Torsion Bars

[terrible one]

Hey guys, quick question.

My Charger came with a 318, so it has the .90 torsion bars in it. I'm going to put in a 440 and all, and I was wondering how much of a difference it would make to keep these .90 bars in as opposed to swapping them for the "correct" .92 bars. Would it sit a lot lower in the front? Would it affect handling?

[Ghoste]

Yes and yes.  Both can be dealt with somewhat through adjustment.  You can turn the bars up alittle higher to compensate for the extra weight and a front end alignment will help with the handling issues.
Turning the bars up to deal with the weight will affect their performance a little but if you do nothing else, get the front end re-aligned after dropping in the big block.

[8WHEELER]

Maybe its just the fact my car is so low, and the Poly Urethane parts,  but I put in the small
block bars ''.90'' for racing, and had them in for every day driving as well for at least 15yrs.
I put some''.96'' bars in it about 7yrs ago and I don't notice hardly any difference.
I do notice it going ''hard'' into an off-ramp or on-ramp 

Dan

[terrible one]

Thanks for the input guys. In that case, I think I'll stick with these and turn them up instead of dishing out $300 for some new bars.

[Rolling_Thunder]

new bars are only approx $150...      I actually just ordered 1.16" bars...     excessive ?  sure...    but whatever...    they'll work for what i'm going to be doing

[terrible one]

new bars are only approx $150...      I actually just ordered 1.16" bars...     excessive ?  sure...    but whatever...    they'll work for what i'm going to be doing

Oh really? I guess I just didn't look very hard. I was looking on Summit. Where are they at for $150?

[8WHEELER]

new bars are only approx $150...      I actually just ordered 1.16" bars...     excessive ?  sure...    but whatever...    they'll work for what i'm going to be doing

Oh really? I guess I just didn't look very hard. I was looking on Summit. Where are they at for $150?

EACH     From what I have found.........  I paid almost that much ea from my friends at mopar, and I get a big discount.

Dan

[Rolling_Thunder]

Mancini Racing....      Sets of .96" bars are $179.00 for a set...     

[terrible one]

Much appreciated guys. I guess I'll see where I'm at financially and decide if I want to swap the bars out or not when it comes closer to engine time.

[Rolling_Thunder]

Well...   I just recieved a e-mail from Mancini Racing...    seems that Mopar is no-longer making bars larger than .99"...    also it seems with the first of the year the price of torsion bars doubled....    everywhere now seems to be approx $300

[8WHEELER]

Yep, in the last 5yrs or so, the prices at Mopar have gone way up, the electronic ignition kits have
doubled in the last 8yrs. I remember buying a hole new kit for $98.00, and torsion bars $150.00 a set.

Dan

[Nacho-RT74]

just an opinion:

MaMopar did install heavier T-bars AND sway bars to BB than SB and /6 cars up 72, So I would upgrade. 73 and laters use the same T bars to BB and SB but keept changing the sway bar.

There is a reason to do it, specially if they are the same factory ones that could be soem worn.

[Mike DC]

   
I've also swapped from .90" bars up to .96" bars, and I also didn't notice much of any real-world difference in the car.  It didn't dive quite as severely as before when you stomped on the brakes or something, but the difference wasn't enough to call the ride "stiffer."  The swap was pretty much a no-lose deal in my mind.

You could get away with keeping the original torsion bars under a 440 for a while if they're not too worn (the factory installed the same .90" torsion bars under 383 Chargers in 1969, and that motor is only about 15-20 pounds lighter than a 440).  But either way you're probably on borrowed time; you're gonna want to replace the old bars sooner or later.  Torsion bars are another one of those parts that was "replacement optional" ten or 20 years ago, but with musclecars almost 40 years old now it's becoming more of a nessecary thing at this point.  Springs don't last forever even on cars that were pretty well cared for.
     
 

[d72hemi]

$225 pr. pair http://www.firmfeel.com/torsionb_b.htm

[terrible one]

Yeah, I know what you guys mean. The bars in the car looked new so I talked to the guy that I bought it from and he said they were just pulled and refinished and are definitely the old .90 bars. Like I said, I guess I'll just see where I'm at financially, although I would really rather replace them before I get an engine and everything in.

[Dodge Don]

I'm selling a set 0.92 bars on EBAY

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=011&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&viewitem=&item=320071065602&rd=1,1