Installing the Sky 2" Body Lift

Margi Barnes

I was having problems with the wheels rubbing on a 1988 ½ Samurai, so I decided to take the plunge and put a lift kit on it. This decision made, I contacted my friends at the Roadless Gear. I told them what I needed and they set me up with a 2-inch body lift kit from Sky Manufacturing, which was delivered to my door via UPS just in time for the weekend.

Materials Included	Tools Used
10 body blocks	Sockets 10mm, 14mm, 17mm
4 metric bolts (these replace front and rear bolts and are 2" longer than the originals)	Phillips head screwdriver
6 connector stud bolts	Flat head screwdriver
Instructions	High Lift Jack
	Air Impact Gun*
	Creeper*
	Jack Stands*
	Scissor Jack (I'll explain this later)*
	Drill with 3/16 inch bit
	* not required but sure made the job easier

One of the first things I did was rope my brother-in-law into helping me. I picked him because of his huge shop, multitude of tools, and, he's easy on the eyes!

I had estimated, if all went well, that the install wouldn't take more than 2 hours. Unfortunately, all didn't go well! It was closer to 3 hours by the time we were done. Don't give up yet, as I have enclosed a few secrets, which if used, will keep the time factor down. These secrets were discovered by trial and error on our part.

Let's get started. The first thing we did, is put the Sami up on the jack stands. This gave more room to get to the body bolts located under the Sami.

You must remove the brake line bracket located on the inside of the passenger wheelwell so it would not be stressed during the lift. The two, 10mm bolts are located inside the wheel well near the top. You'll find this job easier if you remove the front passenger tire first. Now, remove the grill. To do this, take out the 5 cross-tip screws, and pop the grill off, being careful not to break any of the pegs on each end.

You will also need to drill out the plastic pins on the steering column so that it can "telescope" out to accomodate the lift. My brother-in-law assured me, by removing the pins; the column strength or safety wouldn't be compromised. Using a power drill with 3/16 inch bit on each of the 4 pins, allowed the column to telescope the needed length. The gas tank filler splashguard is removed next (located behind rear passenger tire, 10mm). Also remove the cover to the gas tank filler neck (inside) and loosen the hose clamp. This will ensure these aren't damaged while lifting the body.

Using the impact wrench with a 14mm socket I loosened and removed all the body bolts except the one front and one rear on the driver's side. I loosened these, but left them in place to keep the body in alignment. Location of the bolts are: 2 in the front, 2 in the rear, 2 on each side and 2 on either side of the drive shaft. The picture below has arrows pointing to the two near the drive shaft. I used the creeper to get to these last 2 bolts. Caution: long hair should be restrained if using a creeper (ouch)!

Putting in the spacer blocks came next. Do one side at a time. We started on the passenger side. Using the high lift jack, I was able to get the body lifted off the frame high enough for the side bolts, but wasn't able to raise it high enough for the others. Here's where the scissor jack came to the rescue. Many think this tool is useless and should be donated to the landfill. I disagree. It can be used right side up, upside down, on its side and at any angle. Squeezing it between the frame and the body by the rear wheel gave just enough lift to get to the other bolts.

Important: remove the metal insert from the factory bushings before installing the spacer blocks. Assemble the parts in this order: spacer block over the body stud, factory bushing (with metal insert removed) under the block and on top of the frame, the other factory bushing goes under the frame with the stud coupler holding it all together. The body may have to be lowered slightly so the threads will catch. Do not tighten. The front and rear use a spacer block with the factory bushing between it and the frame. These are held in place with one of the 4 long metric bolts from the kit. After these were in place, we lowered the passenger side. Here's another one of those secrets: before attempting to lift the driver's side, remove the final 2 bolts! After this was done, I repeated the same process on that side. When all of the spacer blocks were in place, I tightened them using a 17mm socket.

Before taking the Sami off its jacks, I checked the wiring; the grill was replaced, as was the brake line bracket and front tire. At this point, I realized the gas tank filler neck splashguard couldn't be put back, as the top bracket would not reach the body. I will have to find some sort of spacer for it. I tightened the gas tank hose clamp and replaced the cover. I checked the sheet metal directly behind the transmission shifter and the transfer case shift lever for clearance. The factory instructions say these may have to be lowered slightly for clearance. Mine didn't need adjusting but it is wise to check.

The only thing left was to take the jacks out from under her and give her a test drive. I was so excited to get behind the wheel, I almost ran over my brother-in-law backing out of the shop!

Putting the lift kit on was well worth it. The Samurai looks great! For the money you just can't beat this kit to gain a couple of inches of clearence from your rig. One person can do the job, but I recommend having some assistance. Not only will this make the installation easier, the clean up will be to! Feel free to email me with any questions.