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JKS 1.25" Body Lift

JKS 1.25" Body Lift

Part #:

The reason I decided on getting this body lift over the other ones was the quality involved.  I had a Prothane 1" lift on my old Jeep and didn't like it at all.  The body felt vague on the frame when you cornered and on the trail.  It was disconcerting at times.  I eventually removed it from my other Jeep.  I was able to see the JKS on a friends Jeep and discussed it with him.  This is what sold me on JKS.  1 1/4" lift, this is more than any of the other ones out there at the moment and would give me just a little bit more when I lifted the gas tank up.  They have a beveled edge on top to sit right in the same spot as the factory mount and not slide around, believe me I could feel the difference.  The bottom is recessed 1/4 inch so the factory mount slides up inside for more stability.  This kit also comes with extended snubbers for the front corners of your grill.  Side note these are a real pain to get in.  The final thing that sold me on them was the quality of manufacturing that went with it.  

I had already installed the M.O.R.E. Motor Mount lift so I didn't have to worry about the fan shroud and skipped the steps for drilling new holes to remount the shroud  The main reason I lifted the body was in preparations for a Kilby's gas tank skid, and hopefully someone's transmission skid. 

Additional Parts:
Anti-seize
Tools Needed: 
16mm socket
10mm socket
7/16" socket
7/16" combo wrench
Floor Jack/ wood and a spacer

A couple of notes before you begin this.  The Gas Tank filler hose will be stretched even with the body back down on these mounts, so be careful as to how high you lift the rear of the Jeep.  On the other side with the 2003's is the charcoal canister with it myriad of plastic hoses, these don't stretch, so once again you have something to be concerned with.  The transfer case spacer may or may not be needed.  I did a 1" Motor Mount Lift at the same time so didn't really need to put it in.  I have since taken it out and only experience a slight up angle on the arm.  With the bracket installed it was angled down.  You will also need to disconnect the Fog Lights.  The wiring is to short for it to remain in the stock location.  What I did was just pull the clip out of the hole under the fender and leave it hang, I haven't hooked it on anything after many trips off road so I'm not to worried about it.  I will eventually get the extensions for these and run the wiring to a safer location.  Extension part # W82203245.

Installation:
1. I used a floor jack to lift the body.  I needed to use a cinder block on top of the jack to get enough distance to actually lift the body.  I could have probably done this with a big chunk of wood, but I didn't have any of that.  I did put a piece of wood between the body and the block.  I positioned the jack near the rear part of the door so that I could try to lift the body evenly.
2. I loosened all of the body mount bolts.  There are 6 underneath the doors, 1 underneath the front grill, 2 up above the rear axle in front of the gas tank, and 2 more under the rear corners of the Jeep.
3. I laid out all the pieces of the kit so that i could get easy access to them.  I then removed the 5 body bolts from the driver side and the 1 bolt holding the grill in position.  The grill moved forwards on me as soon as I took this bolt out.  This caused a little concern, but I could push on the grill and it moved easy enough so I figured I could get it back in.
4. I then lifted up the body just enough to clear the new mounts.  Be careful how far you lift it.  The gas fill tube will be stretched on the driver side and over on the passenger side you have to be careful about the plastic lines going to the vapor recovery system.
5. Once you get all the body mounts in, slowly lower the body back down on them and loosely install all of the bolts.  You may have some problems with the rear 2 bolts because the nuts are in a channel and move around.  A Philips screwdriver or something else small will help you get them back in alignment. installed body puck
6. Now repeat the same over on the other side.  This time make certain that you install the front grill support.  This gave me the hardest time lining back up.  Another person would have been helpful, but I was able to get it.  You will not be able to tighten back to factory specs, just tighten until the mount just starts to bulge.  I was able to get over 25ft/lbs on each mount with ease.

