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Leveling Silverado


okie-chevy-man
02-04-2004, 12:04 PM
I have read about the front end sag in the newer (1999-2003) and a few fixes to raise them up. My question. How much can torsion bars raise it up? 2-3 inches? Are there any effects it has on handling? What are the "keys" people talk about. How easy is this swap?

rositis
02-04-2004, 12:13 PM
Your torsion bar will raise it up anywhere from 1/2 inch to 2 or more inches. I personally got 1 1/2 inches out of mine. It depends on where your torsion bars were set at from the factory. As far as handling, it didnt affect my handling very much but some people will argue that. I guess it just depends on your truck. The keys are Ford keys. The keys are fairly easy as far as I know, but you have to have a gear puller to get the old key off. There are some tutorials on this on the web. I will see if I can find some.

okie-chevy-man
02-04-2004, 12:16 PM
thanks alot for your info

jdugan
02-04-2004, 10:55 PM
Also note that when you crank your torsion bars up the allignment of you tire will be messed up. The canter will be off ~ if you look at your car from the front, you will have a wider distance between your tires at the top, then at the botton... they will sit aligned inward. You may not car, but I had a pair of BFG ATKO's and it wore them down increadibly fast... just something to keep in mind. Right now i am just looking at a three inch body lift, 1. to improve the look of my car and 2. to be able to fit slightly bigger tires.

NUCLEUS.ONE
02-05-2004, 04:16 PM
What about lowering the rear of the truck? Do you want the truck to sit high, but still level?

jdugan
02-05-2004, 05:33 PM
yeah... i am not a big fan of the lowered look... especially with my Mickey Tompson wheels and BGF tires. That would just look really bad.

NUCLEUS.ONE
02-05-2004, 05:44 PM
Definitely lift it then. Although...

Phix_06
02-05-2004, 06:58 PM
Change out the torsion bar key with the same year F150's and it will level your truck out and give you a three inch lift to the front end

jdugan
02-05-2004, 09:01 PM
I have been hearin about people doing that... around how much does that cost... and how easy is it to install, and how much does it change the suspension?

Phix_06
02-05-2004, 10:29 PM
I did it to my truck and it looks awsome. I will be posting pics as soon as I get them developed. But the over all process is pretty simple to do

jdugan
02-05-2004, 11:23 PM
where do you get them??? how much???

okie-chevy-man
02-06-2004, 09:56 AM
i would appreciate a pic and price range of the F150 keys. But FORD part on my beloved chevy :eek: i definately want to go up with the front and not down in the back. For one it is a 3/4 Heavy Duty (Not HD, there IS a difference) and also the stock tire sizes rub on the bottom of the plkastic around the bumper. thanks again for you guys help

Phix_06
02-06-2004, 09:20 PM
I'll post a pic ASAP but the keys usually run around 42-50 bucks and pretty simple to install Just go to the ford dealership parts dpeartment and order the same year f150 torsion bar keys make sure you tell them 4X4 f150. Mine were $42 and about 30 minutes to install with the right equipment

jdugan
02-07-2004, 01:01 PM
Hey thanks alot... definitley goin to ford shop today!...

Phix_06
02-07-2004, 02:08 PM
Once you get the Keys let me know and I can walk you through the steps

sierraz71
10-11-2004, 01:39 PM
Here is what you need to do. These are aftermarket keyways. None of that ford bull. I have them on my 2003 z71, and i fit 33x11.5 Super Swamper Thornbirds.

http://www.truckin-sanantonio.com/product.asp?returnURL=default.asp&ID=74904

you will easily be able to fit 285/75's with no rub whatsoever.

FD-1508
10-11-2004, 09:19 PM
Turned up the torsion bars today 2003 1500HD. 10 turns got over 1 inch I have had people tell me it will mess up my allignment and some say it wont wish I knew for sure. This is the first chevy I ever had. I have had it seven days, now it has started, flowmasters tomorrow then K&N FIPK should be here by friday:dunno:. what chip do you all recomend? I'm trying to get better gas mileage..

jdugan
10-12-2004, 11:51 AM
Hypertech hands down.

YBNRML
10-12-2004, 12:22 PM
Do I need any special tools to change this keyway? When I change this keyway do I still have to crank the bars or does just changing out the keyway level the truck?

jdugan
10-12-2004, 02:19 PM
this site will tell you absolutely everything you need to know. and has terriffic pics: http://www.fullsizechevy.com/fscu/fordkeys.shtml

Sivart
10-12-2004, 03:35 PM
One thing to think about is, as you raise the front end by adjusting the torsion bars you will get a stiffer ride and also you will not have as much down travel in the suspension. For those that still want the extra lift energy suspension makes thinner bump stops for the front and they will allow another 1" of lift up front. It will be hard on the cv joints if you wheel it hard.

sierraz71
10-13-2004, 10:36 AM
Thinner bump stops? Please tell me more about this. I dont do any hard wheeling, mostly just play from time to time. How does this give you another 1" in the front? Any info will help. Thanks.

