Well, I'm not sure exactly where things stand with my car right now. My mechanic told me it needed new brakes all around and a front suspension rebuild. Well, I ordered a PST Polygraphite front end kit, and decided to get the scarebird conversion. Well, he couldn't get one of the torsion bars out, so I had to order him a tool from Mancini. After that, the torsion bar snapped coming out, so I ordered a set of .880 Firm-Feel bars, which were on backorder for almost a month...they didn't inform me of this. Well, I decided with all this going on, why not just add the Addco type front sway bar, and leave nothing out.

My mechanic received the sway bar, and claimed there is no way they could fit on the car. He also mentioned that this would be a good upgrade if I switched to a Mustang II front end...I've not heard of such a swap on an A-body...not without massive work. In short, he refuses to do anything else to it, as the amount of things being done would put him in a bad position due to possible liability. He also explained how torsion bars work (I know they do the job that coil springs would in most cars), but also that they do the job that a sway bar would. I haven't heard that last bit, but I'm thinking he's quite mistaken. Anyway, this is a long/rambling post, but did I screw up royally by leaving my car with this guy for the last...three months?

Oh, also to clear the new discs, I've gotten a set of 14x6 aluminum slots. I may just have to do the sway bar myself...assuming the car ever gets out of the shop.

_________________
Y'know, my Dart sounds a lot like Anthony Michael Hall's Canadian girlfriend in "The Breakfast Club"...

I don't see anything wrong with any of these choices. I might not have made the same parts picks, but that's a matter of personal preference.
Your "mechanic" has no business touching your car. He's obviously doesn't know or care a thing about Mopars. Get it out of his shop ASAP. Take it home, take it to another shop, put it in storage, do whatever it takes, but this guy is going to cost you money and cause you heartache (and spoil your car). It's possible the wrong Addco bar was sent. It's also possible this guy just doesn't know what he's doing. His suggestion to switch to a Mustang II front end is just dumb. It's a popular swap with people building hot rods, because it's relatively easy to adapt to non-original applications, but there's absolutely no way it's superior to the original Chrysler A-body front end setup.

Pfft. Baloney oil. He refuses to do anything to it because he's in over his head (oh yeah, except for a Mustang II swap, which he'd be happy to do... )
He's saying dumb things again. Sway bars don't have any way to know whether the car they're installed on has coil, leaf, or torsion springs.
Get it outta there. Try and leave as little money behind as possible, but pay whatever (legitimate, reasonable, actual) charges it takes to get it outta there.

Situations like this what you describe can get sickeningly ugly; ask me how I know.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

The bit about torsion bars performing the same job as a sway bar is absolute rubbish. In a way a sway bar works the same way a torsion bar does, but performs a different function. It's job is to link the two independently suspended sides together while still allowing a range of movement between the two sides.

Think about it this way; driving your old car without a sway bar and making a left turn, more pressure is placed on the suspension on the passenger side of the car, causing the driver's side to rise and the passenger side to drop as the car's weight shifts. A sway bar links the two lower control arms together, but twists slightly, thereby allowing the driver's side to raise less and the passenger side to drop less therefore reducing body roll. This helps with traction as the force applied to the wheel on the outside of the turn is transferred via the sway bar to the wheel on the inside of the turn thereby increasing contact with the road.

As far as your mechanic snapping the torsion bar getting it out, how familiar is this guy with A-body suspension? Did he release the tension on the bar before trying to pull it? Did he remember to remove the clip at the back of the torsion bar mount? Sounds to me like he didn't release the tension and therefore had to use excessive force to get the thing out or else he's just a clumsy oaf.

Hope this helps,

Nat

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

In the mechanic's (slight) defense, when he referred to the Mustang II suspension, he's probably talking about one of these:

http://www.reillymotorsports.com/

or these.

which some people refer to as "Mustang II suspension" because they use a few MII components. But I can't, for the life of me, imagine why he'd suggest it for YOUR car. A $3-4K custom (practically race-only) suspension set-up as opposed to a sway bar? For a street car? Is he payin' for it?

And I can only imagine that he's saying that STIFFER torsion bars alleviate the need for sway bars, which can be true, but the same applies to stiffer springs. Neither eliminates the benefits of a sway bar.

