Topic: Quote to install body lift

[Eric_FXST]

I just received a quote to install my body lift.  I was told $750-$1000.
I'm anticipating closer to the $1000 range.

I thought guys were saying around $5-600?

[Ski Edition]

If I go to get a quote for a job that is a kit with minimal variations, I'm looking for a firm price, not a range.  The range tells me that they have not done a BL on your particular vehicle.  They may have done 100's of BL, but if they haven't done an AV, I'd find someone who has.  Doing a BL on an AV is not like a truck, with cab and bed mounts. I know a couple of guys that had theirs done for $350, but had mine done for $500.  Just my 

[oHIobellboy]

The shop charged me $400 to do mine but I have efans and no tranny cooler which saved them time (that and I had a ton of other work done there). They had never done an Avy before but have done well over 100 other lifts on trucks so they have a lot of experience with this sort of thing. I wonder how many hours they're figuring it's going to take to do it.

[chevyfan]

I paid $250 to have mine installed with a garage that has done 100's of suspension and body lifts. I did help at that price and it took a total of 9 hours with 3 people working on it. Definetly shop around and go with somebody you feel comfortable with. Also stop people around town that have lifts and find out there opinion.

[Eric_FXST]

I wonder how many hours they're figuring it's going to take to do it.

They are thinking 8-10 hours.
Yes, I think I'm going to check around.  ;)

[Eric_FXST]

I checked with 4 different shops.
One was $750, another $699, and yet another $750.
The fourth is a tire place that has about a half dozen kids doing install work.  They move A LOT of product.  They work out of a single stall garage.  But they said they have done many different suspension lifts and feel a body lift is easier.  They quoted me at $59 an hour and so no way it will go above $500.  He said closer to $400.

Question is...would YOU trust this?  Is there much to a body lift?  This guy acted like it was no big deal, they would bang it out in 1 day.   

[oHIobellboy]

I checked with 4 different shops.
One was $750, another $699, and yet another $750.
The fourth is a tire place that has about a half dozen kids doing install work.  They move A LOT of product.  They work out of a single stall garage.  But they said they have done many different suspension lifts and feel a body lift is easier.  They quoted me at $59 an hour and so no way it will go above $500.  He said closer to $400.

Question is...would YOU trust this?  Is there much to a body lift?  This guy acted like it was no big deal, they would bang it out in 1 day.   

Does he have any previous customers you can talk to for references? That seems a lot more in line with what others have paid experienced shops. Those kids working there might also be the type that have been turning wrenches under cars since they were old enough to crawl under there with their fathers. Does he offer any kind of warranty on his work?  How does his shop look? Is it clean and neat (for a shop) or a total disorganized pigsty? That would tell me if they can keep their stuff organized or not.

[MyBigToy]

I checked with 4 different shops.
One was $750, another $699, and yet another $750.
The fourth is a tire place that has about a half dozen kids doing install work.  They move A LOT of product.  They work out of a single stall garage.  But they said they have done many different suspension lifts and feel a body lift is easier.  They quoted me at $59 an hour and so no way it will go above $500.  He said closer to $400.

Question is...would YOU trust this?  Is there much to a body lift?  This guy acted like it was no big deal, they would bang it out in 1 day.   

A body lift isn't a big deal and they should be able to get it done in somewhere between 6 & 8 hours. You basically loosen all the body mount hardware, jack one side of the vehicle up at a time, install the spacers, lower that side down, and repeat for the other side. That said, you have to watch wire harnesses, hoses, brake lines, etc. while you are jacking and lowering the body. You don't want to trap, pinch, or crush any of these. Then, probably the biggest part is spacing the bumpers up to remove the gap created when the body moved up (if the brackets weren't included with the kit, and many times they are not). I'd suggest you consider adding gap guards for the wheel wells also.

[oHIobellboy]

Oh. The PA kit does come with the longer ground straps you need and the longer bracket for the parking brake. I would suggest you have that bracket welded because the location of the ONE bolt hole in it allows it to bend backwards. There's a steering column extension also but that isn't a big deal. It should also have the bumper relocation brackets. Make sure you order the one for the cladded ('02 kit) to get the correct brackets 

Make sure you buy some of those notorious body clips as you'll break a few off taking off the front bumper cover. It'd be best to have them on hand when you take the truck to them. They can be found on ebay dirt cheap. I'd recommend 15-20 of them to be safe. Avalanche cladding clips is what to look for.

As MBT said and after reading through the  instruction booklet that comes with it, It isn't as big of a job that some people make it out to be. Just labor intensive. I would feel confident doing one in my drive with a competent helper now that I know what all is involved and providing I had all the proper air tools to make life easier. THAT ISN'T AN INVITATION TO BRING IT HERE THOUGH.

[MyBigToy]

Oh. The PA kit does come with the longer ground straps you need and the longer bracket for the parking brake. I would suggest you have that bracket welded because the location of the ONE bolt hole in it allows it to bend backwards. There's a steering column extension also but that isn't a big deal. It should also have the bumper relocation brackets. Make sure you order the one for the cladded ('02 kit) to get the correct brackets 

Make sure you buy some of those notorious body clips as you'll break a few off taking off the front bumper cover. It'd be best to have them on hand when you take the truck to them. They can be found on ebay dirt cheap. I'd recommend 15-20 of them to be safe. Avalanche cladding clips is what to look for.

As MBT said and after reading through the  instruction booklet that comes with it, It isn't as big of a job that some people make it out to be. Just labor intensive. I would feel confident doing one in my drive with a competent helper now that I know what all is involved and providing I had all the proper air tools to make life easier. THAT ISN'T AN INVITATION TO BRING IT HERE THOUGH.

Of course you added some specifics I forgot about. I couldn't use the steering spacer on my Sonoma as it caused the steering to bind. I also had to modify the shift linkage but the extension rod to weld into the original was provided in my kit (it was a PA kit; I found they were typically the most complete kits). I believe that Chevyfan also talked about the fan shroud/spacing it up earlier in the thread.