Bolts For Torsion Bar

Excellent I think this will give me the lift im lookin for!

PRS said:

Excellent I think this will give me the lift im lookin for!

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I think from what I've read being two wheel drive you can go as high as you want with the TT. Just remember turning up the bolts is basically increasing the spring rate of the t-bars, and it'll get stiffer the higher you go. Not to mention you will end up bottoming out often if you get too high.

For everyone else. Where have you been able to pick up just the two bolts you need? I can only get a bag of 25 from Fastenal.

Now before i buy some longer torsion bolts, what about torsion keys? I know it would be a lot more expensive but how exactly do torsion keys lift the front end?

Thanks,
Colton

DixieOnMyMind59 said:

Now before i buy some longer torsion bolts, what about torsion keys? I know it would be a lot more expensive but how exactly do torsion keys lift the front end?

Thanks,
Colton

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Have you seen some lift keys somewhere? I ask because I never have. Basically the torsion bar has a hexagon end on both ends. The front is in the lower control arm, the rear is in the key which is what the bolt actually pushes against. Hence you tighten the bolt which twists down on the lower control arms giving you a "lift". BTW don't tighten them with the truck on the ground it would be really hard to turn and could end breaking the bolt.

AMMO_HOOAH said:

Have you seen some lift keys somewhere? I ask because I never have. Basically the torsion bar has a hexagon end on both ends. The front is in the lower control arm, the rear is in the key which is what the bolt actually pushes against. Hence you tighten the bolt which twists down on the lower control arms giving you a "lift". BTW don't tighten them with the truck on the ground it would be really hard to turn and could end breaking the bolt.

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Here is an Explorer with torsion keys. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/1767983/1

How do the keys cause you to gain lift?

Also, if your not "Elite", then how did you get an avatar (picture) by your name?

Thanks,
Colton

DixieOnMyMind59 said:

Here is an Explorer with torsion keys. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/1767983/1

How do the keys cause you to gain lift?

Also, if your not "Elite", then how did you get an avatar (picture) by your name?

Thanks,
Colton

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Hmm, that's a good question about the keys. I'd be willing to say that he's referring to a TT, but if there are lift keys then they probably clock (turn) the base orientation of the t-bar in the key. IE... bar is pre-rotated within the lift key, so it starts off higher before the bolt goes in. Again I've never heard of them, but I'm not an expert. As for the avatar, I wrote an article, and had eliteness for a few months just haven't gotten my lazy butt in action to pay for it fully.

just remember when doing the TT you lose downward travel. you trade it in for lift.

Ammo.. thats weird on the bolts i ordered mine online and got two of them.

zhanx said:

just remember when doing the TT you lose downward travel. you trade it in for lift.

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Oh believe me, i know....im always trying to jump stuff in my X like last night i jumped my friends driveway when i left his house, or today when i jumped the railroad tracks on my way to my grandmas house for mothers day. When i go in the air, theres a loud "CLUNK" which is the sound of the front suspension jolting downwards. Also it happens alot when im hauling ass down trails (like i was today when i was late for an offroad run with my buddys).

Thanks,
Colton

zhanx said:

just remember when doing the TT you lose downward travel. you trade it in for lift.

Ammo.. thats weird on the bolts i ordered mine online and got two of them.

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I'm hoping it's just because I ordered them will call (delivered at my local store). I'm going to call them tomorrow, and see what the real deal is here. Just to double check did you order the ones from the links on the first page?

Any luck gettin the bolts Ammo?

Yes, actually I got them yesterday. It turns out that the connection between the store and their online ordering system is none existent almost. The store is the one that upped the quantity. I got a hold of Fastenal, and got everything sorted out. Although I thing going with 120mm ones was a little too long lol. Now I have my TT back, but I've got bolts sticking out a little.

AMMO_HOOAH said:

Yes, actually I got them yesterday. It turns out that the connection between the store and their online ordering system is none existent almost. The store is the one that upped the quantity. I got a hold of Fastenal, and got everything sorted out. Although I thing going with 120mm ones was a little too long lol. Now I have my TT back, but I've got bolts sticking out a little.

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Cool, Glad to hear it... I hope to get mine sometime this weekend.

Well I found some 80mm bolts, but I think those are just about the stock length, if not a tiny bit longer. Oh well .... the search goes on....

You know Fastenal does sell them in like 90, 100, 110, 120 lengths right?

AMMO_HOOAH said:

You know Fastenal does sell them in like 90, 100, 110, 120 lengths right?

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Ya, I was lookin at their website briefly, but was hoping to find someplace local.

Figured I'd post some pix after my torsion bolt change. Did the TT and needed longer bolts, found this thread, bought the 100mm from Fastenal linked earlier in post #19 (thanks, zhanx). Got to my door in a day or two, very impressive. Below you can see the difference b/t the original torsion bolt and the new one:




Took a little grinding to round out the tip:




And good to go:




Coulda ground down a bit more, as the bolts were still a bit long, but it came out great and was an easy and painless process, despite my frustration at needing the longer bolts in the first place.

You only need one bolt right? Or should I order two? I did my TT today after the shackels. Everything seemed to be fine except I see a little lean, to the driver side (go figure). Also, about how many turns (if you can remember) did it take to get around two inches of lift?

Coastie Kyle said:

You only need one bolt right? Or should I order two? I did my TT today after the shackels. Everything seemed to be fine except I see a little lean, to the driver side (go figure). Also, about how many turns (if you can remember) did it take to get around two inches of lift?

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I'm not exactly sure what you mean with needing one bolt. There are two torsion bolts, one for the driver's side torsion bar, and one for the passenger's side. Both have to be turned an equal amount of times to raise both sides of the truck. You may not need longer bolts. You might be able to get the 2 inches without running out of room to screw in the bolt. The drivers side slight lean could be due to the gas tank. Did you do both sides?

The amount of turns varies based from truck to truck. A few guys haven't cranked them much, but I really had to turn them alot. I stopped counting well after 6 turns. Just measure, do a few turns, re-measure, etc., and you won't have to worry about the number of turns.

I did both side equaly, but we are going to go in the shop and check again to see if the truck settled anymore. I thought when we were done there was a slight lean, but Ill check again. I havent maxed out ether bolt yet, but I thought I read the drivers side bolt was shorter, maybe I just read it wrong. Also, can someone tell me what stock height should be, just so I can see if my first measurements were around that area. I know onw bar was off, cause one side measured a half inch lower.

You might just have the classic "Gangsta lean" going on. Read this:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162963&highlight=gangsta+lean