H3 Took the leap on the torsion bar lift

[08H3I5]

So tonight after work I took the leap of faith on the ole torsion bar lift and raised it up to about 23 3/4". Gonna drive it a day or so and take it in for a alignment probably Friday morning.

Here is a evening pic sorry I couldn't get one 10 minuets earlier when there was more light.

 

[alrock]

Nice! Doesn't it look and feel so much better now?

 

[M22KLARS]

You'll be glad you did it!

 

[Schwarttzy]

 

[amrg]

Looks great! I may have an idea what ur next mod is (35's)

 

[08H3I5]

Thanks guys, and yes the 35's will be in the works soon as I make the wife happy. Once she is happy it won't be so hard to drop $1300 at the tire shop lol

 

[chad]

Anybody know a good thread on how to crank torsion bars? I know nothing about them. Seems you guys like it a lot. Should I do it? I'm not getting 35's till next year.

 

[08H3I5]

Anybody know a good thread on how to crank torsion bars? I know nothing about them. Seems you guys like it a lot. Should I do it? I'm not getting 35's till next year.

Do a little digging with the search function. But its really easy, all I used was a large (like 2.5ft long) 1/2'' drive ratchet and a 1 3/16'' (I believe) socket. Some guys jack their H3s up till the tires are off the ground to make it easier to turn the bolts on the torsin bars, but I did mine with the tires on the ground. Then again I had quite a bit of leverage with my big ole ratchet

 

[amrg]

turn the bolts on the torsin bars, but I did mine with the tires on the ground.

Those bolts are found almost halfway across the underside of the truck below front driver and passenger doors. Trace the torsion bars to where they meet the frame cross-member, and tighten those. One way is up, the other is down, very straightforward. Make sure to drive ur truck around for abit to settle the suspension, measure the front end, correct the level to where u want it, drive again. Once ur satisfied, get an alignment to save ur tires from abnormal wear.

23.5 is the magic number for as high as u can go without damaging stuff I believe. Ive got mine at 23"

 

[amrg]

Anybody know a good thread on how to crank torsion bars? I know nothing about them. Seems you guys like it a lot. Should I do it? I'm not getting 35's till next year.

It's up to u. Its either stinkbug look or levelled look, everyone likes something. You can fit 35's on stock wheels without levelling

 

[Xlr8n]

Raise it up for a day or two and see if you like the look and ride. You can always lower it back down. I'd definitely jack up the front end before you adjust to prevent any damage to the factory keys. There is a ton of pressure on those threads.

I found myself at a happy medium between stock and fully raised. I'm at a shade under 23" right now. I like some of the factory rake of the H3 as it was designed, but not to the degree that the torsion bars will slump to after a couple years.

Also, if you decide to keep it raised I'd recommend installing a spacer under the factory bumpstop/dampener. I used a piece of 3/8" thick rubber bushing that I attached to the control arm with adhesive. A spacer made from aluminum or steel would work well also. The dampener just barely makes contact with the spacer at ride height. Having it set up like this as the factory designed keeps the front end from diving, keeps body roll in check on cornering, and makes for a more compliant ride all-around.

There are extended dampeners available in the aftermarket, but they are made of a harder poly material and make the ride a bit rougher than utilizing the factory dampener.

 

[08H3I5]

Raise it up for a day or two and see if you like the look and ride. You can always lower it back down. I'd definitely jack up the front end before you adjust to prevent any damage to the factory keys. There is a ton of pressure on those threads.

I found myself at a happy medium between stock and fully raised. I'm at a shade under 23" right now. I like some of the factory rake of the H3 as it was designed, but not to the degree that the torsion bars will slump to after a couple years.

Also, if you decide to keep it raised I'd recommend installing a spacer under the factory bumpstop/dampener. I used a piece of 3/8" thick rubber bushing that I attached to the control arm with adhesive. A spacer made from aluminum or steel would work well also. The dampener just barely makes contact with the spacer at ride height. Having it set up like this as the factory designed keeps the front end from diving, keeps body roll in check on cornering, and makes for a more compliant ride all-around.

