automatic trans you do have to deal with extending the linkage too. Don't care for autos so I don't deal with them any more then I have to. So I wasn't thinking about them.

On a manual you don't have to do anything, but you can get a Short Throw Shifter.

Pic shown with Short Throw Shifter Kit w/ a Dog Leg modifcation on it

Good for vehicles with a BL of 3" or greater to reduce the throw of the shifter by 40%. This should also help with some shifter boots getting ripped form the shifter being lower and the upper half of the shifter stretching the boot more then it should. Also good for placing shifter in tight areas where little space is available for the shifter to move.

[fourwd1]

deadlypeace said:

2" BL - You should only have to deal with the radiator and maybe the brake line on the firewall. Not sure on the steering bar though.

I have a 2" BL on the Runner to allow me to raise both the fuel tank and the drivetrain up 2".

You do have to lengthen the steering shaft, as well as the front 2 brake hardlines (just uncoil them a bit), engine ground strap (to the firewall), and reposition the fuel filler neck.

[Sean]

colosusabbott said:

sean said:

A 3" body lift and not knowing what you are doing pretty much go hand in hand.

kind of like being the moderator of a toyota offroad message board and not knowing shit about shackles go hand in hand right?

Exactly how do i know shit about shackles. Let me ask you this, of the two of us that have made them, which one had to redo theirs? Pffttt. What a joke. And schedule 80 is pipe not tube. Anyone that knows even the very basics of fabrication understands this and understands the difference.

[colosusabbott]

i didnt redo mine, mine bent, my blazers heavier than your peice. im putting my factory shackles back in the front to correct the steering, which the longer shackles threw off

[rockcrawlintoy]

colosusabbott said:

i made a 6 inch body lift on my 91 k5 but it was a PAIN. i used schedule 80 tubing which is about 3 inch diameter and a quarter inch thick, had 10 peices cut 6 inches long. i welded them to the body mounts, ordered grade 8 bolts from fastenal. used all new energy suspensions red polyeurothane bushings. i had to make bumper brackets, make gap gaurds out of an old bed mat and some self tapping screws. i had to completely make a steering shaft from scratch with a universal joint on each end. i had to make an extension for my transfer case stick. i had to extend the shifting linkage but you have to do that anyway even with a 1 inch body lift. i had to make a new gas filler hose. i had to replace some ground wires with longer wire, all my vacuum hoses in the engine bay were too short.

was it worth it? yes!! i now have 6 solid inches of lift that doesnt affect my drivetrain.

i started with a real 3 inch body lift and was looking for a cheap way to get more lift. so i made the 6 inch body lift, made some longer shackles for the front, did a home made shackle flip in the rear, and made a set of 2.5 inch zero rate AALs in the front. on top of the 12 inch super lift i put on it to begin with.

sounds ghetto. why the need for suck a large amount of lift.

anyway if i was goin to buy a bumper i would look at marlin or ARB i have always loved the arb bumpers

[micahturner]

I appreciate all your help, opinions, and........rantings. My truck will not see any extreme trails or rock climbing. Maybe some mud but thats about it. I'm looking for a bumper I can mount a winch on to pull myself out. I'll probably go with an ARB bumper. I wish they showed price listings though. As for the bodylift, I'm looking for some ground clearance and to be able to put bigger tires on. I've got 31's on now but would like a lifted look. A suspension lift is about out of my budget right now. More ideas are appreciated.

[cr884runner]

For the amount of work a body lift would be, you could spend a little more on the ball joint spacers and get a lift without as much work.