LUVTruck.com

I purchased my truck already lifted. The body is lifted 3 inches, i want to leave that alone. But however u lift the truck otherwise has to come down like an inch at least, because when i run over ants crossing the road...i feel the damn things...almost. But wut ways are there to lift the luv so i know how to lower it? Shackles in the back right? but what do you do in the front...everybody talks about torsion bars but i dont even know what those are so....???

your right about the torsion bars, they are long rods going from the lower control arm to about half way under the cabin. to adjust them, jack up the front and slde under and start undoing the nut on the assembly at the end, depending on which way you turn the nut it will lower or raise the truck
hope this can be of some help, regards mark

ONE THING TO REMEMBER IS.

COUNT THE TURNS ON THE NUT SO BOTH SIDES SIT EVEN.
i didn't and it was a pain to get her straight again.

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1980 luv sport 4x4 Just a memory now
Frame rusted from the inside. Truck stripped and now looking for a new donor in southern ohio

hmmmmm.....i was under the impresssion these bars are supposed to be straight????

Probably the best help you can get is the Haynes repair manual for the LUV, available at most auto parts stores for $10-15. It has pictures and instructions for adjusting the ride height in the front. I'm sure others will chime in on this as well, but believe me that book is the best money you can spend on a newly aquired luv. I have worn out two of them already.

The torsion bars should be straight, almost an inch round, going from right behind the front wheel to half way under the cab. If they are bent somehow, I doubt that could be good, so I'm hoping you are looking at something else. They might get slightly "tweaked" by being cranked out so far, but not so much you can even really see it.

Once you have the adjusters on the rear end of the torsion bars tracked down, start off by hitting them with some penetrating oil making sure to get it on the threads coming out the top of the adjuster so it can soak down in. Both of mine were siezed up solid when I started as well. I ended up breaking one of the bolts in the process, so be sure to support the frame when you are cranking on them. When the bolt went the truck was heading down at me in a hurry and I was glad I had some blocks under the frame.

I basically had the same problem you have, the prior owner had cranked too far. I only lowered the front about 3/4" and the ride was drastically improved. I never bottom out the front on normal roads, and even on rough terrain it goes fairly smooth.

alot of people use the torsion bars to lift the luv too far. I had mine lifted about 2" and it was a fairly rough ride. At 1.5" whith out the front swaybar its actually a smooter ride than stock

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1980 LUV 4x4, going under re-construction...

Be careful when you start to adjust them. I tried to take the torsion bars and adjusters out of my parts truck, and broke both of the big adjuster bolts. On my daily driver, I soaked the bolts with spray lube for about 2 days. I just kept spraying the stuff on them till I was ready to work on it. They were still tight as hell, but they didn't break.

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Hammer to fit, paint to match.
If it aint broke, don't fix it.
There's always room for duct tape and bailing wire.

WATCH YOUR PIEHOLE!!!!!!

Hey guys, just curious, whats the total vertical movement you can get out of tweaking those torsion bars? Like from as low as they go (with bump stops) to as high as they go???? Thanks

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-1981 Chevy LUV, 283SBC, T350 Trans, White In Colour, Long Box, Never Ending Project!
-2001 F-350 Superduty XLT 7.3L Diesel Auto, Ext. Cab, Long Box, White In Colour
-1998 F-150 XL 4.2L V6 5spd , Reg. Cab, Flareside SB, Red In Colour

i think you can get about 6" out of em.

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1980 LUV 4x4, going under re-construction...

holy shit....6 inches huh. My truck touches the top bumpers unless you put about 200 lbs on the front end....

You could get a BIG hood ornament, or maybe mount the bed seats from a Brat up front and strap a couple of midgets in tootoos to keep it down.

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Resident lurker

I'd say about 3". All of my Isuzus have been that way. 4" if you don't mind a bone-jarring ride.

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Kuranosuke
Grampa's Driving:

1990 Luv 4X4 "Family Cab"
with the big 4 banger on 31" Dueller A/Ts

1989 Dodge Raider with some junk...

"Urban Fighter F.P.C" coming soon to a road near you...
got BOOBIES?

Do you guys think there would be an advantage in drag racing my LUV if i cranked the the front up as high as it would go?? Im planning on removing some of the leafsprings in the back so that when you hit er, it squats down. And if the front was stiff and high this would help with weight transfer would it not??

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-1981 Chevy LUV, 283SBC, T350 Trans, White In Colour, Long Box, Never Ending Project!
-2001 F-350 Superduty XLT 7.3L Diesel Auto, Ext. Cab, Long Box, White In Colour
-1998 F-150 XL 4.2L V6 5spd , Reg. Cab, Flareside SB, Red In Colour

Total adjustment is probably about 6", 3" up and 3" down from stock height like MEPR said. I think somebody forgot that there is a whole other world down there below us 4x4 guys, where people actually lower their trucks too, eh Kuranosuke?

On the weight transfer idea, yeah it might work but the truck would look pretty funny sitting way higher in front than in back. I recall seeing early drag cars with highboy front ends like that, so it must've done something for them. Oh yeah, removing springs is also a good way to promote axle wrap, which can lead to some serious driveline failure in a hard launch. Traction bars would be up there on my to do list probably right before removing any rear spring.

Hmm ok thanks 800xl...good to know....

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-1981 Chevy LUV, 283SBC, T350 Trans, White In Colour, Long Box, Never Ending Project!
-2001 F-350 Superduty XLT 7.3L Diesel Auto, Ext. Cab, Long Box, White In Colour
-1998 F-150 XL 4.2L V6 5spd , Reg. Cab, Flareside SB, Red In Colour

Yeah, yeah, I only forgot about 'em because I can't see 'em.

Anyway...

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Kuranosuke
Grampa's Driving:

1990 Luv 4X4 "Family Cab"
with the big 4 banger on 31" Dueller A/Ts

1989 Dodge Raider with some junk...

"Urban Fighter F.P.C" coming soon to a road near you...
got BOOBIES?

What ya can't see always bites you in the arse.

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More LUV than one man could ever need - Spread the LUV!
- 1976 Chevy Longbed - Daily Driver
- 1981 Chevy Shortbed 4X4 - Needs Help!
- 1981 Chevy Luv 4X4 - Newly put together

so which end of the torsion bars adjust? the end under the cab or the end just behind the wheel?

theres only one end you can adjust, and thats the back end under the cabin. u could adjust the front but you have to pull the whole susspension out to do it......no real point!

The adjustment bolt is at the back end. Sorta hard to explain, but imagine a lever hooked to the bar with a bolt going through the end of that lever. You crank the bolt, the lever twists the bar one way or the other depending on which way you turn. Hardest part to remember is that down is up. The more you turn the bolt so the lever (and the front suspension) goes down, the more the truck goes up. I forget, but I think when turning the bolt its "righty raisy lefty lowy".

You can also remove the adjustment arm on the back and "reindex" it if you run out of adjustment bolt whichever what you are going. Getting that arm back on and the adjuster bolt back in can be a pain though. Just getting mine back together when I broke the bolt was more than enough pain for me.