How-To: T-bar Crank - DISCUSSION
 

(Thanks to Jigg and RCars2 for the info and pics)

4 turns usually = 1" depending on how worn your bars are.

Pardon my dirty truck:

Step 1: Jack truck up by front crossmember:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...1300/step1.jpg

Step 2: Support truck with jackstands and crawl underneath:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...1300/step2.jpg

Step 3: Turn t-bar adjusting bolt clockwise. 1 full turn = .25" of lift

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...1300/step3.jpg

Step 4: Stand back and stare at your truck for a few hours. Go get an alignment


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Sure, Jigg's site is www.synergyoffroad.com. As for the t-bar crank its really simple. To start with place the truck on jacks stands and crawl underneath the drivers side of the blazer and look for a really long bar that runs along the inside of the frame, this is one of 2 torsion bars (the other one is directly across the vehicle). If you follow it back you should see it passes through a crossmember and to whats called a torsion bar key (ill post a picture when i get home from work). There is a single bolt in it that adjusts the tension, turn it clockwise to raise it, anti-clockwise to lower it. Now this part is important to make sure you do it right. Make a mark on the bolt with a permanentmarker (blue shows best ive found)and on the crossmember to give you and index point to see where you are at. From here tighten the bolt(its an 18mm bolt) 4 to 6 times depending on the amount of sag in your bars (mine is an 00 with 137k milesand only needed 4 turns) checking the bolt along the way to make sure of where you are at. Repeat for the other side and TADA you have about 1.5 - 2 inches of lift. Follow this up with some 2" or 2.5" lift shackles (unfortuneatly Jigg will be out of them until the fall from what he told me so you will have to ride half lifted like me for a while which is fine, there is no real detrement to it, though if you know someone who is a good welder i suppose you could make a set) and get an alignment if nessesary (to a-tack turns out that my measurements got off somehow and i do need an alignment though its not that far off).

Then when you get some more cash (aka my plan) get the body lift so you'll have about 4" of lift total and youwill be able to clear 31" tires and "should"be able to off-road them with no rubbing.

Edit: got my dad's camera so i have some pictures to show ya.

Edit Again: Fixed the pictures, now they should show

This is the torsion bar
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...2/HPIM0267.jpg

This is the torsion bar key at the rear of the bar, notice the bolt on the right, thats the adjustment bolt.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...2/HPIM0269.jpg

These are the marks you should make, also write the number of turns that you have made on the crossmember for reference (i need to update mine cuz im only at 4 turns instead of 5)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...2/HPIM0270.jpg

Edit Once More: Here is another thing i suggest if you run 31's with this lift. At the back of the fender there are two bolts (among many others) that help hold the inner fender in place. On both sides i took those 2 lower bolts out. The inner fender still stays in place and doesnt move at all but those bolts seemed to rub all the time so i took them out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...2/HPIM0271.jpg

*EDIT by swartlkk* - Added link to the Article.

How-To: T-bar Crank

RE: How-To: T-bar Crank - DISCUSSION
 

Then drive it until something breaks. If nothing breaks you're not driving it hard enough ;)

RE: How-To: T-bar Crank - DISCUSSION
 

do you have to do the on e on the other side to? thanks

RE: How-To: T-bar Crank - DISCUSSION
 

Yep, rinse and repeat on the other side.

RE: How-To: T-bar Crank - DISCUSSION
 

doesnt t-bar crank make you go through parts faster though?

RE: How-To: T-bar Crank - DISCUSSION
 

I am glad someone brought that up. Yes, it does cause increased wear on parts. You can safely go 1.5" lift on the front with this method without drastically increasing the wear on the components. Over that and you are taking a chance at going through things quite quickly.

how can you tell if it has been lifted this way by a previous owner ? or should i say what would it be at from the factory ( all the way down )

The only way to tell if it has been modified by a previous owner would be to measure it. We will have to get someone with a known stock truck to provide a measurement. Even then, I am sure there is variation.

ok let me ask this. for those that have lifted 1-2" what does it measure now ?

To check front chassis ride height, the vehicle must be on a level surface both front to rear and side to side, (alignment rack works well). On 4WD and AWD measure from the center of the lower control arm pivot bolt to the ground. Then measure from the lowest inboard edge of the steering knuckle, (next to the lower ball joint stud.) to the ground. Subtract this measurement from the first measurement and the result is chassis ride height. Be sure to measure both sides of the vehicle.

Specifications for second generation T body:
4WD (except ZR2) 4.6" to 5.0"
4WD ZR2 4.6" to 5.2"

To adjust, turn the torsion bar adjustment arm bolt clockwise to increase, and counter-clockwise to decrease ride height. Jounce and rebound the front end after each adjustment to allow the suspension to stabilize.

