This will probably be reall easy to answer, but as I am fairly new to cars I need help

I woke up the other day to find the front - drivers side corner of my car only a few inches off the ground (the tire isnt flat ). What broke or wore out?

Thanks

Gregor

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Torsion bar problem

is it an easy fix? otherwise, the car goes. too much is wrong with it, alot is good, but I cant afford to fix it.

Gregor

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Wow, it sure looks like a decent car from the picture...

That's a new one on me, by the way - It'd just about have to be a suspension piece, but I've never heard or something breaking just sitting there. If I had to guess, I'd say check the torsion bar anchor (under the car about where the front seat is)... Is there a lot of rust present underneath? It could have let go there. If that's not it, check the front control arm area and the adjuster. I guess a torsion bar could've cracked or broken, too. Depending on what let go, it could be minor $$$ or moderate $$$. If the control arm somehow went bad, it would be cheap, but a fair amount of work. A torsion bar wouldn't be too difficult or expensive. The rear torsion bar mount would need some welding if it gave up, and depending on how bad it is, you could maybe get by with a functional repair for not too much $$$.

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

The main problem is, is that the rear-frame is still rusted out (posted on another thread), I was gonna be getting that fixed in 2 weeks. right now, I dont think it can be towed anywhere. I dont really have the know-how to fix much

Gregor

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Yep, torsion bar anchor went. It's under your feet when you are sitting in the drivers seat. My car did the same thing. Rusted out rear spring hanger area, and torsion bar anchors, and front frame rails where the k-frame bolts to. I quit driving it before it failed. It sat behind the house for a couple years until one day I decided to pull the engine......... I looked underneath and saw the torsion bar anchor was getting really bad, worse than it was when I quit driving the car. I pushed down on the front fender a couple times and then........ KA-POW.... it broke loose and the front corner of the car when to the ground. Good thing no one was under the car. It really sounds like your car is beyond reasonable repair. Back when there was a Minnesota chapter of Slant 6 Club, one of the members had a Duster that looked really sharp on the outside, but I looked underneath and... oh my gosh!... That car was so far gone it should not be on the road, period.

Here's a picture of the left front frame of my Valiant.....

Ok, well, time to cut my losses . It was fun while it lasted, and I know I'll be back with a slant, its just a matter of time.

One last question, whats a reasonable selling price for a 1976 Plymouth Valiant Brougham parts car, that will probably never drive again? Engine still runs strong (of corse), Interior is still good, everything else is more or less good (except the aformentioned rust problems on the frame )

Gregor

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Well... I'm sure some of us can use some parts off of it. Does it have factory AC?

Depending on what your next car is, you might need the good parts off of this one to fix the next one. Maybe you'll get a rust free body from someplace.

My old roommate,rhynosix,used to have a 64 val /6 3 on tree . We woke up one morning to find one side sagging horribly.Sure enough ,broken torsion bar! He to this day claims it was riding fine the night B4.We are sure it went clunk in the night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Damn, dude... Don't give up 'till you at least look at it! Listening to us will only give you an idea what to look for, not tell you what is actually wrong. Maybe it's not as bad as you (or some others) think. Maybe it is. Check it out before you give up and start parting it! I don't know about where you are in Canada, but 'round these parts, most wreckers are now rollbacks anyway, they can tote your car easily as long as it's got four wheels to get it "on board", and they can snatch it even if it doesn't! Hang in there!

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

I read the other posts about the rear frame, and I have to agree that it's time to retire this particular body , unless you've got the cash for a full frame repair. (It has been done, but might not be cheap)

What would you spend on a new car? Get a loan? Send it out to get the frame done? Find a good southern body with a million miles and swap in your internals. You won't get much in parts. Not enough to sleep at night I think. It's surely not very safe to drive without some frame caps.

It's always hard to let go of a good thing.

I hope someone closer to you can offer an alternative.

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

Without seeing it, I cannot and will not, in clear conscience, condemn this man's car over the internet. Maybe it's too far gone, maybe not. There's a difference between a good, functional repair and a restoration, by the way. GregOr, do you have any pictures of the underside of this car?

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic ... 8&start=15

there are some pretty good pics of the problems he's having out back. I've daily driven cars with the floors falling out, but I'm also willing to do my own welding.

I won't suggest for a moment that it can't be fixed, but should it be fixed is a whole other topic.

If he's willing to pony up the $$$ for some frame caps, it could be a good looking daily driver.

If the car has very little "personal" or "classical" value, I was just suggesting it might be better to look for something a little more solid to work on.

I encourage him prop the suspension with a 2x4 to take it to the shop, and see if they will still make it safe for $700.

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1980 Aspen 225 super six

...salt is a terrible thing

I say if they can't make a good, solid, functional repair to that for a whopping $700, something is seriously wrong. GregOr, what does the front suspension (anchors) look like?

D/W

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If it ain't broke, fix it!

I agree with DW, at least consider options before abandoning it!

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