Torsion Bar 'n Rear Leaf Spring Q's

paintballrocker · Post by **paintballrocker** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:26 pm

Hi i am new to this forum site and have a few questions about my truck
I have a 2002 Chevy S10 Crew Cab
I want to lift my truck 2-3" but without a suspension or body lift
Right now my truck is running on stock LT215/75R15 tires
My goal is to run 30.5x9.5x15 or 31x9.5x15 tires.
I was thinking of adding new torsion bar keys which will raise the front 2-3" instead of just cranking out the T-bars, becaus i read that causes premature wear.
I was also thinking of adding 2"blocks to the rear or adding a add-a-leaf kit.

Thanks,
Tyler

F9K9 · Post by **F9K9** » Sun Mar 01, 2009 10:54 pm

paintballrocker wrote:.......Right now my truck is running on stock LT215/75R15 tires
My goal is to run 30.5x9.5x15 or 31x9.5x15 tires............

Welcome to the forum. Those tire sizes are new to me. Could you post a link to where you found them?

paintballrocker wrote:................I was thinking of adding new torsion bar keys which will raise the front 2-3".......................

Not going to work long term. Those keys have proven to bad ju ju in the past. Do a search about them and many of your answers will pop up.

I do not want to be so negative when welcoming a new forum member but, all of these issues have been contemplated, tried, reexamined and retried for over 6 yrs.

The best that you may accomplish is to stop friends from asking you if, your S-10 is a 4X4.

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:11 am

For the rear we do not have the option of using blocks to lift, our axles are mounted the opposite way so springs and shackles are the way to go. As was started above do some searching on the site, there is a ton of info on the proper way to lift these rigs (and how not to). Most decide on the springs/shackles and tbar crank with a 2" body lift is the best combo. Take a good look at the tire size threads and it will give you all the info you need to decided on a tire size as well.

paintballrocker · Post by **paintballrocker** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:41 am

Thnaks guys for answering so fast.

-f9k9, here is the link for what tire i want to get
http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/specs/al ... ko/44.html

And yeah i would buy i lift but i just got my licences n bought my S10, and my parents wont let me lift it when its on thier insurance

But yeah thanks for the info, ill prob just wait a year till im 18 n get my own insurance n the 5 inch lift i really want.

By the way f9k9 my truck is 4x4

i just dont like how low it sits

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:50 am

The best that you may accomplish is to stop friends from asking you if, your S-10 is a 4X4

That's what he meant by this, we all have 4x4 since that is the only way they built the crews but they all were set up for soccer moms and even though they are pretty capable off road stock they don't "look like 4x4's" You can turn up the torsion bar keys about 1.5" from stock (must get it aligned immediately when you do this) and add the leaf in the rear and you will be in pretty good shape for 30x9.5x15's you might rub a bit if you hit a bump hard fully loaded but if you are careful you will be fine. Going to the 31's you really would need the lift that the body lift kit will give you.
The tire size confusion was that you made an error when you typed in the specks. Those tires are available in 30x9.5x15 and 31x10.5x15, the sizes as you typed in do not exist.
Welcome to the group, there is a ton of info on here so you can do a lot of things to the truck your parents would not disapprove of till you can go it on your own. Personally I would find it very hard to justify the cost of a 5" lift even when you can do it. Way too much money for the final outcome, most of the people who have done that lift have sold off their rigs soon after at a lose since you will never recoup the investment.

paintballrocker · Post by **paintballrocker** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:57 am

Ok cool, that was something along the lines of what i origonly wanted to do. Cuase i dont do alot of offroading, but id like to make for 4x4 lookin
Just 2 last Q's
First how easy would it be to do the instal of those parts my self n how much will the parts cost?

Second doesnt cranking up the T-bars cause the joints or something to wear faster?

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:03 am

Most of us who have cranked the t-bars have had little problem outside of a CV boot thrown. That's an easy mod you just jack up the truck and tighten the t-bar adjusting bolt till you get it where you want it. do not bottom the bolt out and if you get a clunk back it down some. the leaf spring is pretty easy also. you just jack up the vehicle and remove the rear attachment point of the leaf as well as the leaf spring center bolt and u bolts. then add the extra leaf and longer u bolts and center bolt and bolt it all back up. A couple of hours ad most and will look and ride much better. Just invest in a can of SeaFoam Deep Creep and spray all fasteners every day for a week before you start, this will make removing the fasteners much easier.

paintballrocker · Post by **paintballrocker** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:12 am

Thanks thats what ill prob end up doing becuase only working part time is strapping me for cash.
And my brother is a mechanic so it wont be hard for us to do.

