Torsion bar questions!!!

[Jackal]

About 8,000 mi. ago, I cranked my torsion bars about 3 times on the driver's side, and 1 1/2 times on the passenger side to level it out from side to side, and raise the front up about an inch or so. I then had it aligned twice, to make sure. Well, tonight I noticed that the brace which holds the bolt for this adjustment on the pass. side is slid all the way toward the rear of the truck, leaving less than an 1/8" sticking out in front. I tried to correct this by lifting the truck, loosening the bolt 7 turns, and WHACKING the hell out of it with a hammer, but it wouldn't budge. I noticed all of the coating was coming off of the bolt, so I added some blue locktite and put it back where it was, plus another 1/2 turn. To make things "equal", I did the same with the driver's side, lowered it, and measured the height. I had gained about another inch, and when I stood back, it was VERY noticable. Here are my questions: - Do I need another alignment by turning the bolts another 1/2"? - Is locktite good enough, or did I mess up the bolts by unscrewing them, then screwing them back in? - Are any of your braces out of center? - How many threads are showing on your lower half of the bolt? I'm showing 5 - 6 left. Is this too much? - How did a 1/2 turn make such a big differnece? -AR ------------------ 2001 F-150 XLT 4x4 Off-Road, SuperCab, Flareside, Black[*] 4.6L Triton V8 HPI[*] 5 Speed / 3:55 Reg. Axle[*] Keyless[*] Premium Audio CD Mods:[*] K&N Intake (Chopped Airbox)[*] Removed Elbow Silencer[*] 3" Cat-Back (No Muffler, Turn-Down)[*] Cranked Torsion Bars[*] APC XENON PLASMA Super Whites[*] '01 "L" Taillights[*] Bugshield[*] Bedliner[*] Ventshades[*] Removed Mudflaps[*] "Light Argent" 4x4 Off-Road Decals Audio:[*] Clarion 6675[*] Rockford Fosgate 5x7's[*] Rockford Fosgate G360A2 Punch Amp[*] JL 12W3-D2 (Ported)[*]Viper 500ESP Alarm Build Date: 8/23/00 (Kansas City Plant) [This message has been edited by Jackal (edited 06-20-2001).]

[Jackal]

?

-AR

[JimW]

Drive it a bit, go over some bumps. Then chock it again. No brackets should be moving around, that is not mormal. These torsion bars are supposed to be adjustable, so giving it a few turns tighter or looser should not damage anything. You may have to completely let the tension off the torsion bar on that side to readjust the bracket. It is not really hard, but you must have a gear puller. The Haynes manual for our trucks has a good description on how to untension your torsion bar.

------------------
'97 F-150 4x4 SC SB 4.6L. Riding on 265/75R16 AT's. ProComp 3000 shocks, and Steering Stabilizer. Add-a-Leafs and rear block lift, torsion lift. Side Bars and pushbar with dual Fog/driving lights. WMS Intake, Gibson SS exhaust and Superchip!

Wish list: 4.10 Gears, Hedman Hedders, electric fan mod, 3" body lift, 35x12.5 MT's!!