Hey, just had a question on the t-bar crank. Ive read a couple posts and ive been looking around online and im kinda confused so im wondering whats the best way to go. From what i understand i can crank up the torsion baron my stock suspension and get about 2 inches of lift or so and then i just have to get shackles. Thats cool and all but i seen this (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/82-03...15266768QQrdZ1)kit on ebay and im wondering if there is any benefit to going this route or is it exactly the same. Also if shackles and using the factory equipment on the torsion bar is the best way to go, where can i get a set of 2-2.5" shackles? I've tried looking at a few sites and only found a set of 1.5" ones. Anything you all can suggest is very much appreciated.

 

Pm Jigg On here. He'll take care of ya!!

 

Right on thanks, i sent him a PM, however im mildly impatient so for giggles i tightened up my torsion bar screw 4 turns and it raised it around1.5 inches in the front. So far Dale seems to ride ok and his 31" tires no longer rub in the front when i hit speed bumps and other bouncy stuff. I even had 3 people bounce up and down on the front of Dale trying to see if we could make the fenders touch and we couldnt get it to do it so I think we may be good. I'll run this for a while and probably just get shackles (cuz im a poor college student). As far as ball joints and the rest go, ill keep ya all posted if anything breaks.

Edit: Ok so the t-bar crank fixed the on road issues however the lack of a longer bump stop still creates some rubbing when off roading though now its less often. Im thinking that with a body lift, some bump stops, and trimming i should be alright, just gotta wait till payday

 

hope you had it aligned aftet the crank or you can kiss those new BFG's goodbye...lol

 

Havent had them aligned butsofar i dont think i mayhave to, measured them myself and everthing is within tolerance. Driving down the freeway at 75 they are smooth and they dont fight me at all. I'm gonna have a buddy of mine at an alignment shop check it anyway but so far its been alright.

Got a hold of Jigg via pm the other day, seems 4-6 turns is about right so i think im golden. Now i just gotta wait till he gets some more shackles in and ill get me a pair well that and a body lift, and a whole bunch of other stuff from his site, lol.

 

question, how do you go about cranking the t-bars? I am considering doing it as well and am a poor college student too. Also could you give me a link to Jigg's site?

 

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


This is the torsion bar key at the rear of the bar, notice the bolt on the right, thats the adjustment bolt.


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)


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.

 

how tough is installing 1.5" or 2" shackles???.... can i do it with basic tools on a saturday?

 

yes.... two bolts on each shackle...... if it is a 2 door the gas tank makes getting to the top shackle bolts a hassle.... 4 door... crank down your spare and they are cake to get to

 

with lift shackels are new shocks needed?