torsion bar removal on a G50 car

[andyt11]

I've removed one torsion plate and torsion bar no problem. They just came right out, all covered in clean grease, easy peasy. Everything looks nice except the spring plate bushings which is the whole point of this.

Moving to the other side, I just cannot get the torsion plate off the side of the car! I have done some reading and it seems you just knock the sticky bar out from the far side of the car with a broom handle / other torsion bar / round bar / whatever you have. However when I had a look down the torsion tube I don't see the end of the stuck torsion bar. I see this.



Now I've done a little more reading and it sounds like the torsion tube on the g50 cars is crimped in the middle (to make room for the gearbox?) and it looks to me like there is some kind of spacer or stopper in there. I'm not sure what I'm looking at actually.

So the easy method isn't going to work right? Anyone got suggestions on how to free up one end of the splines? Any info on whats going on in the middle of the torsion tube?

the car is an 88.

[Deadeye]

You are correct that the "easy" method will not work on the G-50 cars. Can you get a bolt onto the end of the bar and use a slide hammer?

[porschenut]

It isn't clear what you are saying is stuck. first you said it's the "torsion plate" you can't get off (actually called the spring plate, not torsion plate), then in the next sentence you say it's the torsion bar that is stuck. Which is it? The proper advice depends on exactly what you are having trouble with. First you remove the spring plate, then the torsion bar. Sometimes the torsion bar comes out with the spring plate if the end of the bar is stuck inside it.

Oh, and the broom handle method of removing the torsion bar (not the spring plate) does not work on 87-up because the torsion tube is not straight like it is on earlier cars.

[andyt11]

Sorry -

the spring plate is stuck on the end of the torsion bar, the other end of which is stuck in the middle of the car. So nothing is coming off the car. The other side came apart like butter. Very easy.

[Tigerrat]

You may have to drill a hole in the disk on the end of the spring plate cover. Then you can tap out the T bar with a punch. I ended up prying the disc out and it made the whole deal including indexing easier. Ken

[Trackrash]

I had the same problem. Since the torsion arm is stuck to the torsion bar, I pried the torsion arm away from the torsion tube. That got the torsion bar loose in the torsion tube. I then removed the cap in the torsion arm, like described above. I put some blocks between the torsion arm and torsion tube and pounded on the end of the torsion bar to loosen it from the torsion arm. Good luck.

[andyt11]

I managed to get the second torsion arm off. It was actually the rubber bush inside the torsion tube that was rock solid in the car. I just doused it in penetrating fluid and wiggled it every few hours. After half a day I stuck a pry bar between the torsion arm and the body of the car, and the whole thing just slipped right out. The torsion bar was stuck in the torsion arm mind, but in the end a little heat on the cap and a few cracks with a hammer saw it come free.

Looks rusty at the splines on that side so I used an old tooth brush and wd40 to wash / scrub the splines clean.

All tips I picked up from the reading I did on pelican, and the answers to my questions in the three or four threads I started during this project. Its a great forum and there's no way I'd be able to tackle some of the projects I've tackled over the years if it weren't for all the help available here. So thanks to all.

I've also become a master of getting the old rubber bushes off the torsion arm! The final one came off in three pieces clean, in about 5 minutes. That's a big contrast to the million pieces and 3 hours of labour that the first one took!

If anyone ever reads this, I can confirm the trick is to heat the inside of the tube, hammer in the tool that comes with the new bushes, and slit the bush in three. Peel off with pliers.

Now I'm going to get the torsion arms re-plated, they got scratched up during the cleaning process (wire wheels etc). The cover plates were toast too so I've replaced those, and I also picked up a hardware kit from ER. Whole thing should go together again a lot nicer than it came apart.

Thanks all. Replacement of these bushes just wouldn't have happened without this forum.

[john walker's workshop]

heat inside with oxy/ acet and when it starts smoking, crank it off with giant channel-locks. finish cleaning with a bench grinder wire wheel.

[rokemester]

I’ve removed Torsion bar cover and worked the cover and spring plate away from the car. The end spline is free of the cap. How the heck do I get the cover and spring plate off. I run out of room, hitting the body before I can see the end splines.

[rokemester]

I have removed the torsion bar cover and the torsion bar end is free from the splines. How do I clear the body and remove the cover and spring plate? I run out of room given the length of the bar. Sorry I'm sure this has been covered before, but couldn't find this issue.

[john walker's workshop]

Drill a hole in the end cap, pry it off and use an air hammer on the bar while you hold the spring plate. Or hold the spring plate and have someone use a hammer and drift on it. Often a lot of gentle wiggling and pulling will eventually get it out.

[rokemester]

answered my own question. once i removed the cover plate using some heat i was able to wriggle everything away..

[rokemester]

Originally Posted by john walker's workshop

Drill a hole in the end cap, pry it off and use an air hammer on the bar while you hold the spring plate. Or hold the spring plate and have someone use a hammer and drift on it. Often a lot of gentle wiggling and pulling will eventually get it out.

Thanks John! Yep a lot of easy wiggling, some heat and everything came free.





The torsion bars still had soft coating of grease and looked to be in good nick.

[john walker's workshop]

Used to live in Chagrin Falls area when I was a youngster, 30900 Summit Lane, Pepper Pike. Parents belonged to the Chagrin Falls Country Club. I remember a great fossil pit where I spent a lot of time.

[rokemester]

Oh my! My wife Joni grew up in Pepper Pike. She lived on Windy Hill. You wouldn’t recognize it with all the development. Chagrin Valley CC, great golf course and still thriving in a tough golf course market. Great area to drive!!