What do you guys think?

Storm Grey · July 25, 2002

I have my 99 GMC Body lifted 3 inches and I want to put 305/70/16's or 315/75/16's on it. I know I can probably get away with 305s and be fine but I want to have plenty of room. My torsion bars are not turn up, and all the tires shops are freaking out when I mention tweaking them up 1 inch.

So this is what I want to do. Go with this Hill 4 wheel drive leveling kit that says it will bring my front end up 2 to 3 inches and then lift the back 2 inches with a kit from checker or somewhere. http://www.hill4wheeldrive.com/

Right now, after the body lift, my truck only sits about half an inch lower in the front than in the back. This should give me a total of about 4 to 5 inches of lift total without turning up my torsion bars and puting extra stress on them.

So what do you think? Will this work out how I want it to? Has anyone installed this leveling kit before?

MarkD · July 25, 2002

Man, are you going to be glad you checked here!

The "Hill Leveling kit" is nothing more than a pair of 2002 Ford F150 torsion bar keys! You can buy them for $22 each from Ford. I did.

The keys do the same thing as turning up your torsion bars.

When you "turn up" your torsion bars, you are tightening a set screw that in turn rotates the torsion bar key that in turn changes the rear angle of the torsin bar.

The only difference in the keys is the Ford key has a different position for the torsion bar to fit in.

Storm Grey · July 25, 2002

So will the ford keys give me 2 to 3 inches of front end lift with my 3 inch body lift? Also does putting in the ford keys put less stress on your torsion bars and give you a better ride than when you crank up your torsion bars?

chevy4x4trucks · July 25, 2002

on the contrary, the ford keys are the equivelant to overcranking the t-bars and will still cause a stiffer ride and also more strain on the bars.

I suggest you just get some 305's, I ran mine on the stock rims w/o a problem.

Storm Grey · July 26, 2002

but can I get 2 inches of lift out of the front using the ford torsion bar keys?

chevy4x4trucks · July 26, 2002

Yeah, you can get two inches w/ the keys, but like I said, they just let you overcrank your t-bars, so the ride will still suffer, there will be added stress on your torsion bars, and eventually the front end will settle back down.

Storm Grey · August 5, 2002

OK, I have decided to go with the 305's and not do the t-bar tweak. However if I do rub I have talked to my local GMC dealer and they can put 3/4 ton t-bars under the front and give me two more inches for around $400. Then you just add a leaf, or block up the back to level it out.