How Many Turns for the Torsion Bar?

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1969VADart

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I am close to completing my disc brake swap on my 1969 Dodge Dart GT. I am currently running, and plan to keep, my 15x7 inch wheels (4 1/4" BS I believe) on the car with 215/65R15s. In order to give myself a little more room under the front for comfort and to accommodate some likely increase in track width, I want to raise the front of the car up with the torsion bars. My question is approximately how many turns equate to how much rise in the car? For instance, does five full turns equal one inch of increased ride height? Would appreciate some insight before I start making the adjustments. Obviously, I can trial and error it, but I wanted to get some feedback that might help. Thanks.
 
nothing set in stone. a larger bar will take less turns then a smaller bar does. best bet is move each bar a full turn or two and see what happens. then go from there.
 
Since there are several T-bars to chose from,and 50 year old bars likely wouldn't all respond the same way, I doubt anyone could make such a correlation.
My advice is to get the weight off the suspension, and run the adjusters halfway up for a baseline. Drop the car down, and unless you are on turning-plates, relax the suspension by rolling the car backwards 3.5 to 4 ft, and then return to the starting place. Measure from the lowest point on the K-frame at the center of the K, about under the engine balancer, looking for ~6 inches. Repeat as may be necessary.
Six inches is not the factory spec. It is just a measurement that I have found adequate for my driving style, on city streets. With 340 bars or less, you may require more than 6", for your application.
 
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to accommodate some likely increase in track width,
Increasing the front track more than just a hair, is a no-no, unless you understand scrub radius. Even then you can create a bad-steering situation. If you need a wider front track, get an E-body, that is why they were created.
 
Increasing the front track more than just a hair, is a no-no, unless you understand scrub radius. Even then you can create a bad-steering situation. If you need a wider front track, get an E-body, that is why they were created.

he is doing a large bolt disc brake swap. track width widens with that.
 
nothing set in stone. a larger bar will take less turns then a smaller bar does. best bet is move each bar a full turn or two and see what happens. then go from there.

Totally agree. It will depend on the torsion bar diameter, how much "sag" it has had over time, etc, etc.

Only way to do this would be trial and error. With stock sized bars a turn at a time would probably be the way to go if you're starting from the current ride height.

he is doing a large bolt disc brake swap. track width widens with that.

Yup, no way around that. And the factory parts did that, the factory didn't seem to think it was an issue for the 73+ disk brake cars.

I'll also add for the OP that you probably shouldn't raise the car higher than the original factory height. The suspension geometry for running radial tires gets worse as you add ride height, even the factory height isn't ideal for radials or a more modern alignment. The factory manual provides that measurement, "V&L" describes the factory A-body ride height. Most cars get lower over time, so more than likely your car is lower than the factory spec for height already.

factoryalignspecs.jpg
 
As many turns as it takes to put the car where you want it.
 
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