Torsion Bar replacement without the engine

[culp]

I'm restoring a 1970 Traveller and I've hit a couple of snags with the torsion bar replacement.

There's no engine in the car so no counterweight when it comes to pre-loading the torsion bar I tried putting my plasma cutter in the engine bay (about 40-50kgs) But it just lifts the whole car up

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Before I load 5x 25kg sacks of gravel in the engine bay does any one have any ingenious workaround?

From the workshop manual, it says I need a difference in height of 5 and 5/8 of an inch between the front suspension arm and the rear suspension arm, that seems like a lot, have I understood it right?

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I have managed to mix up the torsion bars left and right is there any way of telling which is which?

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[philthehill]

The height difference (dimension C in the drawing) should be between the centre of the eye bolt pin and the centre of the lower trunnion pin hole in the thick suspension arm.
Dimension C has nothing to do with the torsion bar rear reaction lever.
It is very hard to differentiate between right and left torsion bars once dismantled.
Always place one or more RED cable ties on the N/S (Port) torsion bar and one or more GREEN cable tie on the O/S (Starboard) torsion bar before dismantling.
You may have a problem getting the suspension back together without the engine or weight in the engine bay. All you can do is load the engine bay until sufficient weight allows the suspension to go back together.
I would suggest that the bottom trunnion is assembled first with the top trunnion disconnected from top arm pin. With the lower thick/thin arms jacked up the top trunnion can then be wrapped around the top arm pin. Leave the suspension bolts loose to give some wiggle room when wrapping the top trunnion around the top arm pin.
Removing the top rebound bumper from the flitch panel/underside of the top arm gives a bit more downwards suspension movement
Good luck.

[culp]

I would suggest that the bottom trunnion is assembled first with the top trunnion disconnected from top arm pin.

Aaaah! now why didn't I think of that? Thanks Phil

[culp]

Torsion Bar in (after three attempts) now for the other side...thanks! Philthehill

[philthehill]

Well done