All these mods are for a 2" body lift, and they would all be done anyway with a 3". Now that I figured that out and went through all the work, I should have gotten a 3" body lift.
Keep in mind I have stock power steering, 73, with stock column mounted
C4 auto trans linkage. The first thing to do so that you don't bind
when lifting the body is unbolt the shaft at the rag joint (rubber/fiber
donut like thing on the steering shaft.) This bolt is keyed into
a slot in the rag joint. You also have to unbolt/unhook the transmission
shifter linkage on the steering column. I have the stock C4 with
column shift, so I just unbolted the slotted end of the shaft that hooks
to the side of the transmission. You probably should also loosen
or unhook the upper and lower radiator hoses. I took the whole radiator
out as it needed a cleaning in a bad way, and the shroud adjustment was
unclear at the time. This also meant disconnecting the radiator transmission
cooler hard lines, which could also get kinked when you lift. You
also have to loosen, disconnect or somehow relieve the angle in your brake
lines from the master cylinder!!
Steering Column and column shifter Mods:
I initially got a 2" extension and clamp/sleeve from Borgeson. They have tons of steering shaft mods, etc. 2" was the shortest extension they sell, so I figured I could cut it in half, since I calculated that the shaft would only need to be about 1-1.4" longer for a 2" body lift. Well, it was too long because you can't cut off enough and have the clamps be attached safely. I figure it would work great for a 3" body lift. So what I ended up doing was unbolting the steering column housing on the engine side of the firewall (the round clamp with one bolt/nut) and loosening the 2 bolts/clamp behind the plastic plate on the dashboard. By loosening those 2 bolts, the whole steering column assembly can move about 3/4" because the clamp that is welded to the column is slotted instead of having a fixed, round hole for the bolts. However, since my column was somewhere in the middle of the adjustment range, I could only move it a little. What I did was drill out the slots a little longer so I could push the whole column farther into the engine bay.
That still didn't quite do the job, and I didn't like the angle of the rag joint I then unbolted the 3 bolts on the engine side of the firewall that hold the triangular retainer for the steering column. I drilled out the tops of these bolt holes to slot them so the steering column could drop about 1/2". I had to do this for the automatic transmission linkage to be long enough without cutting and welding in a new extension. With the slotted end of the rod at the transmission at its furthest end, it is just the perfect length. With a 3" body lift, I would have put in a threaded extension or welded in a new section of rod with a piece of L-bracket to strenghten.
The new angle was perfect, but it still was not quite long enough to bolt the shaft back on (because of the keyway in the shaft.) What I did then was go to the local Schuck's store, and I bought 2 replacement rag joints (the rubber/fiber donuts.) They came with new bolts and washers, only $7 each. I needed a new one anyway. I took a couple of 7/16", grade 5 bolts and sandwiched them together with the ragjoint coupler, effectively creating a much stronger setup with more vibration resistance, and it was the perfect length as well!!
Don't ask for pictures yet, because I don't have them up. Some are not processed yet either. As soon as I get time and $$ to get the film developed in the next month or so, I will put them up.
As a side note, after I got it all done, I probably could have gotten
the Borgeson extension to work if I slotted the bracket behind the dash
to pull the steering wheel back towards the seat a little, but I like the
steering wheel a little farther from me. Besides, the angle on the rag
joint is even a little better than stock this way.
Radiator Mods:
As I stated earlier, I pulled the whole radiator and transmission cooler. I was not quite sure at the time if I wanted to leave the radiator in its original spot and just move the shroud attachment points, or move the whole radiator. It was a lot less work moving the shroud, and I personally think it is centered on the radiator better than stock with a 2" body lift. Also if you notice, with no body lift, the bottom 4 inches or so of the radiator is behind the damn bumper, getting little or no airflow. With the body lift, there is 2 more inches of radiator getting air on it if you leave the radiator attached to its original points and just move the shroud!! Another benefit in my situation, was that the lower radiator hose was slightly sitting/rubbing on the frame crossmember, and letting the radiator pull it up with the body lift got rid of this potential big problem.
