Body Lift

[Disco 1]

Does anyone have any pics of what the front and rear bumpers will look like on a disco 1 with a body lift? is there a big gap? Im looking at the 2" lift from RTE. thanks!

[p76rangie]

You make up brackets or modify the bumpers to lift them up.

[Disco 1]

Ok cool. RTE says don't put a body lift on a vehicle with stock suspension. Is this the general consensus? Basically i want to go off-road but my tires are terrible and i think i would do much better with new ones. Ats or Mts, but my truck is stock ride height, so i wouldn't be able to get tires much bigger than what i have (they measure like 27") I do plan on getting a 2" RTE suspension lift in the future, but im on a budget so it would be best if i can spread out my purchases. So since the body lift is a lot cheaper than the sus. lift i was thinking get 2" body so i can get new tires (maybe 31" or 32") and then a little bit later when i get 2" sus. my tires wont be incredibly small for the ride height. Suggestions? Is that a bad idea?

[drewclare25]

i don't see anything wrong with that

[rmuller]

If you're on a budget, look around for someone selling a used suspension... definitely go with a suspension setup though... body lift is good after you've lifted it as much as you can and just want an extra inch or two to fit the tires.

[96owner]

i got my ome lift from max on lrr for a god price
just make a thread on here in the wanted section or go on d-web and make a wanted there there are 1000s of pople on that forum cinda of the reson i dont like it so much

[p76rangie]

A body lift is done to fit bigger tyres. A spring change should be done to improve articulation and ride. They are mutually exclusive events and don't need to be done together.

Standard LR suspension tends to have more downward than upward movement. So a spring lift (with a correct rated spring) can more centre the articulation. A spring lift to fit bigger tyres usually involves fitting stiffer springs which limits the articulation to stop the wheels hitting the fenders.

I have a 2inch spring lift and a 2 inch body lift, but each was done for the reasons above. I have longer springs than standard and still obtain full movement from the axle hitting the bump stops to full movement downwards.

"As a rule of thumb, in regards to wheel articulation (See shockers long travel under aftermarket parts for more info) most testing is done on an articulation ramp. A vehicle with soft rated springs will do better then a vehicle with harder springs. It is our recommendation when a vehicle is at full articulation on a fixed ramp and the unloaded wheel has broken traction the bump stop clearance on the upward axle should be 1" to 1.5". This will not win any articulation competitions but will work a lot better once the vehicle is moving. A moving vehicles momentum will allow the axle to move all the way to the bump stop. A softer sprung vehicle, which does well on a ramp, will bottom out hard bucking the vehicle causing the driver to have less control. Another thing to remember is when a vehicle is climbing or descending a lot of the vehicles weight will be transferred to either the rear or front. A correctly chosen spring should be able to handle the extra weight so the vehicle does not bottom out too easily. A correctly sprung vehicle has to be a compromise between on-road, off-road, normal driving, climbing, descending, articulation and handling."

[300bhp/ton]

Originally Posted by Disco 1

Ok cool. RTE says don't put a body lift on a vehicle with stock suspension. Is this the general consensus?

Depends on location and use really. Body lifts are almost non existant here in the UK.

Originally Posted by Disco 1

Basically i want to go off-road

IMO Body lifts are not good for off road, first off they don't help ground clearance but worse they can make the vehicle less stable espcially on a side slope and in some cases plastic body lift mounts can fail.

Originally Posted by Disco 1

but my tires are terrible and i think i would do much better with new ones. Ats or Mts, but my truck is stock ride height, so i wouldn't be able to get tires much bigger than what i have (they measure like 27") I do plan on

You can certainly get bigger tyres just don't go too wide. I used to run some 31.10.50's on my stock ride height Discovery, you'll need to trim the front bumper corners and maybe a little at the rear but should be mostly ok.

With wheel arch flares and trimming you can get upto 33.11.50's on stock ride height with no problem.

Originally Posted by Disco 1

getting a 2" RTE suspension lift in the future, but im on a budget so it would be best if i can spread out my purchases. So since the body lift is a lot cheaper than the sus. lift i was thinking get 2" body so i can get new tires (maybe 31" or 32") and then a little bit later when i get 2" sus. my tires wont be incredibly small for the ride height. Suggestions? Is that a bad idea?

