Torsion Bar Help

[waterloo88chev]

I've been having some front end problems with my truck (1988 Chevy 1500, 5.7, 4WD), and ive done a complete rehaul of a lot, but problems still exist. Ive put new brakes and ball joints in, plan on replacing tie rod ends, and then one last suspension fix that i am somewhat perplexed about, my torsion bars. Like ive said in previous posts, im new at this stuff, so bare with me. I understand what a torsion bar does and everything. I also understand that they can be cranked to lower/highten the vehicle, which is done to each of the front wheels individually. I do not understand however, MY torsion bars. Other chevys of the same body style (88-98) dont have the torsion bars that sit completely below the frame. Is that jsut how chevy did it for that first year of this body style, 88? Or is there something unnecessary about that? My truck sits unlevel and i would like to fix it. From pricing new torsion bars, i have decided that replacing them is too expensive, i'll take the risk of seeing how my old ones do. any that i see available also dont seem like they'll work on my truck.

So my questions would be this...
-What's the deal with my torsion bars?
-How hard is it to crank them to level my truck out, and how is it done?
-Seeing as the truck is 20 years old and i have no way of knowing if they have ever been replaced, am i risking breaking the torsion bars because they could be 20 years old?

again, its an 88 1500 4WD

thanks a lot guys

[75K30]

Which direction are you trying to go with your truck? It looks pretty level to me, but that is probably just the camera angle.
Now, your truck has a suspension lift, and it has a body lift. I can see the drop brackets for the torsion bars under the door of your truck. I can also tell you have a body lift from the distance between the bumper and the tow hooks, the gap under the bed, and the space under the pass side step.
At any rate, you can make an adjustment to the torsion bars, but this brings a whole slew of additional problems depending on how far you wish to go. You will aslo effect the ride, as well as the alignment.
If you take the truck to an alignment shop (which you will have to do anyway) they can set the proper ride heigth and tension to the torsion bars.
I am very confident that you have original torsion bars (really only springs) in the front, and adding tension can casue a breakage issue. These are not unlike any other spring, they get fatigued over time, and can break. Adding tension to them can rapidly bring an end to them.
Maybe adjust the heigth of the rear to obtain the desired look?

[waterloo88chev]

alright, thanks for the help. im not so much trying to adjust my truck for looks purposes though. the front passenger side sits lower than the drivers side and im only trying to level them out, sure so it looks even, but im also just trying to get my whole front end all squared away and good again. would it be too much to just adjust the tension on the passenger side to lower the control arm, thus raising that side of the truck? its probably only like 2 inches maximum.

p.s. - i was planning on having it realigned anway due to the fact im replacing the tie rod ends and my aligntment is shot anyway. im jsut trying to do this torsion bar adjustmnet before i take it in for that because i know it will require an alignment.

[75K30]

Alright, well the pics do not indicate that the truck is slightly off from side to side, and if it needs an alignment, you should just take it to a good alignment shop. They will make sure the truck is correct from side to side. It is part of the alignment procedure for this style of suspension

[waterloo88chev]

so if i take it somewhere decent they will have a key to make it level for me before they realign it? i just hope they would do it right and not just say they did it. i know you cant really tell in the pictures that its not level, but if you were to look at it directly head on sitting there parked, you can DEFINITELY tell that its crooked. so.. are my torsion bars sitting below my frame because of my lift?

[75K30]

Yes, your bars are lower than the frame because of the lift. See the bars have to be level with the control arm. SInce the ends are hex shaped, (like a giant allen wrench) it has to fit into the control arm very straight, or it will not work. The solution is to lower the fixed mount under the cab so the angles are straight. Just like my giant allen wrench example, try to use an allen wrench at an angle and you will see that it will not go into the bolt. The hex on the torsion bars is not any different.
Now you do not need any special tools to adjust the bars. The key, or "pork chop" (looks liks a pork chop) has a larger threaded rod, or bolt that provides tension on the bar. Tighten it down, and the tension is increased and the truck goes up. The same is true for the opposite. You can use the fender to measure from a fixed point of reference, like the ground. Assuming that the fenders are fairly straight, this will get you in the ball park. If you chose to do this yourself, you should raise the truck with a jack before you crank on the bars. This will help to take the load off of the bars, and make it easier to turn the tension bolts. Try with the weight on the truck, and you wil have a difficult time turning the bolts, and could strip the threads.
Also keep in mind, that you may not have to just increase tension, you have the option of removing some tension from the other side. These are older bars, and have had many cycles so be cautious with how much tension you place on them.
You also do not want them so tight that you affect the ride, or alter the balljoint angles and CV angles to the point of failure. You also want to prevent the a-arm from topping out too soon, or the ride will be so rough you will regret it.
You will also still need an alignment. Many alignment shops will perform this, and you can verify by taking before and after measurements.

[waterloo88chev]

so i would need the key to do this though right? its not like its built in and i can just adjust it with tools i already have?

[75K30]

The keys are already on the truck. These keys are what hold tension on the torsion bar. Look under the truck where the rear of the torsion bar meets the crossmember, you will see a funny looking block of steel that has a big hex in it, and a large bolt tat will twist the "pork chop", or indexing key. You will really only need basic hand tools (large ones) and a jack. Tape measure to verify level, and you are cool. Remember to align it. You will change the camber, and it will tear up tires in a hurry.

Here is a little reading that has a couple of pics, and much of what we discused. You can decide from there if this is something you intend to tackle.

::Offroad-Tech -- GM Torsion Bar 401::

[waterloo88chev]

thanks man, defenitely a huge help, that site really clears it all up and it is definitely simple enough to do. if i just wanted to adjust it looks like all im doing is tightening/loosening a bolt? seems simple enough, again, thanks a lot for the help

[75K30]

No worries man, glad to help.
Hope it works out for you, and you can get what you are looking for.
Please remember to get the thing aligned, and as you perform your adjustment you should unload the weight of the truck by lifting it in the air, adjusting the tension, then letting it down, and driving the truck a little to cycle the suspension before you take a nother measurement. The a-arm syspension can give you incorrect static reading until it is cycled a bit. You will cycle it by just driving it around the block, then take your measurements.