torsion bars

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SRT_DSTRHOLC

SRT_DSTRHOLC

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How can i tell if mine are bad? My drivers side bolt wont tighten and its lower than the pass. side
 
I hate to ask, but is the car up in the air , tire off the ground when you try and tighten it up?

A big long 1/2 breaker bar may be needed for this.
 
Sounds like the adjuster may be seized, which is common. Try soaking with PB.

Torsion bars are a non-wearing part, they are a spring. A spring will change shape over time (hence the adjuster) but not the rate.
 
Always remember and never forget

If you have to remove your T bars, DON'T nick or scar them (don't use vice grips) You make a mark, you've just made a fracture point
 
Yes car is in the air first time i tried... ill try it again. The kid i bought it from dident look like someone who would remove them. I think they are stock, but i guess ill try it again but put something to lossen the nut up when i turn it
 
what are the numbers on the bars? or mic them out, just curious
 
One evening back in the late 1970s, I was just finished with dinner when I heard a fairly loud bang from outside, somewhat like if someone threw a softball at the house siding. Went outside to investigate...nothing. However, on my way to school early on the following morning in my '68 GTX, I felt every bump and divot on the road. When I got to school, I bounced the front end a couple of times and discovered that the right side would not bounce. It was then that I noticed that the right side was sitting a little lower than the left. AHA! Busted torsion bar.

It would not have been so bad replacing it if the problem occurred in summer, but it was in the dead of winter. Anyway, there was a picture perfect spiral fracture about 4 inches from the end on the crossmember side. I ended up with an icebreaker and a small curio for my bookshelf.
 
It should not be a nut that your turning to loosen the bar. It is a fairly long adjuster bolt. Make sure when you spray that bolt you get the threads behind the bolt hole really good. It may take several days and applications of rust remover to get it free to turn.
 
1/2 in. impact works really good at busting crud loose. Soak in PB and try to loosen it with the front end jacked up by the frame.
 
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