Torsion bar removal

Post by **davidwarren** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:24 pm

Hi, I own a 1968 two door saloon and I'm trying to fit new bushes to the eye bolt on the front suspension. I have followed what the morris minor workshop manual said, split the lower arm, remove the tension from the torsion bar etc. The strip down has went so well but I have a problem. I can't remove the little arm from the splines of the torsion bar, the little arm that bolts under the floor. I have hammered it, prised it, covered it in release oil but no luck. Until its off I can't remove the old eye bolt bushes. Please help!
Many thanks, David.

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Post by **IaininTenbury** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:51 pm

Dont worry you dont need to get the rear small arm off the torsion bar.
Once the bottom wishbone is split, and the front thin half is off, the trunnion disconnected so no tension on the bar, simply hammer the wishbone towards the rear of the car, sliding it back on the splines until it comes free off the cup on the eyebolt pin. You'll need to hit it fairly hard, as near to the eyebolt as possible, but it should start to move quite readily. Yuo dont need to takeit right back off the the splines, just enough for it to disconnect from the eyebolt pin. The rear of the torsion bar can be left on the car, unless you want to clean it up and paint it. just pull it downwards enough to push the pin out of the eyebolt. You may need a prybar to drag it away from the chassis leg. Dont worry, its all hefty stuff and difficult to damage.

If you do inadvertantly tap the bottom arm right off the splines and loose the setting its not a problem. Simply measure 17 - 17.5 " from the outer bolt hole that the trunnion goes through to the bottom of the round hole in the inner wing next to the shock absorber, and it'll be in about the right place to tap back on to the splines.

I've never bothered to remove the rear arm, just acceot that its welded to the torsion bar!

Post by **bmcecosse** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 9:52 pm

"the little arm that bolts under the floor" - don't understand. Are you meaning the short reaction arm at the rear of the torsion bar - where it connects through the cross member ? This doesn't need touching - in fact neither arm (long or short) should be taken off the torsion bar splines - just slide the front (long) arm rearwards slightly still on the splines. The eye bolt can then be removed from the chassis leg without taking the torsion bar away.

Post by **bigginger** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:31 pm

bmcecosse wrote:"the little arm that bolts under the floor" - don't understand.

How many little arms under the floor do you have on your torsion bars, then?

Post by **Peetee** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:34 pm

As you hammer back the suspension arm along the torsion bar you should leave behind a rod and cup that passes through the eyebolt. (That threaded rod you can see coming out of the front of the eyebolt is not part of the torsion bar and should be left behind when the torsion bar is removed) If this has corroded however it just goes backwards with the suspension arm and makes the whole job a lot more complicated.

You could try soaking the whole thing in release oil (Plusgas NOT WD40) for as long as you can (two days and several applications would be good) then fitting a spacer washers and a nut tight on the end and give the suspension arm enough whacks to free it from the rod and cup.

Post by **davidwarren** » Sun Jun 10, 2007 11:12 pm

Thanks guys, I'll give it a try in the morning.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 7:54 am

Andrew - on my Traveller there are NO little arms that "bolt under the floor"! Maybe the Commercials are different - but I doubt it. I did my best to interpret what was being asked - pretty sure I made that clear, and got it right! At least I gave a useful response back to David.

Post by **steve4063** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:38 am

sorry to jump in on this thread.

i have a question is there any way to tell which side the torsion bars come from.

mine are both loose in the car with no bits attached to the ends

and i know they can snap if put back on the wrong side

Post by **bmcecosse** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:51 am

Really dunno steve - I think pretty much symetrical. I doubt they will snap - it's just 'best practice' to put them on the way were before to minimise undue settling as they take the load. But if they haven't been used for ages anyway - they probably will settle - so set it up nice and high to start with and await results!

Post by **bigginger** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 12:37 pm

"Andrew - on my Traveller there are NO little arms that bolt under the floor"!" Eeeeer - right.
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Post by **RogerRust** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 4:21 pm

When I stripped the paint off mine you could see a spiral pattern in the metal. The offside one was clockwise when looked at from the front and the nearside anticlock

Post by **Peetee** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:54 pm

i have a question is there any way to tell which side the torsion bars come from.

The surface condition may give you a clue ie. rust/underseal/road grime.

Post by **davidwarren** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 10:24 pm

The "little arm" I was refering to was the rear end lever of the torsion bar as shown in the morris minor workshop manual. I called it "little arm" because I couldn'r remember the proper name.
I managed to replace the eye bolt bushes without removing the torsion bar like you all said. I sprayed penetrant fluid on the spline of the torsion bar where it goes into the lower rear arm the night before. It slid back a treat and made the job really easy.
Thanks for your advise.

Post by **rayofleamington** » Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:31 pm

I sprayed penetrant fluid on the spline of the torsion bar where it goes into the lower rear arm the night before. It slid back a treat and made the job really easy.

Glad you got it done the proper way