What is Included in a Lift Kit?
Some amateur mechanics are fascinated by the idea of modifying their vehicles. They pore through magazines, catalogs and web sites, investigating the possibility of adding this or redesigning that. Some of them arrive at the idea of raising the body of their vehicle and they start to wonder exactly what is included in a lift kit.
Lift kits differ significantly depending on the vehicle for which they are designed. No two kits designed for different automobiles will have exactly the same contents, or even the same parts list. Kits by different manufacturers for the came vehicle may well include different items, even without considering the difference between two and four wheel drive. Consumers should be especially careful when buying such parts by mail, making sure to order exactly the kit desired for exactly the vehicle in question. To add to the confusion, there are two different ways of lifting vehicles and the parts involved are very different.
Body Lift Kits
These kits work by inserting spacer blocks between the parts that are lifted and the parts that is not. They function much like a child’s booster seat; they sit on the frame and the vehicle’s body sits on them, giving additional height. The average kit will contain the blocks, brackets, hardware and extensions for things like the steering and gearshift shafts. It is worth the extra time to make certain of buying a kit that attaches where the body did to avoid additional installation headaches.
Suspension Lift Kits
As the name indicates, these kits lift the vehicle by changing out the whole suspension system. Again, contents will vary depending on the vehicle, but a typical kit might include control arms, coil and/or leaf springs, sway-bar links, shock absorbers, U-bolts, brackets and hardware. Top of the line lift kits for vehicles with rear leaf springs replace the entire spring with a redesigned unit that gives the required lift while preserving performance. More affordable kits simply add a leaf to the existing spring. Naturally the parts list for the two options is very different, especially since the add-a-leaf option may be sold alone or as part of a complete suspension lift kit.
Many lift kits are advertised with a warning about the requirement for minor cutting and drilling. While they are usually marketed at amateur mechanics, installing a lift kit of any sort is not a project for a rank beginner. Especially at the upper end of the elevation scale, they also affect the vehicle’s handling, and drivers should take care until they become accustomed to the new reactions. A mechanic who understands the process can use a lift kit to turn a ho-hum ride into a real eye catcher.