Yeah.. I used Vise grips to pull out some bars.. I gouged the bars pretty good and wondered if I could possibly get away with filing the marks. Is this going to cause a possible failure?
Damn... was hoping that isn't the case. Got nice firm feel bars in a parts car..I would not trust it, they are pretty sensitive and might crack
You are correct that's why I said to file the scratches down until they are gone then sand smooth. If you completely remove the gouge/scratch you eliminate the possibility of a stress riser. Simple mechanics, if you can't remove all signs of the gouge then yes, you could get a stress riser. Even if you have to use a 1/2 round file and leave a slight depression, as long as it has smooth transitions it should be OK.The fear is that these scratches cause stress risers in the metal where they will be prone to break. I have never seen one break.
I had a 383 a-body bar break in my 64 dart. It had a worn "notch" about 0.030" deep, from a collector flange. It was a smooth "notch", not a sharp gouge. My friend was trailering it to a race in Spokane for me. He chain-bindered it down, and then added air to the tires. I think he overloaded the bars. He hit a bad pothole at the strip entrance and the bar just broke. I think it was a pretty unique situation, so I don't think it is all that likely to happen. That said, I'm glad it failed on a trailer, and not in the traps.The fear is that these scratches cause stress risers in the metal where they will be prone to break. I have never seen one break.
Yeah.. I used Vise grips to pull out some bars.. I gouged the bars pretty good and wondered if I could possibly get away with filing the marks. Is this going to cause a possible failure?
Mine is a 440 street car
I had a 383 a-body bar break in my 64 dart. It had a worn "notch" about 0.030" deep, from a collector flange. It was a smooth "notch", not a sharp gouge. My friend was trailering it to a race in Spokane for me. He chain-bindered it down, and then added air to the tires. I think he overloaded the bars. He hit a bad pothole at the strip entrance and the bar just broke. I think it was a pretty unique situation, so I don't think it is all that likely to happen. That said, I'm glad it failed on a trailer, and not in the traps.
I don't see why anyone should resort to vise-grips to remove a bar. All you ever have to do is back down the adjuster, remove rear retaining wire-clip, remove LCA pivot nut, and pry between front of LCA and rear of crossmember, with a crowbar or even a oem lug wrench.
from Seattle. I used to come over to Spokane to race once a year, and hit the Mopars Unlimited car show. I like the track there. Beats the heck out of SIR/PIR rathole here in Kent.LOL POT HOLES and Spokane go in common LO. What part of Spokane are you from.. Im over on the northwest side of town..
from Seattle. I used to come over to Spokane to race once a year, and hit the Mopars Unlimited car show. I like the track there. Beats the heck out of SIR/PIR rathole here in Kent.
Agreed but... there was an issue with time constraints and someone previously distorting the torsion bar mount end where the bar comes out... long story... never damaged one til now...Got nice Firm Feel bars and took them out with vice grips. Good grief. Vice grips have no place in torsion bar removal. It's not even easier to take them out that way, it's just lazy.
The stress riser isn't gone as soon as the gouge is flush. The metal underneath the gouge is hardened from the compression. You have to dress it down further than just the surface damage if you want to eliminate the possibility of a stress riser. Of course, you can't actually see how deep the damage goes into the bar, so, you're just guessing.
A torsion bar carries like 90% of the load on the surface. Same as a sway bar, which is why you can get away with hollow bars. Damage the surface, well, you changed how it carries load. People have done it, but plenty of people have had torsion bars break too. Which one you'll end up being depends on how bad the damage is. Would have been a lot easier to remove the bars the correct way.