I have the 3" Calimini body lift.  I thought it was a wast to have that big gap between the body and the frame.  




I noticed that the frame was basicly a rectangel tubing welded to two suspention loops at either end.  Unlike other "C" channel harden frames, I should be able to cut the welds, reposition the frame and reweld it.

First I had to support the truck without using the frame for support.  I learned the hard way that the rocker rails are not strong enoff to suppor the weith of the truck, unlike the front wheel drive cars I'm us to working on.

I found under body rails were able to hold the weight.



I also used other jacks to support the front and rear suspensions.

At this point I made drawings of all the front and rear suspenstion loop and made measurments from the loops to the body and marked them down.  That what way when it came time to put the frame back together all the suspention parts would be in the right spot.

Next I just took a die grinder and a rubber wheel and cut out al the welds.

When I had the frame out I ground off the remaining welds, welded up any additional holes I happened to put in at the time I was cutting it out.

While the frame was out I moved the rear suspention support.  I have the Calimini 3" suspention lift and with the frame 3" higher the control arm angle will be way off.  So I decied to increase the arm length 12".  So I moved the support ahead 12"

To move the support I cut it off close to the frame.  I then got a piece of tubing that the support slid into.  I drilled a bunch of holes into the tubing to weld the support to and then also welded around the end.  I then took a hole saw and cut a hold into the frame.  Positioned the bracket and welded it to the frame.  You can see this in the last picture.

Because the Calimini lower contral arm has that nice bend in it, when it's fully compressed it is straight with the frame.  So I just extended the arm 12" also.





If you look close enoff you can see I used a inner sleave to weld the extention to the lower control arm.



You can see it cented the wheel just right.

When you go to remove one side of the frame, there is one cross over.  I decied to cut that and reweld it back together later.  The one half of the frame held it's half together and gave me a good visual to look at if I needed it.

When I can time to weld it back together I also did the tubing inside tubing thing for added support.

I then made a carb board templete of the front and rear loop ends.  Cut them up 3", and transfered the lines the the loops.  Cut them with my die grinder.  I then fitted the frame making sure the measurements I made before were the same.  But on the origanal body mounts and welded the frame back together.

With the frame back in place I needed to work on the position on the power train.  

The trans mound is now in the stock position to the body so now I needed to raise the motor.  The motor mount bolts go straight down.  There's 3 of them.  I welded three (1"x3") x3" together.  This gave me a 3 x 3 block.  Got longer bolts, ran the bolts through the blocks and tighten them down.  After all was tightened I tacked welded the blocks to the frame so that vibration wouldn't move them around.

Next I raised the radiatior supports 3".  I once again used 1x3" blocks to do this.  The radiator is just supported at the bottom by the frame.  I cut the supports and welded in extentions.

Last I needed a longer drive shaft.  I happened to have a 2wd drive shaft laying around.  So I made my measurements and cut it down to size and welded it back together.

This has been a great mod for me.  All the shifters are back to where there supost to be, and the clearance is great!!!

Very nice work there lil_Truck, it is nice to see some one go thru the hard work of making there rig better than it was before,  It probely handles better now on the road with the body lift blocks out of there too.  It looks good now with out that frame hanging down from the body.  

Very , very hot!

But what happen with law??

it's not supose to be illegal to weld a frame?

And what happen with the break and gaz line inside of the frame on passager side?

Fredo

I was supprised with the gas and brake lines.  I pulled them off before removing the frame and after I was done it took just a little tweaking of the lines to line up to their origional spots.

As for the law, It takes some explaning what I have done for someone to see it.  It looks stock and if I posted pictures know with the paint scratched and dirt/mud on the frame most wouldn't spot it.  Also most people I know with 35's or better (mostly Jeeps) would never pass 1/2 the laws out there.

Second, as I said earlyer, you can't weld on most frames.  Most are made with a harden frame and if you weld on it, it will break at the weld.  That's why all the aftermarket parts like running boards and such are bolt-ons and not welded.

impressive work but those 'flame' stickers got to go!

To move the support I cut it off close to the frame.  I then got a piece of tubing that the support slid into.  I drilled a bunch of holes into the tubing to weld the support to and then also welded around the end.  I then took a hole saw and cut a hold into the frame.  Positioned the bracket and welded it to the frame.  You can see this in the last picture.

Because the Calimini lower contral arm has that nice bend in it, when it's fully compressed it is straight with the frame.  So I just extended the arm 12" also.





If you look close enoff you can see I used a inner sleave to weld the extention to the lower control arm.



You can see it cented the wheel just right.

Did you extend the upper control arm (Y-link) as well?

As of now, no the upper are the same length.  A friend of mine here in Michigan did his own home made lift, (Jim Marzzola) a 9" suspention lift.

http://www.izook.com/tech/tracker/lift/tracker9inch.htm

And he was ok with a longer lower with a stock upper.  But in my future is a different rear (maby a mickey 9er?)  and a better 3-4 link set up.

I ran it all year and had no trouble with rear stear that I noticed beond the original set up.