97 torsion bars
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97 torsion bars
my torsion bar broke in half the other day. i never even knew this could happen, lol. i hit a pothole pulling out of the driveway and heard something pop.figured some of the ford guys in here might have something laying around. maybe on a truck thats being parted out. im going to look around a bit more. found em at a junkyard for 75.00 or new from the dealer for 115.00 plus tax. but its a special order and 5 days. also some on e-bay for 35.00 but its 48.00 to ship em by ups!
has anyone ever changed these? i got under there and theres no tension at all on the driver side. im assuming i can just get a long punch and sledge and drive it out from the front of the truck. problem is how does it come out from the part that goes inside the crossmember? i was thinking if i just replace both of them i could unbolt the crossmember and drive the whole assembly off including the crossmember then worry about how to get them apart when they are out. these are pressed together or do they just slide together?
has anyone ever changed these? i got under there and theres no tension at all on the driver side. im assuming i can just get a long punch and sledge and drive it out from the front of the truck. problem is how does it come out from the part that goes inside the crossmember? i was thinking if i just replace both of them i could unbolt the crossmember and drive the whole assembly off including the crossmember then worry about how to get them apart when they are out. these are pressed together or do they just slide together?
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2009
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the first thing you have to do is to jack up the front and unload the front suspension completely so that the tires just hang there. then go back to the back and unbolt the crossmember. then take the trusty bfh and beat the cross member towards the back of the truck. it doesnt take much and this will remove the one intact side from its torsion key. then it should be easy to get the other key free. to get them out of the a arms.... good luck soak the crap out of them, and maybe heat them up. instalation is just the opposite. hope this helps. hopefully someone has a better idea on how to get them out of the a arms. Good luck!
also i agree with 93... go with new.
also i agree with 93... go with new.
Tuned
Joined: Nov 2009
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i was going on the assumption that he will replace both bars. and even if he only does the one, he still has to release the cam bolt to put in the new one.
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alot of whacking so far with not much moving...........gonna let it soak over night with pb blaster. one side is loose but i need to remove the other side since i need to get that short section of the bar removed from the key. stuck in the crossmember with just a tiny bit too much still attached to manuever it out, lol.
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well, used a big grinder to cut the broken bar in 1/2 to make it easier to swing a hammer under there......... then a little mapp gas torch was enough to heat it up and pop it right out. now i just need to wait for the new one to come in........ then the alignment. figured id do the upper control arm and lower ball joints, shocks and outer tie rods since it needs the alignment anyway. anything else i should think about replacing while its apart? 230,000 miles on her so far 
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From: In my House
not to hijack your thread here, but I seem to remember a lot of the 97, 98's having issue with breaking torsion bars....did they have bad castings on them back then? anyone know?....I would think new upper control arms and new lower ball joints should do it, How's the front wheel bearing assy?
Rich
Rich
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i think it may have been a bad casting..........seems like a long time to last if it was bad tho. the break looked sorta like a spiral break, like there was a weak spot. i am debating doing both sides, but i also hear alot of.......if its not broke, dont fix it. i may just get her back on the road like this for now........save up some cash and do it over the summer along with my several broken exhaust studs! i can drive the t-bird around for awhile in the summer.
the brakes were just done in november when i bought it. wheel bearings might be groaning a little so thats a good thought.........those are pressed in rite? gotta pull off the spindle and have a new one pressed in?
the brakes were just done in november when i bought it. wheel bearings might be groaning a little so thats a good thought.........those are pressed in rite? gotta pull off the spindle and have a new one pressed in?
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whats the best way to put these back into the truck? from the front to the back? is there enough clearance around the lower control arm? also what holds them in place? just the weight of the truck? should i clean up the hex shaped holes with sandpaper or something?
Tuned
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i believe you have to go from back to front. when i had mine apart, it was easier to go that way because i had the cross member out. put the t bar in the a arm, and then put the key, crossmember combo in. then i used a bottle jack on the key to move it up far enough so i could get the cam and bolt back in under neath the keys.
if you dont have the cross member out, you may want to take it out, its really not that bad, just unbolt it, unload the torsion bar that is still in, and beat the whole crossmember back as one peice and then you can put in the new one no problem. then re assemble the crossmember. to re assemble, and to get the one side apart, you MUST have the front end jacke up and off of the ground. so that the wheels hang free.
all that holds them in is the twisting force that holds up the front of the truck.
if you dont have the cross member out, you may want to take it out, its really not that bad, just unbolt it, unload the torsion bar that is still in, and beat the whole crossmember back as one peice and then you can put in the new one no problem. then re assemble the crossmember. to re assemble, and to get the one side apart, you MUST have the front end jacke up and off of the ground. so that the wheels hang free.
all that holds them in is the twisting force that holds up the front of the truck.
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