Zone 1.5" Body Lift Tips - Gap Guard Idea

wescollins · March 14, 2010

This was all on a 2008 silverado 1500 Z71 4wd LT

First about the gap guards, I haven't put it on yet but look for the plastic stuff that goes around flower bed, what I bought came in a 20' roll and cost less than 4 bucks! Looks like it will work awesome for gap guards on the back. It's about 3" wide, black hard plastic so easy to clean, one side is smooth and one side has a couple horizontal lines which I think would look good out. I got metal roofing type screws to hold it on, 3/4" long, smallest diameter available, they come with large washers so it can't go anywhere. Seems like it'll work a lot better and a lot cheaper than pond liner. I plan to spray wheel house / bedliner spray on it all anyway but it would work great without that too.

Anyway, zone 1.5" body lift, I've done about 5-6 body lifts before, so here's the things you actually have to do, the rest of it I have no idea why they put it on the instructions.

1. Bend up the tap for the emergency brake line before you lift the cab. That's all you need to do for the brake line. Take your time and bend it as much as possible to get all the clearance you can. DO NOT engage the emergency brake while your doing the lift, so it is left slack.

2. Lift up the driver's side of the cab first. That's because there are some metal housings (looks like a bell) over the top of a couple of the mounts on that side, and if you lift it first you put an angle on it, and don't have to lift it as high to squeeze in the 1.5" body spacers.

3. Do unhook the steering wheel shaft because it just barely has enough space for 1.5" lift, and you have to lift probably 2.5" on that side to get the spacers in. Take the bolt all the way out on the upper end and you're good. Mark how it was before beause it will fall apart during the lift, or put it apart. The upper shaft will slide into the firewall.

4. I did take the ground strap and loosen it, turn it just a little so it has more slack, and tighten back down before the lift. Just take a couple minutes. Don't really have to but doesn't hurt.

It's obviously a good idea to look and make sure, but chances are very high that you have more than enough slack on everything else. There's no need to unhook/re-hook it the 10 things the instructions tell you to do. Just be sure to lift it only enough to squeeze in the spacers to be safe.

Be sure you have 21mm and 7/8" sockets, you'll need them for the front / cab. Back was 3/4" and 18mm but most people already have those. Make sure you have lots of extensions for the back. On a couple of them I had the LONG extension AND a medium extension both on there. I was using a butterfly air wrench. Don't forget adapters 3/8" to 1/2" and vice versa if you only have extensions for one size. (I had to make 2 trips into town Lost all my old tools when the house burned and only had the basics). There are also some 15 mm bolts involved.

One of those front body mounts is a real pain in the arse, on the passenger side. Hard to grab the top of it, lines in the way. Be sure you have something capable of getting a GOOD grip on it. You have to grip it hard and it's hard to get to. I used channel locks but it wasn't easy.

Be sure to have at least a couple metal sawall blades. The bumper brackets you have to cut is some thick stuff. Great time to invest in a vice if you don't already have one. I did it without one but it wasn't easy. Lost some skin on this one, and was hurting afterwards. A cheapo harbor freight vice would be nice.

For the rear bumper, there's also like a 1" socket or something needed, on only two bolts/nuts, but I was able to get it on with channel locks and pliers instead of buying another $8 socket. The rear bumper is pretty easy to do, much easier than the front bumper.

You never actually cut the frame anywhere in this process. It looks like you do on the instructions, but it's actually brackets you are cutting that go between the frame and bumper. It's hard to tell what you're looking at in the instructions until you actually get there.

Adding: Have a 2x4 handy, could cut with the jigsaw if you have to but skil saw is nice, to use as a lift block and cut to size. Be careful of using a 2x6 cause it's wide enough to catch on things that you can't see. Be sure to put the block where it has some supports above it (behind the body panels). The one I used for the back was about 2' long and front was 3' long. Put close to the center of the bed or cab section. On the back, put it in front of the back tires, put those blocks in, and then just lift a little bit on the back of the bed and slide those in place, it's not heavy. Can lay on your back and push it up with your knees if you're halfway mobile so you have both hands to do the block/bolt with.

Also If you don't already know, you don't need to weld their little reinforcement piece to the front bumper brackets.

