Re: Torsion Bars

["jtrealtywebspannet" <jtrealty@xxxx>]

NEVER try to switch side to side. As the moderater points out even 
though they physically can fit either side they are NOT 
interchangeable. I have not seen enough broken torsion bars to say 
with certainty but I suspect there are two main reasons that the bars 
break. The first is from people adjusting them without enough 
experience. The second is because the bar passes so close to the rear 
hinge it can scratch it. Whenever I adjust torsion bars I place a 
scrap of an old inner tube (rubber) between the bar and the rear 
hinge. On my car I have pieces glued in so the torsion bar cannot 
touch the hinge. Especially when adjusting the bars they can move 
around and touch the hinge. This is how one broke on me. Fortunatly 
the door was closed at the time and it was a right side bar. Never go 
near the torsion bar with anything metallic except at the end to 
adjust it. A very good idea would be to cover the torsion bar with a 
heat-shrink tube and put a nice warning label on it saying part under 
extreme stress and not to touch it without taking proper precautions. 
If the supply of torsion bars is depleted and cannot be resourced it 
might be possible to go to a two strut system with stronger struts. Or 
maybe something like the Bricklin?
David Teitelbaum
vin 10757


--- In dmcnews@xxxx, "Walter" <Whalt@xxxx> wrote:
> 
> [moderators note: 
> The bars are made to twist in one direction based on which side of 
the car they're designed for. That's the reason they use a different 
configuration for each side's retaining bracket. They were imersed in 
liquid nitrogen and then when they reached a specfic temperature they 
were given a specific number of twists in a direction dependent on 
which side of the car they were to be for. This lined the molocules up 
in a manner that allowed the exteme twisting that they do. Unique 
equipment was used to do this and if this equipment has been scrapped 
then this will become a very expensive project to replace them.] 
> 
> 
> I have never compared a RH & LH torsion bar side by side, but aren't 
they
> pretty much identical except for the front end where they fit into 
the
> hinges? If this is so, then couldn't a RH torsion bar be used on 
the left
> side if a custom hinge were made to take it? This would be cheaper 
than
> having new torsion bars custom made. Though if it worked, then it 
would
> deplete the supply of RH torsion bars and then we would be forced to 
have