LUVTruck.com

ok this is manly for people who have lifted ther truck with the torsion bars. the higher u tighten them does it actually stiffen your suspension. im asking cause i did this and i thought it was stiffer but i went to my stock 2wd thats at stock height and pushed down on the front and feels as stiif as my 4x4 thats lifted. i want to lift it a little more in the front but i don't know if it will stiffen it up more and if it does i don't want to snap my torsion bars help. i need to know so i don't tighten them n e more to lift it. thanx. matt

_________________
1980 4x4 header stock motor lifted 4 1/2 in. in the rear and 3 1/2 in the front

Basically, it is my understanding (from my old Isuzu board) that as you tighten the torsion bars, the point at which they flex gradually moves outward (or upward) linearly along the bar. There was a very informative article about this at the old board. I'll see what I can do getting a link to the article. All of this will make the bar more rigid as you reduce its ability to flex. As to the "breaking point", I'm really not sure. 800xl noticed that his bars were cranked to the bumpstops making his ride very rough. Maybe he'll chime in here.

Hope this helps.

Edit: Here's one link, but I'll look for some more:http://www.4x4wire.com/isuzu/tech/amigolift/?

_________________
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?

Think of a torsion bar as a coil spring that is straightened out. I doubt that you'll break the bar itself but you could have a problem with destroying ball joints and such running a overly preloaded suspension. If the preload is tight enough to cause the upper control arms to press on to the rubber stops, Thats too much because any extra preload from that point will pin the suspension upwards. It makes for a rough ride.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

It moves the flex point, which makes it seem stiffer, it really just doesnt let it move down a smuch when hitting pumps.

so if i cut the rubber stompers off i can crank the hell out of them. i have some 19 in soil overs from a quad do u think that would soften up the ride if i put them in there cause they will not fit cause there too long so if i can comprss them enough to fit would that do n e thing? thats u guys so far have helped alot

_________________
1980 4x4 header stock motor lifted 4 1/2 in. in the rear and 3 1/2 in the front

Please dont start hacking things up yet to get the coil overs to fit. I dont think thats the answer. Are you talking about a Quad runner, Banshee, Polaris type coil overs? If so , i wouldn't try it. They would be too soft if you did get them installed.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

well i want to lift it more but those stoppers are in the way and i don't have the money for a body lift.any ideas. ican weld them back on

_________________
1980 4x4 header stock motor lifted 4 1/2 in. in the rear and 3 1/2 in the front

Your wanting to lift the truck and soften the suspension at the same time?It might be that your asking too much from the truck without throwing money at it. The original suspension can only do so much. Tightening the torsion bars will get you a slightly raised front end but it will ride stiff. Cutting the stoppers wil only gain a little more but it will put the suspension and driveline into a greater stress. Also the CV joints may end up working at too steep of angles, causing driveline problems. I think your best bet is to set your suspension to stock ride height and save up for a lift kit. Its money well spent on upgrading the truck. Instead of spending money having to fix the suspension system later when everything starts to go really bad. Finding 4x4 driveline parts is getting to be a real drag.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

well there is one lift that i have found for the luv. Skyjacker makes a 2" and a 3" body lift. They look to be around $200 for the 3" lift.

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

JC Whitney has them! 79-80 LUV 3" Body lift, part number
86ZX5449A for 78.98. And a 2" 97ZX8320YF for 67.98

_________________
1980 4X4 LUV

You might want to keep up with whats happening with 4x4 chevette. His topic is "Tires leaning in". I think the guy before him had done what you were thinking of doing. Be warned, it doesn't look good.

_________________
Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

Hey guy's WARNING: TECHNICAL DATA FORTHCOMING. Your torsion bars(Straight springs) Have a rate for preload which is 27.4 lbs per degree. Basically Stock ride height = 42 degrees x 27.4lbs=1181lbs preload ( enough to hold the front end up and deal with moderate bumps) So the more you crank the t bars the more preload your putting on them The stiffer the ride. you can crank them all the way up and get the 2 inches out it but it WILL be stiff and it WILL tear up the cv joints and it WILL make the alignment go off. I ran mine all the way up and then backed them off 3 full turns down and it was still fairly stiff but I did'nt have any alignment or cv problems and could still fit 30x9.50 15s on it. if you want anymore than that you should go with the body lift because that really is the limit of your stock suspension. Hope this helps...

Dave