BODY LIFT INSTALLATION

I installed a 3" Performance Accessories Body Lift on my 97 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 (part #673) to help clear the 35" SSRs on 15x10" wheels I just bought. I already had 315/75/16 (35x12.50r16) Big-O X/Ts on 16x8" wheels with 4 1/2" of backspacing. That wheel let me clear the 35's with only a 3" suspension lift. Well the 15" wheels I got have a standard 3 3/4" backspacing, meaning that they would not clear without a lot of rubbing or fender trimming.

I will outline the instructions from the kit and comment, in italics, as we go.

First thing to do, record the distance between bed and cab on both sides.

1. Park vehicle on level ground, block wheels, duh!
2. Disconnect battery and remove airbag fuse
3. Move parking brake cable in between forward evap canister mounts, flip parking brake bracket over.
   
   the brake cable will exit the bottom of the canister and continue along its previous route
4. Remove auto trans shift linkage rod (no mod for manual trans), I had to use a small pry bar to pop the linkage out of the grommets holding it in place, this part was one of the longest as the space to work is limited
5. Remove t-case shift lever, may not be needed, it is possible to trim some metal for proper operation
6. Remove steering shaft and insert extension.
   
   For this application, the parts only fit one way, but mark the alignment anyway to verify proper extension machining. The steering shaft and extension can not be removed or installed without the bolts being removed. The steering shaft will fit on the extension all the way down, but will not line the bolt hole with the groove cut for bolt clearance. The steering shaft needs to be slide up the extension approx 1/4" to align bolt and groove.
7. Remove front bumper. It is awkward so be careful. I found that if you have the factory Mopar tow hooks, that it is much easier to roll the front bumper off, if you remove the hooks. The hook brackets can stay attached with the one extra bolt that holds them that is not part of the bumper bracketry.
8. Remove heater hose from valve cover brackets. Mine were already broken off
9. Remove fan shroud. You can only unbolt it and lean it on the engine. You can not actually pull it from the engine compartment without major work. The windshield washer and coolant overflow bottles need to be removed as well.
10. Check for attached wire, hoses, etc. I found the axle vent tube, ground wire on driver side outer front bumper support, two grond wires on the cowl above the engine, and a brake line bracket attached to the fenders that needed to be detached.
11. Loosen, but do not remove, all cab mounting bolts.There are 6 on reg cab, 8 on extended cabs. At the front core support, behind front wheel, under seat, back of cab on extended cabs.
12. Raise passenger side of cab, insert spacers and replace cab mounting bolts with longer ones and washers, do not tighten.
    
    Not hard, the cab lifts fairly easily after the suspension stops lifting as you remove the cab weight. Tighten the bolts as to minimize movement as you do the other side, but don't torque them down.
13. Repeat for drivers side, align cab to recorded measurements, remove one mounting bolt at a time, apply Lock-Tite, reinstall bolt and torque to spec. Don't forget the washers. There is just enough Lock-Tite with the kit to get the job done, so don't waste it.
14. Remove the fuel filler and vent assembly, save the hose clamps. This is also one of the more time consuming tasks. I waited until the bed was raised to remove the tubes from the tank. I only removed the filler neck from the side of the bed and let it hang until I had room to loosen the clamps at the tank end after installing the spacers.
15. Remove rear bumper. Pretty straight forward.
16. Remove spare tire, remove crank rod from cable assembly. Since you are most likely going to fit larger tires with your body lift, a correctly sized spare may not fit in the stock location. Mine sure wouldn't. I wound the cable back up first before removing the crank rod and left the old spare in the garage.
17. Loosen, but do not remove, all bed mounting bolts. One up front near cab, two, about 10" apart at back of bed. No spacers or anything, bolted directly to the frame.
18. Raise passenger side of bed, insert spacers and replace bed mounting bolts with longer ones and washers, do not tighten. Didn't even use a jack, I was able to lift it with my hands or lay on my back and push up with my legs. I do not recommend this, use a jack for your own safety, otherwise don't blame me if you get hurt :-)
19. Repeat for drivers side, align bed to recorded measurements, remove one mounting bolt at a time, apply Lock-Tite, reinstall bolt and torque to spec. It can be tricky getting the bolts holes to line up as the bed is tilted off the frame, I found it easier to lift the bed off the spacer slightly to get the bolt started, then lower completely.
20. Lengthen the fuel filler hose, replace vent hose. You need to reuse the stock hose clamps on the fuel filler tube, so don't trash them. Cut the large hose in the middle and insert the supplied 1 1/2" metal tube. Don't forget the new hose clamps before inserting the tube. I inserted about 1/3 of the tube into each side of the hose, tightening one side all the way, and the other just enough to keep the tube and clamp in place but allow movement. Replace the vent hose and use the new clamps. Leave the clamp on the filler end loose enough allow movement, and the tank end just tight enough to keep it in place. Reinstall the filler assembly and tighten all clamps once in place.
21. Lower fan shroud.
    
