Ball Joint Flip or Drop the Torsion Bars

11192 views
14 replies
9 following
clie_kid@hotmail.com's avatar
Ball Joint Flip or Drop the Torsion Bars
plumbous blimp's avatar
plumbous blimp
+1y
i've got a B2200 with stock suspension and i heard you can flip the ball joint or reindex the torsion bar to lower the truck. A few questions though:
-how do i do these procedures
-which won't degrade my ride quality (these trucks already ride like city buses)
-how long will each take
-can i reverse the procedure easily for the winter
-do i have to remove the bumpstops
-can i expect tire interference with my 16x7 front tires

And while we're on the topic of suspension, who makes the best lowering blocks for the rear end? And how much can yoo alter the rear axle before you start getting interference.

Thanks!
fattirebicycles's avatar
fattirebicycles
+1y
flipping the bj is pretty quick and easy, but you only go down 3/4". cranking down your torsions will give you the drop you are looking for, and you can raise it back up just as easily as you put it down. 3" blocks in the rear will leave you enough room in the rear to not be bottoming out all the time.
jamesberk's avatar
jamesberk
+1y
this is intresting. i was just talking with someone who said to not crank my tortion bars down cause it will handel like shit and they said i can only crank them like an inch down. Is this true? i want a 4 inch block in the rear....
xulf13's avatar
xulf13
+1y
That's not true, My friends truck has the four inch angled drop blocks in the rear with re-indexed torsion (which is the same as crancking the torsions except your torsion bar bolt is tucked up there instead of hanging)in the front and it's fine. Here is the stance.

thread post photo


thread post photo
dvsdev's avatar
dvsdev
+1y
I cranked down my tortion bars and put 2" blocks in the rear and it handles fine, bumpy but that's because i'm resting on one of the front bumpstops (it seems to have two per side) but it's not maxed out or anything.
I pulled out the rear bumpstops, machined them down 1-1/2" and put them back in with de-arched springs, that gave me a reasonable drop but I still have travel in the rear so it doesn't bounce all over the road.
My only concern is that I damaged the thread on the tortion bar adjustment bolt otherwise I'd wind it back up and index the tortion bars instead.
My friend wound his bars right down and apart from catching them on driveways and the like he snapped the end off the bolt and put has truck into the ditch on the side of the road (the bar was adjusted to as far as he could get it).
By doing this the load on the bolt was pulling to the side instead of up and down and it just snapped it across the head.
jamesberk's avatar
jamesberk
+1y
so i want to drop my truck 4 inches i got the blocks now what should i do?
snoplow's avatar
snoplow
+1y
yank the bars out. mark the splines. move 3 notches. (each side will be turned to the outside of the truck). bolt back up.
plumbous blimp's avatar
plumbous blimp
+1y
thanks all, can't wait for the snow to go away so i can get my summer tires back on, drop my truck a little, and cruise!
zig's avatar
zig
+1y
Another question on the whole torsion bar. Do you have to take them off when you bag the front?
snoplow's avatar
snoplow
+1y
i believe so zig!