Front suspension torsion rod rear rubber bushings torn.

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rick1062

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Ventura, CA
Working on a 1965 Barracuda.

The front suspension, torsion rod, rear rubber bushings torn and falling apart. What needs to be done to replace them. Just a daily driver. No other plans for it at this time.

Thanks in advance for your input,

Rick
 
Depends on what you are calling a "torsion rod". The torsion BAR has no bushings, but they do have a rubber boot at the rear. The STRUT rod has a bushing. If the strut rod bushing is bad then it needs to be replaced, not so much with the torsion bar boot (although it is a good idea).
 
Well, the strut rod doesnt have rear bushings either.Unless a guy called the rear half of the front, the rear. lol
--To change the T-bar boot requires the partial removal of the bar. Pop the rear clip,Back off the preload adjusters( counting the turns, so that you can return the preload later), and push the bars back, remove the old boot,clean the bar and hex anchor up,regrease, install new boot and reassemble, and reset the preloaders.Sounds easy.
--Sometimes its easy. But more than likely, that bar will give you fits. The absolute most important thing is to not damage that bar with any tool marks.There are specialty tools made to remove it.
--Recently I saw here on FABO where a guy had wrapped a rubber something or other patch around the bar a couple of turns,vise-gripped it on, and a few blows to the plier got it out. Seemed like a good idea. My bars usually slide right out. One method I have used is to remove the nut from the LCA inner bushing pin.Then using a prybar between the K and the LCA, pry everything to the rear. You will need to somehow grasp the bar before releasing the prybar so that everything just doesnt all go back. I find 2 or 3 pry-cycles/grasping usually gets it done.
 
if you're talking about the bushings shown in the first picture of the link given they are strut rod bushings. IF those are what you mean. I would, since the lower control arms need to be removed anyway, replace the lower control arm bushing at the same time as they are always bad.


rick1062 said:
Thanks Duster. This looks like a good start.

Rick
Click to expand...
 
If the new torsion bar boots are too hard to get over the torsion bar, I heat them up to 150° F in my toaster oven to make them more pliable to install.
 
AJ/FormS said:
Krazy; are you married? my wife would hate me for that.lol.Id have to sneak them in/out and hope theres no stink to tell on me.
Click to expand...


Not any more...


With all of the crap that women have in the bathroom, you have to argue that you can use the kitchen for some car work once in a while.... (Or you could always buy a toaster oven for the garage - but that's more money that you could have used for the car...) O:)


Put a little foil on the tray before you put them in and they won't hurt anything. :violent2:


Another point to bring up to the wife is: If I'm out in the garage working on the car, you know I'm not hanging out in bars chasing other women.... :D


There is no smell if you have to sneak them in while she's out running errands.... :cheers:
 
Jim Lusk said:
Depends on what you are calling a "torsion rod". The torsion BAR has no bushings, but they do have a rubber boot at the rear. The STRUT rod has a bushing. If the strut rod bushing is bad then it needs to be replaced, not so much with the torsion bar boot (although it is a good idea).
Click to expand...

Yes it seems like I have used the wrong term in my description. As you said, it is the torsion bar boot that I am talking about. It is completely torn and just hanging there.

So, the next question is then, how important is that boot? Can I let it go for a while without doing real damage? Or, can I just squeeze some silicone rubber sealant around the bar where it goes into the rear socket and buy some time? I realize this wouldn't be the correct way to go at it, but will it buy me some time until I can replace the boots?

This is a daily driver car, that gets light use, and we need to use it. But, I don't want to keep driving it if that will cause some real damage. What do you all think?


Thanks again for the input from all of you,

Rick
 
If your not gonna fix it, keep it well greased in the socket. Too much is not enough. If it is dry I think the bar would break.
 
Yeah, IMHO, your idea should work. And as Magnum says grease it up. There is a "water-proof grease" available in the Marine business, which I have seen in Motorcycle shops.
I have stripped out old As with ruptured boots, that when I pulled the bars, there was plenty of that long-fiber grease and no rust ,in there. Of course I had no idea how long the boots had been that way.
I put new PST boots on my new 1.03 bars many years ago. The boots were too small to go over the hexs,even heated. So I trimmed the centers out nicely, and forced them over. Well, I dont think that was a very good idea. They split and got water in them some time later, so I cut them off. Slathered some "waterproof" boat wheel-bearing grease on there and away I went. Well that wasnt the best idea either. Dirt and fine stones stuck to that like glue. So, off came the grease.Cleaned it all up, and have been driving it like that for at least 10 years.That is without any boots at all.From time to time the bars have been slid back for various reasons. A few daubs of fresh grease and in they go.
- Now Im not suggesting that you follow my example. Only that I have gotten away with it.
 
my boots are long gone too. Can still get bars out with LCA pry method, safest way and easiest.
 
So, if the boot is so important, why is there one on the rear and not the front? I tried installing the Energy suspension boot and it didn't fit even after stretching it. So, me being my frustrated self, said screw it and left them off. I knew I should have ordered some from FirmFeel when I got my bars. Granted, my car will see paved highway for 99.9% of its life, I wasn't too worried about it as, odds are, the car is going to be coming back apart in 3-5 years for paint.
 
Yeah, I had a stubborn one once. With no tool I had to take a lot of other stuff apart.IIRC the LCA pretty much came out with it.Well not the bj n stuff. Ok just the strut rod and the lower shock mount.Or maybe just the strutrod. That was decades ago.lol
 
You're in Ventura. It's probably not a big deal. I think in snow country I might worry about it. I'd put some grease on it and deal with the boot if you ever tear the front end apart for a rebuild.
 
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