Torson bar removal ?

[vipergtrdj]

OK, I know this has been asked many times, and I have read a good 20hours on it before I started to remove mine. Here I am, 7days (4hours a day) of beating on it with everything from a sledge hammer, to an air hammer (3500hits per minute). I even tried to heat the keys up with a Mapp gas torch for 20minutes and no luck.

I am replacing my stock torsion bars for 3/4ton ones, as my adjuster bolt is maxed and it did not move the front end at all, its sagging bad. My torsion bars are stuck in the keys, as well as the Lower Control Arm. I am very frustrated and about to just give up on it.

My question is - will a map gass/ oxy torch kit(the small one available at Home depot/ Lowes for $50-60) work to cut the end of the Torsion bar where the key is? Also would it work to heat up the LCA hot enough to pound out the front end ? I do have the new 3/4ton bars, and keys. So all I need to keep in good shape is the crossmember and the LCA.

BTW - The truck is a 94 K1500 ext cab and its been a new england vehicle its entire life 165k miles (lots of rust). I am in the process of restoring it and I am on the final stages of it. The body panels are all new, and the exhaust is in the process of finishing up. So the only thing left I need to do is the Torsion bars.

Please help - any information would help me at this point. Sorry for the long post.

 

[vipergtrdj]

forgot to add - I have used everything from Kroil, to PB Blaster ... no luck on them budging. :'(

 

[Crummins]

This may be a dumb question but did you unload the tension on the torsion bars first?

 

[vipergtrdj]

Yes, both are unloaded and I have the bolt along with the metal it bolted to on the ground, so there is no tension on the bars right now.

 

[Crummins]

I figured you did but you never know...

 

[dirtridinz71]

No those little torch kits will not cut the bar. To get bars from the x&member use real torches and cut the bottom of the keys and then pound the xmember back. Not sure on best way to remove bars from the control arms. I've never had to remove them only the keys. Isn't rust fun?

 

[vipergtrdj]

No those little torch kits will not cut the bar. To get bars from the x&member use real torches and cut the bottom of the keys and then pound the xmember back. Not sure on best way to remove bars from the control arms. I've never had to remove them only the keys. Isn't rust fun?

yeah, Rust is awesome stuff haha.

As for the torches - will those little sets get it so the metal gets cherry red ? I tried just the map gas, but didn't even get close to red. I am running out of ideas, and I have no access to a real torch. Altho I am thinking about picking one up at some point when funds permit me to.

 

[darren250r]

I've had some luck in situations like this where I heat up the part thats stuck, then while its hot shoot it with penetrating oil. The oil gets sucked into the joint area like when you're soldering copper pipe.

 

[JollyGreen]

^^^That might work. You might try to heat up the area around the control arm where the bar goes through...to the point where you can get some expansion out of it and be ready with the air hammer to beat the **** out of it. I would try what Darren said first. I've done both of these before on Air Force ground equipment.

 

[vipergtrdj]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried to heat the control arm to get it out - no luck, and the keys are still pretty much welded togther. I called a shop and they said it would be easier to cut them out with a grinder, and replace the LCA, and torsion bar x-member. But the x-member is discontinued from the dealership so they say. Anyone know where I can find one ? I called to a couple junk yards but they just said that they cut them to sell the Torsion bars.