hey all, want a leveling kit for my 04 ram. i read many posts on this forum and did my research on the kits, special tool, etc. how hard is it to do myself? any drawbacks to just cranking the bars,( iread somewhere that a quarter turn equals 1 inch). how far out of alignment will it be,can i live with it? i dont mind a harsh ride, it is a truck after all. i want to do this on the cheap but dont want to end up ruining front end parts, tires, ect. thnaks for the advise, carl

 

Dude just crank the bars, I takes like 10min. Just lift the front tires off the ground with a jack and get under there and tighten the down facing bolts. This is only for 4x4's if you don't already know and its free. I did it to mine about 10,000 miles ago and it still works perfect besides the knocking noise and squeaky steering but that is all my fault for going off road and getting a little carried away. The ride does get a little stiffer but it makes the truck handle better and it looses that floating sensation from the super soft suspension. Just get under there and start cranking, just periodically check the ride height. I cranked mine almost all the way, but I also got new longer shocks. IT worth a try, if you don't like it just lower it back down.

 

As far as an alignment, I drove mine for months without getting one and it tracked perfect but after 3,000 miles I did start getting a little uneven tire wear. Also please don't pay someone to do it. It's really easy. Others say it's a cheap way to lift a truck and it wears out parts fast and it's not worth the stiffer ride but just try it, theres really nothing to lose.

 

Cranking torsion bars... Thats the internet for you. Real winners.

 

Crank the bars for sure, no harm if you dont mind a bit harsher ride, I did get some uneven tire wear (cupping on the outside lug) on my tires so I had an alignment done on it... Well worth it IMO to crank the bars, specially if your sick of seein the front end lower then the rear and wondering if its a 2wd lol

 

I did the torsions bars and drop shackles. Didn't need new shocks because I only leveled it, not raised it.

Lift the front end off the ground a little.
Put a mark facing the front of the truck on the torsion bolt.
Crank one side around 3 full turns then go and do it to the other side.
That should raise your front end up around a half inch or a little better.
I went around 4 and half turn if I remember right.

The only way to measure this is to measure from the floor to the bottom/center of the front fender well on each side and write it down. Then after you turn the bolts, lower the truck and bounce each corner up a down a little, then take it for a ride and make some hard turns (slow speed of course).

Then re-measure.

Then get some 2 or 2 and a half inch drop shackles from Moe's, Summit, Jeggs whatever. I have the Drop Force shackles, but any good ones will work.

After the shackles, re-measure, adjust and re-measure until its right.

Its important to make sure that both sides are the same height and you are happy with the front/rear heights.

Don't forget that if you drop the rear too much you won't be able to carry much weight otherwise you'll be riding on the snubbers.

 

actually it's better to measure from the centercap or wheel hub to the fender. otherwise tires come into play and you could have slightly uneven tires, more weight on one tire, differing pressures etc. always measure from the centerbore or a fixed point on the wheels.

i cranked mine 2.5 on the drivers and 2.75 on passenger and like the way it sits. raised it a little over .5" which is all i wanted.

 

You could crank or do the level keys yourself. There is a little "101" on the different lift types and advantages and draw backs to each one. Read it, it should answer some of your questions. Was written by a true genius in the field, respected by at least one or two, a true legend in his own mind...

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156958