Torsion bar adjuster arm hitting frame rail

[Paul73]

So my 69 roadrunner developed a new noise underneath just yesterday when I was driving to a car show and I got underneath and spotted the torsion bar adjustment arm was hitting the frame rail and it left rubbing marks on it. I tried messing with the adjustment but I can’t get it to where it doesn’t hit the frame and have the car sit even. Not sure if it is the wrong adjustment arm or if the Lower control arm bushings are worn and moving it around or maybe my bars are just worn out but just wanted to see if anyone has had the problem before or has any advice before I left remove the entire front suspension.

note: I have changed the upper control arms to firm feel tubular CA’s and replaced lower ball joints, tie rod ends, and shocks and the car does need a front end alignment.

 

[qkcuda]

I had the same issue. The lower control arm bushings were the problem

 

[66 Sat]

You can see in your photo how much clean fresh thread you've wound into the adjuster to level the car.
If you took the torsion bars out when you re-did the front end then you may have installed them without the LCA at full hang so the adjuster started in the wrong place, or the torsion bar has turned in it's socket on the cross-member (rust or weld failure).

 

[WileERobby]

The load is on the LCA, so there's a good probability the bushings are worn. Plus, you must install torsion bars with suspension at full hang without bumper-stops in to enable full adjustment of the torsion bar adjustment arm/bolt.

 

[Paul73]

Okay, I never had the torsion bars out but the car was really butchered together when I got it so it wouldn’t surprise me the guy who had it before me put them in wrong. It was a drag car back in the day so I’m sure they were Messing with the suspension. The socket doesn’t look like it spun in the cross member so think I’m just going to put new bushings in it and re enforce the lower controls arms while I’m at it and make sure the suspension is at full hang when I go to put the bars back in like you all said. Thank you all for the input!

 

[Orig69]

Do you have a picture of the passenger side?

 

[steve340]

It looks to me like the adjuster hex needs to go around 1 flat "lower" on the torsion bar.

 

[Paul73]

Do you have a picture of the passenger side?

I don’t right now but the arm has about 3/4 of an inch of clearance from the frame.

 

[Orig69]

The lower control arm socket just needs to be turned counter clockwise to the next flat.

With the torsion bar removed you can see the lower control arm bushing.