440 with slant 6 torsion bars

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sbh126

sbh126

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I'm trying to round up the last few parts for my engine swap. Is it neccesary to swap the original slant 6 torsion bars for the .89 diameter big block torsion bars. Couldn't I just tighten up the torsion bars I already have to raise the ride height?
 
depends on the intended use of the car. if its going to be mostly a street car i would go atleast .920 bars but most likely go with the 1" bars. they will make it a lot more stable on the street.. you can run the 6cyl bars but they will settle and droop over time and the car will tend to nose dive when braking somewhat hard and in turns..
 
With the /6 bars the nose of the car will rise quicker therefore transferring the center of gravity to rear for better traction. Try what ya got if it doesn't work for you then get some bigger bars.
 
they even offer .810 bars for drag racin.
 
Jacking on the adjusters will raise the ride height but has no impact on the spring rate. If your car is going to be a street car the /6 bars are woefully inadequate. They aren't even strong enough for a /6.

The suspension will bottom out constantly and will wallow in corners. As others have indicated you need .9 or 1" bars.
 
dgc333 said:
Jacking on the adjusters will raise the ride height but has no impact on the spring rate. If your car is going to be a street car the /6 bars are woefully inadequate. They aren't even strong enough for a /6.

The suspension will bottom out constantly and will wallow in corners. As others have indicated you need .9 or 1" bars.
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yep, the slant bars will twist up on the street, but u mite be able to get away with small block bars...
 
Agree that what you need to do depends on the primary intended use of the car. For drag racing, the /6 bars will work well enough. For street use, a higher spring rate is desirable for the TBs. If it is going to be a street car, the /6 bars will get you through a state inspection, but won't be a lot of fun to drive hard.

Jacking up the /6 TBs might be able to bring the RB up. The extra weight is more than the /6 TBs and OEM shocks are designed to control on the street. Likewise, the /6 leafs will wind up like crazy with a 440 unloading power through them.
 
Depends on the 440. I am using .870 bars and here is my theory. I will have an aluminum intake, heads and water pump, headers. I am going on the notion that my 440 will weight close to what a 318 with AC would.
 
The car is a daily driver and doesn't see the strip much. On Ebay I see some A body bars as big as 1.18. Will these be to stiff for a daily driver? Or the bigger the better? They cost about the same as the stock ones.
 
72ScampTramp said:
Depends on the 440. I am using .870 bars and here is my theory. I will have an aluminum intake, heads and water pump, headers. I am going on the notion that my 440 will weight close to what a 318 with AC would.
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I'm running a similar set up so maybe I'll be able to get away with some cheap used small block ones.
 
Im running a 383 with headers, alum intake and and no a/c with the 340 bars. Like 72 said its not that hard to get a big block to weigh what a fully optioned small block does using some aluminum. I think my 71 handles great with those bars but I've also got KYB's up front and a 1 1/8" sway bar.
 
sbh126 said:
The car is a daily driver and doesn't see the strip much. On Ebay I see some A body bars as big as 1.18. Will these be to stiff for a daily driver? Or the bigger the better? They cost about the same as the stock ones.
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probably ride just fine with those bars. check just suspension 1" bars on ebay. they go on sale for like $179 and i have seen them as low as $159 with free shipping.. being a daily driver you'll definatley be better off with the larger .920+ bars. in my opinion anyway.
 
I picked up a set of 1" bars from eBarf like Joe mentioned when they were on sale for $159. They're under my 69 Dart with 440/833. I finally got plates for the car this week and have been driving it all around and they feel great. They do not ride hard at all, and the car stays pretty level in corners even with an iron head big block.
I took the /6 bars out that were in the car when I bought it. The car sat OK, but it wouldn't turn a corner without feeling like the car was going to flip over. GREAT bars for the drags, but if you wanna enjoy the ride on the street, ya need a bigger bar.

George
 
805moparkid said:
i upgraded my slant bars to .890's with my slant and they are still soft...
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All metal springs(valve, suspension, etc.), work harden in use. This means they, sag, lose spring rate and loose "resilliance". This is a quality that allows newer/stronger springs, to ride better. Best to compare shock valving while planning the car usage. As noted, KYB's(gas charged) shocks, tend to act like a little more spring rate.Just going to higher compression rate valving on shocks will help with marginal spring rates. True, 90/10 drag shocks woun't be much fun, on the street, but they'll sure feel like more spring rate. Putting more anti-dive, on the upper control arms, will tend to act like more spring rate, reduce bottoming over dips, and should improve cornering, with enhanced, "roll caster gain". Good Luck, ateam.:read2:
 
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