Bigger torsion bars??!!

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fredsmedina

fredsmedina

6 Dart 7 MOPAR OR NOCAR
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Aug 29, 2009
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Sacramento / Elk Grove CA
i believe my dart has original slant 6 torsion bars since its an original slant 6 car. it now has a 318, and i'm putting a set of headman headers on it.. will be rebuilding the entire front end soon. already ordered my kit from PST. and i'm wondering if it'd be worth upgrading my torsion bars? or can i get away with just tightening them?

because i know headman headers hang lower than most. the car had a pair of headman headers on it when i bought it. but they were crushed from being hit on curbs or something. they were horribly crushed on the bottoms though.

So if i do need to upgrade them, what would i want to upgrade them to? and would it be worth it?
 
I would put in at least 0.92 bars. It will stiffen it up but not so much you will be riding a brick bat.
 
Steve68 said:
I would put in at least 0.92 bars. It will stiffen it up but not so much you will be riding a brick bat.
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alright. this will raise ride height? i have XHD springs in the rear, so the rear will already be sittting up a bit..

best place to get torsion bars?
try finding them used somewhere probably right?
 
fredsmedina said:
alright. this will raise ride height? i have XHD springs in the rear, so the rear will already be sittting up a bit..

best place to get torsion bars?
try finding them used somewhere probably right?
Click to expand...

I'm running .890's with a big block up front and ride is fine. Mancini or Summit has them among other shops.

Terry
 
Someone is selling new ones on e-bay for $199.00 a pair. I've been temped myself for that price, but I don't know how good they are? They are made in the US. I know one guy on this forum that bought them, and he said they looked nice, but didn't install them yet, or at least the last I've heard??

Do you know if you have to lift the engine to unbolt the torsion bars??
 
fredsmedina said:
the torsion bars control ride height though right?
Click to expand...

Yes on the front suspension, but each time you make a major change to the height you will have to have a new front alignment done. The torsion bars are also the springs for the front suspension.

Terry
 
myasylum said:
Someone is selling new ones on e-bay for $199.00 a pair. I've been temped myself for that price, but I don't know how good they are? They are made in the US. I know one guy on this forum that bought them, and he said they looked nice, but didn't install them yet, or at least the last I've heard??

Do you know if you have to lift the engine to unbolt the torsion bars??
Click to expand...

No but you have to take all the weight off the front suspension, tires off the ground, front frame rails resting on floor jacks.

Terry
 
myasylum said:
Someone is selling new ones on e-bay for $199.00 a pair. I've been temped myself for that price, but I don't know how good they are? They are made in the US. I know one guy on this forum that bought them, and he said they looked nice, but didn't install them yet, or at least the last I've heard??

Do you know if you have to lift the engine to unbolt the torsion bars??
Click to expand...

this is all new to me. i'm actually not sure if you have to or not. i know the whole front end has to be off of the ground.

i have to take out the torsion bars in order to rebuild the front end. so i figure might as well replace them while i'm taking them out anyways. thanks about the ebay thing. i might decide to go with summit. because i have a discount code for 10 percent off my order. and also a 20 dollar gift certificate. so they'll be just over 250ish..
 
torsion bars are adjusted by an adjusting bolt in the lower control arm (facing down). after the car is on stands, back the adjuster bolt out to release tension on the bars. then simply remove the retainer clips on the back of the bars and they will slide out the back. after replacement, screw adjusters back in to desired ride height. remember t-bars are side specific.
if you're rebuilding the front end its easy to unbolt lower control arms and slide them and the bars back at the same time eliminating the need for t-bar removal tool.

i strongly recommend using a bigger bar in the 1" range, they make a huge difference in handling and road feel on these old cars imho.

good luck
 
pauly v.100 said:
torsion bars are adjusted by an adjusting bolt in the lower control arm (facing down). after the car is on stands, back the adjuster bolt out to release tension on the bars. then simply remove the retainer clips on the back of the bars and they will slide out the back. after replacement, screw adjusters back in to desired ride height. remember t-bars are side specific.
if you're rebuilding the front end its easy to unbolt lower control arms and slide them and the bars back at the same time eliminating the need for t-bar removal tool.

i strongly recommend using a bigger bar in the 1" range, they make a huge difference in handling and road feel on these old cars imho.

good luck
Click to expand...

thanks. sounds pretty easy.lol

what do u mean in the 1 inch range though?
 
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