Female needs help!

[ChevyLover247]

I recently purchased a 2004 Chevy Silverado and I'm not pleased with it.
The front end sits approximately 3 inches lower than the rear. I'm assuming it's because of the payload, but not sure. I feel like I'm riding in a car. It looks terrible!! (front end points into the ground) I'm looking for a non-expensive way to level it out. I'm not a mechanic, but I believe if the torsion bars are cranked, it's only going to lift the front end an inch to two. I'm not going to be using it off road, just for show. I had a '92 & a '98 and they looked like a truck!!! Miss that '98 terrribly.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Amy

[simple_country_guy]

Well... you think the torsion bars are cranked up? Definetly check that. It could actually raise it 2-3 inches. There are aftermarket torsion bar keys that replace the factory keys to actually raise the front higher than the stock ones. There was a guy that takes you through the whole process. http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/s...threadid=65871 This is a great tech segment.

[ChevyLover247]

Originally Posted by simple_country_guy

Well... you think the torsion bars are cranked up? Definetly check that. It could actually raise it 2-3 inches. There are aftermarket torsion bar keys that replace the factory keys to actually raise the front higher than the stock ones. There was a guy that takes you through the whole process. http://www.fullsizechevy.com/forum/s...threadid=65871 This is a great tech segment.

Thank you very much for the reply. The torsion bars can definitely be cranked more as I can see quite a bit of thread. I'll check out that site. Again, I'm no mechanic, I'm just concerned that if I do this I may cause other problems down the road. I saw somewhere here, that a guy did the same and his bars exploded in heavy snow. I may just take the chance anyway as the truck looks terrible. Thanks again! It's very much appreciated.
Amy

[Galaxi-99]

ok, yes they can be (crancked up) BUT,,,,,,,,,,
Don't do it!,,,get a lift kit for it ,,,,I crancked mine up and the front end had to be rebuilt 2 times before i put the lift kit under it...In the 3 years i drove it they sogged and the jounce was odd. Now the lift kit is in and the bars are set at factory load the truck rides rite!!!
Wish i had done this in the first place.

[Galaxi-99]

ok, yes they can be (crancked up) BUT,,,,,,,,,,
Don't do it!,,,get a lift kit for it ,,,,I crancked mine up and the front end had to be rebuilt 2 times before i put the lift kit under it...In the 3 years i drove it they sogged and the jounce was odd. Now the lift kit is in and the bars are set at factory load the truck rides rite!!!
Wish i had done this in the first place.
check these people out!!!
7" silverado,,,,$1359.99 www.explorerprocomp.com or call 619-216-1444.
Have a good day.

[ChevyLover247]

Originally Posted by Galaxi-99

ok, yes they can be (crancked up) BUT,,,,,,,,,,
Don't do it!,,,get a lift kit for it ,,,,I crancked mine up and the front end had to be rebuilt 2 times before i put the lift kit under it...In the 3 years i drove it they sogged and the jounce was odd. Now the lift kit is in and the bars are set at factory load the truck rides rite!!!
Wish i had done this in the first place.
check these people out!!!
7" silverado,,,,$1359.99 www.explorerprocomp.com or call 619-216-1444.
Have a good day.

Thank you for the reply. Can I ask what year your truck is? Again, I don't know much about it, but would I be able to put just a 3" front end suspension lift? I don't want the rear end any higher. I'm just thinking long term and don't want to cause more problems down the road.
Amy

[Pewter'01SS]

Well, I turned up my torsion bars and drove it like that for years, the only problems I had was blown out ball joints but the truck had 175,000 miles on it and they were the original ball joints. It does ride A LOT rougher than stock or with the lift kit. If you do decide to crank them up, you might need to get the bump stops torched off. Those are pads that keep your front springs from hitting the axle housing in case of an extreme bump. If you turn up the torsion bars, the bump stops hit your shocks. In your case, I would NOT suggest you touch the bars. Get the lift kit. If your truck is going to be for show, nothing looks cheaper than a truck with the bars raised up. The only reason I raised my up was because my 33's ALMOST fit. With the rims I was using, they only scrapped during turns so I figured "what the hell".

[Galaxi-99]

Yep ,,, oh, chevy girl, it is a 98 heavy halfer 4x4 ex-cab Teal
If you want to play with the bars do this.
Get a floor jack ( 3 ton) put it in the middle of the cross member ( the metale thingy running from side to side under the oil pan. pump pump pump the jack up till the wheels just start to get light under the tires.
Now slide under your truck and turn bothe sides (tighten up the bolt) about ten full turns ,drop the truck on the ground roll it back and pull up then get out and check it out.
Now, the camber and caster is locked from the factory,around her it cost me 150 to have the lockes banged out then you can correct the camber
If the tire is leaning out at the top that is called possitive camber and your tire will run on the out side tread. If it is still level up and down ,your lucky ,it should be ok,,,,,,for awhile.

With this done be carefull of full speed speed bump driving. this is going to be hard on the shockes.

[djpbaby]

no wonder your front end had to be rebuilt that many times galaxi. To do a proper alignment, you need tools that cost way too much to do one yourself. For 200 bucks, most of my friends with light duty trucks have a shop put 3/4 ton springs on the rear and crank the torsion arms up 2 or 3 inches with an alignment. They do sell aftermarket torsion bar blocks that work better, but I have yet to see any of my friends have front end issues except the one who had a 6" pro comp lift and 38" tires put on. I always have too much weight on the back of my truck so it levels off and looks fine.