 

Front Snubbers:
1. Getting the snubbers out is easy, just give a pull and a little twist and they come right out.  Okay now you have to try and jam this bigger one back in.  They fit really tight and the most important thing is to get them all the way installed.  They have a cone on top of them that has to go in all the way past the bottom lip.  I inserted the cone into the hole and put a big screwdriver under the snubber and slowly applied pressure while rotating the snubber back and forth.  It finally went up and in.  Be careful, your fingers are what the screwdriver will hit if it slips out from underneath.
front grill snubbers

 

The transfer case shift lever bracket:
1. It is recommended that you install the drop down spacer that comes with the kit.  The one that I got with my kit from JKS allowed you to drop it down 1 or 2 inches and was powder coated.  This is the only part that I was not happy with the manufacturing.  The powder coating was great, but they didn't debur this part before.  It had multiple sharp points on it.  None of this affected installation, so I didn't bother to grind them off.  You can make out the points in the photo.
drop down bracket
2. You will need to pull up the carpet on the driver side to get the 4 screws out that hold this bracket in.  body bolts
3. Now crawl underneath and pull the bracket off the lever shaft.  Just push the lever towards the center will give you enough room to get it out.  Be careful there is a spring in the rubber boot if equipped.  Now remove the bushing from the bracket, install it in the adaptor, and bolt the adaptor on the bracket.  Installation is the reverse of removal.   assembled bracket

ADJUSTMENTS - SHIFT LINKAGE
You may need to adjust the 4wd shifter just slightly.  If you need to do that you will notice a bolt and clamp on the shaft attached to the shifter.  Observe how the lever shifts and make a slight adjustment based on that.  I could probably adjust mine, but I will let everything settle first.  The easiest way to do this is to place the shifter in 4wd high, loosen the bolt on the trunnion block and give it a little jiggle.  The block should reposition itself to the correct position.  Tighten it back up and give it a shot.

I did notice that it was a little harder to get the transmission into 2nd and 4th as the boot folds up, but not enough to worry about it since I am getting good engagement.  The concern here is that if you are not engaging the gears all the way you will wear the teeth in the transmission since all the torque is now applied to a small area.

Here is the factory way.  I would suggest trying this way also if it doesn't adjust in 4wd High.
(1) Shift transfer case into 4L position.
(2) Raise vehicle.
(3) Loosen lock bolt on adjusting trunnion.
(4) Be sure linkage rod slides freely in trunnion.  Clean rod and apply spray lube if necessary.
(5) Verify that transfer case range lever is fully engaged in 4L position.
(6) Tighten adjusting trunnion lock bolt.
(7) Lower vehicle.

N-m
  n-m
Ft. Lbs.
In. Lbs.
MAIN FLOOR TO FRAME HOLD DOWN BOLT 68  50 -
RADIATOR TO FRAME HOLD DOWN BOLT 60  45 -
REAR FLOOR TO FRAME HOLD DOWN BOLT 47 35 -
TRUNNION BLOCK LOCK BOLT 8-14 - 72-120
TRANSFER CASE NUTS 47 35 -

This page last updated: 16-Apr-2008

Content and Design © 2002-present WanderingTrail,  Ronald Seegert
Common Sense and Safety should always be observed when working on your vehicle or doing modifications. Jackstands, wheel blocks, disconnecting the battery are a few of the basic safety precautions that should be used and may not be mentioned in the write ups on this site. You are responsible for your own installation, these write ups are a helpful guideline and should not be taken as an official installation instruction. My write up may be different from the kits currently out there, so alwasy double check the manufacturers installation instructions when installing anything. I try to keep the site up to date with changes that have occured as I discover them, but may not have the latest unless someone lets me know. If you feel that an install is above your capabilities after reading my write ups, I recommend getting together with a club and getting some help. Only a few times have I needed to employe some actual help from a shop to get something done. Usually welding or A/C work. While I have spent many years working on mechanical systems, I am not an expert, nor do I pretend to be one. I hope these write ups have been useful to you.
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