Driver side torsion bar replacements - options/experiences

[aludden]

I was driving and there was a very loud bang above my head ...
My Driver side torsion bar just snapped. I see there are a couple of options:
DMOCO/SpecialTAuto sell one for $850 (seem to be the same) http://www.dmoco.com/Torsion.html
Henninger sells one for $495 (looks different than stock, with a spring in the middle) http://deloreannewparts.com/store/page11.html

Has anyone had any experience with either?
Thanks!
Alex

[Dangermouse]

Both of these came to market about 18 months ago.

It will be interesting to hear feedback on both types.

I bought a used one about 6 months before that and it has been fine. Don't think I have seen a used on for sale since these replacements came out.

[thirdmanj]

I'm preparing for this day, one day it's bound to happen. Mine have been fucked with more than they ever shoulda been. In the event that this happens to me I do believe I'll buy from Henninger. His strut brackets really are top notch, and the price for his torsion bar replacement can't be beat. Sure they look a bit different from stock, but I can't afford to be a purist in that regard. They're damn near half the price of their counterpart. It's just seems to me to be the clear clear choice unless one can afford the latter.

[DCUK Martin]

I recently fitted a DMOCO bar to #3352. It was a sickening day when the original failed as the car was so close to completion. The new bar went in and apart from looking a lot cleaner than original (it's got a grey/silver powdercoat) you'd never spot a difference.

One word of warning: the reason for the failure of #3352's bar was the roof had come unstuck and the bar was the only thing preventing it from bending upwards like a pyramid! The roof is now held in place with an injection of "bond & seal" and six monobolts. That bad boy is going nowhere...

[thirdmanj]

I recently fitted a DMOCO bar to #3352. It was a sickening day when the original failed as the car was so close to completion. The new bar went in and apart from looking a lot cleaner than original (it's got a grey/silver powdercoat) you'd never spot a difference.

One word of warning: the reason for the failure of #3352's bar was the roof had come unstuck and the bar was the only thing preventing it from bending upwards like a pyramid! The roof is now held in place with an injection of "bond & seal" and six monobolts. That bad boy is going nowhere...

I'm a little confused. The roof came in stuck? The T panel? What does that have todo with structural integrity? I thought it was just a cover.

[Dracula]

There's a steel box beneath the T-panel that provides support and rigidity to the roof. For some reason, it's only glued in. When it either rusts or comes unglued, the roof can twist and contort.

[Delorean02378]

I beleive this is the procedure he's talking about.


http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?1279-How-To-Torsion-bar-Panel-Reinforcement

[thirdmanj]

My t panel moves a little bit when the doors open and shut. It's been removed and replaced a few times in the past couple months. I noticed that it was just a stainless cover piece. Didn't really seem to be doing anything but covering the box.

[SIMid]

I know this may sound strange, but would it be better to have the doors open in the garage when not driven or closed instead? Would having them open reduce the tension in the torsion bar?

[Nicholas R]

After 30 years I doubt it would make a difference. Think about how many cars have sat for 20+ years in barns with closed doors with torsion bars that are just fine. Plus the bars are still under a pretty intense load with the doors open. As long as you're within the normal operating zone of any spring, failures are pretty unlikely. Most often there is an underlying cause (such as the roof piece mentioned above, over torqued bars, bars that have nicks in them from drilling the weather stripping rivets, etc.). Plus in the very unlikely event that it does actually fail, wouldn't you rather have the door closed to contain it? Either way, as far as common DeLorean part failures go, torsion bar failure is pretty low on the list. I think if anything, all leaving the doors open for long periods of time is going to do is ruin the interior.

[dvonk]

would it be better to have the doors open in the garage when not driven or closed instead? Would having them open reduce the tension in the torsion bar?

i started a thread on the old forum about this. there were mixed opinions, but some owners actually do store their DeLoreans with the doors open. if i recall correctly, Dave M. (Bitsyncmaster (http://dmctalk.org/member.php?59-Bitsyncmaster)) is one of the owners who does this, maybe he could elaborate for you. :)

i personally think it might help the torsion bars last longer, but would definitely lengthen the lifespan of the pneumatic struts.

[stevedmc]

I was driving and there was a very loud bang above my head ...
My Driver side torsion bar just snapped.

Henninger makes really good products but I don't know anything about his torsion bar. I've installed his door strut brackets and lower control arms. I'm very pleased with his products.

I would probably go with his torsion bar just based on the quality of his other products. Its a shame no one has been able to answer your original question.

I am a little curious about one thing. How difficult was it to get out of the car with a snapped torsion bar? Did you need any help or were you able to push the door open by yourself?

