4speedfunk
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 4,250
- Location
- Tardville
That's a ten minute swap....just support the truck from the frame, spin the torsion bolts loose, and pull out the torsion bars and those drop brackets. While you got it apart check to make sure the torsion bars are on the correct sides (RH to LH) and also check to make sure you got them oriented (front to rear) correctly. If I recall...the bars have blue tape and yellow tape on them, to differentiate them...and those tape lines goes toward the front. All six items (2) keys, (2) bars, (2) drop brackets must be install properly for it to work right. Its like a Jenga puzzle! The sad thing is...GM should have "keyed" them left & right and front to rear in the first place. In this day & age, this is totally possible and thats what Toyota would have done. Instead...dumb ole General used a simple "hex" shape at all four points, that allows anybody to easily assemble the parts incorrectly in one of numerous combinations. Duh!
You'll probably have to take the front wheels off and drop the lower A-arms as low as possible to get things indexed correctly. Sometimes it helps to have a buddy stand on the knuckle to get the suspension to the full-droop position. Only then can you get the "hexes" to line-up properly, and get the torsion bolt started. You should just barely be able to get the torsion bolt started into the key with the A-arms at full droop. Doing this will insure that you have the entire bolt available to set the ride height. The way it is now...you're running out of threads long before you reach the desired torsion tension. You'll see what I mean when you get it corrected.
Technically you're supposed to use "torsion key clamps" (large C-clamps) to pull the keys down into place inside their pockets. Then tighten the torsion bolts accordingly. Using the threads in the keys to put pre-load on the bars is not a good idea but, it can be done. Put a big glob of grease on the threads of the bolts and the inside the keys to keep them from galling. I've seen torsion bolts seize and strip!...so be careful. Always make your ride-height adjustments with the wheels in the air. Don't crawl underneath and crank on the bolts while the full weight of the truck is being carried by the suspension. Instead jack it up from the frame first and let the wheels dangle....this will ease the stress on those threads.
You'll need another alignment when you get done fiddling with it.
You'll probably have to take the front wheels off and drop the lower A-arms as low as possible to get things indexed correctly. Sometimes it helps to have a buddy stand on the knuckle to get the suspension to the full-droop position. Only then can you get the "hexes" to line-up properly, and get the torsion bolt started. You should just barely be able to get the torsion bolt started into the key with the A-arms at full droop. Doing this will insure that you have the entire bolt available to set the ride height. The way it is now...you're running out of threads long before you reach the desired torsion tension. You'll see what I mean when you get it corrected.
Technically you're supposed to use "torsion key clamps" (large C-clamps) to pull the keys down into place inside their pockets. Then tighten the torsion bolts accordingly. Using the threads in the keys to put pre-load on the bars is not a good idea but, it can be done. Put a big glob of grease on the threads of the bolts and the inside the keys to keep them from galling. I've seen torsion bolts seize and strip!...so be careful. Always make your ride-height adjustments with the wheels in the air. Don't crawl underneath and crank on the bolts while the full weight of the truck is being carried by the suspension. Instead jack it up from the frame first and let the wheels dangle....this will ease the stress on those threads.
You'll need another alignment when you get done fiddling with it.
