Anyone have any tips on the best way to remove the torsion bars? I do have the torsion tool as well. And does the truck have to be in air or on ground.

 

Don't know what you mean by "torsion tool" but just removed one of mine a few weeks ago when replacing my catalytic converter. It's not difficult to do and yes, you need to have the front lifted and hanging free (with jack stands, of course) in order to remove. Before you start removing the adjustment bolt, here are my recommendations along with a few supporting images:

1. Use a paint pen, nail polish, etc. to mark the bolt's current positioning. After you've done what you need to do and go to install the torsion key again, you'll want to have the proper position marked to help you get it back to the exact height before you removed the bolt.
   
   marked positioning of bolt before removal
   
2. Get to a flat surface and measure the ride height (center of the axle nut to the bottom of the fender) on both driver and passenger side and mark the height. It's possible/probable that the height won't be the same on both sides, btw.
3. Grab a small, cuttable measuring tool to measure the height of the bolt threads that stick up through the torsion key BEFORE removal (see image 2 below). I used this cheap bolt gauge tool that I had from Home Depot with rulers on the sides and cut it to 3 inches in order to reach up and measure from the platform area where the bolt threads through to the top of the bolt. It's really hard, if not impossible, to get your head up there to see the measurement so I held the ruler with one hand and my phone with the other and took a few pictures from different angles to make sure it was flat on the platform area and I was getting the correct measurement. FWIW i've seen some people say to count the bolt rotations after you've marked it but that's a lot of rotations to keep track of if you are removing the entire bolt. Maybe that's just for torsion bar adjustment when leveling but saw this method on YouTube and it worked out well for me.
   
   
4. Maybe not necessary, but I also marked the positioning of the torsion bar at the front to be sure I installed it in the same position (image 3 below). I'm pretty sure it only fits in one way but wanted to be safe so I took 4 seconds to mark that area as well.
   
   
5. Get your 27mm socket (6 point if you can get one) and loosen to remove the bolt completely

Torsion bar should come out easily, followed by the key. Depending on what kind of shape the underneath side of your H3 is in, you might need to apply some force to remove the key. In my case, I did not have any problems with rust or anything like that and lightly knocked it once with a rubber mallet and then pulled it out. Saw a video of a shop using an impact hammer to remove the key but mine wasn't even close to needing that. Overall, it's really not a difficult job and shouldn't take too long. Just be sure to mark things as needed so that you can get it back in the same place from before you removed it. Not sure what the general consensus is for a basic torsion bar removal but I ended up going for an alignment a few days after I did mine, but that was because I leveled it, wasn't sure about the ride, saw some issues with my CV shaft seal and steering rack leakage, and decided to take it back to the original ride height. Hope this helps clear up any questions if you haven't removed it yet.

 

WOW thank you very much this is super helpful! i have to change out my straight pipe because exhaust leak, so i got a magnaflow replacement for the CAT section. Ill swap out my torsion bars while im at it i was able to score some H3T ones. this was the tool i was referring to.

 

ohhhh okay, the C-clamp tool. If you haven't used it yet and don't plan on keeping then I would hold off because you might be able to return it. I saw a number of threads talking about using a C-clamp when dealing with the torsion bar but I did not need to use one or anything like that for removal or reinstall. Still not quite sure where the need for that would be. When you remove the adjustment bolt, you'll have two half moon spacer nuts that sit below and above the key. When you go to thread the bolt back in through the key during reinstall, you just have to grab the half moon nut at the top and hold on to it for a second while the threads catch. It wasn't anything I had to keep tight or hold on to for the entire time. If that's where the C-clamp is supposed to be needed then it would be news to me.

Again, definitely hold on to it if you were planning on keeping but personally I never came across the need for something like that. Not sure if anyone else can shed some light on that but could save you $25 if you keep it in the packaging until you're sure that you have to have it. Also, don't forget to adjust your muffler/hangers to the right position BEFORE tightening down the flange unlike me. It's been over three weeks and I still haven't gone back to fix my crooked Magnaflow muffler, lol. Tried to quickly adjust the rubber hangers without loosening the flange behind the resonator without luck.