340_dart_power
Well-Known Member
Well, I decided over the weekend to try and do this myself at home.
Things went fairly well, considering my lack of skills at things mechanical, but I hit a snag when I rotated the driver's side front socket to position it to accept the new torsion bar. I didn't know or realize the socket was attached to the adjustment arm, so when I turned the socket to a new position to line up with and accept the new bar, the arm was way up out of position. I realized what I had done and hammered the new bar out and turned the socket so that the arm was down where it was supposed to be.
Anyway, got both bars installed successfully.
I will say that without the Torsion Bar Removal Tool I bought off eBay, this would have been a bugger of a job. I clamped it to the old bars and hammered away until they popped out, then clamped it to the new ones and hammered until they popped in. Definitely worth the $50.00 I paid for it.
Also, kudos and a hearty slap on the back to MoparDude318's suggestion about boiling the new rubber seals in water to soften them up prior to intall on the bars; worked like a charm.
In the top photo we have the famous Torsion Bar Removal Tool in place and ready to be hammered upon to withdraw/install the bars.
In the second photo, the torsion bar adjustment bolt and bracket are still in place after 38 years.
3rd one is of the bolts, brackets and keeper springs (used at the rear of the bars) after they were removed.
Next is the bolt heads and brackets during painting.
Fifth is of new bars v. old bars.
6th is a good shot looking straight upwards at the front torsion bar socket and attached adjustment arm.
7th is of the passenger's side rear torsion bar socket.
8th photo is of the driver's side bar prior to removal.
I'll take some of the new bars installed when I get a chance to do so.
Things went fairly well, considering my lack of skills at things mechanical, but I hit a snag when I rotated the driver's side front socket to position it to accept the new torsion bar. I didn't know or realize the socket was attached to the adjustment arm, so when I turned the socket to a new position to line up with and accept the new bar, the arm was way up out of position. I realized what I had done and hammered the new bar out and turned the socket so that the arm was down where it was supposed to be.
Anyway, got both bars installed successfully.
I will say that without the Torsion Bar Removal Tool I bought off eBay, this would have been a bugger of a job. I clamped it to the old bars and hammered away until they popped out, then clamped it to the new ones and hammered until they popped in. Definitely worth the $50.00 I paid for it.
Also, kudos and a hearty slap on the back to MoparDude318's suggestion about boiling the new rubber seals in water to soften them up prior to intall on the bars; worked like a charm.
In the top photo we have the famous Torsion Bar Removal Tool in place and ready to be hammered upon to withdraw/install the bars.
In the second photo, the torsion bar adjustment bolt and bracket are still in place after 38 years.
3rd one is of the bolts, brackets and keeper springs (used at the rear of the bars) after they were removed.
Next is the bolt heads and brackets during painting.
Fifth is of new bars v. old bars.
6th is a good shot looking straight upwards at the front torsion bar socket and attached adjustment arm.
7th is of the passenger's side rear torsion bar socket.
8th photo is of the driver's side bar prior to removal.
I'll take some of the new bars installed when I get a chance to do so.
