Have you actually ever BROKEN a torsion bar?

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Kern Dog

Kern Dog

Build your car to handle.
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I have a pair of A body 1.03 T bars for sale locally. A guy called today asking about them. We got to talking and he asked if they were marked left and right. He decided to pass on them since I told him that I didn't know which was left or right.
I've heard the warnings: Dont swap them side to side, Dont switch them end to end....But in 30 years of messing around with these cars, I have only seen ONE broken T-bar, and it was a skinny slant six spec unit. The bars in my Charger were pulled for a front end rebuild and reinstalled before I heard anyone warning me about maintaining their original orientation. No failures yet.
 
L and R are marked via either the part # or a L or R. End to end is just fine. And no I haven't seen one break in person, but it does occasionally happen.
 
They break, just like any spring can. That's why it's important to use the proper tools to remove them; a nick or gouge can become a stress riser and lead to fractures.
 
Never had one break that I owned.
I can recall seeing only 3 broken torsion bars.
 
Have only ever seen one broken t-bar that was on a Cordoba. You can tell left from right on the factory t-bars by the numbers stamped on the ends of the bars. Im not sure on aftermarket bars. Even number bars are passanger side, odd number are driver side.
 
I had one break on a 69 Swinger many years ago you sure take a nose drive when it happens It broke up close to the control arm end. I have replaced two or three in my 30 years while working as a mechanic
 
broke one in my teens on a challenger.
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Did the same but in a 65 Dodge Dart. When it happens the suspension on the side that breaks drops like a rock to the stops.
 
I had one break on my father's 1973 Duster. I was doing about 20mph and i heard a loud bang, next thing i knew the car was leaning like the tower of pizza. LOL
 
Most often they will break sitting, rather then driving , i had one break one time on a 75 new yorker i had sitting in the driveway, My father worked as a chrysler mechanic for many years , and told me always keep your shocks good on the front , if you let them get soft you will have tortion bar problems.
 
My wife broke one in a Cordoba backing out of the driveway.
 
:wave: Hi!

That would have been me that called. Didn't know you were on FABO! :D

Truthfully, I wasn't worried about them exploding. If there's any kind of built in offset, the ride height won't be right unless they're installed on the correct side. With my luck I'd install them "wrong" first, and I hate having to do jobs twice.
 
they are left and right specific, but ive never paid attention to which end went in the LCA. never had a failure.
 
My Dad's 1958 Dodge Coronet w/350 B engine. Pulled into my buddy's and parked. Came back out to leave and it was broken, left front was hangin pretty low.
 
Frankenduster said:
I have a pair of A body 1.03 T bars for sale locally. A guy called today asking about them. We got to talking and he asked if they were marked left and right. He decided to pass on them since I told him that I didn't know which was left or right.
I've heard the warnings: Dont swap them side to side, Dont switch them end to end....But in 30 years of messing around with these cars, I have only seen ONE broken T-bar, and it was a skinny slant six spec unit. The bars in my Charger were pulled for a front end rebuild and reinstalled before I heard anyone warning me about maintaining their original orientation. No failures yet.
Click to expand...

What are you lookin to get for them?
 
..............I;ve seen a few break in all my years, less than 10 though........3 just sitting....i always put them back in the same way they came out....unless ofcourse they were in wrong to begin with.........kim........
 
I have the 1.03 bars priced at $100. I bought them at a swap meet from a roundy round guy that decided to switch to 1.14 bars. Originally I was going to run big t-bars and a stock front sway bar. I decided to go with .920 T-bars and a homemade 1.25 sway bar. This will give me a softer ride but the cornering ability will be there when i want it. I don't have a use for these bars and I'd like to break even on what I paid.

Oh, to do a "mock-up", I have a set of frame rails and trans crossmember here that has all the floor pans removed. I can attach a K member and all suspension components to simulate a real world installation without all the pesky body panels in the way. I scrapped a 75 Duster 3 months ago and saved this. I can use it for an engine start stand. I may also use it to make a custom big block V8 K member.
 
My grandfather worked for dodge when the torsion bars were new.He said he remembered being out side in the lot and you would hear a bang.Bars would just break untill they got the bar thing down. I still have a few broken bars that I got from him.Pounded one down on the anvil and it makes an awesome pry bar.
 
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