While Toyota 4x4 engines are typically mounted high enough so that dragging oil pans is not typically a problem, there are some benefits to raising the engine and thus the entire drive train on a Toyota truck. The most common part that drags on Toyota 4WD trucks is the transfer case cross member. In stock form it is a box cross-section and hangs nearly 4" below the transfer case itself. It is not built to take a lot of abuse and once the fairly thin steel box begins to crush, it loses most of its strength. There are a number of low-profile cross members on the market to address this problem, but even going this route leaves the transfer case hanging well below the frame rails. The transfer case already rides up close to the transmission tunnel, so lifting it very much is not a viable option. If you have dual transfer cases, the rear-most case often is left hanging unprotected behind the cross member.
However, by installing a body lift to gain clearance, the drive train may be lifted up in the frame by an amount up to the height of the body lift. To lift the drive train, you must raise the motor mounts as well as the transfer case cross member, and most likely the "horsecollar" crossmember on the frame, depending on vehicle type and configuration. On most Toyota 4WD short wheel base trucks, it should be possible to raise the drive train about 1.5" without hitting the horsecollar crossmember. On the Extra cabs, you can probably do 2"-3" without trouble. You can simply measure the vertical clearance between the rear driveshaft and the crossmember, allowing some room for movement under load (see picture below). If you have dual transfer cases and/or a reaf CV-style driveshaft, then you may need to raise that crossmember even without a drivetrain lift.
However, there are other parts of the body/cab that can interfere with raising the drive train up higher. The best way to check for clearance is to unbolt either end of the drive train (i.e. the motor mounts or the t-case mount) and then use a floor jack with wood blocks to raise one end of the drive train up until it hits the floor of the body/cab and then measure the clearance between the motor ot t-case mount and the frame or cross member. That distance would represent the highest you could possibly raise the drive train up, but be sure to allow some room for drive train movement under load. Since the engine and t-case are mounted atop rubber mounts, they can move around a fair bit in response to the torque applied to the drive shaft and more so in lower gears.
I did this very project on my 22RE-equipped 4Runner, lifting the body 3" and the drive train 2". I designed some bolt-on motor mount spacers and then used the Front Range Offroad Fabrication transfer case cross member and skid plate to accomplish the lift. I gained about 5-6" under the transfer case, replaced my sloppy stock transfer case mount and reduced the need for extensive modifications due to the 3" body lift. Since I had been running a 1" body lift before, I had set the radiator and shift levers to work at this height. So, my new lift (3" - 2") resulted in an identical 1" relative body lift off the drive train. It is still 3" off the frame, so things like steering and brake lines were modified. As can be seen in the image above, there is now about 1.5" of clearance above the driveshaft. Before the 1" (relative) lift, I had 1/2" (at rest) but under the stress and twisting off off-road use, that gap went to zero and let the CV hit the crossmember. So, you need to have at least 1/2" and better 1" of driveshaft clearance at rest to avoid contact.
Raising the engine had a side benefit when I later installed hydraulic-assist steering. With a high-steer (tie rod over the springs) setup, the hydraulic ram is mounted on top of the axle and the hydraulic lines are above that. I find I just barely have enough room to clear the hoses with the oil pan with the 2" drivetrain lift.
So after doing all the design work and tooling needed to make my own blocks, I thought I would offer my spacers to others interested in this modification. In fact, using my spacers and a BudBuilt crossmember, it should be possible to do most of this project in a bolt-on manner. Generally, most Toyota trucks can take a 1-2" transfer case lift without moving the horsecollar crossmember. If you have dual transfer cases, a rear CV driveshaft, or a shorter wheelbase, then relocation may be needed, which requires some cutting and welding, but results in a raised gas tank.
Pictured below are examples of a 2" motor mount spacer. To the lower-left, is the spacer installed on a stock motor mount (removed from the engine for clarity). To the lower-right is a 2" spacer installed between the frame and the stock motor mount. An advantage of this style of mounting is that it maintains the original engine-mount orientation. It also does not increase the load on the motor mount itself, as no added leverage is created.
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| Motor Mount Spacer on Motor Mount Bracket | Motor Mount Spacer and Bracket installed |
The motor mount spacers can be made in heights from 1" to 3" that fit the stock Toyota 4- and 6-cylinder motor mount bases. New mounting hardware is supplied to attach the spacer the the frame bracket. Then the stock hardware is used to attach the motor mount to the spacer except with the 1" - 1.5" spacers which include new hardware all around. The spacers are made of 3/16" steel plate with angle-cut 2" square tubing - fully welded or machined billet aluminum construction.
