hey guys, i have a 04' 1500 and it seems to me that the front end is sittinga little low. but as i look at other trucks it looks the same. but i what i was wondering if i put new shocks in it if it would change the way it sits. im kinda new to this stuff. or if anyone has any suggestions on how to lift it just a little in the front. let me know. i don't wanna put a lift kit in it cuz i plan on pulling a camper throughout the summer. let me know what you guys think.
thanks

 

NO shocks don't effect ride height,they don't support weight(springs/torsion bars support the weight),the shockspurpose is ONLY to dampen the movement of the suspension/control the bounce. That being said I HAVE seen a very slight difference in ride height on some CARS over the years when replacing completely wiped shocks with agressively damped(STIFF) shocks such as KYB Gas-Adjust. I haven't checked the front suspension on a 2004,but my 2002 had Torsion bars instead of leaf or coil springs,the Torsion bars are adjustable,BUT when you crank up the ride height you get a corresponding increase in Stiffness and harshness of the ride, so be careful what you have the suspension shop adjust it to. YOU WILL HAVE TO HAVE IT ALIGNED ONCE YOU TOUCH THE TORSION BAR ADJUSTMENT,SO HAVE IT ALL DONE THERE. If yours is like most I've seen, the 1500 Silverados have a factory slight "Nose down" stance(right off the showroom floor), I had mine cranked up just enough to sit Flat at rest on flat ground,it did loose alittle ride comfort,but not much at all.

 

hey thanks alot! thats just what i was looking for. ya it just has a slight nose down effect and i just want it to sit level, look like a truck should. anyone else have any input?
thanks

 

if its 4wd you can turn up the torsion bars, but make sure you get it aligned... if its 2wd all you can do is get coil spring spacers... which arent that safe

 

sorry forgot to add its a Z71. i had one other thing i was wondering about. thats the thump in the rear end. well actually between the driveshaft and tranny. i've found some threadson it and was just wondering if this is something i can replace or if it would be better taking it to a transmision shop.

 

I had a thunk in that area a few months ago, and suspected U-joints,but the shop said there was no play in either joint on the rear shaft,I checked it myself also while it was still on the lift(just couldn't believe it wasn't a bad joint(s)). Few weeks later I went back and said just change them both anyway,WELL after we(my Buddy owns the shop)fought the rear joint out of the rear end(bearing caps of the ujoint were frozen into the pinion saddle) we found the front joint was WIPED,once we removed the caps there weren't even any needle bearings left inside, and the rear joint was dry and binding bad. These were the original ungreasable joints with 74K. Apparently when on the lift with the suspension hanging there was enough tension on the joints that they didn't appear sloppy even with a small prybar. My noise left that day and other than the damn G80 locker clunking in and out of lock while "power sliding" through turns she is quiet. I would check the rear ujoints closely with the vehicle on its wheels at rest.

 

i know you can get leveling kits that just raise the front end up becuase they are designed to sit lower so when you load up the bed or pull something the truck sits level. you can go to autoanything.com and look. I just saw a Truck U episode on the Speed channel earlier this week and they did this to a truck just like yours. if you get on the speed channel website and look them up they say they have info on all of the stuff they do on the show. if i remember right the original air date of the show was in 06 if that helps you find it.

 

How many turns can I put on the torsion bars without ruining the ride too bad on a 1998 k1500?

 

I have been involved in about a 1/2 dozen adjustments,all Z71's 1999-2003 and brought them all up to level(both front to rear and left to right-don't be surprised if your measurements show one front corner up to 1/2" lower than the other). We have done them all on aDRIVE ON LIFT WITH THE DRIVER IN because when we measured the distance from the front wheel well lip to the lift on both sides to equalized them, we found EVERYONE was off by atleast 1/4" and the drivers side wasn't usually the lower side-I suspect they preload the driver side for the expected drivers weight always on that side,sobe sure tomeasure with a driver . One that is used for plowing we jacked up extra to offest the weight of the plow and it still rode OK without the plow and wasn't too nose high.

 

Yep, tighten the torsion bars just a little bit.
I did mine about 1", and even though the ride quality has suffered, the looks and stance is worth it.
and be sure to get an alignment like ^ he said.