how to remove the torsion bars??

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65cudasteve

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ok guys i need help once again...just like the title says how do you remove the torsion bars off a 65 formula s cuda??? show pics if you can thanks!
 
best bet is to have a factory service manual by your side. it will tell you and have pics.


basically goes like this:

1) get car on jack stands and safe
2) loosen the torsion bar adjusting bolt all the way
3) remove torsion bar retaining clip at rear of bar
4) slide the torsion bar out the rear of the cross member. could be tough. if your re using them then don't knick the bars and use the removal tool or something similar, if not using the bars over you can just stick a set of vice grips or something on them and bang the bars out.
 
i really need to invest in one of those FSM's i dont have one. lol sorry for all the questions
 
also i dont have the removal tool and i need to drop the k frame and put the new one back in but i dont want to damage the torsion bars though so where can i find this removal tool??
 
Easy enough to make a T/B removal tool just use a couple u-bolts and a piece of angle iron from the Hardware store .I like to wrap the bolts in heavy cloth tape so they don't scratch the bars.I welded this up but it doesnt need to be so complicated.

tea cup metal bits planter box torsion bar tool 010.JPG
 
i found one for 34.95 that is not on ebay and jomoper i dont have a welder at my house i work at borla.
 
65cudasteve said:
ok guys i need help once again...just like the title says how do you remove the torsion bars off a 65 formula s cuda??? show pics if you can thanks!
Click to expand...

The easiest way is to jack the front up and put it on jack stands, loosen the adjuster all they way out, loosen your strut rod, loosen the front nut on the lower control arm, remove the retaining clip at the rear of the torsion bar. Now you can push the lower control arm toward the back of the car and the torsion bar should pop right out. Good Luck
 
65cudasteve i found one for 34.95 that is not on ebay and jomoper i dont have a welder at my house i work at borla.
Click to expand...
cudasteve no need for a welder,just a drill .I made mine a bit more robust as I've used it often .If it's a one time deal you could probably make one for less than $10. But that's just me I'm cheap that's probably why My car still isn't done ! LOL.
 
Like they said; Loosen everything, put a rag, then a small piece of tin, wrapped around it, then a pipe wrench. Then smack the pipe wrench on the side.
 
can someone explain pre loading? im getting nervous now that mine are in.... i can only go it one way and with the adjuster and paw ALL the way down...slide it in then put back together right? i noticed whe trying to get it in only one postion was close to match and fall in then add the pressure...did i miss something on the 30 degree etc?
 
tarvin890 said:
can someone explain pre loading? im getting nervous now that mine are in.... i can only go it one way and with the adjuster and paw ALL the way down...slide it in then put back together right? i noticed whe trying to get it in only one postion was close to match and fall in then add the pressure...did i miss something on the 30 degree etc?
Click to expand...

I answered that in your other thread.


And to the OP, my old bars just came right out with a little pressure by hand to get the grease to let go of them.
Just wiggled them up and down a little, pulled and were free.
The new ones were a breeze going back in, and I think the entire job took me about an hour.
Some are a *****, some are easy so don't get too freaked out yet.:)
 
65cudasteve said:
i really need to invest in one of those FSM's i dont have one. lol sorry for all the questions
Click to expand...

You don't HAVE to buy them if .pdf is OK, you can download 'em free

here

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?p=1970088617

and more here

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

As AbodyJoe said DO NOT nick the bars. This means no pipe wrenches, vise grips or any other kind of pliers or ANYthing which scratches and nicks the surface

You CAN get these out without the removal tool. Remove the strut rod nuts, remove the pivot nuts, and get a big-azz pry bar. Get up in there and pry between the front of the lower arm and the K member to force the lower arm pivot 'to the rear.' It will push the bar out. Don't forget to remove the bar retainer clips, two wire clips at the very rear of the bars
 
67Dart273 said:
You don't HAVE to buy them if .pdf is OK, you can download 'em free

here

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?p=1970088617

and more here

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

As AbodyJoe said DO NOT nick the bars. This means no pipe wrenches, vise grips or any other kind of pliers or ANYthing which scratches and nicks the surface

You CAN get these out without the removal tool. Remove the strut rod nuts, remove the pivot nuts, and get a big-azz pry bar. Get up in there and pry between the front of the lower arm and the K member to force the lower arm pivot 'to the rear.' It will push the bar out. Don't forget to remove the bar retainer clips, two wire clips at the very rear of the bars
Click to expand...

That's how I did it, and it was a breeze and since I was in there anyway I replaced the strut rod bushings with PST two piece poly's.
Set my toe in at 1/16 and been watching for a wear pattern over the course of about 5,000 miles but there isn't one. :D
 
Bumping this thread

67Dart273 said:
You CAN get these out without the removal tool. Remove the strut rod nuts, remove the pivot nuts, and get a big-azz pry bar. Get up in there and pry between the front of the lower arm and the K member to force the lower arm pivot 'to the rear.' It will push the bar out. Don't forget to remove the bar retainer clips, two wire clips at the very rear of the bars
Click to expand...

Thank you for that info. I couldn’t find my torsion bar tool and wasn’t having any luck getting mine out. Google it and came across this thread. Did what you said and it work perfectly!
 
It seems like there's a broad range of how much of a fight these put up that aren't necessarily linked to age/wear and tear, etc.

@jedrattle , how are you making out? If you're still having trouble despite the pry bar method, I'd suggest fully disconnecting the lower control arm from the strut rod, shock, spindle. Any load on the spring at all can make a huge difference in the difficulty of removing and installing these bars.

Say what you will about Chrysler's build tolerances in the 60s and 70s, they seem to have gotten the fit between the torsion bars and the LCA sockets down to the sub-micron level :D
 
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