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| Lift Height Measurement |
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| 1.5" or shorter spacer | 2" or taller spacers |
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| 20R/22R/RE/RET Motor Mount Spacer US Delivery for $7.95 |
2.7L-4 and 3.0/3.4L V6 Motor Mount Spacers US Delivery for $7.95 |
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| 20R/22R/RE/RET Motor Mount Spacer International Delivery US$68.95 |
2.7L-4 and 3.0/3.4L V6 Motor Mount Spacers International Delivery US$68.95 |
The spacers are designed for easy installation with simple hand tools, no cutting or welding is required. A floor jack or factory bottle jack is needed to raise the engine up to install the spacers. A block of wood under the oil pan makes a convenient lifting point. You should loosen the transfer case mount and even raise it with a spacer block to assist in getting the new mounts to align properly. Loosely install the bolts and get everything lined up (no strain on the motor mounts) before tightening any of the fasteners. I found on my truck that I had to use a come-along to pull the engine forward about an inch to get the mounts to line up. On spacers less than 2" tall, it is necessary to insert the bolts from the ouside and place the retaining nuts inside the spacer. The 1" spacers are made of solid steel with threaded holes, so the supplied bolts thread into the spacer.
Of course, if you lift the engine, you should also lift the transmission/transfer case an equal amount. One method of doing this is to fabricate a custom transfer case cross member to lift the back end of the drive train. Another option, and the one I used, is the Front Range Offroad Fabrication cross member and skid plate, very nice, easy to install and you can set it for any height you want:
Note: This is just one of many steps in a drive train lift. They are all fairly easy, given the right tools and skill level, but some of the steps you may run into will remain hidden until you run into a problem. I've tried to document all the things I ran into in my lift, and had read Drew Persson's write-up and other write-ups on gas tank lifts, etc. But I still ran into other issues above and beyond what others had written about.
If you've read this far, you may be asking what would all this do for my truck? After all, 2" isn't that much (You could go up 3" like Drew did, but I went 2" for clearance reasons). Take a look at the photos below, a stock 4Runner above and a 2" lift plus new crossmember below:
For reference, the nerf bars are 2" square tubing. The gas tank skid plate is approx. 1" below the frame, skid plate on the transfer case is perhaps 2" below the frame. The above photo is taken parallel with the frame rails, no tricky angles were used. Click on the images above to download a larger version.
In order to install the motor mount spacers, a body lift equal to or taller than the spacer height must already be in place. In addition, some method of raising the transmission end of the drivetrain should be available. So on with the install...
So the FROFab cross member is a great thing if you have a solid axle truck, either stock or converted, or have IFS and dual transfer cases. If your rig doesn't meet the above criteria, you'll be unable to install this cross member due to interference with the front torsion bar brackets. However, the BudBuilt cross member does address all these issues and can be ordered with a built-in lift; highly recommended.
Perhaps you are planning to do one of the modifications above but want to get started early, or you want to use one of the other low-profile cross member designs, and simply lift the transfer case up above that, or you are using the FROFab cross member and want a spacer to use to let you install and remove the crossmember for servicing the transmission, etc. Now realize that this spacer *will not* provide any increased under-truck ground clearance as the stock cross member will still be in it's original position.
Pictured below is a 2" / 4-cyl ('84-'95) transfer case mount spacer, 3" is also available, as is a V6 ('88-'95) t-case spacer version (80mm x 57mm bolt hole pattern w/ offset center hole). Other spacer designs may be possible, but will need the bolt hole pattern and location/size of the large hole. As with the motor mount spacers, can also do 1" spacers in a billet alluminum:
As you can see, installation is fairly straight forward;
I'm actually planning to keep a 2" spacer handy for my own use, in case I ever have to service the transmission or clutch in the future at a shop. If needed, I plan on bolting up the stock crossmember and the 2" spacer, and then removing the FROFab crossmember before taking the transmission out. With 2 transfers case and the huge crossmember bolted on, I think it would be almost impossible to take them out as-is.
Transfer case spacers are available, with mounting hardware, for $100.00, plus shipping, specify 2" or 3" lift (should match the motor mount spacer height). Spacers 2" and 3" tall are built of 0.125 steel plate and square tube, fully welded, primed and painted, 1" spacers are billet 6061 aluminum. We use a stock Toyota RF1A (4-cyl, gear driven) transfer case mount and cross member as templates. Feel free to contact us for advice on other applications, but we will need you to supply us with dimensions for the transfer case mount.
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One item to note, if you will *not* be raising your horsecollar crossmember, you'll need to carefully check the rear driveshaft clearance where is passes under the crossmember. You'll want to ensure you have enough clearance for the driveshaft after the lift. Different wheel bases and driveshaft configurations can affect the clearance.
Front Range Offroad Fabrication has a weld-on crossmember and skid plate combination:
As an alternative, the BudBuilt transfer case crossmembers are both functional and affordable. You can find out more about them from Bud's page:
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[Last updated: Tuesday, 31-Mar-2020 05:15:00 GMT]
