Guys, should I replace my torsion bars?

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cruiser

cruiser

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Hi Guys/Gals: I'm about to do a full ( first time ever) rebuild of the front suspension on my 1974 slant six powered Duster. This will be a full stock rebuild - new ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, stabilizer link bushings - the full deal. My rebuilder says I don't need to replace the factory original torsion bars, as there is plenty of adjustability left in them when setting the ride height. These bars have 236,700 miles and 48 years on them. If I'm going to replace them, this is the time as everything will be apart. They seem to perform perfectly now, and I'm inclined to keep them. As the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". What do you think I should do? Thanks - cruiser

PS: Can anyone recommend a good full rebuild kit at a good price? PST? Whadya think?
 
Slant 6 torsion bars were too small and too soft straight from the factory, even before they were pushing 50 years old. If this is a car you’re going to drive on that street with radial tires, get a set of 1.03” torsion bars from PST and pair them with a good set of shocks.

PST is a decent place to get a suspension rebuild kit if your car still has most of its original parts and you intend to re-use the factory control arms, spindles etc. I don’t buy kits generally, but I also replace a lot of the factory parts with aftermarket stuff, so a full “kit” usually has a lot of redundancy when paired with the upgrades I do.
 
Based on what you're plan is for the entire front end rebuild, I would upgrade the torsion bars to 1.03" with a good set of shocks. Once you're done you won't regret it. 65'
 
I agree with the other guys on the T bars. As for all the suspension rebuild parts, tie rods, pitman, ideler and such. Look at Rockauto. I bought all moog for my 75 Hang 10 form there cheaper than any other places I could find..
 
72bluNblu said:
Slant 6 torsion bars were too small and too soft straight from the factory, even before they were pushing 50 years old. If this is a car you’re going to drive on that street with radial tires, get a set of 1.03” torsion bars from PST and pair them with a good set of shocks.

PST is a decent place to get a suspension rebuild kit if your car still has most of its original parts and you intend to re-use the factory control arms, spindles etc. I don’t buy kits generally, but I also replace a lot of the factory parts with aftermarket stuff, so a full “kit” usually has a lot of redundancy when paired with the upgrades I do.
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I rebuilt my front end using parts from some different sources including PST. I’ve got the PST 1.03 bars and absolutely love them under my 5.9 magnum. It’s a huge difference compared to the old worn stockers. IMO you won’t be sorry. A sway bar added to the mix helps lots too. Before the rebuild I felt like I was taking my life in my hands at highway speeds but after the new and upgraded components I’d drive it anywhere. James at PST is great to deal with and he gives us the fabo discount.
 
Whether you decide to replace the T-bars or not (I would, and also upgrade them to something bigger in diameter) get a front sway bar. That helps a lot with handling.
 
I did a PST rebuild kit with their 1.03 torsion bars and Bilstein shocks. The car rode like a hardtail motorcycle. Every small blip in the road felt like a massive bang inside the car. If you ever need to loosen up some hard to reach bolts under the dash, just drive the car like that for a week and you'll have everything removed for you.

The fix was getting new leafs in the back. Went from original 5 leaf to 6 leaf +1". It sits a little high in the back right now but it'll settle over time. The leaf upgrade was all the difference in the world. The car handles so much better than it used to and it no longer feels terrible when hitting bumps.
 
67dartgtgo said:
I rebuilt my front end using parts from some different sources including PST. I’ve got the PST 1.03 bars and absolutely love them under my 5.9 magnum. It’s a huge difference compared to the old worn stockers. IMO you won’t be sorry. A sway bar added to the mix helps lots too. Before the rebuild I felt like I was taking my life in my hands at highway speeds but after the new and upgraded components I’d drive it anywhere. James at PST is great to deal with and he gives us the fabo discount.
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Same here but I went all poly except motor mounts from PST.
90-100 for hours at a time going back and forth to the beach from AZ.
Those 1.03 bars are the ticket.
5.9 here as well, with a 42RH overdrive behind that.
 
yes i'd replace them.. you keeping the slant six long term too? i'd go with .920 - 1" bars.. think it would be a nice improvement without being too much.
 
cruiser said:
Hi Guys/Gals: I'm about to do a full ( first time ever) rebuild of the front suspension on my 1974 slant six powered Duster. This will be a full stock rebuild - new ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, stabilizer link bushings - the full deal. My rebuilder says I don't need to replace the factory original torsion bars, as there is plenty of adjustability left in them when setting the ride height. These bars have 236,700 miles and 48 years on them. If I'm going to replace them, this is the time as everything will be apart. They seem to perform perfectly now, and I'm inclined to keep them. As the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". What do you think I should do? Thanks - cruiser

PS: Can anyone recommend a good full rebuild kit at a good price? PST? Whadya think?
Click to expand...
Here ya go.
[FOR SALE] - Torsion Bars
 
I went from the factory slant bars to a set of "340 spec" bars 892/893 and the ride is still pretty soft. I honestly cant tell much of a difference. You might consider getting a set of lower control arms with provisions for a sway bar while you already have it all apart.
 
Fawkes said:
I went from the factory slant bars to a set of "340 spec" bars 892/893 and the ride is still pretty soft. I honestly cant tell much of a difference. You might consider getting a set of lower control arms with provisions for a sway bar while you already have it all apart.
Click to expand...
For my sl/6 4spd 66 cuda, I swapped the BBP disks, & 8-1/4" rear axle from a 73 Scamp, Mustang road wheels, 383 bars from a 67 383 cuda, and rear sway bar from a 76 dart cop car, maybe rear leafs from the cop car, too. I don't remember exactly because it was like 25yrs ago. But it handled so good, I never got around to putting a front sway bar on it.
 
Id agree with the 1.03 bars. But if you do the bars, I would put a vote in for doing the rear leaf springs while your at it.

I rebuilt the front end on the car over 10 years ago but kept the factory slant six bars. When I went to upgrade the rear, I ended up putting the 10in drums up front, the 1.03 bars, leaf springs from ESPO, some new shocks and the car handles a lot better now. The car wasnt scary before but did lean into the turns. Now with the bars shocks and rear springs the car does stay pretty flat in the turns. The car is a 68 convertible with the slant six and the auto.
 
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