Torsion Bar Removal Tips Options

[DennisV]

Any tips on how to remove a stubborn front torsion bar? I soaked it in penetrating oil. Clamped onto the end with vice grips. Pounded it from the sides with a plastic mallet. That thing is in there. I got so frustrated, I dropped the entire front suspension to see if I could get a better attack off the car. Still stuck.

As far I as can tell, there is no way to access the other end to pound it out. Only wiggle and pull?

[914werke]

drive it forward our the front. Itll pop the caps off the front of the Arms but no biggie just clean & tap them back in place.

[Superhawk996]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

A couple places sell new end caps if the old ones get lost or damaged too much. Basically like a Welch plug. They have some curvature. By flattening them, it locks them into the torsion bar tube.

[DennisV]

I may be buying new a-arms and torsion bars. Today I'm back with the car. I tried:

• Vice grips on torsion bar and pulling
• Hammering the rear exposed part of the torsion bar to drive it through the cap and out the front with BFH
• Drilled a hole in cap at the front and using air chisel to impact it out from front end
• Lots of penatrant oil and propane torch.

I'm guessing if it is rusted in that bad, they both may be damaged beyond reasonable use. Anyone else faced this much resistance?

[Superhawk996]

Lots of penatrant oil and propane torch.

More of this. Better yet - MAPP gas or oxy-acetylene.

[DennisV]

Lots of penatrant oil and propane torch.

More of this. Better yet - MAPP gas or oxy-acetylene.

Thanks for the encouragement.

It finally freed up after drilling the cap off, liberal oxy-acetylene application and a lot of banging. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smash.gif)

Wow. That was a lot more effort than I expected. I really love the videos where people slide them out with two fingers!

I was expecting the torsions bar to be ate up with rust. Surprisingly not. I'm still not clear why it was so froze up.

[Superhawk996]

I'm still not clear why it was so froze up.

Lots of surface area at the spline interface. Doesn’t take much corrosion on the splines to do a wonderful job of gluing parts together. A tiny corrosion ridge at the edge of the splines can also act like a wedge / stopper preventing the splines from sliding.

The heat is needed to expand the LCA Inner Diameter more than the torsion bar Outer Diameter - allowing the parts to separate and slide free.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilie_pokal.gif) on the perseverance.

When you reassemble - light coat of grease goes on the entire bar length (to prevent corrosion) but you want to be quite liberal with it at the splines.

[iankarr]

When you reassemble - light coat of grease goes on the entire bar length (to prevent corrosion) but you want to be quite liberal with it at the splines.

Definitely. Anti-seize works well on the splines also. You, too will be able to remove the bar with a few fingers. And then have to clean your fingers.

[r_towle]

Remove the a-arm from the car.
Stand it up on something with a hole in it
Now use a BFH

Use a good ball peen hammer as a punch
Hit that with a sledge hammer.
It will come out, if properly supported….one or two good hits will do it

[bkrantz]

Guys, get a hydraulic press, or friend with one, even the kind from Harbor Freight. It makes much 914 work MUCH easier.

[mepstein]

Guys, get a hydraulic press, or friend with one, even the kind from Harbor Freight. It makes much 914 work MUCH easier.

Good idea. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[TheRuttmeister]

So I just did this a week ago and after basically trying ALL the various steps I want to summarize this (admittedly short) thread for those who follow.
(so they don't waste time like I did).

drive it forward our the front. Itll pop the caps off the front of the Arms but no biggie just clean & tap them back in place.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

A couple places sell new end caps if the old ones get lost or damaged too much. Basically like a Welch plug. They have some curvature. By flattening them, it locks them into the torsion bar tube.

Remove the a-arm from the car.
Stand it up on something with a hole in it
Now use a BFH

Use a good ball peen hammer as a punch
Hit that with a sledge hammer.
It will come out, if properly supported….one or two good hits will do it

Guys, get a hydraulic press, or friend with one, even the kind from Harbor Freight. It makes much 914 work MUCH easier.

I'd recommend against using a ball-peen hammer or any kind of hardened tool. The torsion bar is hardened and wacking two hardened steel things against each other is a quick way to damage one of them, potentially quite badly.
A brass or copper faced hammer is probably the best thing, but I don't actually own one.
I used a piece of hardboard that lasted long enough (but only just).
Also the flange that one of the rubber bushings rests against is perfect for holding the arm in a large vise, just put something on the floor so you don't drop the bar onto concrete or something.

But yes, its just a pop-off plug at the front of the tube, wail on the bar and it will pop out the front. It feels a bit wrong, using the biggest hammer you have to smack the sh*t out of your suspension, but its the correct way to do it.

Or go buy a cheap hydraulic press somewhere.

Penetrating oil will help, but if you can't pull it out with minimal effort (you can slip a wrench around the narrow section of the bar and use that to lever it out) then just skip directly to big hammer time. The hammer makes it quick and easy.

(apologies for thread necromancy! And thanks to the people who's advice I eventually took.)