Can't get my torsion bar back in

[charliec]

Woring on my '68 Dart 340 (with a '73 Duster K-member and suspension).
I took the t-bar out while I fitted the exhaust pipe into place. Now, trying to re-install the t-bar, and I can't get it to line up.
The UCA bumper is removed, the LCA adjustment bolt is fully loosened, the strut rod is not torqued, the car is lifted on the frame rails....in short, everything is hanging as low down as it will go. UCA is about 1/4" from hitting the bracket on the frame rail.
Still, I am just a smidgen off from being able to slide the t-bar in. See photos.

This is on driver side.

This is especially frustrating because the thing was in place before I removed it to do the exhaust pipe. So, I don't know what could have changed. It was very tight and difficult to get out, even though the car hasn't been driven since the t-bar was installed. Maybe that suggests that it was in a bind already; I don't know. But, I don't remember it being that hard to install the first time.

I'm sure somebody on here can explain to me what a dumbass I am and what I'm doing wrong. I'll take it!!!

 

[Dana67Dart]

What are we looking at here, orange

Do you need to rotate the socket green or blue

 

[charliec]

Socket needs to rotate green

 

[RustyRatRod]

Do you have the lower control arm separated from the lower ball joint?

 

[charliec]

Do you have the lower control arm separated from the lower ball joint?

No.

 

[remytherat]

Is the adjuster arm all the way down? The angle of the arm shouldn’t matter if the adjuster bolt is out. The socket connects to the rotating adjuster arm, not the body of the lca

 

[charliec]

I'll check that.....at halftime.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

Bigger hammer

 

[Dana67Dart]

Bigger hammer

Smarter hammer!

 

[Dana67Dart]

Socket needs to rotate green

I guess I'm not understanding what is preventing you from rotating the socket or the adjuster

 

[cosgig]

Tap on the LCA with a hammer and make sure it’s all the way down. I had that same problem with the 71 Cuda, the torsion bar broke sometime about 30+ years ago, and for the life of me I couldn’t get the damn thing to clock. Pounded on the LCA and it dropped a little more and that did the trick. Make sure the LCA shaft nut is also loosened.

 

[abodyjoe]

Woring on my '68 Dart 340 (with a '73 Duster K-member and suspension).
I took the t-bar out while I fitted the exhaust pipe into place. Now, trying to re-install the t-bar, and I can't get it to line up.
The UCA bumper is removed, the LCA adjustment bolt is fully loosened, the strut rod is not torqued, the car is lifted on the frame rails....in short, everything is hanging as low down as it will go. UCA is about 1/4" from hitting the bracket on the frame rail.
Still, I am just a smidgen off from being able to slide the t-bar in. See photos.

This is on driver side.

View attachment 1716460528 View attachment 1716460531

This is especially frustrating because the thing was in place before I removed it to do the exhaust pipe. So, I don't know what could have changed. It was very tight and difficult to get out, even though the car hasn't been driven since the t-bar was installed. Maybe that suggests that it was in a bind already; I don't know. But, I don't remember it being that hard to install the first time.

I'm sure somebody on here can explain to me what a dumbass I am and what I'm doing wrong. I'll take it!!!

blabe isn't all the way down . may have to drop the lower arm some more. or is it too far down? hard to tell from the picture..

 

[charliec]

Everything was a loose as it could be, adjuster bolt all the way out, adjuster arm tapped down, strut rod loosened, etc., etc., but it still was just a hair off from fitting into the hex.
FINALLY, I put a pipe wrench on the hex socket and twisted ever so lightly. BOOM, went right in. Live and learn.

 

[TheGrateRonzini]

So, I had clocked Drivers tbar one click from the adjuster, just to get her rolling, slid in whatever… I had to wedge a hammer handle and other junk to force the adjuster down from engine compartment side to get it to line up. Glad you got her!

 

[harrisonm]

Do you have the lower control arm separated from the lower ball joint?

No.

Based on this answer, I have a question. Do you have the LCA attached to the spindle and the spindle attached to the UCA? You just said the UCA Bumper was removed. Now I am not NEARLY the Mopar suspension expert that many members here are, but I have completely rebuilt several A Body front suspensions with no problems. Every time I have reinstalled a torsion bar, I did it with the LCA hanging loose, not attached to anything. That allows you to push down on the LCA just a little further than when hooked up to the spindle and UCA. I have never had a problem. They just slide in. You say that everything is hanging as low as it will go, but if the LCA is hanging by itself, it will go down a bit more. This has been my finding. Then assemble the ball joints, UCA and spindle.

 

[RustyRatRod]

Based on this answer, I have a question. Do you have the LCA attached to the spindle and the spindle attached to the UCA? You just said the UCA Bumper was removed. Now I am not NEARLY the Mopar suspension expert that many members here are, but I have completely rebuilt several A Body front suspensions with no problems. Every time I have reinstalled a torsion bar, I did it with the LCA hanging loose, not attached to anything. That allows you to push down on the LCA just a little further than when hooked up to the spindle and UCA. I have never had a problem. They just slide in. You say that everything is hanging as low as it will go, but if the LCA is hanging by itself, it will go down a bit more. This has been my finding. Then assemble the ball joints, UCA and spindle.

In post #13 he said he got it back in. He grabbed the torsion bar hex with a big pipe wrench and turned it a little more.

 

[charliec]

Based on this answer, I have a question. Do you have the LCA attached to the spindle and the spindle attached to the UCA? You just said the UCA Bumper was removed. Now I am not NEARLY the Mopar suspension expert that many members here are, but I have completely rebuilt several A Body front suspensions with no problems. Every time I have reinstalled a torsion bar, I did it with the LCA hanging loose, not attached to anything. That allows you to push down on the LCA just a little further than when hooked up to the spindle and UCA. I have never had a problem. They just slide in. You say that everything is hanging as low as it will go, but if the LCA is hanging by itself, it will go down a bit more. This has been my finding. Then assemble the ball joints, UCA and spindle.

Yeah, that might be the ticket if you're just building from scratch. Mine was already together with the bar in place. I removed the tbar to install a set of head pipes, and was then trying to get the tbar back in. I really couldn't see disassembling the whole left side suspension to do that. Even the FSM tells me to just let the assembled suspension hang after removing the upper bumper and jacking up the car using the frame rails as a lift point. All is well and life is beautiful...the tbar is happy where it is.

 

[harrisonm]

Yeah, that might be the ticket if you're just building from scratch. Mine was already together with the bar in place. I removed the tbar to install a set of head pipes, and was then trying to get the tbar back in. I really couldn't see disassembling the whole left side suspension to do that. Even the FSM tells me to just let the assembled suspension hang after removing the upper bumper and jacking up the car using the frame rails as a lift point. All is well and life is beautiful...the tbar is happy where it is.

Sorry I guess I overlooked the fact that you got it in. @RustyRatRod told me you said that in post 13. You are right about one thing. The only time I have ever reinstalled T Bars was when rebuilding the entire suspension, and it was all apart. I am glad you figured it out.

 

[MILO]

I use a pipe wrench to turn the socket and it will line up

 

[charliec]

Ummmmm....Read post #13, above.