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Torsion Bar Adjustment (Pics on Page 5)

167K views 277 replies 119 participants last post by  GregDAP 
#1 ·
Anyone cranked down the torsion bars yet to raise the front end up? I heard its hard on the CV boots in the s-10's. I want to raise my front end up an inch or two but I dont know how many turns it requires.
 
#2 ·
Most vehicles with t/bars can be lifted a little or preloaded a little more for winches etc, but I think 2" may be a little much. I have had several old Toyota work trucks that had lost about 0.5" and raised them 1.0-1.25" (0.5-0.75 over stock) and had good results Did the same to a Nissan and had goog results except the overly soft factory shocks allowed front suspension to "top out" when cornering and hitting a dip in the road. Just don't use all your suspension rebound and You may have to get it realigned also
 
#5 ·
yes
2.5 inches was no problem/more left
i think i did 8-10 turns
just crank and check/count the turns-same on both sides
mine sat 7/8'' low on dr side when i got it so it took a few more turns to get it level
to temp lift the rear i cut up hiway tactor flaps into 2x2 squares and stuck them between the overloads
the whole job is easier when you jack it up to get the weight of the susp
warr will align it later for ''wandering problem''
 
#6 ·
this is actually the only way to lift a chevy luv. I lifted my luv about 1.5" whith the T-bars. Make shure you jack the truck up when you doo this or you can strip out the adjustemtn bolt. Measure from the same spot on both sideds and not it down (i would write the measurement right on the frame whith a soap stone, this way you also know where you measured from). Just be carefull about getting too wild, it dose put more stress on the bars themselves.
 
#7 ·
Just raised mine a little over 1 1/2 inches last night. Looks darn good. This is the way they should come from the factory, it looks more like a 4WD. I figured every turn is about 3/8".
 
#9 ·
I think I'll do mine Friday or Saturday.

I already think my Z71's ride is rough (which is what I paid for, technically), so I probably won't notice a difference either way.
 
#10 ·
I dont notice much of a difference really. You should really get the front end aligned if you raise it too much. I plan on getting new BF Goodrench tires next week so I will have mine aligned then...whether it needs it or not.
 
#11 ·
Its hard talking about this in two different threads. lol

The other thread in the General forum addresses alignment, and how its covered under warranty up to 7500 miles.
 
#12 ·
I decided to post this is this thread because I agree with S2k, Its hard talking about this in two different threads. I cranked my torsion bars this morning. It was realy easy but I can tell that I need an alignment now, so I will be taking it to the dealer in a couple of hours to have this done. It put an inch and a half on the front and I thought this would not be that much, But you can see the difference. I didnt notice any stiffness in ride at all, But you can tell it sits a little higher when you park it next to other trucks. You also feel like your are facing foward a little more and not facing down. Its a great improvement. But make sure you keep track of what you are turning because I started out turning them the wrong way and had a hard time balancing them out. That may be why can tell I need some aligment. Hope this helps and good luck, post some of your experiences when you have done this. Now Im thinking of putting an inch on the back.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for the words of advice, ken!

I'm wondering if the headlights will need an adjustment after this. I'm already getting flashed at night...I can't imagine what it would be like if they were aimed an inch and a half or two higher...
 
#15 ·
Pictures would rock, but I'm gonna forage my way through this tomorrow after work. Someone said you "can't miss" the bolts once you get under there.
 
#17 ·
I will try to find the old digital camera and dust it off. But it is pretty easy. There should be one bolt for each side. They are located under the truck around the door area. I think it requires 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 inch socket. Just park your truck on a nice level surface. Measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of the fender flare in front of the front wheels. Use that as a reference point. Jack the front end of the truck up. Mark the bolt head with a marker or chalk so you know the factory settings. Crank each side 3-5 turns (or however high you want to raise it). Drop the jack and measure the front end again to see how much you gained. Once you figure out how many turns you want to take it, jack the truck back up and get each side to where you want them. Then mark on the frame somewhere how many turns you went from the factory setting. Clear as mud?
 
#19 ·
the best way to explain this to me is go about half way down the center of the truck, that is were you will find cross bar. The bolts are close to the outside of the truck and and are exposed on the side facing out. the bolts are 1 and 1/16 inch so you may need to make sure you have this socket in your tool box. you will be able to see the torsion bars extended from this cross bar and go the front . from the cross bar you will be able to see bolts connect to the key that sits just inside the cross bar. If you dont know what the key looks like, you should be looking for a large rust color piece of metal that sticks just about an inch above the cross bar. you should also see that the bolt has about 2 inches of threading left above this rust colored key. once you have located this and you are ready to crank you should be cranking towards you if you were just laying outside the truck on the ground. there should be a good deal of tension on this bolt and it should continue to get harder as you crank. this is were I screwed up, if it feels like it is getting easier to crank then you need to stop and lower the truck, measure again and get the setting back to the way it was. once you are done make sure you drive it around and look for a level place to drive with very few curves to check your alignment this will also alow things to settle down a bit. go back and measure the spacing once you have driven around a while and make sure every thing is still were you need it to be. You should spend some time looking up torsion bar adjustments on the web. There are no sites that I have found about the twins but most of the information is the same except for some of the older toyotas , etc. Those have a locking nut on the top of the top of the key that must be removed first, the twins and most other new domestic trucks do not have this. They all have pictures of keys that are similar to the twins keys and they give you a general position of the bolts and torsion bars. Good luck be careful.
ken
 
#20 ·
Do you turn clockwise or counter-clockwise??

You could turn "towards yourself" going either direction, depending on how you put the wrench on.

EDIT: Also, where do we find the specs so that I don't adjust this thing right out of warranty. I mentioned it to my boss, and now he's got me concerned. I just kind of figured they're made to be adjusted, so why would they hold it against me to adjust it?? Especially just to level the truck...
 
#21 ·
Alright, i adjusted my torsion bars today.
It's very easy to do. I moved the bolts clockwise, 3 complete turns. This gave me 1/2" (0.5") ride high change in the front. I initially had 0.9" adjustment higher, but a drive around the block let the suspension settle down to it's 1/2" increased height. I'm gonna try it like this for a while.
 
#22 ·
Mine is sitting completely level. It took a little under 2 inches.

I'm itching to move it higher just for kicks, but that would be dumb.

The whole process took me way longer than it should have, but I'm a rookie...that's to be expected.
 
#24 ·
Not yet, although the alignment appears to have remained true.

It goes in tomorrow for cab noise, I'm going to tell them it seems the alignment is off. I'm also going to have them turn the lights down a little. I was getting flashed before for being too bright, and its even worse now with my headlights aimed 2 inches higher.
 
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