Torsion bar question 6 vs V8??

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Ed Ruhl

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Hello
I have a question for folks that have more mopar knowledge than me.

I am upgrading my 225 to a 318/360 haven't decided and I have a pair of torsion bars that were supposed to come out of a V8.
one end has 625 CKN other one has 624 CKN
opposite ends
L 055 and R 045

Only thing I understand is the L and R lol any help decoding would be much appreciated....

Thanks FABO

Ed

torsion bar 1.jpg


torsion bar 2.jpg
 
Measure the diameter of the bar after it tapers to be sure what it is. Calipers help.
 
There's also a front and rear. In other words, they have to be facing the right direction front to rear. I cannot remember "which way" is correct, but some of these buys will. You don't want to install them backwards, because they will be twisting the "wrong way" and severely increase their chances of breaking.
 
There's also a front and rear. In other words, they have to be facing the right direction front to rear. I cannot remember "which way" is correct, but some of these buys will. You don't want to install them backwards, because they will be twisting the "wrong way" and severely increase their chances of breaking.
Front to back doesn't matter for twisting operation. Left and right does though.
 
Yup, early A bars out of a standard V8 application. If you want better handling, I'd go with bigger bars than that. Even though it doesn't matter which end goes forward, I like to keep the part number (last 3 digits) toward the rear so you can see which ones are in the car in case you forget, plus that's the way they came from the factory.
 
I believe the numbers are the last three of the part number. For best handling with a small block, look for around 1.00" bar. The bigger the bar the stiffer the ride but better it will handle turns. It really depends on how you will be driving the car. I have 1" in my swinger and its so much better of a ride than the stock 340 bars. That plus front and rear sway bars make a world of difference.
 
Some people bought into the idea that bigger bars make the car ride too stiff.
The Direct Connection and Mopar Performance books and literature pushed some good info but some bullshit as well.
Remember the "thin wall 440" myth?
The factory used very conservative torsion bar sizes to coincide with what consumers wanted at the time. Soft ride, small tires, over boosted power steering....all the sort of thing the buyers seemed to want back then.
I have 1.0 bars in a 67 Dart with a 360. It does not ride harsh.
I have 1.15 bars in my Charger. That car rides great too.
Going from .85 to .89 bars is pointless to me unless the .89 bars are free.
 
Your mileage may vary, as they say... I subscribe to the "moderate spring rate, high roll resistance" theory. Anti-sway bars can provide any amount of cornering stiffness with very little penalty to ride quality. Trying to stiffen cornering purely via high spring rates will result in a harsher ride over bumps. if all you do is cruise on smooth asphalt, you may never notice any difference. But if you like to explore back roads, retaining as much suspension compliance as possible will help keep your tires on the road, instead of up in the air where they have zero traction.

That said, there is very little weight difference between a slant six and a small block V8. The reason the factory used higher rate torsion bars on V8s is because of the perceived customer preferences. 6cyl. buyers were assumed to have little interest in going fast. So an upgrade is probably a good idea; .890 might be your minimum starting point. You might also think about the rear springs — a stiff front and soft rear may not be the ideal combo.
 
Your mileage may vary, as they say... I subscribe to the "moderate spring rate, high roll resistance" theory. Anti-sway bars can provide any amount of cornering stiffness with very little penalty to ride quality. Trying to stiffen cornering purely via high spring rates will result in a harsher ride over bumps. if all you do is cruise on smooth asphalt, you may never notice any difference. But if you like to explore back roads, retaining as much suspension compliance as possible will help keep your tires on the road, instead of up in the air where they have zero traction.

That said, there is very little weight difference between a slant six and a small block V8. The reason the factory used higher rate torsion bars on V8s is because of the perceived customer preferences. 6cyl. buyers were assumed to have little interest in going fast. So an upgrade is probably a good idea; .890 might be your minimum starting point. You might also think about the rear springs — a stiff front and soft rear may not be the ideal combo.
Except maybe in the bedroom! :lol:
 
I agree, the 1" bars do not ride harsh. However, it is a substantial difference in handling over the stock bars. I dont think you need to go much bigger than 1" on a small block car unless you plan on doing some extreme road racing and in that case you would probably ditch the torsion bar setup anyways.
 
IIRC, the even numbered stuff always goes to the driver's side
Since we are in the Early-A forum ;
I once stuffed a 340 into a 65 Valiant V100 wagon, that had had a wicked oil-burming slanty in it. It was fine with the slanty bars ...... but it was a wagon so IDK what bars it was born with.
Could it have been better?
Yes I'm sure it would have liked more bar, but with a 340 and fenderwell headers, she was more of a point and shoot kindacar.
 
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The L and the R ends go in the front. At least that is what a bone stock RR owner said......The direction of the L and R end (front to back) does not matter as the twist is the same direction.
 
I am looking for the .85 or the .87. In the race car in my avatar, I have the .83, perfect for drag racing. Not great for a BB on the street LOL
 
The L and the R ends go in the front. At least that is what a bone stock RR owner said......The direction of the L and R end (front to back) does not matter as the twist is the same direction.

Agree. Literature I have says the numbers are supposed to be on the anchor end, which would put the L and R ends on the front. Of course, factory assembly procedures being what they were back then, I'll bet some of them got put in the other way.
 
the paint dabs were supposed to be on the forward half too, not sure of they survive 40 years of exposure.
 
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