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Leveling The Front End

98GMCz71

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98GMCz71 Enthusiast

98GMCz71

Posted
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I want to level the frond end of my truck up so it will set level with the back. I know the backs supposed to set higher so it levels out when you put a load in the truck bed or towing, but I'm 16 and I don't haul but only on occasion and never tow. I don't want to cause any premature wear or risk breaking any tie rods or ball joints or anything like that. I don't want to do a full suspension lift and have to upgrade to bigger tires and lose what fuel economy I get. I have a 1998 GMC Sierra 1500 with the z71. It's a single cab short bed. Do y'all recommend any kits or any other suggestions on how to make it set level? Thanks in advance.

BruceDeuce Enthusiast

BruceDeuce

Posted
Posted

I want to level the frond end of my truck up so it will set level with the back. I know the backs supposed to set higher so it levels out when you put a load in the truck bed or towing, but I'm 16 and I don't haul but only on occasion and never tow. I don't want to cause any premature wear or risk breaking any tie rods or ball joints or anything like that. I don't want to do a full suspension lift and have to upgrade to bigger tires and lose what fuel economy I get. I have a 1998 GMC Sierra 1500 with the z71. It's a single cab short bed. Do y'all recommend any kits or any other suggestions on how to make it set level? Thanks in advance.

I put the 2'' Rough Country on the front of my 07 Silverado, leveled it out nice and no problem. Get it re aligned after you do it. Just my 2 cents

Ramin258 Enthusiast

Ramin258

Posted
Posted

The rough country lift bruceduece has won't work on your truck as he has coil springs and you have torsion bars. Easiest thing to do is crank the torsion bars. But......this will poorly effect the ride and will most likely cause premature wear on front end steering and suspension parts. I had a 1997 1500 Chevy, I cranked the t bars and put 2" lift blocks in the back with LT285's....looked great.

Silverado4x4 Senior Enthusiast

Silverado4x4

Posted
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He has a 98 so no blocks under the struts. All you need to do is crank the torsion bars at the adjuster, go about 4 even turns on both sides that will give you about 2" and JACK THE FRONT WHEELS OFF THE GROUND FIRST before turning the bolts this will relieve some of the tension off the adjusting bolts and is a good idea to spray the bolts and threads down with some WD-40 a few hours before you do it since its a 98 and the threads are most likely rusted.

 

Yes the ride will be stiffer some and since its a 98 the "T" bars are most likely tired and dropped some over the years.

zach1990 Senior Enthusiast

zach1990

Posted
Posted

U don't need keys. On your body style the stock keys will be more than enough

 

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Ramin258 Enthusiast

Ramin258

Posted
Posted

Also, since your keys are stock and about 15 years old your bars could be corroded in the keys pretty good and really hard to separate. 4 complete turns of the adjustment bolts should be a good starting point to level the front of your truck. Like said before, use a jack to take the weight off of the front wheels when adjusting. When done take it for a ride and see where the height ends up. When you like the height, take it and get an alignment.

98GMCz71 Enthusiast

98GMCz71

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I heard cranking the T-Bar puts a lot of stress on your front end? And makes the front tires point inward? Has anyone had any problems with cranking t bars? Ball joints? Tie rods? CV Axles?

zach1990 Senior Enthusiast

zach1990

Posted
Posted

1st the is NO difference between "cranking" and "leveling kits" other than leveling kits can be cranked farther. Its the same stress no matter what. An alignment will fix the tilted tires. And as with any modification yes there is the potential for faster wear on your parts

 

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98GMCz71 Enthusiast

98GMCz71

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Thank you very much!

I've been wanting to do this for quite sometime now and been afraid due to breaking something.

98GMCz71 Enthusiast

98GMCz71

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So, I began looking into leveling kits, suspension lifts, add-a-leafs, yada yada, and I stumbled across the Tuff Country 2 inch suspension for 185 bucks which isn't too shabby.. I'm currently running 265/75/16's. Do you guys think I would need to upsize tires if I installed the lift? I don't want my truck to look like it's driving around on little black knobby rings.. any help?

TooTall1 Enthusiast

TooTall1

Posted
Posted

Why are you totally ignoring the advice you've already been given? Try cranking up your existing T-bars first. You shouldn't go over 2-2.5 inches or you're going to be causing issues . A lift kit has torsion bar adjusting keys that crank your torsion bars even further; which would cause more problems. Listen to the guys that have already done this, there's a lot to be learned.

zach1990 Senior Enthusiast

zach1990

Posted
Posted

Crank your stock keys bud. The 90s models normally don't need a "2 inch lift". The stock keys will do the same thing free. A lot of us have done this. Don't waste your money just yet

 

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