Torsion bar pullers are overrated, you can just use the LCA. If you're planning on replacing the LCA bushings, everything has to come out anyway. Back off the torsion bar adjuster, remove the shock, remove the strut rod, and split the LCA from the spindle. Undo the nut on the LCA pivot and the clip at the back of the torsion bar. Now you can use the LCA to drive the torsion bar out of the rear torsion bar socket (the one the it usually sticks in). Just use a "dead blow" mallet so you don't damage the LCA. Works like a charm.
As far as the size of the torsion bar, .89" bars won't be anything even remotely close to harsh. In my opinion, they're still too soft. They'll be a HUGE improvement over the /6 bars, but honestly those should only be used on the dragstrip. 1" bars work great on small block cars, they're not too stiff at all and they'll really help improve the cars handling. I ran them in my Duster, which has a 340, manual steering, headers, an aluminum intake, no A/C, an aluminum radiator, and a few other parts to make it lighter. I still thought the 1" bars were too soft, and I now run 1.12" bars from Firm Feel with a set of Bilstein RCD's. They're perfect, even on the street. The secret to bigger torsion bars is good shocks.
