Another Torsion bar question

[djbr459]

Hey guys, I have a 66 Coronet that had a poly motor.
I'm putting in a 383 and want to know if I can use the original torsion bars. They are in very good condition.,
Thanks, Dan

 

[Jerry Hall]

Hard to tell actual condition of torsion bars by looking. On the other hand a 318 poly isn't a light engine. If your car sat good (not dropping in the front), you should be great.

 

[66Satellite47]

I'm pretty sure the poly motor was fairly close to the same weight, I would give it a shot.

 

[djbr459]

Hard to tell actual condition of torsion bars by looking. On the other hand a 318 poly isn't a light engine. If your car sat good (not dropping in the front), you should be great.

Thanks

 

[69_Coronet]

One very nice feature of the torsion bars is that the ride height can be adjusted so it's pretty easy to test if you are OK. Swap the engine and then adjust the torsion bars to get the correct ride height (procedure is in the Service Manual, including how to measure the ride height). Drive the car for a while and see if your suspension is bottoming out on bumps. If not, you are good. The only real reason to change the torsion bar size is to prevent the suspension from bottoming which can happen if you lower the ride height. Some people, myself included, prefer a firmer ride but that is just a personal preference, it doesn't improve the handling. Good luck with your engine swap. Cheers!

 

[djbr459]

One very nice feature of the torsion bars is that the ride height can be adjusted so it's pretty easy to test if you are OK. Swap the engine and then adjust the torsion bars to get the correct ride height (procedure is in the Service Manual, including how to measure the ride height). Drive the car for a while and see if your suspension is bottoming out on bumps. If not, you are good. The only real reason to change the torsion bar size is to prevent the suspension from bottoming which can happen if you lower the ride height. Some people, myself included, prefer a firmer ride but that is just a personal preference, it doesn't improve the handling. Good luck with your engine swap. Cheers!

Thanks for your input