If front ride height is out of factory specs, (either too high or too low), it increases stress on all 4 CV joints, all 4 ball joints, and to both of the outer tie rod ends. If ride height is too high, it increases stress on the torsion bars. When stress increases, longevity decreases.

After ride height is within specifcation, have the front wheel alignment checked/adjusted. After the alignment, don't mess with the ride height as any adjustment, no matter how small, will affect the alignment.

Why does cranking the Tbars cause increased wear (other than making angles of suspension parts more extreme)? You are repositioning one end of a spring, so the other end responds, resulting in lift. However, the tension in the spring shouldn't change when all is said and done. The car hasn't changed weight, and I suppose the spring remains loaded to about the same tension, so there should be no change in compliance either. Just the position of the suspension parts will have changed, leading to problems with travel and hitting bumpstops. So, should I worry that cranking Tbars will change the ride quality and increase parts wear?

You answered your own question. The angles increase the wear. Especially on the CV shafts.

As far as ride quality... In my experience, it will change and I attribute this to the change in lower control arm angle. The higher you raise the vehicle in this manner, the harder the torsion bars are working because you are pulling the ball joint closer to the pivot point. The weight does not change, but the horizontal distance between the ball joint and the lower control arm mounting points is reduced, increasing the moment on the arm. If someone were to measure the lower control arm angle at normal ride height, the distance from the control arm pivot to the balljoint and to the torsion bar mounting location along the control arm, I could actually put numbers to the increase in the moment that the torsion bar sees.

Besides, the last s-series I was in with a ~1.5" lift road like a lumber wagon compared with my Bravada. It started out with the same RPO codes for the suspension as my Bravada.

I can attest that my Blazer definatly rides stiffer than it did before I lifted it.

Nice job Kyle! Torsion bars create body lift by twisting the bars. The bars have a certain range of motion, (twisting back and forth while driving), that they are designed to operate within. If you increase the twist on the bars beyond the specified chassis ride height, you're narrowing the range of motion and eventually they will break. Much like holding both ends of a pencil and twisting in opposite directions simultaneously. It'll take only so much stress before it shatters. You can imagine the force involved when a torsion bar lets go... you'll need to change your pants!

Umm, I may have it backwards, but if the distance between parts (i.e. LCA mount and balljoint) is decreased, isn't the moment decreased too (kind of like shortening a prybar, instead of lengthening it)?
Also, I drive my Jimmy in 2WD most of the time. Then cranking tbars shouldn't be increasing CV joint wear much, since driveshafts are being used, right? I sometimes forget to change out of 4WD while driving on bare roads (after driving in snow), drivetrain doesn't like it;-P
As for Capn's comment, I'm not sure there is increased twist when you crank the tbars. You twist one end, and the other end responds, resulting in lift. The weight the tbars sees probably doesn't change much (where would the 'extra' weight come from?).
Hopefull snow disappears soon hear so I can get some real world experience in tbar cranking and ride quality!

How to check chassis ride height: measure from the center of the lower control arm pivot bolt on a plumb line to the ground. Then measure from the lowest inboard edge of the steering knuckle, (next to the lower ball joint stud.) on a plumb line to the ground. Subtract this measurement from the first measurement and the result is chassis ride height.

Think of it this way: the lower ball joint is always the same distance from the ground, and the ball joint stud is in the center of the ball joint socket. When you increase ride height, you're raising the chassis higher off the ground, which increases the angle of the control arms. Now the ball joint stud is closer to the inboard edge of the socket. Same thing with the CV joints, you're raising the inboard CV which increases the the angle of the half shaft, comparable to pinion angle for driveshafts, which by the way, also wear quicker when doing a t-bar crank due to pinion angle being out of spec.

When ride height is too high, all of the parts, (CV joints, ball joints, tie rod ends) are operating out of the range of movement that were designed to operate within.

Wheather you're in 2WD or 4WD doesn't matter, the half shafts still turn when you're driving. Chassis ride height is suspension related, not driveline.

As for the bars, twisting them is what the adjuster does. When they twist, they develop lift. The forward end is stationary in the lower control arm, you twist the rearward end. Think of a torsion bar as a spring stretched out straight. Instead of coiling it, twist it...same result.

The weight aspect... there is no additional weight involved, but there is more energy involved to raise it higher, that energy comes from increasing the twist on the bars, which increases stress, and eventually they will shatter.

If you want your suspension to last, and the vehicle to handle safely and ride properly, adjust chassis ride height to factory specs.

so can you go say an inch without any added wear, or will even an inch cause parts to wear out faster, because if its even a risk i'd rather not do it (i've heard tbar cranks are a bad idea from people i've talked to), but i'd only like to go up an inch, then put a 2" body lift on

If you want your suspension to last, and the vehicle to handle safely and ride properly, adjust chassis ride height to factory specs.

