Topic: suspension question

[R3D DR4G0N]

Hi all!  I was wondering...My g/f's brother told me that I didnt need to buy the 2" torsion bar keys to lift up the front of my avy.  he said that you would have to jack up the truck or put it on a lift, and crank something that makes the front go up.  is this true?  what is he talking about?  should i just buy the torsion bar keys anyway?  please help!!

thank you!

Jon

[Main One]

There is some adjustment for leveling side to side and because of that you can often make some height adjustments for both sides.  There's a couple of bolts that press into the small end of the keys - by turning them you can do the adjustment.  I've raised mine a quarter inch of so because after 8 years and 200,000 miles it was seeming low.  I jacked mine up and had it on jackstands because it's probably a lot easier to crank the adjustment up when you aren't fighting the weight of the truck front end.

[R3D DR4G0N]

There is some adjustment for leveling side to side and because of that you can often make some height adjustments for both sides.  There's a couple of bolts that press into the small end of the keys - by turning them you can do the adjustment.  I've raised mine a quarter inch of so because after 8 years and 200,000 miles it's probably a lot easier to crank the adjustment up when you aren't fighting the weight of the truck front end.

I'd be raising it so it would be level with the back of the truck, and ohiobellboy said a 2" torsion bar key set would to the trick (does the 2" mean that it raises it by 2 inches?)  if the adjustments youre talking about only raise it a 1/4", then I will need to buy the keys (when I have money, :P)  thank you!

Jon

[Main One]

I'd be raising it so it would be level with the back of the truck, and ohiobellboy said a 2" torsion bar key set would to the trick (does the 2" mean that it raises it by 2 inches?)  if the adjustments youre talking about only raise it a 1/4", then I will need to buy the keys (when I have money, :P)  thank you!

Jon

My truck has a street-truck stance, with a rake to it, so I wasn't shooting for level.  There was more adjustment than I did.  You will want to make an adjustment anyway most likely after installing the new keys - if you are waiting for money I would suggest you try maxxing out the adjustment with the existing keys (for free) and then see if you still want more enough to fork out the cash.

[R3D DR4G0N]

My truck has a street-truck stance, with a rake to it, so I wasn't shooting for level.  There was more adjustment than I did.  You will want to make an adjustment anyway most likely after installing the new keys - if you are waiting for money I would suggest you try maxxing out the adjustment with the existing keys (for free) and then see if you still want more enough to fork out the cash.

thats a good idea, :P  I will definitely try that.  thank you!
maybe ill do a write-up on how to do it.

Jon

[oHIobellboy]

thats a good idea, :P  I will definitely try that.  thank you!
maybe ill do a write-up on how to do it.

Jon

I think Fowlhunter has some pix on cranking up the torsion bar keys. Keep in mind that you will need to do an alignment after you adjust them. If you decide that you still want to go higher and replace the stock keys with the leveling keys, you'll need to do another alignment.

[HenryJ]

This is an old "How-to" on cranking the torsion bars: S-10CREWCAB.NET - Torsion Bar Crank
It is an S-10, but the process is the same and the adjusters in a similar location.

[R3D DR4G0N]

I think Fowlhunter has some pix on cranking up the torsion bar keys. Keep in mind that you will need to do an alignment after you adjust them. If you decide that you still want to go higher and replace the stock keys with the leveling keys, you'll need to do another alignment.

Right, because of my g/f's brother, I am now under the impression that besically any time you goof with the suspension, an allignment is required.  he once took a big risk driving his jeep patriot 20 minutes from home to get an allignment after we installed a lift kit for it.  so ill have to get one after i do this, and when i get the new wheels and tires, another allignment...no problem...Thank you!

Jon

[R3D DR4G0N]

This is an old "How-to" on cranking the torsion bars: S-10CREWCAB.NET - Torsion Bar Crank
It is an S-10, but the process is the same and the adjusters in a similar location.

thats amazing...thank you for that article.  I will go ahead and do this as soon as i have some time and money to get the tires and allignment.  better prolly to do it all then get just one allignment for everything, yes?

Jon

[bluedevil]

Before you start cranking, mark the threads with 'whiteout' or even paint. In case you don't like the ride or whatever, you can always crank it back to it's original state.

