bodylift question

[PJ.zook]

Im in the middle of a bodylift, do i need to cut an access hole in floor of zook to access top of bolt holding body to chassis.
Its a SWB WT.

Ta

[NUGGS]

It depends what your using for the BL.

Most guys just use the existing studs. I just cut them down, tapped thread all the way up the stud and bolted on my BL block. Then just feed another bolt up from the bottom to hold to chassis, use plenty spring washers.

[christover1]

best not to cut floor, as it weakens structure and won't pass engineer or rwc. If thats an issue.
It does depend on type of bl.
Mine is box section steel, so I bolted top to body and bottom to chassis, just on those captive bolts.
threaded blocks is best idea on those pesky bolts, I think.
I do like NUGGS forementioned idea, too.
christover

[PJ.zook]

Im using 3" 50mm solid aluminium bar. Its too late to thread the blocks as i just drilled 10mm holes through them at work today.
I wasnt thinking of cutting whole floor, just a small maybe 20mm hole above where the top of the bolt should be.
What do you lot think?

[RB zook]

Im using 3" 50mm solid aluminium bar. Its too late to thread the blocks as i just drilled 10mm holes through them at work today.
I wasnt thinking of cutting whole floor, just a small maybe 20mm hole above where the top of the bolt should be.
What do you lot think?

thats ok

you can make a stud extention if your going with 3 inch bod lift

use some 15mm solid bar and get the upper half of it tapped to m12 1.25 that will bolt to your studs then from the bottom machine it down to make like a bolt on the bottom and tap that to th thread u want

[alien]

keep the bit you cut out and glue it back in later, and with a bit of a paint job no one will ever know!!!

[PJ.zook]

So are they actually bolts with the head welded to the body, or are they studs which i can remove and replace.

[DiddyZook]

Not too late.

You should have done your homework before attempting this. Even if you scrap the drilled blocks it is a lot cheaper than cutting holes which will make the vehicle unable to be engineered and unroadworthy (read worthless).

Bodylifts is a topic which has been covered at length previously many times, a read of the Sierra bible or a simple search is your next and most important thing to do.

If you are stuck and considering cutting out the four captive bolts which protrude downwards from the floor just behind the front seats, because they do not reach through the chassis now that the lift blocks are in place at either end. Use the blocks you have already drilled. You will need to redrill the centre to house an internally threaded bolt (available through a speciality fastening shop, go the Yellow Pages) You need an internal thread to fit the studs, by memory they are only threaded about 35mm so the internally threaded bolt only needs to be about 45mm. Also by memory the new hole through the block will need to be 15mm to house the internal thread bolt snuggly. But obviously you will measure up everything on your vehicle.

Good idea for future mods. Ask lots of dumb questions on here first. There are some very experienced Zookers on this forum and we don't flame newbies or laugh at those who devise difficult ways to go about doing what everyone else has done simply in the past.

[Gutless]

Im using 3" 50mm solid aluminium bar. Its too late to thread the blocks as i just drilled 10mm holes through them at work today.
I wasnt thinking of cutting whole floor, just a small maybe 20mm hole above where the top of the bolt should be.
What do you lot think?

thats ok

you can make a stud extention if your going with 3 inch bod lift

use some 15mm solid bar and get the upper half of it tapped to m12 1.25 that will bolt to your studs then from the bottom machine it down to make like a bolt on the bottom and tap that to th thread u want

thought sierras were M10x 1.25 All 3 of mine are

[RB zook]

sorry yeah m10

[PJ.zook]

yeh Pdiddyzook thats exactly what i was thinking of doing. I assumed that you could get to the top of the bolts when i drilled em thats all.
I dont mind learning the hard way, i can say i did it myself anyways and not copied someone else.

Thanks

[PAZZ]

Hey Kaos,

Id go with the idea of scrapping the blocks u have and getting then re-made, so u can thread them, The top of the studs are flat and are welded pretty good to the body, Iv tryed to drill them out for a buggy i was building... Either get threaded blocks or Blocks.