There are extended dampeners available in the aftermarket, but they are made of a harder poly material and make the ride a bit rougher than utilizing the factory dampener.

Thanks for the info. I will look into the spacers. The only reason I didnt jack mine up is I was I cleaned the threads and lubed them prior to trying to tighten them up. and I went good and slow in 1/8 turn incruments at a time.

 

[chad]

What in the front am I measuring? From what point to where?

 

[08H3I5]

What in the front am I measuring? From what point to where?

Pop the center cap off, center of the hub to the fender lip. Mine was about 21.5''

 

[chad]

Ok. Will to raise mine either today or tomorrow. Thanks for clearing some questions up.

 

[Bigunit]

Chad, here's a good video that explains how to do the torsion bar lift. Make sure you get an alignment after you adjust the torsion bars.

[video=youtube;FRIsmboMwDs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRIsmboMwDs[/video]

 

[chad]

Thanks. I called around and it's $60 for an alignment.

 

[chad]

Thanks for the vid. Now I know how it's done

 

[amrg]

Also, if you decide to keep it raised I'd recommend installing a spacer under the factory bumpstop/dampener. I used a piece of 3/8" thick rubber bushing that I attached to the control arm with adhesive. A spacer made from aluminum or steel would work well also. The dampener just barely makes contact with the spacer at ride height. Having it set up like this as the factory designed keeps the front end from diving, keeps body roll in check on cornering, and makes for a more compliant ride all-around.

Do u have pics of this setup? I levelled to 23" and added 1/2" extended stops to minimize the floaty feeling and keep having good handling, but it does make the ride a bit harsher. I'd like to make it ride a bit softer without increasing the distance between the control arm and the stop.
Would that setup fare well in intense offroad situations?

 

[Xlr8n]

Do u have pics of this setup? I levelled to 23" and added 1/2" extended stops to minimize the floaty feeling and keep having good handling, but it does make the ride a bit harsher. I'd like to make it ride a bit softer without increasing the distance between the control arm and the stop.
Would that setup fare well in intense offroad situations?

You could have a metal shop fab up a couple half-inch thick discs about 3" in diameter and tack them onto the lower control arm and it would function identical to the factory height setup and would survive anything the stock setup would off-road while giving the plush feel compared to the harsh Trail Duty replacements.

I anticipate my rubber pads will either wear themselves or the dampener down over time, but I'll monitor it for a few more months before I go the metal or aluminum route. So far it is working very well and the ride has returned to the plush factory feel with firm cornering and no brake dive at every stop. A quick 10 minute fix.

 

[Xlr8n]

Sorry, I don't have a pic, but its pretty simply and straight forward. Get a 3/8-1/2" piece of rubber about 3" square and glue it to the lower control arm under the dampener. I used trim epoxy adhesive. I found a rubber block in my spare parts bin. I think it was from a truck bed anchor mount. I split it in half and the ground it down to the proper thickness. Only been on a month or so now, but as I said if it doesn't hold up over the long haul, I'll fab up some spacers from aluminum or metal.

 

[digglesworth]

Or you could just buy the trail duty extended bump stops....

 

[Xlr8n]

Or you could just buy the trail duty extended bump stops....

Or you could read through it again to see the reason for our discussion...

 

[digglesworth]

i stand corrected then.... I know the stock bumpstops are called something like "progressive spring dampeners" or some technical jargon like that.... are the trail duty ones a different material causing different flex characteristics?

 

[amrg]

Yes the trail duty ones are different. The stock ones are progressive, as in they have 2 spring rates, a soft one and a hard one. This setup allows you to absorb small bumps without affecting ride quality. The trail duty ones are 1 spring rate, which is hard, making the truck ride harder on smaller bumps.