66 Dodge Coronet torsion bar question .. ?? wanting to lower it ..

Got a 66 Dodge Coronet today looking to lower it, it has a slant 6 on it 3 on the tree, runs amazing,anyways wanting to lower it but I look underneath and see torsion bars, I knew it them but being this is my first mopar, how can I lower the front end ??

I know this might sound like a dumb ass question but with torsion bars up front, do you need a special tool to lower the torsion bars ? there is some sort of clip where the nut usually is to lower .. first mopar so any help it would be appreciated .. pics, anything... THANKS
car looks like this..( actual car )

 

you can crank them down, It's been awhile since I did it. But it's very easy to do. Maybe some of our Mopar guys will fill in the blanks on how to turn the bars down.

 

There is a large bolt in the control arm that you can loosen and lower the front a few inches. However, you must re set the camber because the front tires will be leaning in at the top. Also be careful if the bolt is rusted and stuck. You really dont want to break it off...........

 

Yeah, but I see a clip like a C clip, I know I would need to take that out but is there any special tool I would need beyond that point ?

thanks by the way..

 

BTW that is a good looking old Coronet, but imho the skirts ruin the looks. (I know opinions are like a$$3oles!.) LOL

 

Big Bad Dad's right on here. Use a good penetrant oil (not WD40) for a while if they look rusty. Loosen them, counting turns of the wrench. I'd turn each a couple of turns and then drop it to the ground to check it. You should measure a point before you start, then check that same point afterwards. Go ahead and bounce the car up and down a couple of times to; to be sure it's settled.
This will loosen the suspension, so good heavy duty shocks are called for...
I used to run my factory '69 Dart 383 GTS with the bars let almost all the way off to get the front down low, and man, it was!

 

Big Bad Dad's right on here. Use a good penetrant oil (not WD40) for a while if they look rusty. Loosen them, counting turns of the wrench. I'd turn each a couple of turns and then drop it to the ground to check it. You should measure a point before you start, then check that same point afterwards. Go ahead and bounce the car up and down a couple of times to; to be sure it's settled.
This will loosen the suspension, so good heavy duty shocks are called for...
I used to run my factory '69 Dart 383 GTS with the bars let almost all the way off to get the front down low, and man, it was!

 

The torsion bars adjust AT the lower control arm.
You're looking at the transmission crossmember.
The clip just keeps the torsion bar from sliding out when unloaded. It has nothing to do with torsion bar adjustment.

Do your adjustments with the wheels off the ground and the car safely supported on stands. You're more likely to snap off the bolts if you do the adjustment with the full weight of the car on them.
Measure the bolt lengths on both sides and move them the same distance. Count quarter turns of the ratchet too...matching both sides.

 

Thanks guys ... !!! as always I can count on good info up in here..

 

Be sure to get it aligned when yo do lower it. It's not a problem, but it does change things!

 

Like Storm king said, soak the bolts down with something like PB Blaster and then turn them an equal number of turns. I have to back up here as they are on the bottom side of the lower A arms. you wil see the lever type piece that bolt pushes against. I think it takes a 3/4 socket and breaker bar or long ratchet.
One of my high school buddies used to take his dad's car around the corner on Friday night and pop the hubcaps (he had the wheels painted shiny black) and pull the ratchet and socket out of the trunk and take a couple of turns on the torsion bars and go cruising. That worked until his dad got a bit worried about the front tires wearing out too early and one of his friends spotted my friend with the hubcaps off and the front of the car either lowered or raised up gasser style. As they said above, put it at the height you want it and then have it aligned so that it will drive right and the tires won't wear prematurely.

 

thanks again I will do all that ..

 

Incorrect.
They're in the lower control arms on a B body Mopar.
Most other vehicles, like an S10 Blazer 4x4 etc, have them in the crossmember but NOT a Mopar of that era.

I just REPLACED the crossmember in mine. I know.

 

Yeah Hackerbilt is correct I just saw them they are by the control arms.

