I'm about to change out the awful stock shocks on a 2004 QC 1500 4X4 to some Rancho 9000s and crank the torsion bars at the same time, perhaps 5 turns.

After jacking up the front end, is it better to crank the torsion bars after the stock shocks have been removed to give more play, before their removal, or after stock shock removal and after installation of the Ranchos? Any advice on the best order of doing these steps?

Also, anyone know what the torque specs should be (for front and rear shocks)? I bought the Ranchos slightly used off a guy with the same truck who ended up buying a lift kit later, so they didn't come with any instructions or guidelines on torque specs.

Thank you.

 

i just replaced the rears w/ the 9000's, i didn't know either, so i just made sure the damn things were tight. a little blue lock tite won't hurt either. please let me know how this changes the ride, i started a thread titled "terrible rear suspension". i don't like the torsion bar set-up they have used and thought the rear suspension was the source of my problem, now i believe it's the front. keep me informed

 

SA1765 - I think it depends on what you're experiencing. When you're going over a series of small bumps at freeway speed and it feels like a lot of rapid hopping so that if you talk it sounds like you're stuttering and you're whole body is vibrating that would likely be the rear end. I've experienced this on a section of freeway I commute on regularly - so bad that the first time I thought I had a flat tire. Fooling around with the settings on your Ranchos and putting weight in the bed may help.

If you hit a pothole and the steering wheel feels like it wants to rip out of your hands - that's the front end of course. I've experienced this so bad at high speed that I thought I was going to have to change my underwear. Note that Dodge changed the front suspension for the '06 to a double-wishbone instead of our independent front suspension (IFS).

I don't know if you have the 20-inch wheels. I do, and I'm a firm believer that the 20s are so heavy on the cheap stock shocks that they get airborne off of bumps and then slam into the ground. This is especially true on the front. Imagine if you could pick up a tire off the ground, spin it at 70 mph while it was in the air and then suddenly drop it on the ground. It would grab very suddenly (on the truck it would feel like the steering wheel was yanked) and then rip out of your hands and roll away. What makes it worse on bumps is that the 20-inch tires have very little sidewall to absorb the shock of hitting the ground, especially while they're on a 6,000 lb. truck. And, the nose down stance of the truck doesn't help the overall weight distribution or the ride.

I'm hoping that by switching out the shocks and cranking up the torsion bars to more level the truck that the ride will improve. That's my first step. My second step at some point will be to switch to lighter 17-inch wheels and tires. If I had known better I think I would have gotten a 2500 instead of the 1500.

Not sure when I'll have time to do the shock/torsion bar project, but hopefully within the next couple of weeks. I'll post again afterward with an update.

 

I didn't like my nose down look on my 4X4 QC 1500 so I cranked the torsion bars. I read that a 1/4 inch on the bolt would raise the front 1 inch but it is not quit that good. I cranked the bolt about 3/4inch and gained 1 inch lift. I've read it messes with the alignment but I didn't like the look and I haven't noticed any pulling or uneven wear of my tires. The front end is more stiff now but I thought is was to soft anyway.