I lowered my torsion bars now cant get my oil filter out

[mpdlawdog]

Is this normal?  I recently lowered my torsion bars and went to change my oil...still have not driven the car but has a ton of gas in it...thats another story...now I cant get the oil filter out...  I tried jacking the car up but still cant get it out..Im guessing the bars are stuck down...ideas?

[randr]

tosion bars should have no effect on oil filter location! at least not on any of my mopars. unless you moved stock filter location?

[mpdlawdog]

woops I guess I wasnt clear...I can get the oil filter off but cant get it out...its stuck behind the radiatior and the suspension...

[jwilk01]

Did you try pulling it out through the top?  Do I have to come up with all the ideas!!

[mpdlawdog]

yes...I tried that!  I will take a pic tomorrow to prove im not nuts!

[tan top]

yes...I tried that!  I will take a pic tomorrow to prove im not nuts!

.....................

[bill440rt]

Do you have aftermarket sway bar adapter plates? The ones that bolt to the K-frame?

I've found that I have to drop the left side of the sway bar bracket every time I change the oil on my '68 to get the filter out. Same with my '69 that has a Hotchkis bar.
Can't get it out thru the top, either.

[bull]

Whatever you did to cause this problem should probably be undone to make it not a problem. Does that make sense?

[squeakfinder]

  I can't pull the filter out the bottom. Tranny cooler lines are in the way. I can just barely squeeze it past the power steering belt, radiator, radiator fan, foul language, and fan shroud coming out the top.

[mpdlawdog]

Do you have aftermarket sway bar adapter plates? The ones that bolt to the K-frame?

I've found that I have to drop the left side of the sway bar bracket every time I change the oil on my '68 to get the filter out. Same with my '69 that has a Hotchkis bar.
Can't get it out thru the top, either.

sorry I have not had a chance to take a pic...its all stock underneath....it hits the sway bar and the radiator hose.....I took the battery and battery tray out last night to get it out....I dont get it! Did you lower the bars also?

[FLG]

Lowering the t bars should not affect it, the engine/body all moves together the only thing changing is your ride height.

[A383Wing]

you don't say what year of car or engine....I'm guessing a big block here....

willing to bet that maybe the engine mounts are "squished" letting the engine sit lower in the K-frame....another possibility is that the radiator support (lower) is maybe pushed back towards the engine ......

the filter in our Daytona will only come out the top....mainly because I have a torque strap on the engine mount & K-frame....it's right in the way of filter

[mpdlawdog]

you don't say what year of car or engine....I'm guessing a big block here....

willing to bet that maybe the engine mounts are "squished" letting the engine sit lower in the K-frame....another possibility is that the radiator support (lower) is maybe pushed back towards the engine ......

the filter in our Daytona will only come out the top....mainly because I have a torque strap on the engine mount & K-frame....it's right in the way of filter

Its a 68 383....it has new engine mounts...I put the motor in and have only driven the car down the street twice...I didnt have any problems before (only changed the oil once and it was on a rack)....
glad to see Im not the only one....I thought I was going crazy!  I guess I will remove the battery tray to do it....the only bad thing is I am having a problem with the carb (I think) dumping gas.  Im sure I will have to change is two more times before I get the problem figured out 

[wrench]

try removing the splash shield.

[Ghoste]

I take mine out through the top but something doesn't sound right about not being able to squeeze a filter out in your case.

[BigBlockSam]

 

[69RT3X9]

My oil filter of choice is a WIX Racing filter.  I ran into the same interference problem when I tried changing my oil filter for the first time on my 69 Charger with a 440.  It turns out my car's aluminum radiator and custom fan shroud must be a little thicker than stock?  I could not pull the oil filter out the top due to interference with my fan shroud and battery tray.  I found the easiest way to get the filter out was sideways through the wheel opening.

If I recall correctly, with a floor jack lifting the car behind the front driver's side wheel opening, the suspension travel created a gap under the splash shield that my filter could pass through.

Before removing the oil filter, I cut out a piece of plastic (~ 8"x11") from a washer fluid bottle and inserted it (tilted forward towards the radiator with slight v-shape bend to it) under the oil filter pickup so the oil filter's oil ran down the plastic valley and into my used oil container, instead of all over my k-member. When the oil stopped running out of the filter, I removed it through the wheel opening.  I inserted the new oil filter through the same opening and then threaded it on from under the car.  Everything worked smoothly and there was very little oil mess.

[mpdlawdog]

I am still not sure what caused this...there is about 2 1/2 inch gab between the sway bar and the radiator...I'm glad Im not the only one who has this problem....I guess I will just take the battery out when its time to change it...glad its not my daily driver!

[charger Downunder]

Lookin at that pic the sway bar looks like its in the wrong spot too far forward.
On my 70 the bar sits further back.

[tan top]

looks like the soldered on  radiator mounting bracket has   been attached a little crooked which will make the radiator sit  a little closer to the engine !!  my original radiator was like that & could never get the filter through ! & now i have a thicker say bar not a hope in hell

Lookin at that pic the sway bar looks like its in the wrong spot too far forward.
On my 70 the bar sits further back.

68 -69 cars have a different set up  

see picture

also can't you not take the front frame rail splash shiled out !  to remove filter    thats how i always get mine out , can  little messy though  , i just use hex head sheet metal screws to hold it on instead of the factory ideal of rivets  
course now i'm running a shuchmacher (spelling) torque strap ,  have to either keep unbolting this or take it out from the top !

( bottom picture for reference    )