Complete step-by-step guide to installing a 3-inch body lift on a 1995 Ford F-150 (OBS 2WD). Based on real hands-on install covering cab bolts, steering linkage, fan shroud, and bumper relocation.

How to Install a 3" Body Lift on a 1995 Ford F-150 (OBS 2WD) — Complete Step-by-Step Guide

If you own a 1987–1997 Ford F-150, F-250, or Bronco with the "OBS" (Old Body Style) design, you've probably run into the same problem many truck enthusiasts face: tire rubbing. After adding a 2-inch wheel spacer, the tires start kissing the fenders the moment you reverse into a bump. A 3" body lift is one of the cleanest ways to solve that — and no, you don't need to cut the frame or hire a professional. This guide walks you through the entire process, step by step, based on a real hands-on install on a 1995 Ford F-150 2WD.

What Is a Body Lift and Why Install One on Your OBS Ford?

A body lift raises the truck's cab and bed 3 inches above the frame while keeping the suspension geometry completely stock. Unlike a suspension lift — which modifies your springs, shocks, and articulation — a body lift only separates the body from the frame at the mounting points and inserts blocks in between. The result: more tire clearance, a slightly taller stance, and zero impact on your factory suspension setup.

The 1995 Ford F-150 in this guide had a persistent tire-rubbing issue after installing 2-inch wheel spacers. Even mild reversing maneuvers caused the tires to gnaw at the fender wells. After the 3" body lift, the truck has been driven hard — reversing, turning, hitting bumps — without a single rub. Problem solved.

This guide covers the cab and front section of the install. For the bed portion (the first half of the lift), refer to the companion video guide linked in the description. Both halves follow the same core principle: locate bolts, loosen them, lift the body, insert blocks, and torque everything back down.

Tools & Parts Needed

Item	Notes / Why You Need It
3" Body Lift Kit (Performance Accessories or equivalent)	Compatible with 1987–1997 Ford F-150, F-250, Bronco 2WD/4WD
Impact wrench (air or cordless)	Essential for breaking loose rusted bolts — especially the front cab mounts
Ratchet with extensions (20+ total length recommended)	Some front bolts sit 20+ inches deep in the engine bay — you'll stack extensions
Drill with metal bit	May be needed to drill out rusted-through bolts or add new mounting holes
Thread-locking compound (Loctite)	Apply to any newly drilled bolts to prevent backing out
Welder (optional)	Useful for repositioning bumper brackets instead of drilling new bolt holes
Socket set (deep and shallow)	Metric and SAE — front cab bolts are typically 14mm–18mm
Pry bars / body lift tool (long pry bar)	Helps separate the body from the frame at stubborn mounting points
Torque wrench	Re-torque all body mount bolts to factory spec (typically 35–45 ft-lbs) after lift
Zip tie or bungee cord	Used as a trick hood latch tool (loop through latch, pull to release)
Jack and jack stands (or hydraulic lift)	Required for raising the body — never work under a vehicle supported only by a jack

Step 1: Locate the Cab Body Mount Bolts (Interior)

Before jacking anything, find all six cab mount bolts — three per side. Here's how to locate them in your 1995 F-150:

• Front seat positions: Fold down or remove both rear seats. You'll find two bolts under the carpet near each seat track — one on the passenger side, one on the driver's side.
• Rear cab area: Pull back the floor carpet near the rear wheel well. The third bolt on each side sits here, often hidden under a rubber grommet or cap.
• Check under the vehicle: Visually confirm bolt locations from underneath. Some bolts may have a black rubber cap over them that hides the washer — peel it back to expose the hardware.

⚠️ Safety tip: If your truck has significant mileage, some of these bolts may be seized or rusted solid. An impact wrench driven from above (through the cab floor) combined with a breaker bar from below is often the fastest combo to crack them free.

Step 2: Remove the Front Seat and Access the Bolt Caps

Clear the cab interior to access all six bolt locations:

• Remove the rear seat: The back seat in the F-150 is held down by two bolts — one per side, visible once you fold the seat cushion forward. Unbolt and pull the seat out completely. It gives you the access you need for the rear cab bolts.
• Pull back the carpet: At each bolt location, peel back the carpet to expose the factory bolt cap. Some trucks have rubber grommets that pop off easily; others have the cap fused to the bolt head from years of heat and road grime.
• Assess bolt condition: If the bolt spins freely with the impact, it may be seized at the bushing (the nut welded to the factory bushing). In this case, the nut is actually welded to the bushing from the factory — you may not need to hold it from below. Impact from the top is often enough.