[DMCH James]

I was driving and there was a very loud bang above my head ...
My Driver side torsion bar just snapped. I see there are a couple of options:
DMOCO/SpecialTAuto sell one for $850 (seem to be the same) http://www.dmoco.com/Torsion.html
Henninger sells one for $495 (looks different than stock, with a spring in the middle) http://deloreannewparts.com/store/page11.html

Has anyone had any experience with either?
Thanks!
Alex

We put one of the DMOCO torsion bars in shortly after they came out. It's in the Stage III car that is in FL now and will be at DCS. There was an old thread at dmctalk.com where we were posting our experiences - too bad that's all gone now.

Our experiences with it have been very positive and we've sold/installed several since then.

I have no experience with Bryne's bar - I personally don't like the way it looks and the extra $355 is worth it to me for that alone.

James

[aludden]

Henninger makes really good products but I don't know anything about his torsion bar. I've installed his door strut brackets and lower control arms. I'm very pleased with his products.

I would probably go with his torsion bar just based on the quality of his other products. Its a shame no one has been able to answer your original question.

I am a little curious about one thing. How difficult was it to get out of the car with a snapped torsion bar? Did you need any help or were you able to push the door open by yourself?

You can't open driver side door from the inside - too heavy! Had to crawl out the passenger side.

[David T]

For cheap insurance I suggest you cut 2 pieces of rubber from an old inner tube about 1" by 2". You stick them in between the rear hinge and the torsion bar on each side so the bar can't rub directly metal-to-metal and get scratched by the hinge. I do this on every car I adjust the torsion bars on because as you adjust the bar it can move around and touch the hinge. Once you scratch it, it doesn't necessarily break immediately. But it will break. Once I saw someone has a cover they slid over the whole bar. A sticker would be nice with a warning on it too. If it is any consolation torsion bars on cars with torsion bar front suspensions have the same problem. Old Cadillacs and Chryslers. When they go you can hear it a block away and those parts go flying!
David Teitelbaum

[DMCH James]

We just got the Stage III car back from being at DMCF/DCS and noticed the aftermarket DMOCO torsion bar is starting to rust. It's a little over three years since installation.

The original bars were a fairly esoteric variant of 301 stainless. DMOCO's are some type of mild steel and then powdercoated. The slight twisting of the torsion bar has caused the powdercoating to fail and rust has formed as shown in the attached photo.

I've emailed Rick this photo and asked him to check with their supplier for recommendations. At 3+ years, it's out of warranty.

James


We put one of the DMOCO torsion bars in shortly after they came out. It's in the Stage III car that is in FL now and will be at DCS. There was an old thread at dmctalk.com where we were posting our experiences - too bad that's all gone now.

Our experiences with it have been very positive and we've sold/installed several since then.

I have no experience with Bryne's bar - I personally don't like the way it looks and the extra $355 is worth it to me for that alone.

James

[Dracula]

We just got the Stage III car back from being at DMCF/DCS and noticed the aftermarket DMOCO torsion bar is starting to rust. It's a little over three years since installation.

The original bars were a fairly esoteric variant of 301 stainless. DMOCO's are some type of mild steel and then powdercoated. The slight twisting of the torsion bar has caused the powdercoating to fail and rust has formed as shown in the attached photo.

I've emailed Rick this photo and asked him to check with their supplier for recommendations. At 3+ years, it's out of warranty.

James


Are there any plans to offer an improved replacement to the dashes? I've got a few issues with the cosmetic aspects of this product, offered by your company, if you're looking for cosmetic issues or issues with products. Maybe you could start in-house first?

[DMC5180]

I noticed that rust when the car was at Indy. FWIW: A better option to powder coating would have been Class II Clear Cadmium plating. Nonetheless, It's great to see these holding up and tolerating the minor corrosion so far.

Speaking of these bars. Do you recall what the approximate degree of rotation was for proper adjustment? As I recall an OE bar is about 90˚ Unloaded to loaded with door open.

[David T]

Considering all of the stress that steel is under it is no surprise that it started to corrode. Perhaps the best way to handle it is to just wipe it with an oily rag once in a while. No coating is going to last long with these conditions and my guess is the corrosion is stress related anyway.
David Teitelbaum

[Bitsyncmaster]

i started a thread on the old forum about this. there were mixed opinions, but some owners actually do store their DeLoreans with the doors open. if i recall correctly, Dave M. (Bitsyncmaster (http://dmctalk.org/member.php?59-Bitsyncmaster)) is one of the owners who does this, maybe he could elaborate for you. :)

i personally think it might help the torsion bars last longer, but would definitely lengthen the lifespan of the pneumatic struts.

