faze
Full Access Member
do I need to unload the torsion bar when I take the control arms off to change the bushings or is it unsprung enough hanging on jack stands?
changing the a-arm bushings
- Thread starter faze
- Start date
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I would suggest getting a basic Haynes Repair Manual for that operation. It looks like there are some specific things that have to be done in the right order to keep from getting screwed up.
It does appear that the torsion bars have to be unloaded as much as possible, without actually removing the bolt. They also suggest marking the bolt and counting the rotations to be able to return to the original settings.
One problem mentioned is that on some models, the bushings are welded in. those suggest replacing the entire A arm. For the ones that are pressed in, they suggest getting to a dealer that has the tooling to press in the new bushings.
Upper A arms are a different story. I’m looking at a Haynes that is just for Chev and GMC from 1988 to 2000. They are fairly inexpensive. Don’t know which model you have, but I’m sure it would be covered. You can also look it up at the library and copy the pages needed.
They also make reference to marking the “alignment cams” to make sure you can return to the correct alignment…. Good luck….
It does appear that the torsion bars have to be unloaded as much as possible, without actually removing the bolt. They also suggest marking the bolt and counting the rotations to be able to return to the original settings.
One problem mentioned is that on some models, the bushings are welded in. those suggest replacing the entire A arm. For the ones that are pressed in, they suggest getting to a dealer that has the tooling to press in the new bushings.
Upper A arms are a different story. I’m looking at a Haynes that is just for Chev and GMC from 1988 to 2000. They are fairly inexpensive. Don’t know which model you have, but I’m sure it would be covered. You can also look it up at the library and copy the pages needed.
They also make reference to marking the “alignment cams” to make sure you can return to the correct alignment…. Good luck….
ravingmadman
Chief Knuckle Buster
Yes, absolutely, without a question, unspring the torsion bars. I recommend you completely unspring them. It's an 18mm bolt, IIRC, and it isn't that hard. You'll need a bottle jack or something to push on the key to get the locking bar out, but that's the hardest part. When you get underneath, it will make sense. Watch your fingers. But yeah, you're going to have to remove the A-arms to get them into a machine shop however you do it.
