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Alignment is off bc torsion bars? How can this be fixed?


Anders.greg
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The shop says they can't get my caster/camber in spec bc my torsion bars are maxed out. The truck has no lift with 31s on it. They say the bigger tires are the reason for the maxed out bar. What is an affordable easy fix if any? Body lift or maybe new torsion bars I'm not sure. All information is usefull.

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Affordable fix - New Alignment Shop. You're bars shouldn't need to be maxed out to run 31s, as they were a factory option. Try downloading the Factory Service Manual from the garage section, ensure you're torsion bars are properly adjusted then take it to a new shop for an alignment. I understand you can also do your own alignment. It tells you how in the FSM, however I've never attempted it myself.

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Maxed out bars due to oversized tires? That makes no sense. Have you cranked your torsion bars? The factory bars are known to get weak on some rigs. Reindexing them(see how-to in the garage section) will help as a temporary fix. But, new bars may be needed. I have the Sway-a-way bars and I love them. You don't need to be lifted to enjoy them(higher spring rate). Level your front end, then align. And seeking out a better alignment shop might be a good idea as stated.

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+1 on finding a new shop. Possibly they mean that the screw adjusters are maxed out, but they're apparently not that tough to re-index (there's a how to on here somewhere). Even if they're saggy I can't imagine it would bugger the alignment, unless they were bad enough to make it run on the bump stops (and I can't imagine that happening unless a previous owner tried to lower it). I'm running 31s, the front end's a little saggy, but the alignment shop had no trouble with it.

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I had this same problem. But I dont think the XE version came with 31's. I have never seen a XE that says 31 or 265 on the door. But i might be wrong. I had to reindex to put my 31s.. If i were you either find a new shop or drop the t-bars and reindex to get the desired height. This way they wont be at full turn.

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I took my truck to a good alignment shop he looked and said I just need to get longer bolts for the a arm so He can get enough space to put shims on. I need some about a half inch longer. Has anyone had to do this?

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How thick of a shim (s) does he want to put in there??? Your alignment shouldn't be off that much where he would need 1/2" longer bolts, unless the truck was in an accident or something.

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The camber is out -2.2 he says it looks like the a arm or control arm I forget exactly which one is slightly bent possibly from the previous owner taking it off road and jumping it.

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than you should replace the damaged part instead of working around it with the alignment

 

Oh, the A-arm and control arm is the same thing

Edited by ahardb0dy
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He said he couldn't tell by looking at it if that was the case or not( the control arm being bent) but he has had a few pathys in his past as personal trucks. He says they are a tough solid truck but the suspension just isn't quite as tough as the rest of the truck. I'm going to take a bolt out today snd run up to the hardware store with those demensions thanks a lot guys.

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You'll be hard-pressed to find a bolt with the correct thread at the hardware store but if you do actually find some be damn sure they are tough enough. You're putting gobs of stress on the suspension under normal on-road driving and loads more if you run in the dirt.

 

A "grade 8" bolt would be adequate, but that designation is used on SAE (or standard) bolt sizes, not the metric ones which your after. A metric bolt with "8.8" stamped on the head is NOT the same tensile strength as a grade 8 bolt, it's more like a grade 5. Those are best suited for patio furniture and wooden pull-toy ducks. What you would need is a metric 10.9 grade bolt.

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Definitely make sure you get Class 10.9 metric bolts in there. Don't trust anything else for your suspension! Look for an industrial fastener place in your area. They should be able to help you out. Most hardware stores or auto parts stores won't carry a long 10.9 metric bolt like that... although you can get lucky occasionally. Try an industrial fastener store, they have a lot more stock like that.

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I bought mine at a specialty shop in Temecula, it's one of those places if they don't have it you don't need it :rofl: :rofl:

Did you have to take a bolt in with you to match the thread pattern, or did you know it somehow?

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Did you have to take a bolt in with you to match the thread pattern, or did you know it somehow?

I knew what I needed and had called around a few places before I found what I wanted

Edited by vagabond
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