'66 Barraduda front suspension won't adjust down one on side

[junkyardhero]

i don't need to google it, i have hands on experience with these cars and specific granular knowledge of the components and how they work.

stock rubber LCA bushings do not rotate in the arm. they are pressed in. the pin on center, the outer shell in the arm, the rubber in between-- NONE of that rotates.

aftermarket, sure. different animal entirely.

but stock. nah, dawg. that ain't happening. and if it is, then you have a problem.

 

[Mikk]

Sorry, I should have said "torsion bar socket". There is rotation (not much) of the angle between the adjusting arm in the middle of the LCA and the lower control arm itself ONLY when you adjust the ride height. The rest of the time, there is no rotation between the LCA and the torsion bar socket..

 

[junkyardhero]

yes, that is correct. the adjuster moves the anchor of the bar-- which the bushing is pressed into. this is why it's critical that the LCA pin nut be loose when adjusting ride height, otherwise the bushing tears and fails quickly.

 

[Mikk]

yes, that is correct. the adjuster moves the anchor of the bar-- which the bushing is pressed into. this is why it's critical that the LCA pin nut be loose when adjusting ride height, otherwise the bushing tears and fails quickly.

In my case, the arm and the adjuster bar/anchor are rusted together, thereby not allowing any ride height adjustment. I hope to have it freed up in the coming days.

 

[junkyardhero]

In my case, the arm and the adjuster bar/anchor are rusted together, thereby not allowing any ride height adjustment. I hope to have it freed up in the coming days.

that sucks. several cycles heat and penetrating oil might free that up.

good luck!

 

[Killer6]

In my case, the arm and the adjuster bar/anchor are rusted together, thereby not allowing any ride height adjustment. I hope to have it freed up in the coming days.

Sorry I got here late, lol, yeah the frt T-bar socket/arm would have to be frozen together...that's the only thing that can do that. Either by rust or damage/deformation of the arm. Those West-Coast guys don't know what it's like to deal with that stuff, lol!!
I pulled the K-frame, arms & T-bars out of a 360/4spd. Duster, I had to beat down the T-bar arm w/a drilling hammer,....the engine & trans were already gone so....
Also, even tho' once set, the pivot pin for the LCA doesn't turn...You must set the front height before cranking it down...otherwise it will jack the car, & probably ruin the bushing, which is torselastic but so thin it doesn't tolerate that much twist. Peace!!!

 

[RustyRatRod]

A few smacks with a large persuader on the T bar socket in the control arm won't hurt either. I don't mean beat the snot out of it though. lol

 

[michiganpat]

Thanks for the tips, I had just had the front suspension apart, replaced all the ball joints and upper control arm bushings. The lower arm swung all the way down to the shock's full extension at the time. I reassembled it but didn't tighten the upper a-arm bolts until the car was back on wheels.

lower control arm pivots nuts should also be loose until the vehicle weight is on the suspension. once those are tight, with the bushing being a press fit in the A arm and to the pivot, with the rubber bonded to both, it's the rubber flexing that allows it to rotate. if you tighten that pivot when the vehicle is in the air and the suspension is in full rebound, the rubber is acting as a torsion spring holding it up, and that lower control arm bushing will fail prematurely.

 

[mad mike]

Hi, I noticed my '66 is sitting higher on the left than the right side.
I backed off the adjusting screw on the lower control arm to the point where it and the little crossbar it screws into are actually loose in the arm, meaning the adjusting screw is no longer contacting the torsion bar arm. The ride height didn't move down. Turning the right side screw adjusts the suspension up and down just fine. Bouncing the suspension shows that the torsion bar is turning. Might it have been clocked too tight during assembly at the factory? I'm sure everything is original, so removing the torsion bar would likely be a challenge.

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Mikk

All I can think of is to replace both torsion bars . It sounds like the left side twisted for some unknown reason. I say change them both so you don't have the same problem but opposite . the new one would be stronger than the old one. Do it right the first time so you don't do it twice. My grandfather always said it takes a lazy man to do it right the first time and an ambitioned man to do it over and over again. LOL

 

[Mikk]

All I can think of is to replace both torsion bars . It sounds like the left side twisted for some unknown reason. I say change them both so you don't have the same problem but opposite . the new one would be stronger than the old one. Do it right the first time so you don't do it twice. My grandfather always said it takes a lazy man to do it right the first time and an ambitioned man to do it over and over again. LOL

Thanks, but the problem has already been found. The adjuster arm and lower control arm are frozen together. The other side moves freely. I have sprayed it liberally with penetrant, hopefully they'll break loose in a couple of days. In not, I'll be applying some heat to it.