Air Shocks Really Helped

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"Cotter pins"?????...I think you're loosening the strut rods, not the torsion bars. Torsion bars dont have cotter pins.
 
65Val said:
"Cotter pins"?????...I think you're loosening the strut rods, not the torsion bars. Torsion bars dont have cotter pins.
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That's what I was thinking too..

Tighten those nuts back up. The bolts you want to undo a half turn at a time, are the bolts you will see if you look inside the under side of your lower control arms. One bolt on each side, pointing down.
 
You are turning the wrong thing! (like the others have said.)

You want the torsion bar adjuster bolt. It is behind the tire, sticking out the bottom of the lower control arm.
 
needsaresto said:
I keep the weight on while turning the adjusters. Soak em down with some lube first!
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That's the way I've always done it too!! Adjust the bolt, bounce the front end a few times, take a measurement with a tape measure from the ground to the lip of the wheel well. After I get them even, take it for a short ride and recheck.
 
70DartMike said:
That's what I was thinking too..

Tighten those nuts back up. The bolts you want to undo a half turn at a time, are the bolts you will see if you look inside the under side of your lower control arms. One bolt on each side, pointing down.
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Boy, do I feel stupid. I looked under the car and saw two bars coming from the lower control arms to the front of the car and assumed. I'll go tighten them right quick.

Told ya I ain't no mechanic. At least the reason I didn't find them is because they're hidden. That makes me feel a little better.

Btw, for my peace of mind- Do those strut rods have to be set with a torque wrench or just tightened back down?
 
I had a little spare time after work, so I got on that front end. Now that I know what the heck a torsion bar is:angry3:, I had no problem dropping it. Thanks, guys.

Before-

713395-R1-01-0.jpg


I had dropped it 1/2 inch and decided to leave it there when I took this picture. After I drove it, it dropped another 1/2 inch. Can't decide for sure but I'm thinking about raising it back to where it is here. I may have got it too low (even though we're talking about a 1/2 inch).

DSC00539.jpg
 
Might be best to leave it! Im liking the stance the way it is now,but obviously if it doesnt handle well it must change.

How is the road feel?

And Im curious as to whether you have manual or power steering.
 
Suprised nobody mentioned losening the lower control arm nut before you do any adjusting. Without doing this,you will tear the bushing in the control arm.

If I am adjusting them 1" or less,I adjust with the car on the ground as well.
1.Put the car on a level,flat surface.
2.Loosen the nuts on the lower control arm
3.If you want to lower the car,lock a tape measure to the height you want.
4.Put the tape measure on the ground,with the tape going up to ther fender.
5.Lower car with torsion bar bolt,untill the tape touches the fender.
6.Bounce car,and re-check.
7.Do other side,and bounce.
8.Re-tighten lower control arm nuts.
9.Test drive.
 
Johnny Dart said:
Suprised nobody mentioned losening the lower control arm nut before you do any adjusting. Without doing this,you will tear the bushing in the control arm.
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Huh? Why would you need to do that? The arm is still moving in the same directions and distance, the mid-point of the arc is just 1" lower now than before.

That would also mean that you'd undo those bolts every time you jacked up the front of the car????...I don't think so.
 
needsaresto said:
Might be best to leave it! Im liking the stance the way it is now,but obviously if it doesnt handle well it must change.

Yes, I agree. I like the stance in the bottom pic. After taking that pic, I drove the car and it dropped another 1/2 inch. I think it needs to come back up to where it's at in the bottom pic.

How is the road feel?

Definitely better than it was, but feels sorta bottomed out, so to speak.

And Im curious as to whether you have manual or power steering.
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Power steering and brakes.
 
feels sorta bottomed out, so to speak
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Probably is "bottoming out"...ie, hitting on the lower bump-stops. I know it looks cool where it is, but I'd raise it back up a bit, and raise the back the same as well.
 
65Val said:
Probably is "bottoming out"...ie, hitting on the lower bump-stops. I know it looks cool where it is, but I'd raise it back up a bit, and raise the back the same as well.
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Yeah, I'm gonna raise it back to where it is in that bottom pic. Like I said, It settled another 1/2 inch after I took that pic.
 
65Val said:
Huh? Why would you need to do that? The arm is still moving in the same directions and distance, the mid-point of the arc is just 1" lower now than before.

That would also mean that you'd undo those bolts every time you jacked up the front of the car????...I don't think so.
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I learned this through the years.You want them loose so when you set the car back on the ground the car settles without tearing/ripping the bushing in the lower control arm. Once the car is on the ground and settled,then you tighten them.
 
Also need to know this;the torsion bar adjuster screw also is affecting how much tension the tbar is under. So the lower the car sits,the softer the tbar will be and this also can affect handling negatively. If you really like it low you might need to add a stiffer shock or even a sway bar to get back some of the body roll control.

I was asking about the steering as you can also add shims to the power steering pump valve. This lowers the psi assist given by the pump and gives you much better "road feel". Instead of vague steering you will have more precise steering and feel more in control of your ride,which really helps with a daily driver.This is virtually a "free" upgrade,and there was an article in mopar muscle mag a while back about it.

I dont really think the combo of vague steering and soft front suspension will make it very driveable. Bring it back up the 1/2 inch in front,do the power steering shim pack adjustment and it will feel much much better!
 
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