91 4x4 with a 318. Will be cranking them to fit 31s

One of my torsion bars is old and wore out or something happened to it. I'd like to just get two new ones but the oem ones have been discontinued. I'm wondering if there are aftermarket ones to be had for a decent price.

Also I want to put in half ton leafs. If I get them off a early 90s ram will they work as a direct replacment for my 1/4 ton leafs?

Sorry if this doesn't quite work I'm on my phone, don't have access to a computer for a little bit

 

What happened to the bars. They do sag over time, but the true purpose of the keys are to adjust them when needed just like sagging issues. If you can't turn them up enough just get some indexed keys (Lift keys). Way cheaper then new bars. Stock bars can handle a lot.

As far as an aftermarket ones, maybe. Just spend some time on www.google.com

Yes you can swap out the leafs. Keep your top leaf and swap over the rest from the new set. Just make sure the arch on the leafs are more then yours. If it is not more arched then what yours are they will not do anything for lift. The more arch the better. And don't forget with weight on the leafs it will flatten out quite a bit.

That is what I did. I put a Ram 2500 leafs on mine. I got a sick amount of lift off of it. 5-6in Without no cheater blocks. Not to mention the new hauling potential.

 

Well I want to fit the new tires on but one of the bars had been cranked quite a bit already. Not sure if something happened to the truck or the one bar was just a ****tier quality than the other. So if I just get reindexed keys and keep on cranking things should be ok? I would like to have the truck resting on the bump stops. Is there any problem with lifting the truck that high with the stock suspension parts?

 

Oh ya the problem is that you will be putting more stress on the suspension/steering parts. Ball joints ect tend to wear out faster with the high lift. And with the high angles you put your CV axles in a bind and can cause them to fail over time. So keeping it off of the bump stops is best. Also don't let the bars bend. It is not safe if it is starting to bend.

 

So i ended up welding tabs on one key and getting the front lifted to the point were there is just barely contact with the bump stops and in the back i ended up just doing cheater blocks for now. Although i got myself into a bind and am now stuck in a situation were i have to drive it.

All seemed well, just a little rubbing on the back of the tires when turning. But then i had to work the truck in the field (4wd soft and mucky ground with a bit of snow). At first i noticed a grinding clunking sound when turning, then while pulling a truck n trailer back to the road i noticed the same sounds while going forward. Now ive noticed it in 2wd while turning sharp after ive been driving the truck for a while.

My first thought was cv's are binding...but im curious. Is this because i had wore out cv joints before and the lift just showed the problem or is it a common problem when cranking torsion bars? Dont you have yours cranked right up? Do you get this sound? Will the truck be ok like this? I know and understand the whole shorted life thing and ill be happy if i get 10,000 to 15,000 miles out of them because after this winter i plan on buying something newer and the dakota will be tore apart and built as a toy just for the weekends.


But anyways, pictures of the progress! I think it looks higher in person. But those were just a couple quick cell phone pictures after washing the mud off.

 

It looks good.

It could be the CV's. Or just tires rubbing, you may need to cut the corners off of the fenders to keep it from slicing into your tire during articulation.

It is usual to feel binding and clunking or slipping while engaged in 4wd and turning.

 

Lookin Good! Who makes those Big Foot tires. They look sharp.

 

Not sure, bought them used from a guy that brought a truck up from the states. I dont think they are sold in Canada. So far im liking them alot. Great in muck, deep snow and actually half decent on ice for the type of tire they are. Louder than i thought they would be though.

 

Big O makes them. You can read it on the tire. Here is the link http://www.bigo.com/item.asp?id=266