m002922
OBS Enthusiast
Chasing down a squeak that I now believe may have only been the skid guard, I basically redid my entire front suspension and steering. Then, before going for an alignment I figured I would redo my torsion bar keys with 2" lift keys (setting aside whether 2" lift keys are a good decision or if you should just crank on the existing keys). That's when the fun really started.
I removed the cross member to replace the keys (my torsion bars wouldn't budge). What I found where the cross member mounts was not very pretty. Glad I got in there to take care of it before putting it back. My truck has rust (as trucks that started out for 20 years in the north east will), but this is by far the worst spot I have seen. If you haven't ever checked yours out, may be worth a look.
The "before" pictures are after I cleaned everything up with a grinder. The "after" pictures are Por-15.
Kind of glad my torsion bars wouldn't budge. If you haven't checked that area out on your truck, might be worth a look.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/miL72eV12osgaHJx8
Also, FWIW, when I did get the keys installed I followed the instructions and set them as my other ones were set (same number of bolt turns). The ride was terrible and scary. Now I've backed them down to where the keys are almost sitting on the stops themselves and the back is still lower than the front. Hindsight being 20-20, I think the truck has actually always sat a little front end high (old pictures seem to confirm that), likely because the previous owner cranked on the stock keys, and likely because after 21 years of sitting on the leaf springs the they might be getting tired. Oh well, will have to sort that out in the future - not tearing into the rear anytime soon.
I removed the cross member to replace the keys (my torsion bars wouldn't budge). What I found where the cross member mounts was not very pretty. Glad I got in there to take care of it before putting it back. My truck has rust (as trucks that started out for 20 years in the north east will), but this is by far the worst spot I have seen. If you haven't ever checked yours out, may be worth a look.
The "before" pictures are after I cleaned everything up with a grinder. The "after" pictures are Por-15.
Kind of glad my torsion bars wouldn't budge. If you haven't checked that area out on your truck, might be worth a look.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/miL72eV12osgaHJx8
Also, FWIW, when I did get the keys installed I followed the instructions and set them as my other ones were set (same number of bolt turns). The ride was terrible and scary. Now I've backed them down to where the keys are almost sitting on the stops themselves and the back is still lower than the front. Hindsight being 20-20, I think the truck has actually always sat a little front end high (old pictures seem to confirm that), likely because the previous owner cranked on the stock keys, and likely because after 21 years of sitting on the leaf springs the they might be getting tired. Oh well, will have to sort that out in the future - not tearing into the rear anytime soon.
