720 suspension question

[GrettaGreen]

I'm posting this here and as well as in the suspension section of Ratsun.

 

I have a 2" body lift on my 85 720 and it drives rough. She's my DD so I'd like to tone it down a bit but I dig the ride so I don't want to lower it, and we have snow up here. Doesn't look like the PO ever replaced the front shocks as she's sittin' on her bump stops. The rear shocks look to be fully extended with coil overs that you can move up and down if there is no load in her.... A mechanic friend put her up on his lift and the tires didn't go down but more the 1mm... As I am new to Nissan's I'd like to see if there is at all a cost effective yet good replacement for my gal.

 

Thanks ya'll

[OneFreakyMF]

When my truck was stock it rode pretty nice but the stock ride heigth wasn't gonna cut it out wheelin. So I cranked on the torsion bars and made some longer shackles for the rear. With some fender trimming I was clearing 33x14 boggers but it rode like a brick going down the road. Was even worse when I re-indexed the torsion bars and that's when my SAS came to be. Sounds like someone has done some serious cranking on your torsion bars... Probably the cheapest lift around but your spine does pay for it in no time. Of course, without seeing it with my own eyes I can't be certian that's your issue, but that was the cause with my truck. The coil overs in the rear probably are not helping with the ride as well. These trucks are so light in the rear that the coil overs will make for a pretty solid ride unless you have some weight in back ....

 

My suggestion would be to ditch the coil overs and back off the adjusters for the torsion bars. You'll loose some ride height but the ride quality should be much better....

[GrettaGreen]

yea torsion bars are tight as hell. so tight the passenger CV joint is coming into contact with them.. loosening those damn bars and getting new shocks all the way around.

 

anyone know all the tools I'll need to do the torsion bars? right now I'm a bit tool-less since I've left my pops house (he had a shop) so I've been borrowing stuff from friends since pops lives far away now.

[datzenmike]

Shock absorbers do not set the ride height only the springs or torsion bars do this.

 

To adjust front torsion bars raise front end and loosen top nut. Turn bottom nut up to lower vehicle. Don't forget to re-tighten lock nut.

[GrettaGreen]

thanks Mike!

[poor-mans-720]

Just a heads up, your not going to be able to lower it back down too much with those spacers on there. It will throw your camber way off with them spacers underneath there. If you go to the how to section there is a write up on how to reindex your torsion bars. In your case it won't help you, cause of the spacers. But it will give you an idea on how to adjust them. And the process. If you really wanted your ride back, I'd take the spacers or the bumpstops out. It will always be a rougher ride if you keep it that lifted with the spacers.

[poopypants720]

Just a heads up, your not going to be able to lower it back down too much with those spacers on there. It will throw your camber way off with them spacers underneath there. If you go to the how to section there is a write up on how to reindex your torsion bars. In your case it won't help you, cause of the spacers. But it will give you an idea on how to adjust them. And the process. If you really wanted your ride back, I'd take the spacers or the bumpstops out. It will always be a rougher ride if you keep it that lifted with the spacers.

 

The torsion bar adjustment we were all doing to fix our camber was the easy fix, but the incorrect way to actually do it. Back off the torsion bars, buy some 2.5-3 inch long 14mm bolts with a 1.50 thread pitch and take them with you into an alignment shop and have them adjust the camber correctly at the a arm mounting point with the correct amount of shims.

 

 

Btw, Greta green, your trucks a arms mount from the other side, so don't let the pictures confuse you, but the idea is all the same, the adjustment needs to be made at the a arms, not the torsion bars. Find a good or even decently priced alignment shop to help you lower the torsion bars(or do it yourself in their parking lot if they are trying to charge to much for a "torsion level" and you know how) then see if they can adjust it with your stock hardware and if not snag some longer bolts for them.

 

Poorman, you should be fine with the longer bolts bro, if i remember correctly you were at the end of your stock threads like me n this will save your butt from getting jarred around so much and take advantage of the spacers the way that are intended to be ;).

[GrettaGreen]

ah i see now, well figuratively since those pics are not the same way mine are =b yea I still haven't gotten around to adjusting my torsion bars.

 

I was noticing that my passenger side CV joint is almost coming into contact with my torsion bar and I'm pretty sure I hear it touch when I go over speed bumps too fast. Will adjusting the T-bars help this?

[poopypants720]

ah i see now, well figuratively since those pics are not the same way mine are =b yea I still haven't gotten around to adjusting my torsion bars.

 

I was noticing that my passenger side CV joint is almost coming into contact with my torsion bar and I'm pretty sure I hear it touch when I go over speed bumps too fast. Will adjusting the T-bars help this?

yes, but unless your camber is immediately corrected at the a arm as i just explained then your camber will be way out of whack....

 

Actually bro... you might be sol on trying any a arm adjustments... i think skulptr already did everything he could...

 

Check it, this is your truck on spacers before and after the adjustments of the torsion bars and aarms....

http://community.ratsun.net/topic/41401-ball-joint-spacers/page__st__100#entry677617

prob need to go to www.4x4parts.com and buy their aftermarket a arms that they make for this mod(I'd call them though and get an exact length on the a arm length from ball joint to bushing and make sure it's a lil shorter then stock or that the ball joint mounts at a flatter angle)

[GrettaGreen]

Damn. Have to see what I can do, it worries me to see that cv joint so close to that torsion bar

[poor-mans-720]

You can take that spacer out and get a half inch of it chopped off. Won't affect you camber that much any more. And you will still have some lift. Or take it to a maschinist and have him angle it a couple degrees on the top side so that the a arm can sit flatter and higher. It'll help with the camber issue caused by the spacer.

[opie931246]

I also have a question on this subject. Can you crank the torsion bars up without lifting the front end off the ground? 

 

[wayno]

Yes you can but you would have to move the vehicle to see the difference/change.

[datzenmike]

3 hours ago, opie931246 said:

I also have a question on this subject. Can you crank the torsion bars up without lifting the front end off the ground? 

 

 

 Yes, but why???? It will just be harder to turn the adjustment bolts against the front end weight. How hard is it to jack the truck up????

 

You will need to check and adjust the toe alignment any time you change any vehicle's ride height.