Ok so I've had my torsion bars cranked for a while now (about 7000km lol) and my tires are starting to show it. so i had my new shackles made up and put them on and then scheduled an alignment.

sit on my butt at the dealership for almost 1.5 hours and finally they say its good to go. 120 bucks later and im out the door. Driving down the highway i notice my steering wheel is a little off centered---then i let go of the steering wheel.......whoa--instant lane change (holy pucker factor batman) so i get on the phone and call the dealership up and complain. they say "oh well thats no good, bring her back in tomorrow and we'll see whats up)

So i let them work on it today and the shop foreman does the alignment. after about another 1.5 hours he comes out with this printout:





any ideas what could be up here? my first thoughts are broken axle locating pin, ovalized locating hole.

 

Oh my [sm=yikesomg.gif]!! Has the truck ever been in an accident? I think it's time for a true lift kit. Check locating pins and holes. For the front maybe the torsion bar got screwed up.

 

WOW! Can cranking the t-bars really do that much damage? I thought it was fine if you had the front end aligned, but it still screws up your tires? I'm definitely not doing it if that is the result. . . . . . Your wheel spacers wouldn't have anything to do with it would they??

 

well I'm sure that my spacers and torsion bar crank did NOT do this damage--actually i believe they helped me FIND it. i wouldn't have seen it if i didnt get an alignment which i had to get because of the torsion bar crank. no accidents--i bought the truck brand new (15km on her)

drew this up to help everyone understand whats up. the front aligned fine, but the rear is all wacked out. tomorrow if its not raining im going to unbolt my axle and take a look.....



oh and im pretty sure my shackles aren't flexing



well im off to play some good old hockey to get my mind off my troubles....hopefully i can keep her out of the ditch until i figure this out lol [8D]

 

You might start by measuring. Pick a spot on the frame, like crossmember bolts and measure the distance to the rear axle. See how far out it is before you even start to loosen the axle u-bolts.

Isn't your truck still under warranty and did the foreman have any suggestions as to the cause of the problem?

With a proper 4 wheel alignment, the front wheels are aligned to the rears, so it's important to have the axle straight and centered.

Keep us posted.

 

pm sent chevylover,

did what you suggested just now, (in my boxers, in the rain no less ) and it seems my axle is square to the frame but shifted about .5 inches towards the driver's side.

my truck is technically still under warranty, but i have shackles on the rear so im not sure if its still covered.....i could always put the stock shackles back on i guess..

the foreman said it could be a lot of things, he told me to put it up on jackstands and look for any obvious bends, take a few measurements and such.....i hope this is an easy fix.


hmm what if i were to :gasp: shave down the sleeves in the shackle bushings to shift the axle back over?

 

I'd like to see a pic of the truck with the shackles. . . You say the tires will wear even after the t-bar crank if it is aligned?

 

ok heres my album on photobucket-----just puts some new pics on for the shackles. PHOTOBUCKET
even put my design drawing up on there! [8D]

 

How much were/ how tall are those shackles? and are those tires 235/75's?

 

8.75 total, 6.75 eye to eye. and yup stock tires 235/75/15