I am trying to swap in some OME torsion bars to replace the completely shot OEM ones. Quite easy to get adjuster bolt and torque arm out. No significant rust to speak of. However I cannot get the torsion bar out of the anchor arm. Have tried a couple different times on both sides. PB blaster frequently over the past week. Heat, brass drift, brass hammer, little bit of air hammer (don't want to destroy the arm)... can't get it to budge. Any additional ideas or tricks. I am considering that I might have to cut the torsion bar to get the arm out, but will need to have a replacement on hand (~$75 at least each side) in case I can't get the cut arm off of the torsion bar. Also considering taking it to a shop (Japanese auto or someplace) and asking if they can free the bar grease it and send me home to finish the job.
Can't get torsion bar out of anchor arm
- Thread starter bgolf247
- Start date
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nukegoat
Should have bought a Jeep
Stop being a little girl and hit it harder.
- Thread starter
- #3
Ha! Me and my buddy both spent some time wailing on it. I figure if it were on a rack it might be a little easier to wind up a swing. Another problem is that its hard to keep the arm/bar static while hitting it. Seems like significant amount of force is lost there.
You need to hold the torsion bar with some kung fu grip while smashing the anchor arm, it's thick metal it's not going to get damaged, a few good whacks and it should come out. Mine was seized and rusted to shiets and that's how i got it off.
Here is what ended up working for me... vice grips cranked on the t-bar, then I could hit the anchor while the vice grips held on tight and locked the t-bar from moving by butting up against the frame cross member.
- Thread starter
- #6
Ok, Gonna give it another try with this method in a day or two when I can get an evening free.
Do you recall if the other end of the torsion bar is hanging free in this situation or loose in the torque bracket?
DirtDawg
"It'd be alot cooler if you did"
Thats EXACTLY what I did lol
Air hammer and heat the sh*t out of them.
Since i was replacing them, I cut them off and worked the anchor arm out in the bench, it was terribly seized, I don't think I could have done it while still in the truck.
Once in the bench, I put a big wood block under the anchor and started hitting the TB with a 4 pounds mallet, took me about 15 minutes per side.
Once in the bench, I put a big wood block under the anchor and started hitting the TB with a 4 pounds mallet, took me about 15 minutes per side.
Sorry I don’t remember.
Mine were rust-welded solid and instead of wrestling with them I just cut off the TB close to the anchor arm.
- Thread starter
- #12
I assume you had to buy new anchor arms then?
Yes - I bought a pair of new rust free arms from classifieds here for a song. I am sure a local machine shop would have found a way to extract mine but the used replacements were incredible cheap (about $50 for anchor and torque arms) so I didn't bother with my originals.
OH AND DON"T PLACE YOUR HEAD UNDER THE TORQUE ARM WHEN CUTTING THE TB - it almost sent me to the ER!
I didn't have the seizing issues with my other 2 100s that i owned, but on 3 other instances, i had to cut it out of my customer's truck. Used an acetylene torch to heat up the anchor arm until it was red hot then BFH the TBs out, can't seize if the rust were liquefied hehe.
- Thread starter
- #15
I think most people who work on their own rigs here know this feeling. 3rd time jacking the truck up with some new tools and getting the job done! Thanks for the input everyone, we all know this forum is one of the top reasons to buy a LC!
What ultimately worked for me was:
@REZARF 's vice clamp idea above. Remove the front of the torsion bar and free from torsion bracket so you can get the bar as far towards the front of the truck as possible. This gives you the best angle at the lip of the anchor arm bracket. Vice clamp up against the crossmember and a buddy holding this as steady as possible.
Then lengthy heating and pb blasting cycles along with some STRONG hammering with a brass hammer. Once I got it to move a little the air hammer popped that sucker out pretty quickly. Once we knew it could be done, the second one was done in 5 minutes.
The arms are a little rusty, but nothing too bad, just a 19 year old rig. I will clean them out and grease with the OME going in.
What ultimately worked for me was:
@REZARF 's vice clamp idea above. Remove the front of the torsion bar and free from torsion bracket so you can get the bar as far towards the front of the truck as possible. This gives you the best angle at the lip of the anchor arm bracket. Vice clamp up against the crossmember and a buddy holding this as steady as possible.
Then lengthy heating and pb blasting cycles along with some STRONG hammering with a brass hammer. Once I got it to move a little the air hammer popped that sucker out pretty quickly. Once we knew it could be done, the second one was done in 5 minutes.
The arms are a little rusty, but nothing too bad, just a 19 year old rig. I will clean them out and grease with the OME going in.
Way to go man. Get 'er done!
