Trouble Installing New Torsion Bars

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70PlymDstr

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Hello, I've been helping my dad with his 1970 Plymouth Duster (318 engine) When we got the car the drivers side torsion bar was busted. He bought two NOS ones at a swap meet and recently tried to install them. The trouble we are having is that they don't seem to want to slide into their housings easily. We have disconnected the spring from the front suspension and are able to push the whole assembly pretty far down. He also has the adjuster backed off completely. The can get it in ok if we turn the opposite direction, but then the adjuster is like half way maxed out. He measured the diameter of the center of the bars and found that the old ones were approximately .885 and the new ones are .920. Slightly beefier. Any help is appreciated. Thanks
 
Make sure the lower control arms are as far down as they can possibly go. Might need a big prybar.
 
take a big set of channel locks and turn the socket down to line up with the bars...make sure you have them clocked the right way in the cross member
 
70PlymDstr said:
--- I've been helping my dad with his 1970 Plymouth Duster (318 engine) --
Click to expand...
-- Not sure about the fitment problem. It may be because you are fighting the HD spring rate. Also, I believe that the .920" bars are a little heavy for your application. - See attached.
 

Attachments

RPMagoo said:
-- Not sure about the fitment problem. It may be because you are fighting the HD spring rate. Also, I believe that the .920" bars are a little heavy for your application. - See attached.
Click to expand...

Not heavy at all. Even bigger wouldn't hurt.
 
Split the lower ball joint, then install the torsion bar and then bolt the lower ball joint back up....
 
There should be no fighting any spring rate at all, as they should slide right in when things are lined up.

Is the shock disconnected?
If so you may very well need to pop the bottom ball joint loose to get them in there, but you shouldn't have to.

That comment about the "adjusters half way maxed out" bugs me a little.
Does this mean if you do get the bar in that the adjuster has to be at about half way in for the car to sit at ride height?
If so, that could be where they go.
I have 1.03 bars and they slid right in without disconnecting anything but the shocks, AND my adjusters are at about half way, so it makes me wonder if you are trying to get it all the way over to the next hex (one too many) and it's never go together.
 
IMO, Rusty is right. I have always just pushed down really hard on the lower control arm with one hand, and with the other hand the torsion bar always just popped right in
 
harrisonm said:
IMO, Rusty is right. I have always just pushed down really hard on the lower control arm with one hand, and with the other hand the torsion bar always just popped right in
Click to expand...

Yea, with the shocks disconnected. :D
 
With a busted T-bar, you have to think why it broke. I bet if you pop the LCA off you will find other damage; like the pin in the bushing is way off center, or the pin receiver is busted. This may put the T-bar socket out of line with the rear anchor, making installation quite difficult.

It's also possible for the front stub-frame to be out of alignment due to rust having separated the apron from the firewall, that apron supports the frame rail. If it moves so does the stub, and again the socket is out of alignment with the anchor. I have seen and owned several A's over the years that broke T-bars on account of they were asked to do the job of the apron.

Put the jack under the rocker pinch weld, and see what happens.
 

I HAD to use a big a$$ pipe wrench on the 'socket' and push on it with my foot to get the LCA low enough for the torsion bar to 'slide' in, and my bars are just 340 rate so if your sliding them right in on the bigger bars, you might have the unclocked ones. Since the bigger diameters hardly move at all, they can be made to install with the LCS hanging under normal tension. The rear of the bars have lines on them, put the lines so they are at about 2:00. / and remember the right (passenger) side has the even number
 
pishta said:
I HAD to use a big a$$ pipe wrench on the 'socket' and push on it with my foot to get the LCA low enough for the torsion bar to 'slide' in, and my bars are just 340 rate so if your sliding them right in on the bigger bars, you might have the unclocked ones. Since the bigger diameters hardly move at all, they can be made to install with the LCS hanging under normal tension. The rear of the bars have lines on them, put the lines so they are at about 2:00. / and remember the right (passenger) side has the even number
Click to expand...

My 1.03 bars are OEM clocked and they went right in no problems.
All I had to do was back the adjusters all the way off and disconnect the shocks then lightly pull the A arms down by hand.

(I am sure about the clocking because I waited till they made the new ones with the OEM clock before I ordered them, AND verified it when I got em)
 
The lower control arms have more down travel when they are free from
all other parts like mentioned by most above.
If you also loosen the "Lower Control Arm" pivot pin the "LCA" can be rotated lowered
even more easily without lots of pressure since it then can slide to the rear and not
interfere with the k-frame. No more struggle.
 
ssba said:
The lower control arms have more down travel when they are free from
all other parts like mentioned by most above.
If you also loosen the "Lower Control Arm" pivot pin the "LCA" can be rotated lowered
even more easily without lots of pressure since it then can slide to the rear and not
interfere with the k-frame. No more struggle.
Click to expand...

That was the point of my post. Split the lower control arm so it can be aligned with the torsion bar better, then reconnect it when you get it in....
 
RPMagoo said:
-- Not sure about the fitment problem. It may be because you are fighting the HD spring rate. Also, I believe that the .920" bars are a little heavy for your application. - See attached.
Click to expand...

My clocked 1.03 bars went right in no fuss. But that was with the spindles and sway bar disconnected, so it was just the lower control arms loosely bolted into the k member (I could move them easy). Everything being said above is what should be done
 
My 1.03 heavily clocked bars (circa 1999), have been in and out many,many, times with only a little fuss. No shock drops, no bump-stop removal. But I should add that the LCA pivot pins are free to rotate inside the poly bushings.And the sockets are greased.
 
Haven't heard it mentioned , but clean the sockets of any old dried up gritty grease. I got in a buncha shyt for robbing the gran baby's bottle brush from the house.
 
Thanks for your advice everyone. For the most part he had everything exactly as it should go. The posts here reassured him he was doing things the right way. He used a socket and a bigger hammer to drive it home. Both are installed and he's settling them in.
 
70PlymDstr said:
Thanks for your advice everyone. For the most part he had everything exactly as it should go. The posts here reassured him he was doing things the right way. He used a socket and a bigger hammer to drive it home. Both are installed and he's settling them in.
Click to expand...

Good deal. Glad yall got them installed!
 
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