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Easy And Affordable Lift

ultravorx

Full Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Messages
360
Location
New Britain, CT
Hey, whats up, i was wondering if its worth try to lift my AV with suspension blocks, shakles, and/or torsion bar twisting. Im just trying to get about 1"-2" lift. And some of my friends told me about these ideas. I just wanted some insight to see if its worth the effort or a waste of time, plus any pros and cons of each. thanks in advance,
frank
p.s. That is not a picture of me, i can assure you ;D
 
Thats kind of a borderline body lift, if you are going to use blocks. Regarding the torsion bars, it may stiffen up your ride and not take bumps as well. But if you are looking to spend the minimal amount possible, you should be ok with these mods. If you will be happy with a 1-2" lift, then the effort or money spent isnt an issue, because you'll be getting what you want, but you may want to weigh out wether you want, 1-2, 4, 6, or like a 9-10" lift. Just figure out what you want to do with it, offroading, just for looks, for both. Also consider your budget, if you have the availability to spend 3-4k, on a suspension, or 300-700 for a body lift with labor, then that route might fit what you want.
 
I have yet to see a shackle lift that was worth a darn three months after installation. It changes the geometry of the leaf and causes the tip to sag.

For an inch or two of lift in the rear, you could maybe have the springs re-arched, but my guess is they'd eventually sag unless repacked with a stiffer leaf or two in the pack.

The front is the real dilema... I considered the torsion bar thing, but do too much on-road driving to sacrafice ride quality. Doing a seach on "ford AND key" should provide some additional info.
 
More info on raising the front just a bit here:

Raising the Front

I think that thread also has links to other older threads discussing the same thing.

Even the Ford keys only bring the front up level with the back. To raise the front more, you'll need to go with a real lift (either body of suspension)

If you're just doing it for cosmetic purposes, the Hill or Ford (same thing) torsion bar keys should work for you. If you do any semi-serious 'wheeling, I'd recommend saving up for a 4 or 6 inch suspension lift. While tightening the bars will gain you a bit of tire clearance, you're not gaining any suspension travel and in fact are hampering the downward travel of the front wheels by starting them further "down" in their travel arc to begin with.

I haven't installed the keys, but I have cranked up the bars (tight enough to gain almost 1.5 inches) and then took it 'wheeling. In spite of the extra ground clearance in the front, the truck performed better without the bars cranked. For most 'wheeling I'll take good suspension travel over an extra inch of front ground clearance any day. I restored the bars to about the stock height and will save my pennies for a suspension lift.
 
I think I will try the Ford keys. I have cranked on the torsion bars and perfer the tighter ride on the highway. I would perfer to install a suspension lift but I always end up selling my vehicle in about 3-4 years. With the cost of a good suspension lift, wheels, tires, and my limited off-road time - it isn't cost effective for me. I use my old beater 1973 Bronco for the rough off-roading. It has many scars that I would not want on my Avalanche. My Avalanche serves as a "daily driver" and I can't risk damage from hard core rock crawling.

That's just me and my opinion.
 
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