I do think the struts will last longer. Not sure about the Torsion bars. The only bad thing is not hitting your head when you walk by the car.
It's a habit for me to lean outside the door when walking by the car.

[Mark D]

Not too surprising to see the powder coat failure on the torsion bar... I agree that it's not the best choice of corrosion protection given that the bar is meant to twist. Even though powder coat is flexible zinc or cad plating would be a better option since the plated layer is chemically bonded to the base steel and won't flake off like that...

The photo makes it look worse than it probably is, but rust looks like it is starting to create a pitted area where the steel is exposed. Eventually this will lead to failure as the rust pitting concentrates stress and allows cracks to form and propagate.

At work on our truck suspension torsion bars we primer the steel and wrap with pressure sensitive polyethylene tape in an overlapping helical pattern. The tape is flexible enough to twist with the bar and gives some added protection against rock chips and other small impacts.

[thirdmanj]

Sounds like Henniger's is the way to go...

[DMCH James]

Sounds like Henniger's is the way to go...

Is his stainless? Or otherwise corrosion protected?

We had considered a "plastic dip" coating on the torsion bar and masking off the ends. That may only trap the moisture inside much like the epoxy on the frame.

James

[Chris Burns]

Is his stainless? Or otherwise corrosion protected?

We had considered a "plastic dip" coating on the torsion bar and masking off the ends. That may only trap the moisture inside much like the epoxy on the frame.

James

http://deloreannewparts.com/store/page11.html

[Bitsyncmaster]

I would try an enamel paint. It may flex more than powder coat.

[justlooking]

I would try an enamel paint. It may flex more than powder coat.

When these bars first came out, I was more concerned that they would rust themselves into the front hinge and/or retaining plate, since these areas were left uncoated as I recall. If steel was the only option, I would zinc-plate them and plan on keeping them waxed for their lifetime. No paint is completely impervious to water penetration.

Cad plating is very difficult to find nowadays with the environmental regulations in place.

[Delorean Industries]

When these bars first came out, I was more concerned that they would rust themselves into the front hinge and/or retaining plate, since these areas were left uncoated as I recall. If steel was the only option, I would zinc-plate them and plan on keeping them waxed for their lifetime. No paint is completely impervious to water penetration.

Cad plating is very difficult to find nowadays with the environmental regulations in place.

Beringer here is Akron still does it I believe. Other then that everything is some zinc crap.

[Bitsyncmaster]

Even CAD plating is not going to hold up at the ends. Not so important at the ends since that is not where they would break. AN (aircraft nuts and bolts) are still CAD plated but as soon as you thread them into a nut tightly, the CAD comes off on the threads.

[Rich]

For cheap insurance I suggest you cut 2 pieces of rubber from an old inner tube about 1" by 2". You stick them in between the rear hinge and the torsion bar on each side so the bar can't rub directly metal-to-metal and get scratched by the hinge. I do this on every car I adjust the torsion bars on because as you adjust the bar it can move around and touch the hinge. Once you scratch it, it doesn't necessarily break immediately. But it will break.
David Teitelbaum

+1 on David's advice.

The spacer can be rubber, vinyl, any tough elastomer. Go look at your car. Fix it if the OEM bar is within 1mm of the rear hinge or is touching it. 5 minutes well spent vs replacing a precious torsion bar.

If all D owners looked at the clearance between each of their door torsion bars and its respective rear hinge and then inserted a spacer as needed then most all of the torsion bars would last another 30 years. On our car the passenger bar clears the hinge by 2mm. The driver bar is in direct contact, that is, until we shimmed it about 10 years ago. Nothing broken so far....

The root cause of the problem probably is that the factory did not control the left-right mounting position of the torsion bar bracket rivnuts very well relative to the hinges. Hence the variation in hinge-to-bar clearance from door to door and from car to car.

If there is a list of items to check/fix when a new owner takes possession of a D this fix-it should be added to it.

[DrJeff]

For cheap insurance I suggest you cut 2 pieces of rubber from an old inner tube about 1" by 2". You stick them in between the rear hinge and the torsion bar on each side so the bar can't rub directly metal-to-metal and get scratched by the hinge. I do this on every car I adjust the torsion bars on because as you adjust the bar it can move around and touch the hinge. Once you scratch it, it doesn't necessarily break immediately. But it will break. Once I saw someone has a cover they slid over the whole bar. A sticker would be nice with a warning on it too. If it is any consolation torsion bars on cars with torsion bar front suspensions have the same problem. Old Cadillacs and Chryslers. When they go you can hear it a block away and those parts go flying!
David Teitelbaum

David T,

Do you mean to just leave the rubber spacer in place while the adjustment is being made or all the time?

Do you have a photo of the location of the rubber spacer?