 

I will be doing the same on my o/t Mopar.

 

What he said!

I would add that when you lower it, it definitely needs to be re-aligned. Also, replacing the T-bars with bigger ones, for a V8 B-body, would let you lower the car without losing too much of the spring rate.

The adjustment bolt is in the lower control arm, facing DOWN.

Good luck with that car. I would love to have a slant-powered B or C body. My first mod would be a T-5 conversion!

 

I agree with most of what's been said so far, the car can be lowered a couple of inches before you start running into problems.

If you lower it too much, you won't be able to get the alignment back into spec without offset bushings, you end up running out of adjustment. But, its usually not an issue unless you're trying to drop the car more 1-2".

Also, if you drop it down too much you may start hitting the bump stops with suspension travel. This can be solved with stiffer (larger diameter) torsion bars.

And finally, a common misconception. Lowering the car with the torsion bar adjusters DOES NOT CHANGE THE SPRING RATE!

It may cause you to bottom out the suspension, but this is because you have reduced the amount of suspension travel, not because you changed the spring rate. The spring rate of the torsion bar is fixed, it does not change. Also, torsion bars are linear springs, so the spring rate does not change even as it is compressed (twisted) as the suspension travels. And, changing the torsion bar adjusters does not twist the bar anyway, or alter the pre-load. Pre-load is set by the offset hexagonal ends of the torsion bar (30 degrees for stock), and doesn't change unless you change the bar itself. The only thing the torsion bar adjuster does is change the angle of the lower control arm relative to the torsion bar. This lowers or raises the car, reduces (or increases) the amount of suspension travel available, and alters the camber of the suspension (caster too, but not much).

Hope this helps, make sure you get an alignment after you lower the car.

 

I would recommend driving it around the block to put some load on the suspension aside from just bouncing the front end when done adjusting. Don't adjust too much at once either. And yes get it aligned afterwards. Very east project to do.

 

I always bounced the car on the alignment rack a few times when I had to set one. I always went with the ride height between the frame towards the front of the car and the alignment rack. All you need is a 3/4" socket and ratchet.

Bob

 

DON'T TAKE THAT CLIP OUT......no need unless you are putting the bar out..GO TO THE OTHER END OF THAT CLIP AND....simple, just crank down the bolt on the adjuster to where you want the ride to sit............then re set the camber

 

earlier mopars has the adjusters in the trans mt area...later models have em up front.

 

And the later Volares etc had crossmounted torsion bars with a different style of adjuster...BUT he's asking about a B body so describing where they are on other cars means nothing to his question.

 

Now let's not have an argument on an off topic topic...

 

Just about any torsion bar I've replaced was in 2-pieces... makes it a lot easier to swing under the car. And by all means never try to take one out unless it is either broken or the adjuster is backed all the way off.

Bob

 

What has been said above is correct. Adjust the torsion bars as stated. Adjust the camber so that the wheels/tires are back to straight up/down, instead of canted in. Realign. Go drive it. Repeat if necessary.

And, this is about as off-topic as Mustang II/Fatman front ends. Mopar used this style of torsion bar mounting for twenty years plus.

 

I'm late to this party, but the bolt you need to adjust is in the lower right of the pic. You can see it's backed all the way out with the header pipes in the background.

 

Ok, just to be on the safe side I took some pics of the bolts I left soaking overnight in penetrating oil, this is the correct bolt to turn right ? and by the way that is the car that's gonna be getting lowered I know not much of a looker and a more door but it runs like demon on roids... very tight too, cranks right up.

 

That's it.

 

ok cool.....

 

I doubt both bars have the same rate anymore (how old are they?) so measuring the length of the both doesn't hold much water. Measure from the frame at the same places on both sides to see if you get it pretty close to even. Take into account your weight if you drive it mostly by yourself. I'm 220 so I like to crank in about 3/4 higher on the driver's side. I have a 66 Belvedere that I run with just 1" between the bump stops on the control arms....