Torsion Bars

1st April 2008, 22:43

Can someone give me an idea of how to get the torsion bars out? spent about 6 hours today doing it got the washers and screws out cant get the bars themselves out and have tried drowning the in WD-40 any one got anyother ideas?

1st April 2008, 22:46

what about heating it up, thats an old trick for removing broken studs.

duno if its a good idea, but its one lol

1st April 2008, 22:50

have even tried that too, but not for long for fear of distorting the metal....

1st April 2008, 22:52

have to heat it for along time to distort it i should imagine.

think outa loud here, you tried a crank puller like they use on mountain bikes. may work

1st April 2008, 22:58

yea i had that thought thanks to me working at halfords LOL! looked at them the other day but they screw 10mm instead of 8mm.... may try further heating then just wish they would come out.

1st April 2008, 23:10

had an idea..... large socket placed over the torsion bar hole with a m8 bolt using the socket to act as a puller?

1st April 2008, 23:13

what im thinking is....

a socket that will go over the torsion bar, then an 8mm stud iron,inside the socet a washer and, on the stud coming out of the socket another washer and two nuts.

ill get me paint skills out lol

1st April 2008, 23:21

summit like that

1st April 2008, 23:33

cheers mate.. let you know tomorrow how i do hope i get them off, wouldnt know naything about d.i.y refurb on alloys lol what to peel the old paint off?

1st April 2008, 23:37

nitro mores (sp) they sell it in halfords.

have a wiff of it to, blow your head off lol

1st April 2008, 23:51

yh was thinking that lol well least is torsion bars dont comeout day can get better thanks to nitromors

2nd April 2008, 00:00

Torsion Bar Removal Techniques

2nd April 2008, 00:01

just seen another way mate

8mm bolt fairly long a plate/waher then socket, slide plate up the 8mm bolt put both through socket and tighten up, basically a simple version of the above lol

2nd April 2008, 00:06

cheers for the help mate will give it a try tomorrow got several other jobs including my wheels to do aswell. in regards to spline on the bar how many for say 45-50mm drop. it had been dropped 45 at the front could you suggest a height for the back? want the wheels just to sit in the arches.

2nd April 2008, 00:14

mine is 60mm and sit just in the arches.

but if you 45mm front id say 55mm rear as it tends to be 10mm at the rear to get it level

2nd April 2008, 00:17

2nd April 2008, 19:40

yet another six hours doing them and still they dont move

really had enough now can anyone come and do them for me lol got my alloys painted tho

2nd April 2008, 19:41

did you heat it? then use the homemade crank puller?

2nd April 2008, 19:42

yea and bugger all lol and i cant get the blot out hidden behined the arm on the passenger side either...

2nd April 2008, 20:29

here you go mate - lots of useful guides here and even a video clip!

http://www.saxperience.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=108027

2nd April 2008, 21:00

cheers mate... still been trying to get them out last hour still no luck dunno what else to do. tried slide hammer , heating, makeshift crank puller and just beating the crap out of it with a hammer lol anyone else got ideas?

2nd April 2008, 21:13

Different day same shit...... a search will give u all the answers

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevenet15

these guides are good:

http://www.badgermotorsport.co.uk/lowering.htm

http://www.suzukituning.com/PSA/Suspension/Lowering.htm

and here is some info from me:

firstly take the shocks off so that the suspension arms dont have any pull on them apart from there own weight, then do measurements (measure from behind the hub to the bottom of the car & note measurments)

Then undo the ARB plate bolts so u can rotate the ARB out the way, next u need to remove all the torx bolts and offcenetered washers from both ends of both torsion bars

now get some WD40 and cokacola and plater it around the ends of the torsion bars and splines this will help eat into the rust and help free it off

then you can either try slide hammering the torsion bar out if its still seised in you can try the bolt and socket method as shown in the pic below (make sure that the bolt has at least 10-15mm in the torsion bar before pulling out or u will rip the threads)

socket and bolt method

if its still not budging then you can get a mate to hit the other side of the torsion bar with a 7lb lump hammer and a bar with you slide hammer or socket and bolt the other side, the pressure of both forces against the torsion bar normally frees it up

lump hammer and bar:

if its still not budging then u can use a blow torch to heat the ends around the torsion bar up as the metal expands it normally healts to break the seal of the rust and help free it up

also sometimes if u put a jack under the arm ur trying to remove the torsion bar from and jsut tkae it up a few mm it helps take a little weight off the torsion bar which can help it have less stress to come out. u can keep applying WD40/coke mixture throughout the different stages to try help it and just have to keep trying, they will give way eventually

once done and out measure and use a jack to hold the arm at the new height u want and then pop the torsion bar back in, and fit everything back on, do some for both sides, job done

here is also a animated pic i made showing torsion bars

2nd April 2008, 21:18

also there is a bolt at BOTH ends of each torsion bar.. remember to remove them both!

2nd April 2008, 21:24

yea checked that and done it all well they have been in there for 10 years now so no wonder there in there good. the top arm is shifting out on the drivers side but not on the passenger side its taking the trailing arm with it. The torx bolt on the passenger side at the bottom how do you get it out?

3rd April 2008, 14:57

i had the same problem with my saxo mate...in the end i just took it to demon tweeks n they did for me, cost me £141 but it was done and they grease it loads.
i had mine at 40/50...didnt like it so i went the whole way down 60/bump stops, handles like a dream.

3rd April 2008, 15:49

yea think thats best mate put mine back together today after f all lol proble taking mine down 50-55 at the back so i can get up my drive lol

4th April 2008, 09:27

yer think that will sit nicely and its practicle

sent us a pic when it done?

4th April 2008, 20:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThegreenVTR

yea checked that and done it all well they have been in there for 10 years now so no wonder there in there good. the top arm is shifting out on the drivers side but not on the passenger side its taking the trailing arm with it. The torx bolt on the passenger side at the bottom how do you get it out?

I had some fun with that one, need a t40 torx head on a small flat rachet, i had to buy one in the end as couldnt get anything else in there, if you remove the damper completely you can see more, its tight but with a small enough rachet and a decent t40 torx bit it can be done.

I had probs with that one only, spent about 20-25 mins trying to get at it but with the right tools it can be done.

Are you still trying to get the torsion bar out on the passenger side as you said earlier it was seized and wasnt budging?

8th April 2008, 18:08

given up on it mate just going to get it done professionally cheers for the ideas tho bud

9th April 2008, 10:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThegreenVTR

given up on it mate just going to get it done professionally cheers for the ideas tho bud

Fair enough mate, no worries