Torsion bar removal

-
6

'67barracuda

inaiana cuda
Joined
Jul 16, 2007
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Location
Shirley Indiana
I'm getting ready to remove the k member in my barracuda and I have never had to remove torsion bars before, I need some advice on how to remove them. Does it take any special tool to do it? Any help would be apperciated.

Dale
 
'67barracuda said:
I'm getting ready to remove the k member in my barracuda and I have never had to remove torsion bars before, I need some advice on how to remove them. Does it take any special tool to do it? Any help would be apperciated.

Dale
Click to expand...

Make sure the adjusters are backed up all the way off and if you are not using the old bars then just clamp on the tight with some vise grips etc and hit the piers with a hammer they wil lpop right out. But if you are gonna reuse them they buy the tool for $30.

My opinion...
 
I'm with hog. I just replaced them in my dart. Put the car on jack stands to get all the weight off the suspension. backed out the adjusters ALL the way, put a jack under the lower control arm and took the pressure off from the suspension hanging the opposite direction. Slide the boots forward a little, removed snap rings, clamped on a good pair of vice grips and hit them with a 3lb sledge. Turned out to be a lot easier than I anticipated.
 
If you are taking the whole front end out to change the K here is a good way.
Leave the torsion bar in the lower control arm till everything is loose from it and you can wack the control arm rearward.
The torsion bar will exit the cross member aft.
Then wack the control arm forward.
The control arm should move forward and the weight of the torsion bar should make it come out of the control arm.
I have taken apart many front ends like this in the junk yard with a few hand tools in no time.
 
Unless your going to change them out do what I did. Remove upper control arms. Back off the adjusters all the way. Put a jack under the middle of your k-frame. Loosen all for bolts so its sitting on the jack. then Pull it all forward. The Torsion bars will stay in and everything else comes out in one big! piece. Oh yeah don't forget the steering coupler too.

Then if you want to replace the torsion bars just take out the clips in back and you can whack on the end of them and out they should come. Then it's a good time to replace all your bushings, ball joints etc.

Just another way to skin a cat or a fish in your case....
 
I made my torsion bar tool out of two pieces of 4" wide, 1/2" thick flat stock and 4 1/2-13x2 1/2" bolts. Mostly because I had that stuff lying around. Total cost was about two bucks worth of oxy & acetalyne through the flame wrench.

Also, removing the UCA bump stop will help the suspension droop a tad more, and the bar will come out easier (if you are not dissasembling the whole suspension).
 
C130 Chief said:
I made my torsion bar tool out of two pieces of 4" wide, 1/2" thick flat stock and 4 1/2-13x2 1/2" bolts. Mostly because I had that stuff lying around. Total cost was about two bucks worth of oxy & acetalyne through the flame wrench.

Also, removing the UCA bump stop will help the suspension droop a tad more, and the bar will come out easier (if you are not dissasembling the whole suspension).
Click to expand...

This is similar to how I did it. My homemade clamps didn't work quite that good so I had a bit of a fight to get them out.
 
Looks like your are here.
One more thing.
I didn't see anyone mention it.
Let the tension off of the lower control arms first thing.
That screw underneath.
 
I would spray an ample amount of wd-40 into the control arm end - mine (original 73) were tough to get out (semi-rusted in). I had sprayed WD-40 in on one side about 2 days before my second attempt - they slid right out! The drivers side, on the other hand...
 
does the key in the lca that is attached to the torsion bar and the bolt in the lca pushes stay in the lca or fall out?
 
It stays in. I removed the entire suspension but I started with the torsion bars and no way were they coming out so I carried on, in the end I took off the lca bolt, wacked the lca toward the back of the car until it came off and then the torsiion bar all but fell out. Step one in removing torsion bars is to go get a case of beer I figure :grin:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top