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Figure 1 - A lift is preferred
Figure 2 - Remove both bolts and spacers
Figure 3 - Front body bolts under headlight
Figure 4 - Remove and save this sleeve
Figure 5- Drill out bowl washer so the stud extender fits exactly in the hole
Figure 6 - You will need to cut off old steering linkage bolts to get them past the knuckle
Figure 7 - Install spacers for steering linkage
Figure 8 - Zip ties can make this look pretty cool (use black ones the white are just so you can see them)
Figure 9 - cut out bottom part of console
Figure 10 - You will need to cut front bumper cover and pin back inner fender
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- (Fig. 1) Put "Suzi" on the lift (preferable) or jack stands
- Remove wheels
- Spray all nuts and bolts to be removed with lubricant
- Unhook negative battery terminal
- Slide brake line keepers off studs, remove the clips going to the caliper, and unhook brake line mount on the inside of the passenger fender well
- Remove gear shifter knobs and center console
- (Fig. 2) Unbolt steering shaft from top knuckle of steering rack
- Loosen clamps on gas filler hose
Remove grill, headlamps and turn signals
- Unplug center wire harness for electric cooling fan
- Remove front bumper cover (bottom bolts are 10mm)
- (Fig. 3) Loosen body bolts (14mm)-front 2 under headlamps are bolts, the rest are studs along the frame
- (Fig. 4) Remove the center metal sleeve from front 2 bushings (keep these for later)
- Remove front 4 (2 bolts and 2 nuts)
- Loosen rear 4 nuts (leave nuts full of threads)
- Put jack stands (if you have a lift) under body, directly beside front 2 body mounts OR jack up the front of the body (if you don't have a lift)-do the front 2 together because they are bolts not studs and will give proper alignment and do not require as much frame/body separation
- Install 2 front lift spacers and thread bolt but do not tighten
- Remove all 4-rear nuts
- (With lift) Raise vehicle and position 4 jack stands in center of body (1 on each end of wheel wells-front and rear). Lower lift until the body starts to separate from frame, at this time remove front 2 bolts (this helps keep alignment). Continue to lower frame away from body far enough to allow the spacers to slide onto the studs (you may need to use the pry bar at this point to loosen the studs).
- (Without lift) Jack the entire body all at once, still removing front 2 bolts at the start of separation, when there are enough room-install the spacers on the studs
- Use RTV/silicone to adhere extra 2 body spacers on the existing body pad
- The order of spacers should be: new body spacers against the body, new big flat washer, original body bushing, frame, original lower body bushing, original bowl washer with hole drilled to 1/2" (Fig. 5) and body stud extender (apply blue thread lock)
- Lower body or lift frame (depending on whether using a lift or jack stands) and tighten all nuts and bolts
- See (Fig. 6) before next step
- (Fig. 7) Using the metal sleeves from the 2 front bushings that we saved from earlier, get 2 bolts approximately 4 1/8" with either lock nut or lock washers, and install them in place of the spacers and bolts in the upper steering linkage knuckle, (use some lube on the rubber boot and new sleeves).
- After bolting one side tight you may need to either cut off the end of the longer bolt or try to squeeze in a smaller one while the long one is holding the knuckle together (3 7/8" is what our bolts were after cutting to size).
- Reinstall strut stabilizer bar above the engine (since the body raised so much you may need to follow these steps if your having problems):
1- Start and tighten drivers side
2- Start and tighten 1 passenger side
3- Loosen drivers side
4- Loosen passenger side
5- Adjust as necessary and tighten all
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(Fig. 8) Now is a good time to fabricate your console. Either buy some vinyl boot material or try to cut down your stock boots. The 4x4 shifter was close without doing much other than the boot.
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(Fig. 9) The 5 spd. on the other hand, you will need to cut the bottom of the black console insert to accommodate
2,4,and R.
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Reinstall the console
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Tighten the gas filler neck
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Either make a new bracket for brake line on inside of passenger side fender well or drill new wholes (we went for the bracket)
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Most of the brake line keepers pop back on the studs (leave one or two hang).
Now for the decision making The Bumpers:
Rear - you can take off the metal bumper by removing the 4 bolts (2 top, 2 bottom) and either fabricate a replacement tube bumper to replace it, or leave it out if you're comfortable with that**.
**(We have a 2" frame mounted trailer hitch that surrounds the gas tank and a 2" steel bike rack protects the rear end from impact so we left it off).
Now reinstall the rear bumper cover (use bottom bumper holes and make brackets for the bottom bumper cover mounting holes).
Front - (Fig. 10) we're not so lucky here the front metal bumper is welded on and we weren't willing to mess with it, the front bumper cover stretched close although we were left with a gap.
(We are probably going to buy an ARB bull bar type bumper eventually anyway)
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Reinstall your turn signals, headlights and grill and enjoy.
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You will need to take a cordless saws-all and cut the front bumper cover where it becomes the part of the wheel well, and pin the inner fender cover back behind it.
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