[Fowlhunter]

I would also take a few measurements to use as a reference. I would recommend going to the F@#d dealer and buying a set of torsin bar adjusting keys, you will save some money, I think you can purchase Suspension Maxx keys but they are going to be more money for the same thing. You will need to jack up your AV and put it on jackstands in order to unload the torsion bars. Very simple job but be careful when releasing the tension on the bars/keys, if you are using a two or three bar puller be sure it doesn't slip off.   

You will also need to replace the front shocks with longer ones unless you are using shock extension brackets. As stated by others you will also need to have it aligned.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[R3D DR4G0N]

I would also take a few measurements to use as a reference. I would recommend going to the F@#d dealer and buying a set of torsin bar adjusting keys, you will save some money, I think you can purchase Suspension Maxx keys but they are going to be more money for the same thing. You will need to jack up your AV and put it on jackstands in order to unload the torsion bars. Very simple job but be careful when releasing the tension on the bars/keys, if you are using a two or three bar puller be sure it doesn't slip off.   

You will also need to replace the front shocks with longer ones unless you are using shock extension brackets. As stated by others you will also need to have it aligned.

Good luck and keep us posted.

OK, so basically I need the shock extenders IF I install the keys?  However, if I get it the way I want without keys, do I still need the extenders?  I know I will definitely need the allignment, and, quite frankly, the wheel/tire setup that I want will look fine (after seeing a 2004 chevy suburban 2500 with fender flares, factory tire size is 245/75R16, so whats a measly 10mm?)  but I think I want to do everything at once, so I only have to pay for one allignment.

For the ford adjustable torsion bar keys, how much do they run?  does anyone have a part number?  how much do they run?  (I could just call the dealer, :P)  Thank you!

Jon

[Fowlhunter]

OK, so basically I need the shock extenders IF I install the keys?  However, if I get it the way I want without keys, do I still need the extenders?  I know I will definitely need the allignment, and, quite frankly, the wheel/tire setup that I want will look fine (after seeing a 2004 chevy suburban 2500 with fender flares, factory tire size is 245/75R16, so whats a measly 10mm?)  but I think I want to do everything at once, so I only have to pay for one allignment.

For the ford adjustable torsion bar keys, how much do they run?  does anyone have a part number?  how much do they run?  (I could just call the dealer, :P)  Thank you!

Jon

You will need some type of front shock extension or longer shocks if you crank on or replace the torsion bar  adjusting keys. Depending on how much you raise the front, you may not need to extend the shocks?  I don't recall what I paid for the F@#d keys but the P/N should be: XL3Z5B328CA.  If you have the money and don't mind going an extra inch I would recommend going with a body lift instead of the torsion bar method, OBB or Ski could shed more light on this.

[R3D DR4G0N]

You will need some type of front shock extension or longer shocks if you crank on or replace the torsion bar  adjusting keys. Depending on how much you raise the front, you may not need to extend the shocks?  I don't recall what I paid for the F@#d keys but the P/N should be: XL3Z5B328CA.  If you have the money and don't mind going an extra inch I would recommend going with a body lift instead of the torsion bar method, OBB or Ski could shed more light on this.

Yeah, I already PM'd OBB a few weeks ago about his setup.  I would go with a body lift, but I basically wanted to just level the truck out by raising the front a little bit.  For me, it would be the cheapest solution for what I want (not sure if its the best, or if there are better solutions).  Thank you!

Jon

[HenryJ]

You will need some type of front shock extension or longer shocks if you crank on or replace the torsion bar  adjusting keys.

I disagree. Not for the FRONT.
You are not changing the range of travel. It is still limited by the suspension bump stops and upper arm travel.
You are changing the area in the range of travel for the shock absorber only.
If you add extenders you risk bottoming the shock absorber under compression, that is unless you extend the lower bump stop and limit the range of travel.

That said, yes extenders or longer shocks would be needed for the REAR if you add 2" or taller spacers to the springs. In this case you may indeed have exceeded the range of travel as there is no limiter to upward extension.

I do have extensive experience with the GM IFS suspensions, sorry if I don't agree in this instance. :)