1.03 torsion bars ?

[417guy]

Looks like i will be replacing LCA bushings and strut rod bushings this winter on my 68. It has the OE torsion bars which I figure are .890 ? Thinking now's the time to consider some bigger bars for better cornering and take away some of the "float" the car seems to have. BTW, shacks are KYB, about 10 years, 15000 miles old. Like to get Bilsteins, but may have to wait ($$)
So here's the issue...Was looking for some .960 bars, that's what Ehrenberg seems to recomend. But not in stock anywhere. Mancini and P-S-T have a 1.03 bar, seems to be the same description on both sites, so may be same manufacturer. Will this ride too rough ? Car is mostly a cruiser, interstates, and 2 lane scenic drives.
New to this site, appreciate the input and advice from others before I order something I'll regret !

 

[Glenwood]

I like the ride with 1.03 PST bars on my 64. I did upgrade my shocks to bilstien however.

 

[hunt2elk]

I have the PST 1.03" in all 3 of my cars and really like them. Bilsteins on all 3 as well.

 

[Joske2]

I have the PST 1.03 also, i like them , Bilsteins also. The KYB with the 1.03 bars will be a little harsh i think.

 

[417guy]

I like the ride with 1.03 PST bars on my 64. I did upgrade my shocks to bilstien however.

Thanks for the advice !

 

[33 IMP]

KYB stands for "kill your back".

 

[Mr Belvedere]

I like the ride with 1.03 PST bars on my 64. I did upgrade my shocks to bilstien however.

That's what I have on my 64 too.

Just get yourself some good shocks, I'm running QA1's.

 

[417guy]

Thanks to all who replied so quickly ! Did anyone make any other changes to the front suspension from stock when the 1.03 bars were put in ? Just want to do this all at one time . I do plan for a borgeson power box after I get taxes paid ! Thanks again for the advice !

 

[hunt2elk]

Thanks to all who replied so quickly ! Did anyone make any other changes to the front suspension from stock when the 1.03 bars were put in ? Just want to do this all at one time . I do plan for a borgeson power box after I get taxes paid ! Thanks again for the advice !

I used the bigger C-body tie rods and solid adjusting sleeves along with Mancini's heavy duty solid strut rods. Probably not necessary, but sure are a lot beefier than stock. PST lower control arm plates and Firm Feel's K-frame stiffening kit are a couple of other things I do as well.

 

[5wndwcpe]

You might want to consider tubular upper control arms.

 

[Mr Belvedere]

Thanks to all who replied so quickly ! Did anyone make any other changes to the front suspension from stock when the 1.03 bars were put in ? Just want to do this all at one time . I do plan for a borgeson power box after I get taxes paid ! Thanks again for the advice !

I went full QA1 setup and manual to power steering with Borgeson on the front all at the same time.

 

[furious70]

My advice is to make it all work together, tires, shocks, bars. I like my 70 fury setup finally once I added the modern tire to the kyb shocks and aftermarket bars.
My charger has oem r/t bars and shocks but modern tires and I don't like it at all.

 

[417guy]

My advice is to make it all work together, tires, shocks, bars. I like my 70 fury setup finally once I added the modern tire to the kyb shocks and aftermarket bars.
My charger has oem r/t bars and shocks but modern tires and I don't like it at all.

Thanks for your input. What do you consider modern tires ? Z rated ? Or something radial since belted were the usual back then ? Just wondering ? Thanks again !

 

[furious70]

I have 17" SUV performance tires on my Fury since it's a bigger car. Something other than BFG T/A's

 

[Nate S]

My advice is to make it all work together, tires, shocks, bars. I like my 70 fury setup finally once I added the modern tire to the kyb shocks and aftermarket bars.
My charger has oem r/t bars and shocks but modern tires and I don't like it at all.

So much of this stuff is “in the eye of the beholder”. It’s funny, I have .92 bars, 440 e-body springs, 235/60-16 tires and KYB shocks in my ‘64 fury and it handles quite nicely and rides well.

It’s good to remember that handling well and stiffer springs are not the same thing although they can be related. All of the geometry counts and not just in the front end. Common mistakes: Don’t use super stock springs or anything else with a notable arch if you want reasonable handling. Don’t go so stiff or with such short sidewall tires that the suspension can no longer follow rough pavement. Make sure all bushings are fresh.

