Torsion Bars early B Body

[pghjeeper]

So the original suspension on my recently acquired 1965 Satellite leaves something to be desired. I want to upgrade my torsion bars, leaf springs and shocks.
I was originally going to get super stock springs, but after doing some reading I’m leaning more toward ESPO +1 springs, I can get them at Carlisle and save shipping. For the front I was originally thinking of Mopar Performance .960 torsion bars, or possibly the Hotckis 1.10 bars then top is all off with either Bilstien or KYB shocks.
The car is a non AC car with the 273, which I want to change to a 383 or 440 in the future.
Now for the big thing I’m a big guy at 6’3 360 lbs. and I don’t want the car to lean or sink, like it currently does.
Also the Hotkis only lists the bars as working in 66-72 B Bodies, is that accurate?

 

[Dipstick]

All '62-'72 B-bodies use the 41" T-bar.

 

[pghjeeper]

All '62-'72 B-bodies use the 41" T-bar.

That’s what I thought, I’m not sure why Hotckis lists it as 66-72. Maybe because according to most catalogs pre 65’s don’t exist lol

 

[Mr Belvedere]

Go big on the bars if mostly a street car. I've got the 1.03" bars and a 440...while a big improvement over the .890s, the 1.10" or even going 1.24" like several people are starting to recommend is the way to go for a driver.

 

[PST]

Have you looked into the 1.03" torsion bars that we offer? They are our most popular size that we offer. Also as a member of the forum here you are eligible for the forum discount and free shipping within the US 48 states.

Here is a link to the torsion bars:
https://p-s-t.com/c-1175853-suspens...ml#!year=1965||make=PLYMOUTH||model=SATELLITE

Shocks:
https://p-s-t.com/c-1145182-suspens...ml#!year=1965||make=PLYMOUTH||model=SATELLITE

The Mopar Forum Member Discount:
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/b-bodies-only-member-discount.105048/

Thanks
James From
PST

 

[pghjeeper]

Have you looked into the 1.03" torsion bars that we offer? They are our most popular size that we offer. Also as a member of the forum here you are eligible for the forum discount and free shipping within the US 48 states.

Here is a link to the torsion bars:
https://p-s-t.com/c-1175853-suspension-coil-springs-leaf-springs-torsion-bars-torsion-bars.html#!year=1965||make=PLYMOUTH||model=SATELLITE

Shocks:
https://p-s-t.com/c-1145182-suspension-shocks-coil-over-kits.html#!year=1965||make=PLYMOUTH||model=SATELLITE

The Mopar Forum Member Discount:
https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/b-bodies-only-member-discount.105048/

Thanks
James From
PST

Please don’t take this the wrong way, have you guys fixed the issue with the stock ride height and clocking? Also will a 1.03 be good for a large man like myself? I don’t want it to sag

 

[PST]

The clocking was technically not an issue. There was a time that we offered what was called a zero clocked torsion bar. This was designed for customers that wanted pro-touring handling and lowered stance as this is what most customers wanted. Than times changed and more of our customer were looking for a stock ride height with the ability to adjust to the ride height lower if need be (about 1-2"). So about 4-5 years ago I had the bars re-engineered by a Mopar suspension Guru by the name of Andy Finkbeiner. This time we changed the clocking from zero to a 20 degree clock. This will allow customer to run a stock stance or slightly lower without fear of bottoming out the suspension ultimately giving the best of both worlds. As for your size that should not be an issue.

Thanks
James From
PST

 

[Wietse]

For the shocks i would recommend you the Bilstein shocks, i also used them on my '69 Coronet during suspension rebuild and found they have a good drivability.
Not too hard but do provide good resistance, i am still using the OEM torsion bars with them. (0.89"?)

 

[andyf]

The PST bars should work on your car, I have a set on my '65 B body. Hotchkis has a few errors in their Mopar section including the wrong years on their torsion bars. I contacted them last year about that error but the guy I talked to didn't seem too interested.

 

[pghjeeper]

How did the car ride and handle with the new 1.03 bars? My car has the original bars, leaf springs and shocks and it’s horrible

The PST bars should work on your car, I have a set on my '65 B body. Hotchkis has a few errors in their Mopar section including the wrong years on their torsion bars. I contacted them last year about that error but the guy I talked to didn't seem too interested.

 

[andyf]

You need good shocks when using the bigger torsion bars. I ended up with Koni shocks on my car and it rides great. Before I put the Koni shocks on there it rode like a dump truck. I tried some cheap NAPA gas shocks, some Edelbrock shocks and some QA1 shocks. None of them worked with the big torsion bars. The Koni shocks smoothed the ride out plus they are adjustable. I didn't try the Bilstein shocks or the Hotchkis shocks. I might try them in the future.