ready lift leveling not enough

KMGZ400 · April 9, 2012

i currently have a ready lift leveling kit, its just the keys, supposed to be 2 inches. i have had it on for a while, when i installed it the diffrence was very unnoticeable. is there another leveling kit i can put on for more, or is there something i can add?

the truck still sits lower in the front by about an inch and a half

2001 silverado 1500 4wd

00Silverado4x4 · April 9, 2012

You are saying you have already cranked the torsion bars to the max? If you are still not level with the torsion bars maxed, it sounds like you may need new torsion bars. When I put my level kit (reindexed keys) I had to back the bolts out a bit from stock setting to gain level.

Just a guess...

KMGZ400 · April 9, 2012

You are saying you have already cranked the torsion bars to the max? If you are still not level with the torsion bars maxed, it sounds like you may need new torsion bars. When I put my level kit (reindexed keys) I had to back the bolts out a bit from stock setting to gain level.

Just a guess...

yes that is what im saying. hmm good point i never though of that, im not sure if its just the way the truck is or my bars are shot

BlackZ71Silverado · April 9, 2012

Maybe your bars have no "spring" left in them, if they are worn out it's very possible. I would not add another leveling kit to the front end. If you want to make your truck higher, a full lift kit would be a better but more expensive option. Your ball joints and cv's will appreciate it.

KMGZ400 · April 9, 2012

i would love to lift my truck, but i cant justify dumping 3000 into a 12 year old truck with over 100k.

i have never head of torsion bars wearing out, especially with only around 100k, but with my luck they probably are worn

Big Whiskey · April 9, 2012

How much bolt do you have left with your re-indexed keys?

KMGZ400 · April 17, 2012

just saw your response, i have none on the right side and a little bit of room on the left

00Silverado4x4 · April 17, 2012

I'd say it's time for new torsion bars, IMHO!

KMGZ400 · April 17, 2012

I'd say it's time for new torsion bars, IMHO!

i havent even looked, but about how much do they go for

00Silverado4x4 · April 17, 2012

I've never priced them and so far I haven't been able to find anything online for pricing. I've looked at Rockauto and Advance, nothing so far.

00Silverado4x4 · April 17, 2012

Finally got gmpartsdirect to work so for my truck they are about $185USD each (online price). Not as bad as I expected but still not cheap either.

Big Whiskey · April 17, 2012

I'd say it's time for new torsion bars, IMHO!

I agree. Very little bolt left with re-indexed keys means that something is wrong.

00Silverado4x4 · April 18, 2012

So I thought some more. What about the front of your torsion bars? Did they possibly "spin" in the control arm socket? It's a long shot at best but worth a peek. Just not sure how you could confirm it either.

jimlem · April 18, 2012

i currently have a ready lift leveling kit, its just the keys, supposed to be 2 inches. i have had it on for a while, when i installed it the diffrence was very unnoticeable. is there another leveling kit i can put on for more, or is there something i can add?

the truck still sits lower in the front by about an inch and a half

2001 silverado 1500 4wd

I had the same issues on my '02 (2 WD). My RL kit advertised 1 - 3" of lift possible. With the pre-load bolts run in for 3" the ride was so harsh and jarring that it was not really drivable. I didn't want a body lift and could not afford a complete suspension lift so I went with a spindle lift. Doetsch Tech has GM spindle kits up to 4" I think and they were the only ones that would allow me to keep the OEM rims (many of the kits require rims with more back-spacing to allow the rim, at the 12:00 position, to clear the new spindle). I went with their 3" spindles and ended up leaving my RL Leveling kit set at about 1.5". It was a long 2 day job for me but I'd never done any front end work either. It came out fine and I learned a lot about my truck and some tools I hope I never need to use again. I'm sure I could do one in a day now but it was a challenge that first time. It required a professional F/E alignment when it was back together. I think the Doetsch Tech kit was about $400 total.

KMGZ400 · April 18, 2012

when i search for torsion bars the only thing that comes up are keys and the torsion unloading tool.

So I thought some more. What about the front of your torsion bars? Did they possibly "spin" in the control arm socket? It's a long shot at best but worth a peek. Just not sure how you could confirm it either.

im in florida until saturday but when i get home im definatley gonna try and look around closely under there and see if i can figure any thing out

i currently have a ready lift leveling kit, its just the keys, supposed to be 2 inches. i have had it on for a while, when i installed it the diffrence was very unnoticeable. is there another leveling kit i can put on for more, or is there something i can add?

the truck still sits lower in the front by about an inch and a half

2001 silverado 1500 4wd

I had the same issues on my '02 (2 WD). My RL kit advertised 1 - 3" of lift possible. With the pre-load bolts run in for 3" the ride was so harsh and jarring that it was not really drivable. I didn't want a body lift and could not afford a complete suspension lift so I went with a spindle lift. Doetsch Tech has GM spindle kits up to 4" I think and they were the only ones that would allow me to keep the OEM rims (many of the kits require rims with more back-spacing to allow the rim, at the 12:00 position, to clear the new spindle). I went with their 3" spindles and ended up leaving my RL Leveling kit set at about 1.5". It was a long 2 day job for me but I'd never done any front end work either. It came out fine and I learned a lot about my truck and some tools I hope I never need to use again. I'm sure I could do one in a day now but it was a challenge that first time. It required a professional F/E alignment when it was back together. I think the Doetsch Tech kit was about $400 total.

could you post a link to where i can find a spindle lift? i looked around a little bit but couldnt find much