Great.. lol The front end of my 64 barracuda seems to have a very soft suspension in the front. The shocks were shot so that could be some. But did these cars have a soft front end suspension anyway?
I have the entire front suspension out right now. I still have the torsion bars hangin underneath because I didn't want to mix them up if they were side specific. I think I'll just install them back in with the new shocks and what not. If its still too soft of a ride I will change them out eventually. Not looking to build a race car. So I'm not looking for the high performance aspect.
Yes. Over time they sag. Cracks in the painted surface followed by exposure to salt will eventually cause rust to occur, weakening the torsion bar. This is why so many repair manuals caution would be mechanics not to scratch them.First question I have is, do torsion bars get weak?
Not directly. This is more related to worn shock absorbers. As a torsion bar sags, the front end of the car lowers reducing the jounce (upward travel) available to the wheel. In extreme cases, the LCA winds up on the bump stop forcing the sidewall of the tires to take on the spring role.As in causing the car to bounce more?
Not per se. You won't see an L or R anywhere on a factory torsion bar. The left and right bars have different numbers stamped into the rear-end of the bar. In my experience, the LH bar has an odd number, and the RH bar has an even number. It should correspond with what is on the build sheet.Also are they marked for left and right?
Technically, the bars do not get weak.
In fact, the spring rate does NOT change as the bars age. .
Then consider replacing the torsion bars, .870-.920 fine for cruising,
The bars do get weak. They are just like springs which fatigue with age and wear and get weaker and loose some of their spring rate.....
The spring rate of the bar does not significantly change or get "softer", but will deform after many cycles. To compensate the factory put an adjuster on one end. Eventually the spring will fatigue and break, but at the point of failure the spring material will be harder (stiffer) than the rest of the spring.
As others have said, these cars were, by current standards, quite undersprung from the factory. They really were that soft. Add worn shocks and suspension components and sloppy handling is the result. What condition is the rest of your front end in? Even a basic front end rebuild will produce a "night and day" difference. Since your front end is "bouncy" it shows that the torsion bars are working just fine (it also shows that your shocks are shot).
Assuming you aren't made of money, I would suggest you do the following: First, rebuild the front end with quality parts and good shocks (rear spring bushings and shocks too). Next step would be to add a front sway bar (huge difference). Then consider replacing the torsion bars, .870-.920 fine for cruising, something more like 1.00 for performance handling. Along the way you'll want to consider front disk brakes (I'd do this with the front end rebuild or soon thereafter), and a wheel/tire upgrade. Be honest about your budget and what you plan to use the car for.
This is false. The spring rate does not change significantly. That's why you can have leaf springs re-arched. You can even have torsion bars reconditioned by Firm Feel. That would not be possible if the springs lost rate. The spring constant of the metal is not based on its age or use, it is determined by its metallurgic composition.
Exactly. I would say no smaller than 1" torsion bars though. 1" bars are still pretty compliant, and give a good ride quality with quality shocks. I had 1" bars on my Duster for awhile, upgraded them to 1.12" bars to get the performance I wanted.
So I should be able to tell which ones I have by the number stamped on them?
Yes. Should be an even number on the right and an odd number on the left.