Installing the torsion keys up front.. is it pretty straight forward, obviously you need a torsion bar tool, but for you guys that have done it, is it not too bad?

 

Make sure you unload your suspension first. Also, if there is a lot of rust on the current torsion keys I would spray them with pb blaster a few times.

What torsion bar tool are you talking about? I didn't need anything special othr than a socket and my 2' cheater bar.

 

No torsion bar tool necessary. As was already said, make sure you unload the suspension (jack up the front end) and you should be able to just start the bolts after you put in the new keys. If you can't, put a bottle jack or something under the end of the key and lift it up the tiny bit you need to start the bolts.

Make sure that any time you're turning the bolts (tightening or loosening) that the front end is off the ground.

 

Alright thanks guys

 

You don't need the keys, return them if you can. Just turn the bolts there are multiple threads on how the keys are a waste. I did this 3ish years ago by turning the bolts and it's been fine since. It's honestly not bad at all, make sure you have a somewhat level surface and have a standard point on both sides you measure from and crack up each side till they are level. For some reason I remember doing mine without jacking up the front but I can't remember anymore. Also get an alignment afterward since you are messing with the suspensions geometry.

 

Here is a thread I had about doing it and I didn't jack up the front, it was a little harder and I needed ear plugs from the sound but it can be done. I forget the reasoning for it but I read it somewhere from a reputable source that it's actually better to do it with the wheels on the ground.

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...intensive.html

 

If you compare the stock torsion keys with the "lift" keys, there really is a difference. The stock keys will not allow as much adjustment. If you don't need as much, you're fine with the stock keys, but I wouldn't call the aftermarket ones a waste of money.

As far as jacking up the front is concerned, it's not mandatory, but it makes the job a lot easier and reduces the chances of breaking or stripping the adjustment bolts. So, I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to do it.

 

Just wanted to ask something in here since were on the topic of torsion bars and keys..

Which would be most likely to fail first? The keys or the bar and how can I tell? Everything seems to look alright.

I tried cranking mine evenly, but only the passenger side raised. The front side till sits kind of sagging and refused to raise at all.

Its not noticable if you're looking at it from the front, but if u crouch from the rear you can see its slightly sagging towards the drivers side.

Thanks

 

Other than breaking, there's no way the keys can really fail. They're not a moving part, so they don't wear out.

It's not that unusual, on the other hand, for torsion bars to sag a little, just like any other spring. I would just adjust them until the truck sits level. It doesn't matter if the adjusting bolts are screwed in the same number of turns or anything like that.

 

Thanks Tom,

The funny thing is no matter how much I turned the bolt the driver side would not lift.

The first time I did it I had the truck level without the front raised. I turned each bolt exactly the same amount. It was difficult since I didn't take any pressure off the front, but I just used a breaker bar with a metal pipe over it for more leverage. I measured from the bottom of the wheelwell to the center of the axle nut and the driver side would not budge but the passenger lifted.

I test drove it to make sure it just hadn't "set" yet, but same thing. I know the bolt isn't broken cause they both gave the same resistance, and oh I sprayed them with penetrating oil the day before.

I ended up turning the driver side bolt way more than the passenger and it wouldn't move, so I just loosened the passenger one after so it wasn't raised and the driver side not.

Truck has extremely low mileage so I'd be surprised if the bar is actually sagging/broken.

Oh and dont worry I made sure to keep an eye on the bump stops