Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi I have turned my moggy over onto its side to do the welding is it possible to remove the torsion bar and front suspension while the car is on its side, if so how do I go about it

thanks

Tony

It is, but there would be a heck of a jerk as you released the tension on the torsion bar.
If it took you a lot of effort to get the car up, you could, with the trackrod end and flexible brake pipe removed, release the top trunnion from the shock absorber, working from behind (ie engine bay side) and making the final push with a long screwdriver. Just stay out of the line of the ultimate 'jerk' as the tension is released!

I think the 'official' advice would be to drop the car, and do it in the usual fashion using a jack under the lower arm.

I'm thinking you could open a gap between the bottom are ends and pass a flat ratchet strap between them to take the strain but I can't think what you would pull it against .

How would you put it back together?
I'm sure it would need to be on the ground for that.

Yeah, having done this several times while it's on the ground, I cant think of any way you could do it while it's up in the air ... there is quite a bit of force in those torsion bars.

More often than not, when jacking them up to relieve the tension, the whole car is balanced on the jack, since to put enough force into the torsion bar it's lifted the car off the axle stands.

Ratchet straps, or long screwdrivers sound like a fantastic way to loose a finger or an eye

Good advice!

Just remembered - I was putting back a front coil on a Mercedes 123 some years ago, with a home-made tool, quite simple, but my maxim is to trust nothing, not even my own work.
To cut a long story short, my welded tool snapped. I remember thinking, as I heard the bang, what a good thing it was I had secured the spring to the car with stout rope and even a chain, to several points. It's quite a long spring.

I gave my advice here on the suspicion that mckenzie would probably be tempted to try something with the car up. There are always ways and means, but without seeing it there's no way of recommending anything further.

Aye, where there's a will there will be a way ... although I'd prefer to be standing quite a long way from it when it happens

Dont for gods sake try and release all that tension by popping off the top trunnion.......somethings bound to go wrong and damage something or someone.
Put the car back upright, and use the tried and tested method.

I would not want to be anywhere near when the tension was released from the torsion bar. Do it the safe way.

I recently did this operation by using two large S hooks and a turnbuckle , top hook on the shock absorber lever and the lower hook on the torsion bar lever . Hooked and loaded the bottom trunnion can be released and the torsion lever let down by extending the turnbuckle , making sure you do not run out of thread travel . Putting a jack under the torsion lever just lifts the whole car, unless it is tied down some how .

It's 'tied down' by gravity - when it's standing upright. But I agree in principle - specially if the rebound stop is removed first - it will be possible to unload the bar using a form of spring compressor as described. With the rebound stop removed there is not much that much force stored when the suspension is fully relaxed - but care will still be required. It's not as dodgy as trying to release the spring on a TR7 MacPherson strut - when the clamps slip! At least the torsion bar is restrained........

Thanks for the advice think I will put the car back on its wheels to do knowing my luck something will go wrong if I try it while on its side

Tony