liftin a big ole chevy

[Donkey_13]

Just purcased a 99' 4d tahoe. going to be my dd, and my tow rig for the cherro-five...

right now it looks like its pushing snow... way TOO LOW.

how much can you turn those torsion bars? and in doing so, how much is the ride quality affected?

im wanting to get about 1.5-2.5 suspension lift out of it, and im trying to find like a 1" body lift... wanting to fit like 31'-32's. i found some add a leaf for the rears. really cant justify spending a couple grand on a 6" lift that i really dont want...

-thanks

open to sugestions:eek:

[tj06]

petersen's 4x4 said 2 to 3 inches of lift can be safely achieved by adjustment. jan 09 issue

[Donkey_13]

has anyone on here done this before? looks like their is a few specialty tools involved...

and btw this is the FIRST chevy that i have ever owned... let alone work on.. hahaha,

and remember TMI is AOK

[cftj]

and btw this is the FIRST chevy that i have ever owned... let alone work on.. hahaha,


What about the terrace jumping Luv? and the JD pickup? :rolleyes:

but sorry, I doan know nutin about lifting new stuff...

[Donkey_13]

What about the terrace jumping Luv? and the JD pickup? :rolleyes:

but sorry, I doan know nutin about lifting new stuff...

OH YEAH forgot about the JD truck, it never broke so i never had to work on it.. still have it, thats my donor for my yet to be existing flat fender [thumbs]

and it was a terrace jumpin [puke]fe-ord courier. HUGE DIFFERENCE :cool:

so whos the late model chevy expert?

[muleshemi]

well, not me.
But I did crank the bars on my 'ol dakota and now my ram 1500..... no problems yet.
All I had to do was get a big socket wrench, idk what size yours would be, and tighten the bolt so that it pulls the lower control arm down. thats all there is to it really...
its easier if you jack up the front end first... I went all the way on my ram and got enough to level it... On the dakota I made spacers to go even higher, but mind you I was all of 1/2" from the lower limit bump stops. Just make sure you get alignment to correct your camber

[Bo Duke]

I've done this to 4 or 5 chevy's. I had a '97 3/4 ton chevy and I did my dad's '98. 1.5" is all you'll get out of the torsion bars. Then I did 1" blocks in the back to level it. Don't use the aluminum blocks from Speedway, you'll mushroom them out (we all did on ours).

To do it, get a base measurement from the ground to a tow hook or something. Then get the weight off the front end and then just use a big socket (my 04 HD is a 17mm I think) to tighten them. Do 1 or 2 full turns at a time. Lower the truck down, jump on the front bumper or take it for a spin around the block to get the suspension to settle, then measure it again. THEN GET AN ALIGNMENT. With 1.5" you'll be able to fit a 285 on stock wheels with no problem. For the rear, you could try Offroad Designs 0 rate add a leaf.

I couldn't ever tell a difference, since it was a 3/4 ton, but my dad noticed a rougher ride.

You won't find a 1" body lift. Either buy a 2" and cut it in half to talk to Scramblered or Jeepinsker and have them make you some 1" spacers, they just buy longer bolts. Either way, raise your bumpers to match.

[Bo Duke]

Oh, and I have a buddy with a '96 Chevy. We did the torsion bars 1.5" and a 2" body lift and he runs 315's (35's) on stock wheels with no rubbing.

[Donkey_13]

what are torsion "keys" then?, would those help me get a bit more lift?
really trying to keep away from having it ride rough... so if the keys would help keep everything stay in the middle of its stroke i would go that route..

the guy i bought it from told me that he raised the front so it was sitting level with the back. which it is... will i still be able to raise it much more?

the blocks on the rear should be no problem, or the add a leaf, but it has to sit level... thats like one of my major pet peeves, lol

it looks like im going to be getting the 2" body lift
prolly shooting for 33's

[Bo Duke]

Keep in mind that if you level it, once you hook a trailer you'll be looking at the stars, unless you put an add-a-leaf or air bags in the back.

The keys are just what you see below. Lift keys have a different hex index which allows the torsion bar to lift the vehicle without affecting the ride.

As far as the prev. owner already cranking it up, you'll just have to measure the distance between the arm and the droop stop. The droop stop is what the arm hits when the suspension fully droops. The less distance, the rougher the ride. I can't tell you what the minimum distance would be though.

[Donkey_13]

so would getting the keys be worth the 200 bucks?

i was allready planning on gettin an add a leaf...

[Bo Duke]

I only did keys on my HD because I bottomed out the stock keys and still didn't have the amount of lift I wanted. I don't think the older 1/2 tons have that much adjustment though, and it wouldn't be worth getting keys.

It's free to just crank up the stock keys. Go out and start cranking the t bars up until you don't like how it rides anymore. Then lift the rear to match and go get it aligned.

You might want to get longer shocks though, but it's not necessary. If you think about it, the IFS only has, say for example, 8 inches of travel. Stock it has +/- 4" of travel. Cranking up the bars lessens the amount of usable travel, but doesn't increase your travel, to say 6" up travel, 2" down. But since the bars have more tension, the stiffness isn't going to let them travel 6" up. So in theory the stock length shocks should be fine.

[Donkey_13]

ok ill get an "add aleaf ordered"... JC whitney? any suggestions?

do i need any special tools, i've seen a C-clamp looking thing... but its like 250 bucks... is it really needed?

CFTJ- what are you doing next weekend?:cool:

[Bo Duke]

All you need is the right size socket, breaker bar, tape measure, and a floor jack. The tool is only needed to remove the keys. I just sold my T-bar tool for $100. Don't use a C Clamp, it'll just bend, break, and then hurt you.
Check with 'froader or Auggie, they're sponsors and could get you an add-a-leaf

[Donkey_13]

this is what i ment my c-clamp looking thing

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd135/mfg47dlm/torsointool.jpg

[Bo Duke]

Yep, I know. Just sold one.
You only need it to remove and reinstall keys. If you buy lift keys, don't use an actual c clamp.

[Donkey_13]

sweet looks like im on a mission [headbang]

Thanks Bo Duke

[Bo Duke]

Here is the proper way to lift your Tahoe

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=735880

[Donkey_13]

Here is the proper way to lift your Tahoe

http://pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=735880


even the same color...

dude, its taken me 2 years to get my cj5 trail able

[cftj]

dude, its taken me 2 years to get my cj5 trail able

2 years... so far.... :rolleyes:

[Donkey_13]

2 years... so far.... :rolleyes:

YES I KNOW... short of someone giving me a shop.........

BUT THIS IS THE SUMMER, i will at least get it to tuttle...

remember, it takes years to build a legend...
when its condsidered done, but then ill have to decide what "done' means....... hopefully im not.... ->[old1]

raise the height of your garage about 2 foot, take that silly pole out of the middle, and ill bring it up here and work on it.