Okay ... on my 02 Screw 4X4 FX4 -----
I want to raise the front end about an inch to level her out ----
Going to use the torsion bar bolts......
NOW --- does the truck need to be jacked up off the ground in the front before I twist the bolts?

Any other helpful suggestions?

Where should I take my before and after height measurements from to be sure both sides are even?

tj

 

Lift the front wheels off the ground before jackin with it...you can mark the bolts with nail polish, white out, etc. I went 3 full turns on the pass. side and 4 on the driver's side to level it out. drop it down and bounce on the front end to help things settle, then go get an alignment. I took my measurements from the ground to the bottom of the wheel lip molding just behind the wheel.

I went back a year later and torqued each bolt another full turn, but I forgot the raise the front end first...this was a LOT harder and could strip things out. I also applied some green Loc-Tite to the bolts to help secure things. Don't EVER back the bolts out any...they have a plastic coating on them and need to be replaced if they are backed out.

 

Can I use just a standard floor jack to get the whhels off the ground?

 

Hell yeah, I even used the stocker and just did one side at a time. I would recommend doing one side at a time even with a floor jack though.

 

Most of the people I have seen do this dont raise it off the ground, but it wouldnt make much difference either way IMO.

 

The reason it was tougher after a year is the corrosion on the bolts has gotten worse.

Lifting the front end doesn;t help anything. Make an adjustment, and make it the same on both sides. Take it for a short drive THEN take your after measurement. Because of the tire scrub with the suspension change, you must move the wheels and tires before you will notice a significant difference.

-Joe

 

No more corrosion than before...I didn't do the torsion bar lift till after about 20,000 mi. Lift one side and try it, then try the other side on the ground, you'll see what I mean. Then again...it's your truck, do it how ever you wish.

Turning the bolts on the ground, you're cranking against the weight of the vehicle...in the air, you've releaved all that weight / pressure off the torsion bar. I think the original factory procedure mentioned something about raising the front end for this procedure for snow plow installation, but it's been too long and I'm not sure.

 

When the (used to) do them at the factory, it was with the vehicle sitting squarely on the dyno rollers. They would set the ride height and level it all at the same time. Not sure how they measured it in those days.... I'll have to ask.

Be back in a jiffy....

-Joe

 

When I do this I'll get an alignment afterwards....
Do I get a 2 whell or 4 wheel alignment

 

No such thing as a 4-wheel alignment on a truck.

 

They call it a 4-wheel alignment, but it's *technically* not. The measure the direction the rear wheels are pointing and make the fronts match. There is no way to adjust the rears though. (unlike a vehicle with independent rear suspension)

-Joe

 

If I heard it called a 4-wheel alignment, I'd have to correct them and make sure I'm getting properly charged for a 2-WHEEL ALIGNMENT.

 

Just got the message from a buddy who worked at the MI truck plant confirming what I thought. He told me that they used to do the final ride height setting at the same time they set the toe-in, which was with the vehicle on rollers after it drove off the end of the final line. I'm not denying that the bolt may turn a little easier with less weight on the front end, but you aren't hurting anything by doing it on the ground either. I did mine and four other vehicles that way, and the factories did them all that way at least once.

-Joe

 

Alright, I feel pretty retarded for asking the question but this is what happened. I helped do a tosion bar adjustment to level out one of my buddies Ram. We were going to do my 05 fx4 scab when we were done with his. We finished his and went to do mine and we couldn't find the torsion bar. Am I stupid or does my 05 not have one. I figure it should have one because it has indepedent front suspension. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

04 -06 Ford F150's don't have torrison bars. They have coil springs to level your truck you will have to get a coil spring spacers. Ebay has desent kits to do what your tring to do and they won't break your wallet either.