2000 silverado suspension leveling

Good question. I have been wondering the same - would like to gain approx

1.5-2" of lift in the front with out having to lower the rear.

well i third that, i was wondering too. i WONT mess with the bars.

I don't see why this is so *effing popular. It's a truck, and designed to ride level with weight in the back. It is specifically designed to have crap in the back. It rides best with crap in the back. Ever seen the move Apollo 13 (or read about it?).

Since when doesn't a raked look look good?

~KJ~

This is my 3rd GMC sierra. My 97' & 99' K1500 were level. This new 2003 1500HD Crew Cab (2wd) is not level. Just tring to get the front equal to the back. For those of us that dont haul much.

Yes, I have seen the movie Apollo 13 and they got back with out crap in the back.....

but the flight path was designed to have crap in the back... but they should have just torked down on the torsion bars... :-)

My '88 S10 is ass-high. I keep it around to drop it when I have more bucks 'den brains, and I'll still keep the raked look...

~KJ~

Nothing wrong with a raked look, but there is a big difference between the front and rear heights. The front needs to come up at least 2 inches to be level. I don't haul anything heavy, so the rear sagging is not a problem. Mainly fishing equipment and game get hauled to the checking station, with the occassional load of wood. I want the front end up to get the bumper height up, and maybe a little extra clearance for some larger tires. Here is the link for the product I mentioned:

Anyone tried these?

Rear leaf lowering shackles. $79.95, drops the rear end 2"., levels out the stance, does not affect load or towing capacity. Best $79 I ever spent. If ya want I can send some pics of my truck to see how she sits.

Doc

Thanks Doc,

That is one solution I had not thought of, and will keep it in mind. It is certainly economical.

One problem though. I live on top of a mountain in rural WV, down a one lane road that is not on the snow plows "soon to be visited" list. Already pushed some snow with the bumper this year. If possible, I would really rather go up in the front than down in the back. Maybe I should lift the whole truck? Any suggestions are appreciated.

No to flame you Doc, but I Don't have the heart to lower a 4x4 truck. To me, I would rather raise the front end than lower the rear. It may cost a bit more to do it right, but that is my .02!

I have heard of using Ford keys (whatever that means) and they are about $50.

I have heard of cranking the T-Bars up 7 turns. Free if you don't bother to align it afterwards.

And I have heard of aftermarket parts to do the same thing for about $150.

I have no clue which is best/worst so I just left the rake in mine for now.

Derek

I would say live with the raked look and just install a 3" body lift. They are pretty cut and dry to install and only cost about $140.00 - $160.00. It'll take about 6-8 hours to install by yourself, but it'll get the body up enough to get some bigger tires on and stop pushing snow. If you were to lift the entire truck with a complete suspension lift, (the right way) it would cost you about $1000.00 - $1500.00, so the Body lift is the more economical way for you. Messing with the torsion bars in useless. Even those Cam Keys they sell don't give you much lift, and they are pretty expensive for what they are. You could even get the lowering shackles like Doc said, and the body lift. That would solve your problem perfectly, for less than $250.00.

take care.

Edward Murray

They way I understand torsion keys, is that they are the equivalent to a longer torsion bar adjuster bolt.

The allow you to give the bars more pre-load, without modifying the factory adjusting bolt 'mechanism'. You can only tighten them so far with the factory setup.

The front end effects will still be the same... the funny CV angles, the possible accerlated front end wear, etc.

-marc

Not you too... Isn't your elkie raked?

~KJ~

Hey man, 2" drop in the rear just leveled her out. Doesn't look lowered in any way, shape or form! Elky sits pretty damn low, but that's due to the big motor up front and shot springs in the rear. She's gunna sit stock height when done.

Doc

Thanks for the warning. This is my daily driver and I definitely do not want to increase wear if I can avoid it. I wondered about the different keys, and it seemed to me that using the torision bars to lift would have to increase the preload any way you went about it. I made the mistake of lifting a Toyota like that once, and it ate my CV boot covers. What a pain to replace.

The body lift idea that Edward Murray suggested seems like a good approach.

Any complications with body lifts I should worry about? Any recommendations for a particular manufacturer ?

Do you have any pictures? I have a few from before my accident that we could swap.

~KJ~

I'm assuming your e-mail address is spoofed in the message header? Lemme know what it is and I'll send a few your way. You want pics of the Elkie or the trucks?

Doc

It only takes a few minutes to crank up the bars. Put a jack under the front to make things easier. Remember how many turns you make on each adjuster. If you are unsatisfied put it back the way it was. I cranked mine

4 turns each and like the looks of my truck much more.[2000 Z71 GMC] I did this a few m>

Ok Sid,

I thought this over and you are right, if I don't like it, I can put it back. Yesterday I talked to a friend and they had done the same, and at over 100,000 miles on the their truck they have experienced no problems. So I turned the bars up a little. It drove fine, and actually I like the stiffer front end. The ride is not much rougher, but the handling here on the mountain roads was improved. The CV angles did not seem to increase much at all. I will monitor this for a while and see how it does.

I think there is room for those LT285/75-16 tires now too.

Bryan