Thanks for all the input!

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:27 am

Just for your info, take a look at my truck on my cardomain link in my sig line I have done just this level of mod to mine. I have rear shackles, Roadmaster suspension (another type of spring lift) and the front lifted with just the t-bars and am running 30x9.5x15 tires.

YellowCrewCabber · Post by **YellowCrewCabber** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:39 pm

Understand the "4x4 look". G.M kinda took a gamble on these trucks (crew cabs) and far as the soccer mom vehicle. In my opinion they lost because if you'll look at the parking areas at the soccer fields what do you see the most of? Vehicles like the Tahoe. Because of the design of these trucks it's too bad they didn't offer more suspension options. I think they would have sold more of them. Notice the new Crew Cab Colorados have more ground clearance. Nice looking trucks I think. If I were a wealthier man I would probably have a title to one. The members here know more about lifting these trucks than I do. That's one reason I joined here. Each have their own tastes as well as you do. If the majority says not to do this or that, listen to them. You are asking for a lifetime of headaches with your truck if you don't. I haven't lifted mine yet but I will be hopefully before May. Still saving those pennies for the parts needed to do it. Welcome to the board. Think of this place as your other parental advice. Your a young lad with some gleam in yours eyes and we can see that. Nothing wrong with that. Take your time with decisions like this. Research, listen, and ask questions.
Jeff

killian96ss · Post by **killian96ss** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:48 pm

Try reading these links!

Torsion Bar Crank

Trim Height Measurements

In order to keep the rear either level or higher than the front you could try some 1-1/2" lift shackles or your choice of helper springs.

Steve

paintballrocker · Post by **paintballrocker** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:13 pm

you guys have given me alot of good info
but i have 1 more Q

what is the better option for lifting the rear, a add-a-leaf? or lifting shackles?

thanks

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:23 pm

If you can do only 1 get the Boise leaf kit, it will stiffen up the ride and give you a bit of lift as well as less sag when fully loaded. The factory leafs tend to sag over time so it will help with that as well. If you go with shackles go with either Daystar or Warriors not those cheap 2 bars of metal with multiple holes jobs, they will make the back end of your truck sway something terrible when side loaded.

kermit · Post by **kermit** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:04 pm

ah, I was like you once... my dad passed my truck down to me and I spent about $1500 on wheels, tires, the Boise Spring Works kit, and a body lift. We did all the work ourselves over the course of a couple of weeks during my senior year of high school. He had always thought of lifting it, I just had the motivation and the hard earned cash to do it. You want to be able to turn some heads when you drive by... I know the feeling. haha

I ran 30x9.5 BFG ATs before any lift and now I have 33x10.5s BFGs

check out the Marvelous Mystery Lift.

my truck

green02crew · Post by **green02crew** » Tue Mar 03, 2009 10:02 pm

Rear shackles and add a leaf would be a good route to take in my opinion. Cheap too, check out a fellow member's website http://www.synergyoffroad.com/

paintballrocker · Post by **paintballrocker** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:55 am

Alright thanks guys for they info.
I decided i'll just get add-a-leafs for the rear becuase i haul stuff alot cause of my job, so i could use the add support.

But im still confused about the front.
Is the only way to lift the front by cranking the t-bars? or t-bar keys?

thanks

green02crew · Post by **green02crew** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:32 am

Turn up the torsion bars, get a body lift. The only realistic means to lifting the front end.

04crewvt · Post by **04crewvt** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:15 am

Do not get the lift keys, the factory stock keys already can be turned up far enough to cause problems. These rigs just are not meant to be lifted without deep pockets for a "real" lift and enough money to fix what breaks after the lift. The 1.5 inch torsion bar and 2 inch rear leaf/shackle is the only suspension lift you should look at for a Daily Driver. The body lift, once you convince your parental units would be the next step. At that point you will want to look at the Marvelous Mystery Lift for the cuts to be able to run the very specific 33" tires that will work. That is the best it will get without dropping the really big bucks.

S-10CREWCAB.NET

Torsion Bar 'n Rear Leaf Spring Q's

Torsion Bar 'n Rear Leaf Spring Q's

Re: Torsion Bar 'n Rear Leaf Spring Q's