Possible dumb question- making long arm lift lower

I posted a thread in another forum about potentially buying another 2nd gen, so I will spare all the details of my past and settle on the specific questions I have relating to a specific truck I might buy.

It is a 1997 1500 5.2 auto 4x4 with a fabtech longarm lift on it. Not sure on the size, but it must be pretty big because it has 36" tires on it and has room for probably another 2 or 3" before it rubs slightly. It appears to have been done professionally, not in somebody's backyard. Although, I am not an expert on suspension work. I didn't check for part numbers on the suspension components so I can't confirm for sure what size, but I know it's a long arm lift. It has the bars bolt to the brackets that are welded to the frame about a foot and a half maybe 2 feet behind the tire on the frame rails. Has dual struts up front. My question might sound dumb, but the tires on it are brand new 36" micky thompson tires, so i might keep them if i buy the truck. I want to get rid of the hap however that's above them. I won't be doing any serious wheeling with it, or daily driving it a whole lot as I'm sure this truck gets 10 mpg on a good day. So, are there ways to manipulate any part of the lift without replacing anything to get it an inch or 2 lower? Can I crank the torsion bars (i'm assuming that's what they are welded to the frame) to lower them without replacing the coils, or would the taller coils prevent this? I'm not looking to lower it a ton, but if I can get an inch maybe 2" i think it would sit perfectly. Not my first choice to have one this lifted, but I am looking at a lower price range, and this truck is surprisingly a better truck overall when talking about issues it has that need or I will want to address. I dont have any inferiority complex where I feel that I need to have a bigger truck, in fact most of the trucks I have looked at were the stock ride height. I am going to be able to get this truck for $2100.

The only way to lower this truck is using shorter coils. There are not any torsion bars at all on any second gen. They use coil springs on wishbone/axle. That being said, the best thing for you to do would be to remove the kit and sell it, then buy a shorter kit. If those are 36s then that's a serious size lift. I would imagine a 5" lift would put you in a good place but I can't say for sure.

MagSport said:

The only way to lower this truck is using shorter coils. There are not any torsion bars at all on any second gen. They use coil springs on wishbone/axle. That being said, the best thing for you to do would be to remove the kit and sell it, then buy a shorter kit. If those are 36s then that's a serious size lift. I would imagine a 5" lift would put you in a good place but I can't say for sure.

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What are the bars that run sort of parallel to the frame that are bolted to brackets that are welded to the frame, and then connect to the control arms? I think this is probably an 8" long arm fabtech lift.

Those are the control arms that make this kit a long arm. I'll admit they do look a little like torsion bars but they are basically rods that center your axle front-rear under the truck. On a Chevrole or other torsion bar vehicle this isn't an issue since the lower a arm never becomes uncentered, but in a straight axle application as the distance from frame to axle increases the shorter, stock control arms pull the axle back as they go up since they are attached to the frame. Therefore it's necessary to change the control arms to longer ones to push the axle back to center under the truck.
So if you tried to lower this truck, without changing the control arms (among other things) the long arms would push the axle forward, causing some serious steering bind and would cause a super dangerous situation as you would most likely bend steering linkages and shorten the life of (if not destroy) your pitman arm and steering box.

MagSport said:

Those are the control arms that make this kit a long arm. I'll admit they do look a little like torsion bars but they are basically rods that center your axle front-rear under the truck. On a Chevrole or other torsion bar vehicle this isn't an issue since the lower a arm never becomes uncentered, but in a straight axle application as the distance from frame to axle increases the shorter, stock control arms pull the axle back as they go up since they are attached to the frame. Therefore it's necessary to change the control arms to longer ones to push the axle back to center under the truck.
So if you tried to lower this truck, without changing the control arms (among other things) the long arms would push the axle forward, causing some serious steering bind and would cause a super dangerous situation as you would most likely bend steering linkages and shorten the life of (if not destroy) your pitman arm and steering box.

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That makes sense. But I ended buying a different truck so it doesn't matter now. I didn't think the person who had the truck I bought was ever going to contact me back but a few hours ago they did. It also has a fabtech long arm kit on it but I think it's a 5.5" not whatever the super tall one was on this blue one.