I am wanting to do a 2 inch body lift on my 1989 escudo (sidekick) but nobody here in New Zealand stocks lift kits. i like the look of the RRO kits but the extra $50us in airfreight is $50 that could go into something else. So homemade seems the best bet.Can anybody tell me what materials I need and roughly how to go about it.  
Cheer and merry xmas all

I made my body lift with 1/8" wall 2x3 tubing. If you want a 2" lift just lay the tubing on its side. Use grade 8 bolts. The very front body mounts were a little more tricky to fit but really it can be done with not much problem. If you decide to go home made pm me and Ill give you a few tips.

Later,
Bill

I made a 4 inch bodylift from 4x4 square channels, 1/4 thinck.   trough bolt it to the frame, used factory studs from body but cut it and threaded it to make it shorter, this is where the factory mount used to sit.  You can cut hole in your floor and throughbolt both pieces separately.  Watch out for brakelines in the front, I notched my inner fenderon the left, left both dangling on right.  Ebrake cable brackets need bending up in back.  both shifter extended. I wouldnt go with 4 next time, 3 is good with 31s.  I had to severly chop my fenders and hammer in my floorboards to clear my 33x12.5s.  Its best to get a bit of suspension lift as well.  

Just as everyone said its basically square tubing the length you want the lift to be, the only thing that may pose a problem is the extension of your shifters.  If you are doing only 2 inches this may not be necessary.   Ask Natebert how he did his.

you also may need a steering shaft extension.  I used a old long socket for that.    lata stu

ibigtracker is right.  forgot about that.

I didnt extend my shifters, I just cut the hole back about 1 1/4". The transfer shifter sits pretty low but I havent had any problems with it. One thing on the passenger side on the frame there is a small junction box with 2 small bolts holding it on. Take those bolts out before lifting the body. It is located toward the front where the frame turns upward on the inside of the frame. Unhook your gas filler neck also.

Later,
Bill

thanks for the info guys if possible could someone post a pic of an installed lift mount , just to see if my plans are on the right track.

I would definately get your shifters done whilst the console is in bits! I ran mine a week without extensions & it was a struggle. The workshop manual shows how easy it is to remove the shifters, & my welder had them both out, extended & replaced within a morning. It now drives like before.

You can make the lift out of box section steel, the Calmini one is exactly like that. I hate it its really cheaply made and you loose the anti-vibration, anti-shock mounting of the standard system which means a lot more noise and vibs in the cab. I only fitted mine a couple of months ago but I'm going to replace it with a RR kit even if I have to go down to 31s. I had both the levers extended by adding steel just above the pivot ball (not on the end of the lever like Calmini suggest). Be careful with ther rubber gaiters as these can only be bought with the gear levers. I also had loads of trouble getting the levers back in, I couldn't get the 'cap' to turn  (its a bayonet fitting). In the end I loosened the bolts, pushed the cap down and retightened the bolts.

Hey,
Its difficult for me to say weather or not I'd recommend making my own body lift vs. buying one in the future as in the end, it ended up costing us just about the same between making our own 3 inch (doing it right) vs buying the Calmini kit.

It wasn't the initial cost of the square tube that was expensive, but faced with the fact that we had buy lots of little pieces to make a complete kit, it all added up.  

1: Buy the tube stock and then cut them into pieces, then get them drilled out for bolts.  (I don't have a drill press)
2: Grade 8 bolts, washers, nuts, etc. (Don't forget go get them coated to prevent rust).  
3:  Proper body bushings to replace the ones that we weren't using anymore due to the shape of the blocks and to add them between the mount and the frame since you are adding a block, you should use bushings between body and blocks or frame and blocks and still try to retain the bushings on the washer side of the body bolts. (internal to the blocks)  Note: We used rubber vs pole to keep the ride softer.
4: Gas filler tube extended.  (pipe and hose clamps)

Total all of the misc parts up and it was VERY close in cost to just buying a $120 kit.  (I actually think it was more then if I had just bought the Calmini Kit)  But I think my homebrew 'kit' is a bit nicer (more complete).

But if I had paid for one, then I wouldn't have had to run around town to gather these parts.  Time to me is money too.

Of course we still had to do the usual reguardless of which kit I used; shifters extended, relocate brake lines, diff vent tubes extended, etc.  

Since I built it my self I feel pretty comfortable in the quality, but I still have to hope that I got everything right, etc.  

Overall I'd say that the topic of buying vs making is too close call.

If you like to tinker and have time to mess around then have fun and build it yourself.  
If you want to buy something thats 90% complete, buy the Calmini kit.  
Good luck,
~Nate

Well I wanted 4" lift, one to clear the 3" long
body studs that stick out of the bottom, that
and I had 2 body studs that had pulled out,
so I thought I might be doing something else
to get it all back together. I got a section of
Marine Exhaust hose, for the gas tank filler,
and a short piece of tubing to extend the
steering shaft, brake lines were a little easier,
the Drivers side fitting in the body can be bent
90* down to ease tension, and disconected from
the strut makes it fit fine.

Pass side I don't remember being any problem,
and the rear E-Brake needs to be slacked up a bit
from the wire guides, just bend them up and it
all works without pulling them too hard.

All in all an easy mod with a big reward in tire
clearance, sitting on 33s my rocker sills are 24"
from the ground so I guess that helps a little too.

the cost of doing it all will be the price of the tubing and the bolts.  You dont need a drill press if you can measure with a tape and drill some half inch holes.  It is not a space shuttle, you can be off 1/8 and have enough to play with.  I reused the stock rubber bodymounts under my tube, in the original cups on the frame.  To coat it, I used up every last can of rust paint and undercoating.  For the filler hose, I cut it and in went a piece of exhaust pipe and two clamps.

now that i know about all the details involved in doing this lift and considering it will be my first major mod, I wonder if maybe I would be better off staring out by purchasing a kit.Even if it does cost an extra $50 in air freight.Has anybody use the RRO kit , if so is it as simple to install as they claim on their website.My budget is very tight that is why i am intersted in this kit instead of a 3" lift. I plan to also install 1 1/8 coil spacers to gain a little extra clearance under the chassis.