--- In dmcnews@xxxx, john fredt <hecklerkochgmbh@xxxx> wrote: > > I am intrested to know if anyone out there has replaced the torsion bars on their dmc with an alternate opening device.Something like pneumatic pistons or a torsion spring as someone else mentioned.I like the torsion bars but it is a possibilty that within my life time they will become nearly impossible to acquire or not affordable. So alternate methods would be great. > Rick Gendreau writes: Hi John. I too, have been worried about torsion bars for my DeLorean. Being the kind of guy who compulsively solves problems whether I want to or not, I've designed two different replacements for the torsion bars. They may both be better than the original design, in my somewhat biased opinion, though the failure rate of the current torsion bars doesn't seem to be that bad at all, all things considered. I've only heard of one so far that broke without evidence of stress concentration at a hinge scrape. If torsion bars end up scarce, I'll come out of the closet with the replacements. Until then, I'll keep a lid on them, as the ideas have some dollar value. If it is indeed possible (I'm skeptical) that a vendor can offer original-equipment- equivalent replacement torsion bars at their current cost, I won't bother releasing the new designs. No matter how it's done, replacing the torsion bars with a new design or batch should be expected to end up being expensive, as anyone offering an alternative to will probably need to justify the liability exposure by jacking up the price. I hope I'm wrong. Anyway, you needn't worry, alternate solutions have already been achieved. Your doors will always be able to open, at a price, whether someone else provides the solution, or I do it. Rick Gendreau 11472