Torsion bar mounting points- how do you know if they're ok?
I gusset the torsion bar anchors on all of my cars. I use 1/8" plate, weld the plate to the crossmember and then the anchor to the plate. If I'm adding frame connectors and torque boxes etc it's good insurance to gusset the anchors as well.
On A-bodies I think this is even more important. Not sure why, but it seems like the A-bodies didn't get the same quality of welding as some of the other styles, especially at the torsion bar anchors. The welds on the anchors on my '74 duster were horrible, very cold, not a lot of penetration. And there are more than a few cases were the torsion bar anchors have ripped out or twisted on A-bodies, no rust required. By comparison the welds on my '72 Challenger and '71 Satellite were MUCH better. My '71 Dart is better than my Duster for welds on the anchors, but not as good as the E or B body. Maybe my Duster is just a bad example, but there are more out there. I went over the factory welds and then added the gussets on top of that. The factory welds were pretty crappy.
This one, the thread is here http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/attachments/torsion-2-jpg.294070/
And this one, which is in excellent shape, no rust, darn near new looking. Just a really lousy factory weld. Look what I found...
I've seen more but those were the easiest to find. The crossmember is prone to rust as well as it can trap dirt inside, and even a crossmember that looks decent from the outside can have a lot of rust inside. A bore scope might help some, but there are internal gussets and even the torsion bar anchor itself inside the crossmember itself that make seeing everything difficult.
I gusset the torsion bar anchors on all of my cars. I use 1/8" plate, weld the plate to the crossmember and then the anchor to the plate. If I'm adding frame connectors and torque boxes etc it's good insurance to gusset the anchors as well.
On A-bodies I think this is even more important. Not sure why, but it seems like the A-bodies didn't get the same quality of welding as some of the other styles, especially at the torsion bar anchors. The welds on the anchors on my '74 duster were horrible, very cold, not a lot of penetration. And there are more than a few cases were the torsion bar anchors have ripped out or twisted on A-bodies, no rust required. By comparison the welds on my '72 Challenger and '71 Satellite were MUCH better. My '71 Dart is better than my Duster for welds on the anchors, but not as good as the E or B body. Maybe my Duster is just a bad example, but there are more out there. I went over the factory welds and then added the gussets on top of that. The factory welds were pretty crappy.
This one, the thread is here http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/attachments/torsion-2-jpg.294070/
And this one, which is in excellent shape, no rust, darn near new looking. Just a really lousy factory weld. Look what I found...
I've seen more but those were the easiest to find. The crossmember is prone to rust as well as it can trap dirt inside, and even a crossmember that looks decent from the outside can have a lot of rust inside. A bore scope might help some, but there are internal gussets and even the torsion bar anchor itself inside the crossmember itself that make seeing everything difficult.