Torsion bars installed incorrectly?

I'm not saying that it hasn't been done a million times, or you can't remove torsion bars with vice-grips without damaging them. All I'm saying is that it's a bad habit to get into. It's not the right way to do it, and it can have consequences.

Not every tiny little nick is a problem. But here's the thing, do YOU know which nick or gouge will propagate into a fracture? Unless you do a stress strain analysis on your torsion bar, you won't know. And once the damage reaches a certain size, it can propagate.

As far as torsion bar failure, see this thread. Maybe the percentage is small, but it does happen. And if you're constantly using vice grips or other methods to remove 40 year old torsion bars, you're definitely improving your chances of a failure.

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=40665