Getting my 68 Barracuda back on the road
The drivers side suspension is out. This is the first time I’ve ever attempted this.
I soaked the upper control arm in vinegar and salt to take off the rust. Soaking/scrubbing the rust didn’t work, initially. So I went to old stand by, sand blaster. They say to soak the part in baking soda to neutralize the acid so I did. While drying the part with compressed air, the rust blew off. I did use the sand blaster to touch up a few areas.
To remove the uca bushings, I used a 1/8 drill bit, drilled out the rubber, pushed the sleeve out, collapsed the out portion with an air chisel. I used a press to put the new ones in.
I made a tool out of some scrap metal and U bolts to remove the torsion bar. Torsion bar slid out with relatively little effort. While sliding the torsion bar out I learned the rubber boot is packed with grease, a lot of it. Grease smeared over the entire length of the bar and my hand when I grabbed the bar. Lol
The left torsion bar is the 893, “340”. This car is a 318 2v car so the bigger torsion was a nice surprise.
Here are a few pictures… to the left of the strut rod are 2 sleeves that were on the inside of the bushings, Is that factory? You can see the state of the strut rod bushing.
The drivers side suspension is out. This is the first time I’ve ever attempted this.
I soaked the upper control arm in vinegar and salt to take off the rust. Soaking/scrubbing the rust didn’t work, initially. So I went to old stand by, sand blaster. They say to soak the part in baking soda to neutralize the acid so I did. While drying the part with compressed air, the rust blew off. I did use the sand blaster to touch up a few areas.
To remove the uca bushings, I used a 1/8 drill bit, drilled out the rubber, pushed the sleeve out, collapsed the out portion with an air chisel. I used a press to put the new ones in.
I made a tool out of some scrap metal and U bolts to remove the torsion bar. Torsion bar slid out with relatively little effort. While sliding the torsion bar out I learned the rubber boot is packed with grease, a lot of it. Grease smeared over the entire length of the bar and my hand when I grabbed the bar. Lol
The left torsion bar is the 893, “340”. This car is a 318 2v car so the bigger torsion was a nice surprise.
Here are a few pictures… to the left of the strut rod are 2 sleeves that were on the inside of the bushings, Is that factory? You can see the state of the strut rod bushing.