Body Lift How To

[Devs93]

I figured I would start this thread because it's easier for someone that has a very detailed question to come here and see something, I also recommend anyone and everyone looking for advice on a 3" Body Lift on a GMT400 to visit 'The Body Lift Thread" which is stickied in the "Stock Suspension + Bolt on Kits" section.

Alright let's get cracking,

I ordered the Zone 3" Body Lift for the 95-98 C/K trucks

In the picture I already removed the front bumper relocators and some hardware, but you get the jest of it.


This kit provides you with everything you need except rear bumper relocators to do a successful 3" body lift

* CNC machined steering extension included
* Fuel fill extension included
* Fan shroud relocation included
* No welding required
* Front bumper relocation brackets included
* Complete and easy to follow instructions (I had some problems, but I will resolve them here)

Ok, so you got your 3" Body Lift, and hopefully a GMT400 to put it on, well if your thinking its going to take a few hours and you can do it at your friend Gerard's house, that's not the best idea, Unless Gerard's parents or Gerard don't care if you scatter all your parts all over the floor of the garage.

So, to begin, with, make sure you can take your Truck BACK out of the garage after putting the body lift on, I have a 7 foot high garage opening, but the door hangs down 4 inches, so 80 inches, my truck ended up being about 2" shy from hitting that door while coming out, when I get 35's it probably ain't going back in there.

Pull your truck in to a garage, or if you live in Cali, then you will probably do it outside (bastards, )

Unhook battery cables, negative first.

Pop the hood on the truck and spray a little PB blaster on the steering shaft bolt, it's located about 8 inches down from the firewall to the left of the coiled brake lines under your master cylinder, there is a flexible boot on the steering shaft you might want to pull down towards the steering gear box. Here is kind of a lame picture of what your looking for, except my extensions already on.



I will explain how to put the extension on after we lift the cab of the truck, but now is the time to take that bolt out of the steering shaft, make sure your steering wheel is locked, if its not, no big deal, just make sure your wheels are straight, because you can always re line things up and call it good, taking that bolt out will help you later, because when you lift your truck, that lower steering shaft will fall right out of the upper.

After doing that, you can go over to your gas lid, remove the 3 brass colored screws that hold the filler neck to your box side there, they make a loud popping sound when turning them (well for me they did), spray the clips on the other side with PB blaster. These screws call for a Torx headed screw driver, I used a torx headed Allen wrench.



After doing that, slide over to the front bumper, I started by removing the tow hooks, find a socket that fits those, I'd find a half inch drive wrench, they are big bolts, mine came off easy because I took them off previously and painted them. But if you need to use a breaker bar instead of impact, be sure to spray the bolts and inside the frame there where the bar is that has the treads to hold these bolts on.

Now you can take the 8 screws out for the parking light housings, 4 on each one, remove them and remove the bulb assemblies. Now reach in and remove the bulb assemblies for the bottom corner lights.

After doing that you can begin to take the grille off the truck, since the hood is already popped, grab a 7mm socket and take the 5 screws out that hold the top of the grille on, remember there is 1 in the middle of the grille that is screwed in the hood latch housing. After that grab a very long screw driver and remove the clips on the bottom of the grille that hold it in place, the middle one is under hood latch housing thing, that takes a very long screw driver and a precise hand. The others can be accessed from the space now made from taking parking light housings out.

Now take off that plastic piece that runs the top of the bumper that is under grille, it has all the clips on it that you removed previously, there should be 5 screws 7mm to remove that, and it hooks on the ends and in the middle so don't rip it out of there.

For the bumper, there is outer brackets and main brackets, start by removing the 2 bolts that hold the outer bumper brackets to the frame on both sides,

The colored ones, I already have relocating bracket on them.


then I moved on to the 3 bolts in a triangular pattern that hold the main bumper brackets on, those are tough to get off, you will need an extension.

Remove the 2 inner bolts on top of bumper and 2 inner on bottom of bumper, loosen the others, swing the outside bumper brackets towards ends of bumper, remove bumper.

I jumped the gun and put my relocators on before I lifted the truck, DONT do that. But this is how your truck should look, minus the locators.


In the instructions it says for us Automatic Transmission guys to remove kick plate, remove front seat and pull the carpeting up to reach a clip that is on transmission cable and pull the slack down.. No. Not happening. What I did was got under my truck, found that cable that runs up the bottom of the floor pan, and I pulled it out from the cab of the truck, there's a rectangular grommet, once that's out get some side cutters or a pocket screw driver and remove that clip, then stuff the grommet back in properly. It's hard, I know, but takes less time then removing a 60% bench seat.

Now I didn't adjust my parking brake cable, because it was already very loose and I never use it, so follow whatever directions come in your kit to do that.

Now its time to get under truck and remove some body mounts, I started with drivers side, grab a 15mm 6 POINT! socket, and begin removing all drivers side bolts, the very front ones thread down, so you will need a deep well 15mm and a 15mm with an extension to hold top of bolt from up top.

I know that I make it sound easy here to remove bolts, but it's a pain if there is rust, so bare with me. If you are using an impact, more power to you.

After all drivers side bolts are removed, grab your air compressor and spray out all the holes from the body mount bolts and spray a lubricant in there, go to passenger side and loosen all the cab bolts half way to allow for some flex when raising drivers side portion of the cab.

I removed my lower fan shroud and trimmed it at this time so fan wouldnt hit it, those spacers that came in the kit, I don't even know how they used them, when raising the truck the radiator comes with body and so does lower fan shroud, regardless of spacers that lower fan shrouds going to get hit by the fan now that its raised up, so what are spacers going to do when the lower shroud is up with radiator? I don't get it.

Here's what I did, I didnt use those damn spacers.



Here's what another member did, don't get it, the lower shroud is still 3 inches higher than factory, what are the spacer supposed to be doing?


Get 2 jacks and some blocks of wood that are long and sturdy.

I placed 1 jack right behind front wheel and 1 jack just before bed, I lifted right up on the floor pan in-between frame and body panels. But you can lift from anywhere really, not on body panels though, I wouldn't recommend that.

Have someone check while you run both jacks with both arms, Its easier because you know how much strength to exert and what time to do it.

The drivers side of cab should now be raised, try and fit some spacers where in-between frame and body, make sure you at least drive some bolts in a few turns before lowering body, and ALWAYS watch out for jacks when someones hands are in there, you don't want them getting blood on your truck. Be sure you put the body spacer on top of all the factory bushings and what not.