Step 3: Jack Up the Cab — Three Inches on Each Side

Here's the critical part of the process:

• Place jack stands under the frame rails — not the body. You are lifting the body, not the whole truck.
• Lift the passenger side of the cab first. Go 3 inches at a time, checking for binding or resistance.
• Insert the body lift blocks at each mounting point as the gap opens up. All three blocks per side should seat fully before you move to the other side.
• Do not fully compress one side before supporting the other — work evenly on both sides to avoid torsional stress on the body mounts.

Why three inches? On an OBS F-150, a 3" lift gives you roughly 1.5" of additional tire clearance per side — enough to clear most 33" tires with wheel spacers, without the cost and complexity of a full suspension lift.

Step 4: Handle the Stubborn Front Bolts (Engine Bay)

The front two cab bolts are the trickiest part of the install. On the 1995 F-150, these bolts run vertically through the frame rail and into the engine bay — you'll be working from inside the cab and from the top of the engine bay simultaneously.

• Discharge the battery: Before working near the engine bay, disconnect the negative terminal. This protects electrical components and gives you room to maneuver.
• Stack extensions — 20+ inches of reach: One bolt was so deep it required a stack of roughly 20 socket extensions plus a ratchet to reach it from inside the cab. This is normal on the OBS trucks — the front body mounts sit well back in the frame rails.
• The zip-tie trick: If you can't get a ratchet angle on the bolt, try this: thread a long zip tie through the bolt head, pull it taut, and use the zip tie to hold the bolt head from spinning while you run the nut down from above with an impact. Simple, but it works when space is tight.
• Passenger side (battery side): This bolt is often more accessible than the driver's side. Impact it from the top through the engine bay.

Step 5: Relocate the Steering Linkage

After the cab is lifted 3", the steering linkage — the black connecting bar between the steering box and the front differential — will be slack relative to the new body height. The body lift kit includes a steering linkage extension bracket specifically for this.

Installing it is straightforward:

1. Locate the steering linkage U-bolts on the differential side.
2. Loosen the existing U-bolts.
3. Slide the extension bracket between the linkage and the mount.
4. Re-tighten the U-bolts through the extension bracket.
5. Insert the steering linkage bar extension (included in most kits) between the two linkage halves.

The installer's report: the steering felt better after the body lift than before. With the linkage properly indexed through the extension bracket, there was no slop or play — in some cases, this setup actually tightens up the steering feel.

Step 6: Relocate the Radiator Fan Shroud

Once the cab is raised, the radiator fan shroud no longer aligns with the fan blade — the 3" gap is too much for the factory shroud to bridge. Here's how to handle it:

• Cut the shroud 3 inches up both sides: Using tin snips or a rotary tool, trim the fan shroud flanges on each side. This effectively lengthens the shroud's reach downward to meet the fan at the new position.
• Install drop brackets: Body lift kits typically include drop brackets for the fan shroud mounts. Bolt them to the original shroud mount points using the factory bolts, with washers to space them down 3 inches.
• Check for clearance: Spin the fan by hand (with the engine off) to verify the blade doesn't contact the shroud at any point.

Pro tip: This is also a great time to consider an electric fan conversion. The OBS trucks came with mechanical clutch fans that sap engine horsepower. An electric fan kit (e.g., a SPAL or Hayden universal unit) bolts directly to the radiator and eliminates the shroud concern entirely — plus it frees up a few horsepower at the crank.

Step 7: Relocate the Front and Rear Bumpers

With a 3" body lift, the bumpers will sit 3 inches below their original alignment relative to the cab. Here's how to correct them without cutting the frame:

Rear Bumper

• Measure the gap between the frame and the rear bumper mount.
• Mark a new mounting position 3 inches up on the bumper brackets.
• Either drill new bolt holes or — as demonstrated in this install — weld small spacers directly to the existing bracket tabs.
• Reattach the bumper at the new height. The result should place the bumper at roughly stock height relative to the lifted body.

Front Bumper

• Some kit instructions call for frame notching to relocate the front bumper. If you're not willing to cut the frame, there's a workaround.
• Trim the inside face of the front bumper just enough to allow it to sit 2–3 inches higher without contacting the frame.
• Use one existing bolt hole and one welded spacer — much cleaner than drilling through the frame.

Step 8: Torque Everything to Spec and Test Drive

Before driving, go through every body mount bolt with a torque wrench:

• Factory body mount bolts: 35–45 ft-lbs (verify in your service manual)
• Steering linkage hardware: 65–80 ft-lbs at the differential U-bolts
• Bumper mounting bolts: 50–60 ft-lbs

Take the truck for a test drive that includes:

• Reversing at full lock (the hardest tire-rub condition)
• Driving over speed bumps and rough pavement
• Hard cornering to test body stiffness

In this install, the truck felt measurably stiffer after the body lift. The previous "loose boat" feeling in the bed was gone — the body lift blocks locked everything solid. Tire rubbing on hard reverses? Gone completely.

