Torsion Bar Removal!

[Donny]

Was wondering just how did I do it last time? LOL! I decided to NOT bang, and put some Vise Grips on and bang them that way; screw that! I just dropped the K member after releasing all tension from the Bars, let 'em bend just a tad, not enough to bend them, lowered the car again, K member slopping on the ground, go up and grab one end, and yank K member, PING, one Bar pops out, repeat other side, PING, there we go, easy!

 

[monaco66coupe]

Oh Boy.

 

[miller]

Yeah, they can bend, and stay bent.

Ever bother looking inside the service manual? It shows a clamping tool, made from aluminum.

No, don't use vice grips. Under the paint on the bars, is a slightly 'bumpy' surface...that's called shot-peening. Bars are spring steel, with that shot-peened outer surface, that basicly just hardens it. Not very thick.

 

[Donny]

Ah, they're fine. Didn't use the Vise Grips, too hard, helps a LOT when I have a car lift.

 

[Cranky]

I've done it that way before....sorta. Back off the tension and let the K down just a tad with a floor jack and then tap the back side of the K with a sledge and a block of wood.

 

[Bb70charger500]

I must be super strong I just take the rear clips out take tension off the adjuster spray some lube at both ends and yank them right out ,I also clean and lube both ends during oil changes so that might make my life easyer down the road . And if there that bad there not worth reusing anyways most of the time especially since I usually upgrade them (I always play with small block cars) so a little stiffer bar and upgraded steering parts makes my year chargers drive great .
Good luck don't shatter it in your face (not fun)

 

[Rick]

I used a pickle fork and hose clamps and hammer it out.

Hey dont laugh it worked

View attachment 256027

 

[miller]

LOL! Any port in the storm. Beats the heck out of a cuttin' torch.

 

[firstgencharger]

Suspension removal

I am ready to remove the suspension from my 67 charger. Do I remove the torsion bars first and then go about removing the bolts for the a-arms and k-frame to drop the whole unit down? I am trying to come up with a plan and want to know how others have done this before I even begin.

 

[TBONE]

Thanks for the thread Donny! My son and I was kicking around the idea of doing it that way. Last night with the car on stands we released the pressure on the torsion bars. Then disconnected the upper control arms and put a jack under the kframe. Removed the kframe bolts and were able to side the hole thing forward without lowering it. The torsion bars slid out of the lower control arms and we pulled them out of the cross member by hand!

 

[ynst]

I wanted to replace the grease seals (and clean and re-pack the cavities with fresh grease) on the bars so I pulled them out this afternoon.

No problem getting them out because I remembered the hassle I had putting them in back in '72.

Getting them out is a snap. Getting them back in is, sometimes, a real hassle because the lower control arm isn't quite lined up and you need as second pair of hands topry it down unless.....................










you go grab the Porta-Power.

Put it between the frame and the torsion bar lever and spread the jaws until the flats in the anchor are parallel to the flats on the torsion bar. This'll help you re-align the two sockets and the bar will slide in easily.


BTW, If you go to the trouble of doing it before you pull the torsion bar, the bar will come out MUCH easier, too.

- - - Updated - - -

....and here's a home made puller and the Porta-Power wedge

 

[Speedbird]

I you are taking the front apart, take tension off of the lower control arms and separate them from the upper arms.
Remove lower control arm nut.
Wack control arm rearward.
Wack control arm frontward.
The torsion bar will stay aft.
Don't forget to remove the retaining clip from rear of the bar in the cross member housing.
If the front suspension is not to be disassembled, do it the right way.
Scratches on the bars can cause stress points, they say.

 

[Ray70Chrg]

I used a pickle fork and hose clamps and hammer it out.

Hey dont laugh it worked

View attachment 256027

This is an old quote from @Rick that I just came across today. Since I had a pickle fork and screw clamps hanging around, I decided to give it a try.
At first, I used 2 clamps but that didn't give enough grip on the tb. Put 4 more clamps on and the tb came out easily.

Thanks Rick, great advice and it saved me a lot of time and about $50.

 

[69ChargerR/TSE]

I removed the spindle, and removed the LCA nut, and the torsion bar spring clip and slid it out. I didn’t touch the torsion bar adjustment on the LCA.

 

[ckessel]

Did you see what time it was when you posted? Mopar moment!