Gil85 · March 14, 2010

Thanks for this write-up. This is great stuff to know when one is thinking of doing a body lift.

stlavsa · March 14, 2010

Thanks for this write-up. This is great stuff to know when one is thinking of doing a body lift.

Having never installed a body lift or looked at the directions.. I wonder could you not have used a grinder with a 3.5" or 4.5" cutting wheel instead of the sawzall?

wescollins · March 15, 2010

Thanks for this write-up. This is great stuff to know when one is thinking of doing a body lift.

Having never installed a body lift or looked at the directions.. I wonder could you not have used a grinder with a 3.5" or 4.5" cutting wheel instead of the sawzall?

Negative. You have to cut down inside between a couple of other pieces. Couldn't use a cutoff wheel or grinder. Need the sawzall. It's hard to explain till you get there, but once you do you'd see what I'm talking about. I'm also an Engineer and before that had a lot of experience in metal working and also built my own 2500 SF house by myself too, so I'm pretty handy with the tools, but not an expert at anything. Plasma cutter might be nice lol but out of my budget.

The write-up was really meant for people about to install it and have already read the instructions, and shows you which steps you can mark off and ignore, and also what tools to be sure to have. Bascially you're just taking out the body bolts, lifting the body one side at a time with a jack and a piece of wood, installing spacers and re-installing longer bolts. Things between the frame and the body get 1.5" length added to them, but need about 2.5" of "slack" to safely lift since you have to jack it up higher during the lift process. This is to point out what really has enough slack or not. The instructions tell you to unhook all kinds of stuff, from air box, radiator hoses, O2 sensor wires, clamping grinding and unhooking the emergency brake cable, etc. etc., which is all pointless.

Also I cut the gap guards out today but didn't install them, but they're going to work awesome, a lot better and cheaper than pond liner (for the back only).

Anyone feel free to add any tips if I'm leaving something out. This is just what comes to mind after a fresh first-time install of this kit.

stlavsa · March 15, 2010

Thanks for this write-up. This is great stuff to know when one is thinking of doing a body lift.

Having never installed a body lift or looked at the directions.. I wonder could you not have used a grinder with a 3.5" or 4.5" cutting wheel instead of the sawzall?

Negative. You have to cut down inside between a couple of other pieces. Couldn't use a cutoff wheel or grinder. Need the sawzall. It's hard to explain till you get there, but once you do you'd see what I'm talking about. I'm also an Engineer and before that had a lot of experience in metal working and also built my own 2500 SF house by myself too, so I'm pretty handy with the tools, but not an expert at anything. Plasma cutter might be nice lol but out of my budget.

The write-up was really meant for people about to install it and have already read the instructions, and shows you which steps you can mark off and ignore, and also what tools to be sure to have. Bascially you're just taking out the body bolts, lifting the cable with a jack and a piece of wood, installing spacers and re-installing longer bolts. Things between the frame and the body get 1.5" length added to them, but need about 2.5" of "slack" to safely lift since you have to jack it up higher during the lift process. This is to point out what really has enough slack or not. The instructions tell you to unhook all kinds of stuff, from air box, radiator hoses, O2 sensor wires, clamping grinding and unhooking the emergency brake cable, etc. etc., which is all pointless.

Also I cut the gap guards out today but didn't install them, but they're going to work awesome, a lot better and cheaper than pond liner (for the back only).

Anyone feel free to add any tips if I'm leaving something out. This is just what comes to mind after a fresh first-time install of this kit.

Thanks I am going to be installing the 1.5" body lift when I put my new tires on so this is very helpful.

lilnotts · March 16, 2010

i'm very interested to see your gap guards once your complete, i used the gm wheel well liners in the back but I still need something for the front. Also, I think I cut my rear bumper mounting brackets with a grinder but maybe I'm wrong. I really don't remember getting my sawzall out though.

wescollins · March 17, 2010

Yeh you could probably do the rear bumper with a grinder. You just take about 1/2" off the end of something. On the front you're down inside the brackets.

I put on one gap guard on tonight. Would look perfect but it has some waviness to it because when you tighten down the screws with the large washers it kinda compresses/stretches the plastic there. Thinking about screws with smaller washers, probably the black automotive screws. I did start in the middle and work my way out but still kinda wavy. Just gotta figure out the best way to put it on. It's too rigid to use for the front though.