Torsion Bars...eh?

[Joe334]

I am wondering if i should get new torsion bars for my ride. I am swapping out a /6 with a 318 and wondering what diameter of torsion bars i need, or if i need any at all. I have heard that a few guys prefer /6 torsion bars with their v8's. Can anyone give me a reason for this? And what would be the best route to take?--/6 bars or new ones?
Thanks,
Joe

 

[demon seed]

If you're going from a slant 6 to a Small block you'll probably want to go to the next size larger (diameter) torsion bars because of the added weight of the V8. First measure the diameter of your existing bars, somewhere in the middle and they'll probably be either .810" or .850" in diameter. The next size up is .870". As an example when I went from the slant 6 to the 383 I went to the .890" bars. :evil2:

 

[Jim Lusk]

It depends on the intended purpose for the car more than what engine. A drag car will have smaller torsion bar, but if you want the car to handle you'll want bigger. You also want to find out what you have right now.

 

[Joe334]

I measured my torsion bars yesturday, .630" is what i ended up with. Does this sound about right for a stock /6 duster?

 

[Jim Lusk]

They should be .830" not .630". That's fine if all you want to do is drag race the car. If you want to go around corners you will need more and a sway bar and better shocks and better/stiffer rear springs and .........................................

 

[Joe334]

you're suppose to measure them in the center of the torsion bar...right? Im not looking for a drag race setup, just a street car with a little umph.

 

[dgc333]

I put the .890 big block bars in my 68 Cuda while it still had the \6. It was a 100% improvement. The front end no longer bottomed out, the ride was firm but not harsh and the car handled much much better.

Two years latter I swapped in the 360 and keep the same bars. Still no problem with bottoming, the ride was still firm and not harsh but I got a lot more body roll in corners than with the \6. The car did not have a sway bar so I installed one and that improved the body roll issue so that it was ow better than when the \6 was in the car.

I definately recomend that you swap the bars. Don't bother with the .850" ones and go for either the .870 or .890 bars. I would recomend the .890 bars.