I'm with Dan. This guy may know how to work on OTHER cars, but knows nothing about Mopar suspensions. Get the car away from him ASAP. Assuming he can finish installing the new torsion bars (and I question his ability to do that properly). Hope everything works out, and doesn't cost you a fortune.

_________________
vm

That's just what I was afraid of...

Although, the majority of the 12 weeks he's had the car has been waiting for parts, as it would seem backorders are a frequent happening. I also provided him with a later model(86 5th ave) master cylinder, along with an aluminum adapter to make the change to discs in the front a bit easier.

I know the parts I picked are high quality, perhaps just a bit unorthodox for a street car, but I just want it to handle and stop better than when it rolled off the showroom floor some 40-odd years ago, as I won't be the only one driving it (as I travel all the time, my mom and brother will probably get behind the wheel when I'm away). Because of that, I've also upgraded to 3-point belts for both of the front seats.

Before he got the car, the front suspension was shot...badly. Between the deteriorated soft parts and ball joints, there was roughly 2" of free play in any direction. Bumping a parking stop would feel roughly like driving into a brick wall at 15 MPH.

As much as I'd like to get it into caring/qualified hands, the mechanic I'm using is about the only show in town, so to speak. My family's been using his services for the past 20 years or so, usually without incident. All I can hope is that maybe the car will be in one piece by the time I get home this weekend, and I could actually take it for a spin...then put on the Addco front sway bar myself.

I'm planning on building a slant this winter, as soon as I can find an appropriate space to do so(my job's got me in Rochester NY for the time being). I've managed to get my hands on an Offy 5041, which I'm working up a dual 2bbl setup from, and once space gets available, I hope to find a nice core to start working on a hot 225 for it. But, time/space are usually in short supply.

Thanks for the advice guys, but like they say, hindsight is always 20/20...

_________________
Y'know, my Dart sounds a lot like Anthony Michael Hall's Canadian girlfriend in "The Breakfast Club"...

That's so sad---most likely your love of your car does not translate to the mechanic.
He might not be enjoying the mopar experience, isn't there some fellow slanters in your area? Maybe they could lend a hand-- most of your stuff isn't too hard--- basic bushing replacement. Sway bar & scarebird-- are a little different -- but both can work-- if installed correctly.
When you get the car home-- pm me if your lca's have not been done
Lawrence

I kinda doubt that, unless your town consists of a dozen buildings in the middle of nowhere.
Even a trained ape can change oil and spark plugs and fan belts and such. This what you're asking him to do is very, very obviously beyond his skill, knowledge, or interest. You really need to tell him to stop working on the car immediately. There is just no way that allowing him to continue on it can possibly turn out well.

_________________
一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

What part of Indiana are you in? You may not be that far from my shop.

_________________
Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Shelbyville, about 30 miles SE of Indy. I didn't know you were from Indiana...

_________________
Y'know, my Dart sounds a lot like Anthony Michael Hall's Canadian girlfriend in "The Breakfast Club"...

Pharmboy,
If you're confident enough to try an engine build yourself, a front end rebuild is certainly within your abilities. I did my first one with very little prior auto mechanics experience. Get your car out of that shop and do it yourself. There are a few tricks to it, but overall it ain't hard. The good folks on this board will steer you right if you ask lots of questions. If you have the parts, do some searching on the board here, go over the process in your head a few times and jump in there. The only part that's particularly hard to do is getting the LCA bushing out, but there are a few methods you can find here to help with that. I'll bet you could do it in an afternoon.

Good luck,

Nat

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

Therein lies the problem...I'm only home about 3-4 days per month. The car's in central Indiana, and I'm in Rochester, NY right now. And iv'e not got a great workspace at home, namely a gravel driveway. Building an engine, I can do that in a storage unit, or half a garage, if I can find a location and a donor engine here...

_________________
Y'know, my Dart sounds a lot like Anthony Michael Hall's Canadian girlfriend in "The Breakfast Club"...

I'm not, but my shop is in central IL about 8 miles off the IL/IN border. You are roughly 2-1/2 hours from my shop.

_________________
Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Lucky you, pharmboy! I'd try to take advantage of this if you can coordinate your limited schedule. Wish I could, but most of the expert slanters steer clear of Texas. Wonder why that is...

_________________
vm