well, I got my 90 Monti back from the mechanics and it runs 100% better then what it did. Replaced the front rotors and brakes; replaced left/right inner/outer CV boots; replaced left side lug nut hub; all tires balanced. I guess the previous owner did some slight mod's to the front suspension, but all in all it drives much better. I found a front sway bar off a 1990 Monti from pick a part but the mechanic said it was too wide and would fit properly. I went back and took one off of a 1989 Monti, bought new rubber asorbers and put it on myself. It fit perfectly, and I hope like heck I put it on correctly! The mechanic also lowered the front torsion bars down to 34" it was raised to 36" in the front to be level with the rear. No more steering wheel shimmering, or vibrations, rides good. The only thing I am noticing now, is that its much harder to shift the automatic into Reverse, Drive or any gear. Would lowering the front end the 2 inches have anything to do with this, considering it wasn't doing before? I was also told my tires have 40% tread left, and i am wondering if replacing the BFGoodrich tires would improve the drive more as well. One question. In the driver door, lower bottom section inside the panel there is a black box that clicks each time I try to roll the down the driver side window, and usually the window will not roll down. Is this the electric window motor? I bought a used master window switch from ebay but this did not resolve the problem of the window not rolling down. If I tap on the bottom of the door panel where this box is located the window will work.

Well I have BF muds 33x10.5's on mine and works fine. I also have had the front crnked for quite some time and have had no problems driving up to 80-90mph on highway With tail wind <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> ) I don't think lowering the front should mess with the shifter but maybe something is binding or something needs lubbed.

The little black box is likely the power window motor relay. New tires almost always drive better than worn ones.

question regarding raising the front torsion bars. I paid my mechanic $70 bucks to lower my front susupension torsion bars from 36" to 34" which he stated is the standard height for the Monti. Now I am revisiting this decision and I realize that I really liked the look of the Montero better when the front end was raised making it look level with the rear. Right now it looks like the front sits lower then the rear. My mechanic told me it is dangerous for me to attempt adjusting the torsion bars myself and me being new to all this, well I just decided to take his word for it and trust him. How difficult is it really to adjust the torsion bars to raise the front end back up to what it was? From where exactly is the mechanice measuring from the bottom of the front tire to the wheel well or from where? Is it difficult for me to do this myself? thanks in advance for the feedback.

Readjusting the torsion bars is literally as simple as turning a screw. There are adjusting screws under the transmission crossmember that are connected to the torsion bars. There are nuts on each screw, really a bolt, that are used to lock the bolt into position once adjusted. When I have turned the adjusters on other vehicles, I counted the incremental rotation applied to balance the adjustment of both torsion bars. Simple, but it will change your camber if you recently had a front alignment.

LAGuy,

I outlined the procedure to adjust your torsion bars in the third post in this string. Old post

To raise the front, follow the procedure, but adjust the torsion bar adjustment bolt so the rubber upper bump stop (on the upper arm) is about 1/2 inch from the upper bump stopper bracket. To get maximum lift, you could crank it so the upper bump stopper bracket is resting on the rubber bump stop, but it will result in a bumpy ride. I wouldn't recommend it. You could also trim the upper bump stops (search the forum) to gain a little extra room to adjust a little higher.

I would not raise the front suspension with the torsion bars if the vehicle does not have lock out hubs. Running the front axles constantly, at an angle, will reduce the CV joint life to perhaps 10,000 miles.

Bob,

I think he still has auto hubs on his 90 Monty. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

thanks guys. I do have auto locking hubs on my Monti, will this still a problem for the CV boots since I did raise the front end to level it out with the rear? DirtDriver, thanks I found your old post after I had posted my thread, it was very helpful and I was able to do this on my own which is an accomplishment for me! The Monti does look much better with the front end raised. thanks again for all the help

You should have no problem with the CV joints by raising the front 2" if you have auto hubs. The axles will not be turning dudring normal driving.