1" Bodylift Rear Gap Elimination
 

OK folks, like many others out there I did not want to do the 1" bodylift because of the unsightly gap above the rear bumper. Have no fear as I have found a VERY easy fix to eliminate this gap! Hopefully others will now add the 1" bodylift to their list of mods, as it is the easiest and cheapest way to gain an inch. The bodylift took a little over an hour to install, and the rear bumper took about 30-45 minutes to complete. This is not as detailed as I would like, but I am very limited on time. Maybe the next person to do this mod will fill in the blanks and add additional images.

Items you will need:

16mm Socket
Drill
13/32 Drill Bit
10mm-1.5 nuts (2)
Lock Washers (2)

http://img2.putfile.com/main/3/7517043880.jpg

First remove your rear bumper and all four brackets from the bumper. Now, take the side brackets and mount them to the frame by shifting the lower bracket bolt hole to the upper hole in the frame. This will shift your side mounting brackets up about one inch. Now mark where you will need to drill the new upper hole. Drill the new hole and place the original bolt through the frame. Place one lock washer on, and then the nut. You have plenty of room for your hand to thread the nut. The lock washer will keep the nut from spinning while retorqueing the bolt. Repeat on the other side.

Bracket shifted up:

http://img2.putfile.com/main/3/7517043978.jpg

Inside of frame with new hardware:

http://img2.putfile.com/main/3/7517043857.jpg
http://img2.putfile.com/main/3/7517043998.jpg

Notice no gap between the fender and bumper where they meet:

http://img2.putfile.com/main/3/7517043918.jpg

You are now ready to put the bumper back on. I have not made new center brackets yet but plan to in the near future. In the meantime, mount the center brackets to the bumper as normal. You will notice that the lower bolt holes will not line up with the holes in the frame. That is OK. Just place the lower bolts into the frame and allow the bottom of the bracket to rest on the shank of the bolt and torque it down. The thick factory washer will keep the brackets from going anywhere.

Now step back and admire your new gapless bodylift!

http://img2.putfile.com/main/3/7517043937.jpg
http://img2.putfile.com/main/3/7517043921.jpg

Very nice! My body lift may be undectable after all! I thought about doing this with an aftermarket bumper, but now that it appears those funds are far off, I may just take the time to do it to the factory bumper mounts.

thanks!

looks liek it works well

DAMMIT Shortbus, this is almost as good as the drilled mirror thing. Again, this is magazine type stuff. Awesome ingenuity. I was thinking about a 1" body lift with my 2" BB, but the gap was my only concern.

Thanks! That was my only reservation as well. I'm very happy now. I am running a 2" BB and 1" BL and can now clear 35s without any driveline concerns. Also all for less than $400!

What gears are you running?

Posts like this only want to make me spend more money :crazyeyes:

awesome
 

Just one word, awesome. I am going to do this right now.

I'm assuming there would be a gap between the rocker guards and the body, too. Do they sell sliders that account for the body lift, or could this method work for the sliders as well?

No gap, the rockers are attached to the body, not the frame! Will post better pics Friday after I get my Jeep out of the bodyshop.