One of the cheapest and easiest ways to lift a truck or jeep in the air is to buy a body lift kit. Installing it, though, can seem more daunting than it needs to. It can be done in just a few days. For the purposes of example, we'll be referring to a 1998 Chevrolet Silverado truck, but the process is pretty similar no matter what vehicle you're lifting.
Disconnect the battery. Using the 3/8 ratchet, remove the fenders and hood from the truck and place them to the side.
Using the 3/8 ratchet, remove the body mount bolts. There are two underneath the core support and four underneath the cab (six in an extended cab).
Place a wood block on the jack and lift the passenger side of the cab about 6 inches in the air. The wood block will protect the paint on the cab from getting damaged.
Remove the stock cab mounts and replace them with the new body lift mounts. Some kits piggyback on the stock bushing, and if that's the case with your kit, install them according to the directions.
Lower the truck back down onto the new mounts and loosely thread in the new body lift bolts. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for the passenger side. Tighten all bolts to specifications.
On a 1995 and newer Silverado with an automatic transmission, the shifter linkage does not need to be modified. However if you have another vehicle, be sure to look at the shifter linkage to be sure that it will still work properly with the lift. Modification may be required.
Using the jack, lift the core support and remove the stock cab mounts. Replace them with the newer body lift bushings and bolt them in place. The fenders and hood can now be reinstalled. Tighten the core support bolts.
Using the 3/8 ratchet, remove the eight bed bolts. With a Torx-head driver, disconnect the gas filler neck.
Have a friend lift the bed and place in the bed spacers provided in the body lift kit. Loosely bolt in the bed bolts and repeat the process on the other side. Once completed, tighten all the bolts to specifications.
The rear bumper can either be removed or you can install the lift brackets included with the kit. Alternatively, a roll pan can be welded in place to replace the bumper. Up front, cut off the front frame horns and lift them up the amount of the body lift, then weld in place. Some body lift kits include new lift brackets, and if that's the case use those.
