should i reindex tbars first??

[pathmaker1]

im gonna be doing the pml soon. im replacin the UCA's, torsion bars and all the steering with idler arm brace and CL from hoohaa, TRE and ball joints with spacers(all the stuff from sammyb33 with some other misc) and new shocks. anyway i was readin the posts about crankin TB's and reindexin TB's. what does reindexin the TB do? do i need to reindex or just replace and crank? i want to get 3"-4" out of the front as im gettin 4" in the rear from rubicon coils. the UCA and ball joint spacers should give me 1 1/2 - 2" . so what is going to be the best thing for me to do? reindex or crank. again if someone could explain to me what reindexin does? oh yea i have a 92 4door pathy, auto v6....the pathmaker. plannin on tuckin 33 x 10.5 under her with my stock rims which have 5.5" backspacing i think. dont know if the rims will work but im fond of em and wanna keep em if possible, already thinkin im gonna have to trim the fender a bit but thats fine. as long as i dont rub on something that i cant cut/adjust with a BFH. also i do not want a BL as im gonna sas it in 1-2 years. thanks for any help!!! im gonna get high soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:bannana: :bannana: :bannana: :D
Rich

[soccerbrace]

Alright here is what the difference between indexing and RE-indexing is.

And to clarify, (although I am an Xterra guy), it sounds like you are going with a full blown SL

Before I explain the difference, first, you have to understand how TBs work.

You have UCA's and LCA's.

The TB attaches at the forward end to the LCA via Anchor.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/DSCN1427.jpg

The TB is splined at either end. The other end attaches to an adjuster. This adjuster is housed in a crossmember. The adjuster is simply a long bolt with a pivot point, a nut, and a locknut.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/DSCN1428.jpg

This is attached to a bracket.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h27/soccerbrace/DSCN1429.jpg

When you Tighten on that bolt, you are bringing that bracket closer to the crossmember. Because the bracket and the anchor are internally splined, and the TB's are externally splined, this adjusting is lowering you LCAs closer to the ground, raising your front end suspension.

Now when you want to go higher and higher, then you have to RE index. The key to doing this successfully is to make sure that the adjusting bracket is tucked into the crossmember. So basically, RE-indexing is getting another grip where the T-bar meets the anchor. To do this, you have to remove your T-bar and re-insert.

Here is a concept I use to help people grasp it.

Imagine a candy cane. The kind that is literally shaped like a cane.

in your mind, hold it horizontally parallel to the ground. Now twist the candy cane with your fingers so that the J shaped end is pointing downward. This is your LCA, which of course is attached to your wheel and tire. See how that worked? You twisted the T-bar using the adjuster bolt and brackets and that lowered the LCA.

Alright now to show the same concept for RE-indexing, we will use the candy cane again. So in your mind, keep it at the same end location as the last so the "J" end is pointing down. However, you want to go further down, so that you can have more lift. Problem though.....your adjustment brackets are already tucked into the crossmember. Solution: Pull your torsion bar out of the ANCHOR END, lower your adjusting brackets by backing off of the adjuster bolt. Once you have done that, you can re-insert the TB into the anchor and index it once again. it is called RE-indexing because you pull the TB out to "re-grip" if you will.

[pathmaker1]

wowzers thanks man....i think i almost understand IFS now. so i want to crank my tbars as they are indexed now. i know i dont wanna tighten them all the way up. if i didnt achieve the desired ride height i need to disconnect the tbar and reindex them and then recrank....right. now like i said i am going with new tbars (Sway Away)so should i reindex before i crank them for the first time since they will be disconnected already? also i understand the new UCA's and ball joint spacers are pretty much there to make alignment possible and help steering stay in "stock" position. if im going to try to get 3-4" should i replace the LCA's too? if so what brand. Thanks for all the help man!!! Your posts on the TB is excellent and i will have the printout next to me as i lift her.
Rich
Rich

[pathmaker1]

also should i trash my sway bar even though im not liftin the body. ive heard multiple things about this but i think if im under there i might as well remove it right. keep in mind that this is somewhat of a daily driver though i have a work vehicle i drive durring the week so its a daily driver on the weekends only. at most i drive 200 miles a month on her without goin to my wheelin spot which is 50 miles away. i love spendin $60/month on gas only gettin 12.4mpg :)!

[sammyb33]

ok. keep your sway bar for now. i only noticed a bit of difference when i removed the front sway, the rear i hardly noticed on the road but makes a huge difference offroad.

on the tbars, just put the sway aways in to begin with, see how much lift they give you, if not enough (i highly doubt it) then reindex. if you need help i can maybe explain it a bit better when we meet up.

[DamnHippie]

If you're installing new t-bars you'll be indexing them as part of installing them. If you guess wrong the first time you'll be re-indexing them as part of installing them. :)

The term "index" in this context refers to the angle at which you insert the anchor onto the t-bar as you're installing. I think a better term might be "clocking" them. If you think of the anchor as the hour hand of a clock, then a good first attempt at installing them is to have the anchor on the passengler side at about the 8 o'clock position. Then as you tighten the adjuster bolt it will lever up into the crossmember (out of the way of rocks) to about the 9 o'clock position. If that leaves the truck sitting at the height you like, you indexed them correctly the first time and you're done.

If you crank the adjust bolt until you run out of room (the anchor moves almost to the 10 o'clock position and can't go further) then you guessed wrong. You get to re-index, which means take it all apart and try again, this time starting with the anchor at about the 7 o'clock position. Now you'll have more room to tighten it further, and by time it gets to the 9 o'clock position your rig will be sitting higher than the first attempt.

Over time a t-bar will sag as the new spring metal settles in a bit. You crank the bars back up to compensate. Eventually you run out of room, then once again you get to take it all apart, put the anchor back on at a new lower o'clock position again, and crank them up to the height you want. Whenever you disassemble, put the anchor back on at a different angle, and resassmble, that's re-indexing.

I've re-indexed my bars 3 or 4 times over the years. That's partly because they're crappy Calmini bars that aren't as strong as calmini's advertising would have you believe. I've also recently realized it was partly because my back springs were so worn out that I was effectively using the front suspension to help hold up the weakened back suspension. When I put my new Alcan springs on the back the front end came up so high that I actually had to re-index the t-bars in the opposite direction from usual -- I had to make room to lower them further without leaving the anchor hanging out where a rock could hit them.

The point where your t-bars connect the LCA at the front may not look exactly like the pictures James posted; I think the design was a bit different in the early 90s. But the concepts are all the same.

[pathmaker1]

sweet guys i think i got it!! im sure ill have some more q's in a few weeks when i do all this stuff. Thanks again
Rich