The relocation of the shroud was easily accomplished with 4 pieces of 1/8" flat stock, about 2.5" long. I drilled out the holes about 2" apart. The top plates got a pressed in all-thread the correct diameter and a little tack weld to keep them in place where the top holes of the shroud would bolt on. This way, the back side of the plate was still flat with no bolt protrusion to rub on any radiator fins. The other end was simply bolted into the original spots. At the bottom of the shroud it was a similar situation with the plates, but since they hang lower than the radiator, you can just use nuts and bolts. Some people have put a 2" wide piece of sheetmetal on the lower gap created by this method, but I have not. Supposedly you should do it so the fan pulls all its air through the radiator instead of below it through this new air gap. I have not had any cooling problems with this setup, and in fact run cooler now than ever before.
Important note: One thing that I
did when I installed the radiator, was put in some aluminum screen door
mesh in front of the radiator to keep it clean. You wouldn't believe
the amount of pebbles, bug guts, seeds, leaf particles, etc.that were jammed
inbetween the fins. This alone lead to a lot cooler temps and the
mesh is SO much easier to hose off. Plus you get protection
from gravel hitting the radiator/tranny cooler. I would recommend
this to everybody.
Gas Tank filler hose mods:
With a 2" body lift, I did not have to do any gas tank filler hose mods. With a 3" body lift, you will probably have to get a new main tank filler hose. The aux side tank goes up with the body anyway. The rear tank hose stretched enough without straining or tearing that I didn't have to do anything with it. Some people have had luck loosening the clamps and getting the hose to slide a bit, but I couldn't. You can get new hose the correct diameter at NAPA. It is expensive stuff though. They only sell it in 1 or 2 foot lengths, about $15 a foot. They make a solid type for straight connections and a flexible type that would work better for a body lift. I bought a 1 foot length before doing the lift figuring I would have to use it, but in the year since, I have not needed it. I keep it for an emergency anyway.
The feed line from the rear tank is usually clamped along the inside
edge of the rear inner fenderwell, so be careful you don't crimp or break
it since it will lift with the body, but the rear tank does not.
The stock line is just PLASTIC (what the hell was Ford thinking then?!)
Transfer Case linkage mods (J-shift):
The transfer case would not shift into 4hi because it now banged
into the back of the hole in the floor. I unbolted the rubber boot
cover plate and cut out about 1/2" at the back of the plate, and the same
amount out of the back of the hole in the floor. I put everything
back together, no interference. One of the sides was a little close,
but I haven't had any problems in the last year.
Misc cables, wires, etc:
Remember your master cylinder brake lines! I replaced mine with longer lengths of 3/16" hard brake line that you can buy at any parts store. I had plenty of loops/flex in mine to accomodate the body lift.
The speedometer cable had no problems with a 2" body lift. I see no problems with a 3" lift either.
The parking brake cables were fine as I already had the Wild Horses extended length cables with my long travel suspension lift.
The throttle linkage was not quite right now, but my throttle linkage rod is threaded so I just extended it a bit to get the right length back. The only problem was that the linkage was now at an angle, and my 14" round open element air cleaner would not work anymore because the rod was not under it anymore, but angled up!!! aaararghgh Back to the stock air cleaner or some other setup. You can also just add a 1 inch spacer under the air cleaner/on top of the carb now to clear it, since you have 2 more inches of clearance under the hood!! yay!
The auto trans kickdown lever is not affected since it doesn't connect to the body.
The auto tranny cooler lines were easy enough to bend slightly since they are so long.
Double check your firewall wiring as some of it might be clamped onto the engine. Otherwise they should all be long enough.
The starter cable from the solenoid might not be long enough, double check it.
The ground cable from the battery to the motor might not be long enough,
double check it.
N8's final thoughts:
Some people don't like the gap created in front and back with a body
lift. I like the front gap as more air gets into the radiator now.
Some people put a 2" or 3" flat stock or L channel across the gap in the
back. Instead of the 2 or 3" pucks in the back, some people just
put in a long piece of 2 or 3" box tube with the appropriate holes drilled
across the whole frame instead!! Gets rid of the gap, and strenghtens
the hell out of the rear body. You could even get creative and tie
this into your rear cage mounts somehow!! I would like to do this
one of these days.
e-mail me at i6735189@wsunix.wsu.edu.