 

[Kevin Bisgrove]

I used the bigger C-body tie rods and solid adjusting sleeves along with Mancini's heavy duty solid strut rods. Probably not necessary, but sure are a lot beefier than stock. PST lower control arm plates and Firm Feel's K-frame stiffening kit are a couple of other things I do as well.

This is what I'm planning to do to based on recommendations here!

 

[astjp2]

I have the 1.03 bars from PST installed, still have not drove it and a deal came up for a set of 1.14 bars from Bergman so I bought those. I have the World block Hemi and I think the stiffer bars will help with the much heavier engine. Someday I hope to drive it. Tim

 

[69_Coronet]

Your ride will also depend heavily on your choice of wheels and tires. Higher profile tires (60 series for example) have quite a bit of give in the sidewalls and will make your ride softer. I currently have Firm Feel 1.00" (175 lb/inch wheel rate) diameter torsion bars installed on my 69 Coronet. With P225/60R-15 tres on the front, the ride was not too bad. In order to get stickier tires, I went to P245/40R-18 front tires and the ride got quite a bit harsher. I may in the future switch to a smaller torsion bar to improve the ride. It is important to remember that for best handling, you don't want too stiff a torsion bar. I have seen a wheel rate of about 10% of your front end weight recommended as a good starting point. The main thing is to ensure that your suspension doesn't bottom out if you hit a bump while going around a corner. This is more of a risk if you lower the front end of your car. If you are getting too much body roll, you should control it with anti roll (sway) bars. My recommendation would be to go with the 0.960 bars if you can get them, especially for a cruiser. It's usually a good idea to go with Rick Ehrenberg's recommendations. Also remember that the stiffness of a torsion bar increases with the diameter to the 4th power, so the increase in stiffness between your original 0.89 bar and a 1.03 bar is about 180%. Also, you can adversely affect your handling if you stiffen up the suspension at one end of the car only.

If you are using radial tires, it is recommended to increase the negative camber and positive caster in your front end alignment. The stock upper control arms typically don't allow this. For this reason, I switched to Firm Feel's tubular upper control arms.

If you are interested in more info on handling, I recommend Andy Finkbeiner's book "Mopar B-Body Performance Upgrades" and Fred Puhn's book "How to Make Your Car Handle". Cheers!

 

[PST]

If you have any questions about the bars that we offer please PM. Also please do not forget to take advantage of the members discount that we offer as well.

https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/pst-discount-for-members.197079/#post-911627078

Thanks
James From
PST

 

[417guy]

Your ride will also depend heavily on your choice of wheels and tires. Higher profile tires (60 series for example) have quite a bit of give in the sidewalls and will make your ride softer. I currently have Firm Feel 1.00" (175 lb/inch wheel rate) diameter torsion bars installed on my 69 Coronet. With P225/60R-15 tres on the front, the ride was not too bad. In order to get stickier tires, I went to P245/40R-18 front tires and the ride got quite a bit harsher. I may in the future switch to a smaller torsion bar to improve the ride. It is important to remember that for best handling, you don't want too stiff a torsion bar. I have seen a wheel rate of about 10% of your front end weight recommended as a good starting point. The main thing is to ensure that your suspension doesn't bottom out if you hit a bump while going around a corner. This is more of a risk if you lower the front end of your car. If you are getting too much body roll, you should control it with anti roll (sway) bars. My recommendation would be to go with the 0.960 bars if you can get them, especially for a cruiser. It's usually a good idea to go with Rick Ehrenberg's recommendations. Also remember that the stiffness of a torsion bar increases with the diameter to the 4th power, so the increase in stiffness between your original 0.89 bar and a 1.03 bar is about 180%. Also, you can adversely affect your handling if you stiffen up the suspension at one end of the car only.

If you are using radial tires, it is recommended to increase the negative camber and positive caster in your front end alignment. The stock upper control arms typically don't allow this. For this reason, I switched to Firm Feel's tubular upper control arms.

If you are interested in more info on handling, I recommend Andy Finkbeiner's book "Mopar B-Body Performance Upgrades" and Fred Puhn's book "How to Make Your Car Handle". Cheers!

Thanks for the input ! I have Andy’s book and have re-read many sections. .960 bars seem to be unavailable, but Firm Feel lists a .940 that I will likely order soon. The front end will be torn down soon to freshen up, and I’m a believer in changing 52 year old parts before they break. (Usually 300 miles from home). Thanks again.