torsion bar install and removeal

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eds70dart

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Need some help here guys. This Old Fart is frustrated and the patience thing is at the lowest level. Putting some TTI headers in and have the drivers side in but not bolted in yet. There is no tranny installed yet. Have raised the motor about 3 to 4 inches to give me some room, but the torsion bar seems to be in the way. Some of the bends in the headers are just a little large to get it in and down. How do I remove and re-install a passenger side torsion bar which is the obstacle. The books I do have don't tell me a whole lot. I'm doing this in my drive-way so there is no hoist guys. The car is a 70 Dart Swinger. Give me some ideas please.
 
I dont do headers in A-body. I've seen the power steering conflict stories and the mini starter required stories. Never have I heard R&R torsion bar to get a header in. You dont want to go there if you dont absolutely have to.
To pull the steering column and drop the steering box would be easier.
 
I would put a jack stand under the front of the front subframe and let the suspension hang all the way down. Back the adjuster all the way out with a 3/4 inch socket. Then put a jack under the lower control arm and jack it up until you see that the bar is in a relaxed position, ie, no tension being exerted up or down. Then remove the spring clip in the crossmember so that it will slide out the back. I had to keep sliding my dust boot toward the front as it came out too. Mine came out fairly easily, but i did put a rag around the bar and clamped on some vice grips. I gently tapped on the vice grips to release the bar from the front socket. Try your best not to nick the bars up if you have to go this route.
 
Some of my friends have told me the driver side would be a b&#$ to put in but it went in a total of 5 minutes as the steering column is out of the car. We moved or pushed the motor over to get the driver side in with no problems. But the passenger side is the problem. We can't push or get the motor over enough to twist and slide the headers in far down enough. The one bend hits the torsion bar and also one bend hits part of the motor's head assemble.
 
Whatever you do, do NOT mar the torsion bar. No nicks, no scars. DON'T use vicegrips unless you grind all the teeth out.

If you mar the bar, you've created a fracture point. The can and might well break there
 
I had some in my E body one time that I could'nt get out. I used a pipe wrench w/ a rag around it. Had to knock the hell out of the pipe wrench but got them out with 0 damage.
 
fishman said:
I had some in my E body one time that I could'nt get out. I used a pipe wrench w/ a rag around it. Had to knock the hell out of the pipe wrench but got them out with 0 damage.
Click to expand...

...is a big-*** cable clamp. I found one for 7/8 inch cable and round-filed the inside until it was perfectly smooth and a tight fit to the t-bar. Then pounded on that with a hammer. This was many years ago...

Last time I pulled them with my bare hands. The key is to get every last bit of tension off them. Tom Condran's book describes it very well.
 
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