    You need to cut off the lower bracket on the passenger side for clearance. I found that a pair of tin snips worked great here ands the plastic if somewhat brittle and cut easily. Using a knife or blade in the position would be difficult. Install the lowering brackets with the stock hardware and the "L" bracket, long side to core support, short side to shroud, on the lower passenger mount. Place shroud on lowering brackets and mark location of the "L" bracket to drill new hole in shroud. Bolt "L" bracket to shroud using supplied hardware. I found the I could rotate the shroud around the fan blades enough to get good access to the location to drill and install the "L" bracket. Install shroud. Cut off the bottom locating tab on the coolant recovery bottle. Instructions say to remove 1/4-1/2". I found the leaving 1/4" was sufficient and solved the problem of repeated trial fitting.
22. Replace front bumper inner main brackets. Modify frame horns.
    
    
    
    Fairly easy, need to pry back on fascia a bit and use screwdriver to keep carriage bolts in place to not let them spin. You will need to cut off the top flange of the frame where the bumper mounts. This is to allow the new brackets to clear enough to set the bumper to body spacing. I used a air-powered cut-off wheel to trim the flange back to flush with the front cross member. It was about 1/2" of material. I cleaned it up with a grinder. I tried remounting the bumper without doing this and I could not position the bumper properly. Oh well, live and learn.
23. Reinstall front bumper.
    
    
    
    Do not tighten the outer bracket bolts where they mount to the frame. This will allow adjsutment of the bumper/grill spacing.
24. Lengthen t-case lever. Inserts are supplied with the kit, but it is a pain to remove the lever. I will just cut some sheet metal away to allow proper operation.
25. Lengthen transmission shift rod (if manual check for proper operation). Insert is supplied with. It will snap back into the grommets. Readjust the shift linkage assembly for proper gear indicator settings.
26. Remove license plate holder and drill hole for spare crank rod. I have a Reunel rear bumper that I had modified and also will not be using the spare tire since it won't fit. If you will be running 33's, you can fit one under the truck, then you should modify the license plate mount to hold the crank rod assembly since it will not work well at an angle.
27. Reinstall rear bumper, can use rear bumper bracket kit #60023 to raise it, leave it lowered, or drill the frame for new mounting holes. If raised, it is no longer tow rated, get a receiver hitch. Again, I have a Reunel rear bumper that is being modified. The bumper bracket kit remove the tow rating of the bumper. Drilling the frame to raise the bumper should still allow you to tow, although the instructions say that a raised bumper is not tow rated, and it does not mention whether that applies to bumpers raised with brackets or new mounting holes.
28. Install bed overload spacers. These need to be tack welded to the frame in the stock locations. I am going to have the exhaust shop tack them for me when they are modifying my exhaust tips to match the new body height.
29. Reconnect battery, install airbag fuse. duh!. Don't foget to reattach anything you detached prior to starting. You should drill new holes in the cowl to attach the two ground wires.
30. Recheck and test drive. Check tranny and t-case lever operation in all gear settings.
31. Recheck everything after 500 miles and first offroad trip.
    PERFORMANCE ACCESSORIES
    A DIVISION OF EAGLE III DIVERSIFIED, INC.
    3651 N. HIGHWAY 89 CHINO VALLEY, AZ 86323
    TO PLACE AN ORDER: 1-928-636-7080
    TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: 1-928-636-0979
    http://www.performanceaccessories.com/