3" body lift (need pic)

OneQuickSix · December 16, 2003

I have put a 4" spindle lift on my 99 old body style c1500 with 33" tires and over bumps my tires barely rub. My conclusion (to save money vs another suspension lift) is to put on a body lift. I either want 2" or 3 " but my concern is with the rear bumper and my aftermarket hitch. I'm pretty sure there is going to be a gap between them after the lift (correct me if I am wrong), but I was wondering how bad this gap looks. If anyone has a picture of the gap please post it or email it to me and let me know what size lift you have. Also, do you guys think I should go ahead and do the 3" or should I stick to the 2? Any opinions are appreciated...Thanks! Kyle

carl722 · December 16, 2003

I don't have a lift at all and have 33" tires on the truck and they don't rub they are close though only when turning the wheel is it really close. Are you using stock wrims or do you have some aftermarket that are dished out some. Mine are dishe out more than the stock Z-71 wrims and may have something to do with the clearance. The C1500 may not have the same clearance as a K1500 does.

OneQuickSix · December 16, 2003

The stock 2wd pickups sit a lot lower than the stock 4wd. With my 4" lift I am about an inch high than a 4wd.

cyclejerk · December 16, 2003

I put a 3" body lift on my last truck, 90, same body as yours. It did have a gap between the bumper and body. I got a piece of galv. sheet metal from work, you could get one from any sheet metal / air duct shop. I drilled two holes in the sheet metal that matched the existing holes in the body and installed two stainless steal bolts to hold it on. It looked fine. oh yeh, I painted it satin black rustoleom.

Good luck.

Ive seen some people use a rubber strip instead of metal but I think the metal is a little better looking.

Mule · December 17, 2003

Some of the body lift kits have a new bracket to move the bumper up and eliminate the gap. It does not move the trailer hitch up, though.

If with 4 inches of lift, the 33's barely rub, it is likely more of the wheel offset, than the height. I have very narrow wheels on my truck and they didn't rub when I had 4 inches of suspension lift on a Yukon (which sits like a 2WD stock, lower than the P/U's and Sub's). So, determine where they rub, and if increasing the height above the tire will solve it. Sometimes, you need to increase the horizontal distance between the body and the tire also.

Instead of a lift, you could open up the fenders a little and install larger fender flares. Or maybe just trim the lower corners of the fender openings.

Heavy Duty · December 17, 2003

Unless your body lift comes with new rear bumper brackets, it will not move. The bumper stays with the frame, so the gap will be between your tailgate, and top of bumper. Either way, the gap really isnt that bad, and can be filled easily.

Chris97K1500 · December 17, 2003

Get a Performance Accessories bodylift with the rear bumper relocation brackets. I've got a 3" on my truck with an aftermarket receiver. Look at my pics in my sig. If you do a bodylift right, they can look very good. Chris