Pazz

[sierrafreak]

im getting a body lift ive got PVC 2" round by 2" high and all i have to do is drill a hole in the centre and put a crush sleave in and im getting about 20 for $35 i think thats good as PVC is harder than nylon and its cheap lol

[PJ.zook]

Well ive solved the problem, a mate wanted to do a bodylift in his fourby so i sold him the blocks i had already drilled, so im gonna start afresh with new blocks and tap them out to the correct size.
Im tossing and turning over wether to keep the 3" or go with 2"

[Jay D]

In my opinion, 2 inch is a much easier option. Apart from the blocks, you wont have to make any other major mods. I did a 2" and got away with just a bit of fiddling, but I reckon with a 3" I would have had to make a new fuel filler hose, mods to brake lines, and extensions to the heater hoses, engine bay wiring, number plate light wiring etc. etc. Besides, I reckon a 3" BL wouldn't get you any major advantages in tyre size, as even with a 2" the size of the wheel well limits tyre size. Of course if you're going to go to town on the inner guards, well now, thats a whole other ball game.

[NUGGS]

2" is definately easier, apart from what what was already mentioned you will also have cut the transmission tunnel to allow the gear sticks to go into gear properly for a 3" BL.

[RB zook]

3 inch wasnt all that different

my filler was long enough didnt need extended break lines
the heater hoses are alrite

just a few things to play roung with.
go 2 inch if you have to body lift

im takin my 3 inch body lift out as i dont want or need it

[EARSEZOOK]

If you want the body lift to last, drill the holes in the floor, drill out the old captive studs and use 12mm bolts(high tensile). Otherwise you'll be doing it all again in 12 months.

[derelict_frog]

I drilled mine out and put a 80mm washer inside the cab and bolted it all tight.

Works a treat.


Mines regoed though but i dont think any one will want to pull me over to see how i have secured the middle 2 blocks :/

[PJ.zook]

I have a question before i start drilling, im going to drill the old bolts out and install new high tensile items. Im just wondering, for the 10mm captive bolt in the body, it has a 16mm or so head on it thats welded in, if i drill this out to 16mm and install a new 10mm bolt with washer, wont this still slop round in hole?
If so i was thinking of welding a small piece of 4mm metal with a 10mm hole in it under the body where the drilled out 16mm hole is, so it doesnt slop. Would that work?


Is this the location of one of the four rear bolts? Is that the actual head of the bolt showing?


Is this the location of one of the outer of four bolts just behind this small lip in the inner wheelarch? If so where exactly along the lip?


Here is what i was talking about, the 16mm or so head that i need to drill. Ignore the bloody mess of drilling, the bloody holesaw slipped and i had to do a patchie.

[largesuzy]

bumping this one back up need to find out how to get to this bolt to do a body lift

thanks matt

[PJ.zook]

Im drilling on saturday, ill let you know, im a decent welder so i can patch any holes, only worry is plastic coating on body

[derelict_frog]

I just looked at mine largesuzy and where the black bit is (i don have the black bit on mine :/ ) thats where i drilled the old bolt out and put a whole new bolt in with a big washer on the inside of the cab.

[PJ.zook]

Yours might be a LWB, as that black bits a drain bung and definately not it.

[derelict_frog]

Is that pic behind the drivers side seat? As thats what it looks like to me and thats where i looked in my car :/

[PJ.zook]

Yeh its behind the drivers seat. I might have a bit of a play with the drill tomorrow and post pics.

[derelict_frog]

Well i dont have a drain plug there and mine is NT so maybe there is a different location betwen models??? But i didn't have to go through that metal lump to get through to the block and onto metal lift beam the block sits on.

I can't take a pic atm of mine but on monday i can (sister has camera in sydney :/)

[PJ.zook]

I found the head of the bolt, it was behind the panel as i thought, i located exactly where with my 'measuring' screwdriver.

Heres a pic, i holesawed the panel so i had easy access to drill the bolt from vertically above it.

[/img]

[Mr Emu]

I have recently done what your in the middle of doing. I used a 16mm holesaw to drill out the captive studs, keeping it cool and lubed up with sum wd-40 at the same time. I did them from the top like you plan to do. I then welded in a small piece of 4mm steel in with a 12.5 mm hole in it, so the bolt wouldnt slop around. Then i used 6- m12 120mm high tensile bolts to tie it all up, with nylock nuts and spring washers. Seemed to work ok.
Emu

[PJ.zook]

How were you planning on covering the holes? I discovered i cant leave them open as my feet drowned going thru a boghole the other day.

I was thinkin of fitting a piece of waterproofed sheetmetal, then cooning the hell outta it and placing it over hole, with the coon stickin it down.