It's up to you, but IMO body lift s for show and not for go.

[Muddy Oval]

Nobody fits a body lift on stock suspension because it raises the centre of gravity but with the stock springs, it makes the body roll feel all floppy.
Keep in mind that a proper body lift is a very involved project. It's not just sticking 6 hockey pucks and longer bolts on it like an old Jeep or something. A 2" suspension w/shocks is even cheaper than a good body lift unless you fab it yourself.

[p76rangie]

Originally Posted by 300bhp/ton

IMO Body lifts are not good for off road, first off they don't help ground clearance but worse they can make the vehicle less stable espcially on a side slope and in some cases plastic body lift mounts can fail.

It's up to you, but IMO body lift s for show and not for go.

A body lift si more stable than a spring lift. A body lift raises only the weight of the body where a spring lift raises the complete weight of the vehicle.

It allows for the front and rear bumpers to be raised and therefore improves approach and departure angles.

I have never heard of anyone doing a body lift with plastic mounts. But if they did and they cracked, they got what was bound to happen.

No, you don't need a body lift if you are only going to run small tyres like 31 inches. But if you want to run decent off road tyres like 34 inches and above, you need a body lift. As you can fit bigger tyres with a body lift, it improves ground clearance significantly overall and particularly at your lowest point under the diff centres.

A body lift without bigger tyres looks a little stupid, so I would hardly say that it is done for show.

[SafariRover]

Originally Posted by Muddy Oval

Nobody fits a body lift on stock suspension because it raises the centre of gravity but with the stock springs, it makes the body roll feel all floppy.
Keep in mind that a proper body lift is a very involved project. It's not just sticking 6 hockey pucks and longer bolts on it like an old Jeep or something. A 2" suspension w/shocks is even cheaper than a good body lift unless you fab it yourself.

I disagree (sorry Steve)

I have done 8 body lifts and it takes me about 2 hours to do a Disco. The big part and one that rover tym does not tell is that you have to remove your steering shaft and have it extended 5/8 of an inch. Since the shaft is alumimum a preofessionnal welder is needed, unless you are lucky enough to have a welder at home that can handle that.

What I do is drop the shaft at a welders a day ahead and have it extended (about $25.00).

On the next day I loosen all body bolts and then use a floor jack to lift the body a few inches on one side only. I insert the spacers, pucks will work, and then lower the body apply the bolts loosly and then do the other side. After both sides are in tighten the bolts and you are done.

I am running a Rovertym front bumper modified for the lift and then made brackets for the rear TJM like bumper. looks good, at least to me.

[Badger1]

You can fit a 245/75-16 tire on a stock suspended Disco 1 with very MINOR trimming to the back corners of the rear wheelwell. Buy your tires if you need those, then get your lift down the road. With that size tire(basically a 31") it will look good with the two inch lift. Hell if you wanna do more fender cutting, you can fit a lot bigger tire under your stocker than a 31".

[Muddy Oval]

That's a horribly half-assed body lift. Works somewhat ok on a Jeep CJ, but for a Disco or RRC you really need to do it differently. Seat belt anchors? Floor braces? Diagonal braces? Simple puck lifts are not appropriate for a vehicle intended to be safe.

Originally Posted by SafariRover

I disagree (sorry Steve)

I have done 8 body lifts and it takes me about 2 hours to do a Disco. The big part and one that rover tym does not tell is that you have to remove your steering shaft and have it extended 5/8 of an inch. Since the shaft is alumimum a preofessionnal welder is needed, unless you are lucky enough to have a welder at home that can handle that.

What I do is drop the shaft at a welders a day ahead and have it extended (about $25.00).

On the next day I loosen all body bolts and then use a floor jack to lift the body a few inches on one side only. I insert the spacers, pucks will work, and then lower the body apply the bolts loosly and then do the other side. After both sides are in tighten the bolts and you are done.

I am running a Rovertym front bumper modified for the lift and then made brackets for the rear TJM like bumper. looks good, at least to me.