All of the parts are designed to operate properly when ride height is within factory specs. If it's out of spec, you're asking for problems.

Getting correct specs
 

My problem is that I'm just trying to level my blazer. One day at work I just happened to notice my blazer was leaning to the driver's side (Or lower on that side.) I was told it was my torsion bar needed to be adjusted. But from what you say her both sides need to be adjusted. Why? all I want is the truck to be level. And what is the factory settings? So I can check and get it to that level?

2000 Blazer LS 4x4 (which has been unplugged and not working)

Post #16 explains how to measure ride height. The spec is 4.6" to 5.1" for your vehicle.

what years blazer does this apply to?

i have a first gen, and i dont think i can benefit from this ;(

you can crank the tbars on any vehicle with a torsion bar front suspension, so if you have a 4x4 first gen you can crank away just beware of the side affects previously mentioned. if you have a 2wd first gen the youre SOL.

so can you go say an 1" inch without any added wear? or will even 1" inch cause parts to wear out faster, because if its even a risk i'd rather not do it but i'd like to go up an 1"inch only....

ANY tbar crank will put un wanted stress on your front end as a result things wear out faster.

can you jack one front wheel off the ground only and tighten the torsion bolt and then let the truck down and then go to the other side and jack the other front wheel and tighten the torsion bolt? like can you jack one side at a time and tighten one t-bar at a time while the other side front wheel is still on the ground?
please let me know because i dont think my jack will hold the whole front end by lifting it under the center engine cross member ....

Torsion bars are adjusted while the vehicle is on a flat, perfectly level surface, (not jacked up) such as an alignment rack. A good alignment technician will check ride height and adjust it if necessary, with every alignment. If your alignment technician doesn't do it, you're dealing with a rookie, he's lazy, or is not knowledgeable in front end suspension and alignment, and it's time to find a new technician.

If you look at the CV axles now, you'll notice they're almost perfectly straight when it's sitting (at least on mine it is.) The fact that the CV joints will be at an angle after a lift means they're joints are constantly being manipulated, the simple fact that they're doing their job constantly instead of intermittently means you'll wear them out quicker.

As for when you're cranking them, the only reason I can see to lift the wheel off the ground or take weight off of the side you're cranking would be to make it easier to tighten the bolt... Just make sure you're at the same height on both sides and get an alignment after, tell him you lifted the truck and just to align the camber and whatever else he needs to, but leave the height alone.

Just for the sake of it, crawl under your truck and look at the cross member behind the T-case and you'll see the T-bars going to the front lower control arms, and where the T-bars enter into that cross-member you'll see "keys" pointing towards the drive shaft and a bolt pushing against the keys. When you tighten those bolts it puts more pressure on the keys, which twists the T-bar which in turn lifts the truck. It's quite simple actually. Loosen to lower.

i cranked mine up today and turned the torsion bolts 2 full turns... i got about 1/2" to 3/4" raise. now the truck sits level. and more importantly the truck doesnt bottom out over bumps like it did before. now all i have to do to the suspension is put new front shocks in it to stop the bouncing....

Cool, there's been some talk about Monroe Reflex shocks... cheap and good I hear, look into those.

do you know how much those shocks cost? id like to only spend around $20 for each shock.

I'd give Autozone a call and ask for a price because I really don't know, even if I did prices in Canada vary from in the States.

What does t-baring do? just raise it up?

Torsion bar adjustment can raise or lower front chassis ride height. If ride height is out of factory specifications, too high or too low, it will cause rapid excessive wear to certain suspension and steering components, along with CV joints and universal joints. Not to mention, it will adversely affect ride quality and handling characteristics, which can also cause safety issues.

what can i do to lift the back up? or do i have to buy something?

How far out of spec is it?

i dunno. its stock but the front sits a little higher than the back. not much at all tho

Checking chassis ride height involves measuring the distance between certain points of the suspension, not body parts, (fenders, quarter panels etc). Best to have an alignment shop check front and rear chassis ride height. A good shop will have access to the specs and know how to measure it properly. On the GM T body, (4WD) the front is adjustable. If rear is out of specs, it requires spring replacement.

I cranked mine end of June, I just used the tire lug wrench. If you want to know if it's level, just measure from two points opposite each other on your frame rails... No problems, I drive 2 hrs a day to/from campus on highway, handles/looks better! DON'T FORGET TO GET AN ALIGNMENT AFTER...COMPUTER/LASER ALIGNMENT IS THE BEST.

I personally like the front a little higher... never cared for the "nose down" look. You could always mount a winch on the front if it bugs you.

yea i dont like nose down but i like em level. but i think the zr2's sit that way just because of the wide front axle