The Hidden Body Lift

[jjvw]

Did you know that with a lot of work you can have all the benefits of a body lift without the telltale spacers between the body and frame and the gappy rear bumper?

Several companies like GenRight and SWAG offer replacement mounts to raise the 6 side mounts under the doors higher on the frame.

The result is that these mounts now sit higher than stock by the thickness of the remaining body lift pucks elsewhere on the Jeep. That is good news for those who drag body mounts on the rocks.

The next step is to raise the rear frame and bumper the same amount as the rear body lift spacers.

No more crack.

Similar to the side mounts, raising the rear increases the departure angle a good amount. Raising the frame also allows for the tailpipe to be raised much higher and tighter than stock.

 

[SkylinesSuck]

Interesting. I hate the butt gap I have with just a 1.25" BL. Seems like a lot of work though. Very interesting idea regardless!

 

[strumble8]

I had the pleasure of helping @jjvw with the rear frame raise. It was a full days work, but the end result is well worth it. For the aesthetic's and the increased departure angle. It's high in my list for sure.

 

[mrblaine]

I had the pleasure of helping @jjvw with the rear frame raise. It was a full days work, but the end result is well worth it. For the aesthetic's and the increased departure angle. It's high in my list for sure.

One of these days I'll show ya'll how to raise the 3 under the door up even higher by using the rear body mounts. Then you take a flat head bolt and use it to dimple the bottom mount so the bolt is flush to the bottom of the body mount. If such things matter.

 

[rasband]

Now your ass is hanging out under your shorts


That actually looks awesome, the second you mentioned raising the frame mounts last year I knew it would be great. Maybe I can join when you do @strumble8’s to learn for my own.

 

[jjvw]

It's a lot of work. Two very long days for us to figure out and do the first time. One day for the frame/bumper and another for the side mounts and misc. The Savvy gas tank skid being adjustable by the amount of a 1.25" body lift makes that part that much easier. However the Savvy center skid requires heavy modification to the crossmember to make room for the new middle raised body mount. Basically the crossmember needs to be mounted directly to the frame with a pair of gusseted tabs. The ends of the Savvy crossmember also need to be cut off and flip-flopped side to side to allow the crossmember to be dropped down.

Then if you have the Savvy mid arm, the new front and rear side body mounts need to be trimmed to fit over the relocated control arm mounts.

And you might have to (or want to) make changes to how high the spare tire sits relative to the new bumper height.

Lots of little things to address...

 

[jjvw]

One of these days I'll show ya'll how to raise the 3 under the door up even higher by using the rear body mounts. Then you take a flat head bolt and use it to dimple the bottom mount so the bolt is flush to the bottom of the body mount. If such things matter.

I'd like to see what that looks like!

 

[mrblaine]

I'd like to see what that looks like!

Looks exactly like yours but less hangy downy.

 

[rasband]

One of these days I'll show ya'll how to raise the 3 under the door up even higher by using the rear body mounts. Then you take a flat head bolt and use it to dimple the bottom mount so the bolt is flush to the bottom of the body mount. If such things matter.

This sounds like a better approach than the caged in artec body mounts that address a similar hangup, though I suppose those give up clearance in one direction but mitigate the hang up point of the edges. Your direction sounds like a better tradeoff.

Link since the pic won’t copy on mobile: https://www.artecindustries.com/tjbodymounts-lift

 

[jjvw]

Now your ass is hanging out under your shorts


That actually looks awesome, the second you mentioned raising the frame mounts last year I knew it would be great. Maybe I can join when you do @strumble8’s to learn for my own.

Both of yours will be a little easier than mine was.

 

[Wildman]

On my list of things to do as I'm working on my Jeep this year. With my V-8 swap and 46RE transmission I'm not sure that the Savvy skid plate & crossmember would work on mine.
Thanks for showing how to do the rear bumper raise. My only concern would be if you had a bumper with a tire carrier what doing this would do. I get that you need to have good welds. Just thinking out loud.

 

[jjvw]

Looks exactly like yours but less hangy downy.

I see it now. The bottom portion of the rear isolater is flat. That would better hide the lower half of the isolater within the mount. That's a neat trick to keep in mind when I eventually replace the rubber.

 

[Apparition]

Looks exactly like yours but less hangy downy.

Sounds bad, most men wouldn’t admit that

 

[jjvw]

On my list of things to do as I'm working on my Jeep this year. With my V-8 swap and 46RE transmission I'm not sure that the Savvy skid plate & crossmember would work on mine.
Thanks for showing how to do the rear bumper raise. My only concern would be if you had a bumper with a tire carrier what doing this would do. I get that you need to have good welds. Just thinking out loud.

Fish plates might be a good idea. Maybe even on mine without a heavy carrier hanging off the frame.

 

[jodomcfrodo]

If I remember right, BTY34 opened up the savvy “wrap around C” when he did the body mount raise instead of welding the savvy bracket to the inside of the frame. Why did you weld to the inside of the frame if you weren’t going to get rid of the width of the spacers on the bottom of the frame? Just trying to plan for mine since it seems like a worth while mod.

 

[mrblaine]

My only concern would be if you had a bumper with a tire carrier what doing this would do.

Not a thing. Would not do anything it was not supposed to. Far too much weld area.

 

[mrblaine]

If I remember right, BTY34 opened up the savvy “wrap around C” when he did the body mount raise instead of welding the savvy bracket to the inside of the frame. Why did you weld to the inside of the frame if you weren’t going to get rid of the width of the spacers on the bottom of the frame? Just trying to plan for mine since it seems like a worth while mod.

You'll be very sad if you weld the Savvy C or inner part of it to the frame.

 

[jodomcfrodo]

You'll be very sad if you weld the Savvy C or inner part of it to the frame.

Not saying the C. I thought a savvy bracket (part of the C where the crossmember attaches to the wrap around) was flipped and welded to the inside the frame so there is no longer a wrap around. I’ve seen others widen out the part that goes around the body mount so the new raised mount still fits through. Then the wrap around is still there and you basically bolt everything up like it was before you raised the mount.

 

[jjvw]

If I remember right, BTY34 opened up the savvy “wrap around C” when he did the body mount raise instead of welding the savvy bracket to the inside of the frame. Why did you weld to the inside of the frame if you weren’t going to get rid of the width of the spacers on the bottom of the frame? Just trying to plan for mine since it seems like a worth while mod.

I would have recessed the nutserts into the skid and removed the 1/8" shims. Except that I had already replaced the six center skid frame bolts with counter sunk flat heads. Doing both won't work because the new bolts would have bottomed out against the nutserts before clamping the skid plate to the frame. The answer there is to eliminate the nutserts and through bolt the frame with sleeves.

If I were to choose one or the other, I would pick the counter sunk bolts long before recessing the nutserts. The greater value being the smooth surface to ride across.

 

[jjvw]

You'll be very sad if you weld the Savvy C or inner part of it to the frame.

The crossmember would be pretty well trapped. Cutting and flipping the ends allows the crossmember to simply drop down and out.