So, about 7 weeks ago, I recieved my front-end kit from Espo. I had to work the weekend immediately after I recieved them, so I was going to do the work the following weekend. As fate would have it, the following monday I removed the tips of two of my fingers with a router at work. I'm finally healed enough to swap out my front-end, but I'm having a devil of a time finding a torsion bar puller. I've tried all the local tool suppliers to no avail. I'm not keen on ordering one from Espo (I'm in Canada.... Duty, exchange, shipping.... Makes a $30 tool a lot more expensive) I suppose I could make one up, but I was wondering if anyone knows a method of removing the T-bars without the tool. Having been off work for the last while, I've literally been staring at the box of parts for the last month and a half. I just want to get this job done.

Help? Anyone?

Thanks in advance,

Nat

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1970 four-door Dart, 225/A-904/2.45 gears. 0-60 in twenty three minutes!

never had a problem pulling the t-bars out...you do have all the weight off the front end and the adjustment screws all the way out, right?

maybe a set of vise grips on a rag clamped to the bar if friction is holding them in...tap the vise grips with a hammer.

sb

you're coing to rebuild the front end anyway, unload the torsion bars, remove the spring clip at the rear, remove the lower control arm pivot nut, remove the strut rod nut, remove the lower ball joint nut and separate the ball joint from the LCA then take a reasonable size ball peen and tap the LCA close to the pivot area driving the TBar out the rear. Once out, hold onto the TBar and tap the LCA off. It's worked for me, although I prefer the correct removal tool. Hope this helps.

Thanks so much! I haven't started the work yet, I wanted to get all my ducks in a row before tearing anything apart. I'll let you know how it goes. Looks like next weekend at this point. I'm hoping the doc OK's me to go back to work this week!

Thanks again,

Nat

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1970 four-door Dart, 225/A-904/2.45 gears. 0-60 in twenty three minutes!

I would not use a Vice-Grip on a torsion bar. The jaws on those things are hardened steel and can easily scratch a torsion bar. What I did when I pulled mine was to get a cable clamp from the local hardware store. They're made of softer metal and are much cheaper than the "correct" tool, but work just as well. You can just hit the cable clamp with a hammer like you do on a factory tool, or use a bottle jack if it's really stuck.

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"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

Matt, I'm afraid I'm at a bit of a loss as to what a cable clamp is. Do you mean something like a hose clamp? Or a strap clamp?

Thanks,

Nat

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1970 four-door Dart, 225/A-904/2.45 gears. 0-60 in twenty three minutes!

I made a puller that works great.

I had the steel yard cut a 3 inch long piece of 8" x 4" x 0.5" angle iron.
I drilled three sets of holes for 3 U-bolts on the 8" x 3" face.
The U-bolts are 1 5/8" between the legs and 2 3/4" long.
I also had them cut an 8" piece of 3/4x3/4" angle iron.

I place the small angle on top of the bar, like a roof.
I hang the U-bolts over this piece and clamp the 8x4 to the bottom.
When it's tightened up the t-bar is gripped along three 8" lines.

I think it is overkill.
If you used a 6" x 4" angle it would still work. My tool is almost too long - 6" x 4" x 1/2" would be better.
The material was picked from a pile of cutoffs - that's where you want to look.

The 3" by 4" face is an ample target for the 3-lb sledge hammer.
The 1/2 thick angle iron has absorbed numerous strikes at the edge farthest from the t-bar and shows no sign of bending.

Cable clamps look like this:



Not like a hose clamp at all.

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"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

Brilliant! Thanks Matt!

Nat

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1970 four-door Dart, 225/A-904/2.45 gears. 0-60 in twenty three minutes!

All I ever did when removing torsion bars on the 68 Valiant I had was jack up the front end, remove the clip at the back of the torsion bar, Back off the adjusters all the way, remove the nut from the shaft for the loser control arms, take either a big screw driver or a crowbar and place the end of it between the K member and the lower control arm and give it a push. After that the torsion bar came right out of the lower control arm. Oh yeah if you are just changing torsion bars you don't even need to drop the ball joint.

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Former bent 6 owner
Mark