diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 07626f4e28..6aee0ed8e0 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ selfdrive/modeld/_dmonitoringmodeld
 /src/
 
 one
-/body/
 openpilot
 notebooks
 xx
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 1e6110b7a6..bc439b451c 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -1,15 +1,18 @@
 [submodule "panda"]
-	path = panda
-	url = ../../commaai/panda.git
+  path = panda
+  url = ../../commaai/panda.git
 [submodule "opendbc"]
-	path = opendbc
-	url = ../../commaai/opendbc.git
+  path = opendbc
+  url = ../../commaai/opendbc.git
 [submodule "laika_repo"]
-	path = laika_repo
-	url = ../../commaai/laika.git
+  path = laika_repo
+  url = ../../commaai/laika.git
 [submodule "cereal"]
-	path = cereal
-	url = ../../commaai/cereal.git
+  path = cereal
+  url = ../../commaai/cereal.git
 [submodule "rednose_repo"]
-	path = rednose_repo
-	url = ../../commaai/rednose.git
+  path = rednose_repo
+  url = ../../commaai/rednose.git
+[submodule "body"]
+  path = body
+  url = ../../commaai/body.git
diff --git a/.pre-commit-config.yaml b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
index 8b8bc1f1b9..e273cd9aee 100644
--- a/.pre-commit-config.yaml
+++ b/.pre-commit-config.yaml
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ repos:
         entry: cppcheck
         language: system
         types: [c++]
-        exclude: '^(third_party/)|(pyextra/)|(cereal/)|(rednose/)|(rednose_repo/)|(opendbc/)|(panda/)|(tools/)|(selfdrive/modeld/thneed/debug/)|(selfdrive/modeld/test/)|(selfdrive/camerad/test/)/|(installer/)'
+        exclude: '^(third_party/)|(pyextra/)|(cereal/)|(body/)|(rednose/)|(rednose_repo/)|(opendbc/)|(panda/)|(tools/)|(selfdrive/modeld/thneed/debug/)|(selfdrive/modeld/test/)|(selfdrive/camerad/test/)|(installer/)'
         args:
         - --error-exitcode=1
         - --language=c++
diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index 940b2367fa..49685b19b2 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -393,9 +393,13 @@ if arch != "Darwin":
 
 # Build openpilot
 
-SConscript(['cereal/SConscript'])
-SConscript(['panda/board/SConscript'])
-SConscript(['opendbc/can/SConscript'])
+# build submodules
+SConscript([
+  'cereal/SConscript',
+  'body/board/SConscript',
+  'panda/board/SConscript',
+  'opendbc/can/SConscript',
+])
 
 SConscript(['third_party/SConscript'])
 
diff --git a/body b/body
new file mode 160000
index 0000000000..04aeb30ce0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/body
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit 04aeb30ce0bb14759989cd374158233877e1e151
diff --git a/release/files_common b/release/files_common
index 192c6ec45e..8bf99f0228 100644
--- a/release/files_common
+++ b/release/files_common
@@ -434,6 +434,19 @@ rednose/.gitignore
 rednose/**
 laika/**
 
+body/.gitignore
+body/board/SConscript
+body/board/*.h
+body/board/*.c
+body/board/*.s
+body/board/*.ld
+body/board/inc/**
+body/board/obj/
+body/board/bldc/**
+body/board/drivers/**
+body/certs/**
+body/crypto/**
+
 cereal/.gitignore
 cereal/__init__.py
 cereal/car.capnp