Spring plate stuck on torsion bar...help

[Sacto S]

My friend and I are attempting to replace the torsion bar bushing on my 67S. Things went fairly smoothly until we got the first spring plate loose and discovered that the sprint plate was stuck (rusted?) to the torsion bar. Is there a trick or proven method to free the spring plate end from the end of the torsion bar? We tried to use LARGE channel locks pliers to hold the shaft of the torsion bar and then use a pry bar to work the two apart. Nope, that wasn't it. We gave the connection a good dose of WD40 and called it quits for the day. What should we try tomorrow?

Thanks in advance!

[Mr9146]

Drill a hole in the spring plate tortion bar cover cap. Insert a punch and pry the cap out of the spring plate. Then, drive the bar out of the spring plate with a BIG hammer and a punch (you will have to work through the inspection hole). You may want to add a bit of fire to help your cause. If you use fire, exercise proper fire safety procedures.

[JHunter]

I went through a similar event on a 66'. Once you get the two apart, you can use lapping compound on the splines to clean them up. It also makes re-assembly a breeze.

[Sacto S]

Thank you both for the pointers. I'll get back out there this weekend and get after it again.

I think I'll attempt to drive out the t-bar by drilling as small a hole as possible in the cap. Is it really necessary to ply off the entire cap? I'm thinking a hole just large enough for the shaft of my longest punch. Squirt in some Liquid Wrench/WD40, rotate and repeat, let it sit over night and then try to drive out the t-bar.

Thanks again!

[JHunter]

Once the torsion bar is out, you'll see that the cap is made to come off. You just can't get to it with the bar in place. Drilling a small hole allows you to get something in there, to pry it off. Even if you're able to remove the bar, without removing the cap, I think you'll still want to remove the cap and clean the splines.

[HarryD]

Hi,

I went through this a few years ago. There are numerous methods to break it loose. A search at the Pelican BBS will turn up quite a list of methods (my handle there is harryd and I started a thread on the topic as well).

For me, it was the use of several 18-24" pry bars and frequent use of a BFH to shock the parts loose. I sprayed PB Blaster any crevice I could access to help break the bond as well.

What seemed to work the best was to work my around the springplate cover a bit at a time and each time I got a bit of movement, I relocated the prybar to try to pull the plate off square to the chassis.

It was many hours of "fun".

[Sacto S]

"Hours of fun?" I guess that's one way of putting it. I already have one black and blue fingernail for my efforts. I guess a couple more will be a small price to pay for a nice smooth ride.

Thanks for the pointers!

[911scfanatic]

Drill a hole in the spring plate tortion bar cover cap. Insert a punch and pry the cap out of the spring plate. Then, drive the bar out of the spring plate with a BIG hammer and a punch (you will have to work through the inspection hole). You may want to add a bit of fire to help your cause. If you use fire, exercise proper fire safety procedures.

+1. This is the method that worked for me on a rusted '71.
Drill a bigger hole for a larger punch (or remove the cap entirely after you have drilled the hole). Use some PB Blaster or Kroil I hear is better yet. Heat the spring plate tube with an acetylene torch and you'll have success in a couple of minutes. The rusted torsion bar will laugh at you if you only use MAP or propane.