Pro Tips From the Shop Floor

Tip	Why It Matters
Apply Loctite to any newly drilled bolts	Newly drilled body mount holes don't have the same thread locking as factory hardware. Loctite prevents bolts from backing out over thousands of miles of vibration.
Drill new holes straight through — use a guide	A crooked hole in the bed or cab floor compromises clamping force and can crack the fiberglass bed liner or floor pan over time.
Two people minimum for the cab lift	Keeping the body level while inserting blocks is nearly impossible solo. A second set of hands prevents the body from twisting and keeps the blocks seated properly.
Photograph bolt locations before disassembly	OBS trucks have slight manufacturing variations. Pre-disassembly photos help you put everything back exactly as it was — especially the wiring harness clips and exhaust hanger positions.
Consider an electric fan conversion while the shroud is off	The mechanical fan clutch is a known failure point on 1990s Ford trucks. With the shroud removed, it's the ideal window to install an electric fan kit.

Does a Body Lift Affect Drivability or Resale Value?

One question that comes up constantly: does a body lift hurt the truck? The honest answer is nuanced:

• No impact on safety systems: The body lift doesn't touch brakes, airbags (if equipped), or suspension geometry. The truck drives, steers, and stops exactly as it did before.
• Minor NVH increase: With the body sitting on solid blocks instead of rubber bushings at some mount points, you'll feel slightly more road vibration through the floor. It's not harsh — most owners describe it as a subtle change in "feel."
• Resale consideration: Enthusiasts often view body lifts positively — it's a known, reversible modification. Just keep the factory blocks and bolts; a buyer can return the truck to stock in an afternoon.
• Better ride quality in one respect: Surprisingly, some owners report the truck feels stiffer and more planted after a body lift — because loose body mounts that were previously hiding are now exposed and corrected.

Performance Accessories 3" Body Lift — Parts Cross-Reference

Brand	Kit Part Number	Fits	Includes
Performance Accessories (most popular)	PA3933	1988–1997 Ford F-150 2WD/4WD	Body lift blocks, zinc-plated bolts, steering linkage extension, shroud drop brackets, rear bumper brackets
Body Lift Blocks by Dorman	26101	Ford F-150/F-250 OBS (verify fitment)	Blocks only — steering linkage hardware sold separately
Tuff Country	12921	Ford 1988–1997 F-150/F-250 2WD	Full kit: blocks, bolts, steering linkage, hardware

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FAQ — Body Lift Install on OBS Ford Trucks

Will a 3" body lift on my 1995 F-150 cause any check engine lights or code issues?
No. A body lift is purely a mechanical modification that raises the body 3 inches above the frame. It does not affect the engine computer, sensors, transmission, or any electronic systems. Your OBD-II port, wiring harnesses, and sensor connections remain untouched.

Do I need to extend the brake lines or fuel lines for a body lift?
For a 3" lift on the OBS F-150, factory brake lines and fuel lines are typically long enough to accommodate the movement without extension. However, inspect them carefully after the install — on high-mileage trucks, the rubber lines may be aged and less tolerant of any tension. Replace any questionable lines before driving.

Can I install a body lift on a 2WD truck, or do I need 4WD?
Yes — a body lift works on both 2WD and 4WD OBS Ford trucks. The installation process is nearly identical. The only difference is that 4WD trucks have CV axles and front differential mounts to account for, while 2WD trucks (like the F-150 2WD in this guide) have a solid rear axle with leaf springs on both ends — a slightly simpler setup.

How long does a 3" body lift installation take?
With two people and the right tools, plan for 6–10 hours. Rusted bolts can add 2–4 hours to the job. If you're doing the bed and cab together (rather than splitting them across two sessions like in the video), budget for a full weekend. The single most time-consuming step is freeing up rusted front cab bolts.

Will a body lift void my truck's transmission warranty or affect the transmission?
A body lift does not modify the transmission or drivetrain. However, any aftermarket modification can potentially be cited by a warranty administrator in a disputed claim. Keep your body lift blocks, bolts, and instructions on file as documentation that the lift uses factory-style mounting points and doesn't alter drivetrain geometry.

Final Takeaway

The 3" body lift on the 1995 Ford F-150 2WD delivered exactly what it promised: zero tire rubbing, a taller stance, and a noticeably stiffer ride — without the $3,000+ cost of a full suspension lift. The job is well within the reach of a competent DIY mechanic with basic tools. The key is patience with the rusted bolts, doing the job with two people, and making sure every body mount bolt is torqued properly before you drive it.

If tire rubbing after wheel spacer installation is your problem, a body lift is almost certainly your answer. Drop a comment below if you have questions about your specific truck setup — we'll help you figure out if this is the right move for your build.

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body lift f-150 ford obs

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