-Chris-

Sivart
10-13-2004, 11:00 AM
When you adjust the torsion bars to the point that the truck is not longer getting any higher it is because the a-frame is against the bump stop. The factory bump stops are usually about an inch and a half thick(maybe a bit more) Remove those and install energy suspension bump stop which is about 1/2" thick and keep on cranking. When I worked at a 4wheel drive shop we did this on road trucks only and only when the customer knew the risks of frontend wear this can cause not to mention the stiffer ride.

Sivart
10-13-2004, 11:04 AM
Remember you can fit 285/75/r16's on the factory wheels without a lift at all. Throw in a 1.5 to 2" rear add-a-leaf and crank the frontend up a half inch or so and wallah, you have a stocky looking truck with 33" tall tires and still have a good ride with very little money (except the tires).

jdugan
10-13-2004, 12:15 PM
when you do that though... the allignment gets all fucked up because the camber is off. If you look at the truck from the front, the tires will point inward... then they wear faster and it looks like shit from the front.... that i why i did not want to go that route.

YBNRML
10-13-2004, 12:43 PM
Whats the purpose of changing out your stock keyway if you end up in the same position (i.e. stiff ride and accelerated ware)?

Sivart
10-13-2004, 12:51 PM
Yes that is correct You WILL have to have someone that knows what they are doing to align it. It can be done but not by your average alignment guy that just aligns to "within specs" because that will not work.

jdugan
10-13-2004, 03:39 PM
so it can be done??? ... when the tire company tried puttin on BFG atko's 285/75/16's he said that there was no way they would work... the front tires rubbing... the allignment... it was all horrible... but you say that it can be done with perfect allignment? Have you seen a silverado with these tires that does not rub and has perfect allignment???

Sivart
10-13-2004, 04:25 PM
I own one. Matter of fact I have owned 2, Z-71 extended cab trucks with the 285/75/16 and the add-a-leaf on the rear. They both drive great.I also have 4 friends that have this exact same set up. None of us cranked the front up more than a half inch simply because the trucks did not need it. Now keep in mind this is with the factory wheels. As far as getting a good alignment I have (now this will be hard to swallow) over 85,000 miles on my BFG's. I actually have the proof because of the tire warranty they wrote down the mileage of the truck when they were put on.
Now I do admit I rotate them every 5 to 7,000 miles.
They WILL fit on a half ton Z71. Now on a 3/4 ton 4x4 the same tire will rub up front if you get it twisted up because of the offset a-arms.
Go back to the same tire company and have them install the 285's up front and check it for yourself.

jdugan
10-13-2004, 09:58 PM
there is my problem... i am running the tires on Mickey Thompson Classic II rims.... they are offset a little by nature of the design... but you are saying that if i take my factory rims and say have bridgestone revo's that are 285's put on that i should only have to crank up to torsion bars about a half inch??? also, when i do that with the factory rims you are saying that the camber won't be messed up and that the tires will be perfectly aligned??? How does that makes sense? when you crank the torsion bars you are in turn crankin those pit arms up.

TXAGG05
10-13-2004, 11:40 PM
I put 5 turns(torsion bars) on my '02 Z71, put on 285 A/T KOs a short time later, and have not rubbed ONCE, even on turn/bump combos or medium off-roading. I told the alignment guy to make sure he adjusted the camber, but I'm thinking he didn't so I'm gonna get it done again. My truck's not perfectly level, but the tires fit and I don't have to worry about too much stress on my IFS front end(which are notorious for problems anyway :banghead: ). Also, I frequently tow moderately heavy loads, and I'd rather the truck sit level then instead of the rear down.

The problem with the keys is that they allow you to crank the bars further than the factory keys because they are indexed. This doesn't change the fact that severe angles are still hard on the CV joints or that you have to adjust the camber or change the bump stops. So, if you subscribe to the idea that cranking the bars a bunch is hard on the front end then the new keys don't fix your problem. :nono:

Jeb :2cents:

Sivart
10-14-2004, 07:51 AM
jdugan, All 285/75/R16 tires are not the same height or width. From what I have seen the BFG atKO is a little taller than the bridgestone tires but the bridgestones seem to be a little wider. I do have a friend that ran the 285 bridge's on his truck and did not have a problem with rubbing. Unless your truck has had damage they will fit even without adjusting the torsion bars. The only reason why I did was to compensate for the add-a-leafs in the rear but I only raised it up a half inch. My truck sets a little rear high but I like that look and it levels out with my atv in it. The eccentrics in the front have more than enough adjustment to get the frontend aligned correctly. Now to finish your question. After I did the tires, add-a-leafs, and adjusted the torsion bars a half inch I took the tuck to the dealership. They aligned it and on the test drive I noticed the truck still pulled to one direction. I called the dealership and they said it was within the factory specs. NOT good enough. Its been a while but about 8 years ago I did all the alignments to the lifted trucks at the 4x4 shop and learned to align the truck PER TRUCK and the wieght it is carrying NOT per the factory specs. Take your truck to a good frontend man and he can get it done correctly. You cant argue with more than 85,000 miles on a set of tires and still going. I think these things will rot off before they wear out.

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