Thanks

[SIMid]

I think what David means (and I have done this to my Delorean) is to place the rubber tubing on the torsion bar at the rear hinges (rear of door) in the roof. Enough for the tubing to prevent rubbing of the hinge on the torsion bar.

[jawn101]

So this may be a dumb question and forgive me if it is, but would it be safe to loosen the bolts holding the rear torsion bar bracket to the roof box and perform this lateral adjustment away from the hinge without the full torsion bar adjustment rig in place? The local club helped me adjust my bars earlier this year (they were turned way, way down) and we made sure they were away from the hinges at that time, but since then I have bolted down my roof box to correct a lifting issue. This changed the geometry in that area and now I think the bars may be touching the hinge, but the closest adjustment rig is quite far away.

[john 05141]

I read in the beginning of this thread it might be better to store the car with the doors open to releave stress. Often I see Deloreans driving with their doors open, going thru putholes etc. I think this gives a lot of stress to the roofcage and can cause it to become loose. As a result the torsion bar may snap earlier too.

I have some minor rust on the edges of the roofcage. Every 2 years in the wintertime I use a dremel to get the rust of and coat it again. But I tape of the torsion bar in 3 layers of paper tape to protect the torsion bar. Increadible to know that scratches on the bar may cause it to break later. I have to be even more carful!

John

[DCUK Martin]

my guess is the corrosion is stress related anyway.


I would doubt that - it's a spring after all - coil springs rust, so why not a straight spring? The problem is the flexibility (or not) of the coating

Personally I'd be tempted to get some self-adhesive electrical heat-shrink on there. I think you can get it in silver or grey :blush:

[Farrar]

Personally I'd be tempted to get some self-adhesive electrical heat-shrink on there.

My thoughts exactly. ^5

[Nicholas R]

So this may be a dumb question and forgive me if it is, but would it be safe to loosen the bolts holding the rear torsion bar bracket to the roof box and perform this lateral adjustment away from the hinge without the full torsion bar adjustment rig in place? The local club helped me adjust my bars earlier this year (they were turned way, way down) and we made sure they were away from the hinges at that time, but since then I have bolted down my roof box to correct a lifting issue. This changed the geometry in that area and now I think the bars may be touching the hinge, but the closest adjustment rig is quite far away.

I know I wouldn't. The full force of the torsion bar is trying to rotate that bracket. If you loosen the bolts, it's hightly unlikely you'll be able to move the bracket around with all that force on it.

I wont go anywhere near the torsion bar mounts without the adjustment rack in place and the breaker bar on the bar.

[Rich]

...would it be safe to loosen the bolts holding the rear torsion bar bracket to the roof box and perform this lateral adjustment away from the hinge without the full torsion bar adjustment rig in place?

In contrast to a previous reply this would indeed be OK providing that you take care to do it this way:
1. You loosen the bracket bolts only enough to free the bracket for sliding/repositioning, not more than perhaps 1/3 turn per bolt. The bolts have enough cross-section and thread engagement to hold the bar in place in this situation.
2. You take care to then move only the bracket, not try to hit or bang on the torsion bar.

What you will have trouble doing, of course, is moving the bracket to any new lateral position while it's being torqued by the loaded bar, even with the door open. The bracket will try to center itself to the bolts under its torque load, so I doubt you can move it laterally at all in that situation. In fact, depending on where it was bolted down when it was adjusted with the torque compensated by a wrench it might even move to a closer-to-the-hinge condition when you attempt this trick. At that point you'll wish you had a door jig and wrench to do a proper job. And even then you may not succeed in getting a pure solution. I did move my bracket as far as possible to one side while de-torquing a door. And the bar still rubbed the hinge afterward. Results will vary....if the rivnuts weren't correctly positioned relative to the hinge then you can only move the bracket so far. Or you would be left having to modify the bracket with slotted mounting holes to gain lateral travel. Not recommended. Just shim the bar.

[jawn101]

In contrast to a previous reply this would indeed be OK providing that you take care to do it this way:
1. You loosen the bracket bolts only enough to free the bracket for sliding/repositioning, not more than perhaps 1/3 turn per bolt. The bolts have enough cross-section and thread engagement to hold the bar in place in this situation.
2. You take care to then move only the bracket, not try to hit or bang on the torsion bar.

What you will have trouble doing, of course, is moving the bracket to any new lateral position while it's being torqued by the loaded bar, even with the door open. The bracket will try to center itself to the bolts under its torque load, so I doubt you can move it laterally at all in that situation. In fact, depending on where it was bolted down when it was adjusted with the torque compensated by a wrench it might even move to a closer-to-the-hinge condition when you attempt this trick. At that point you'll wish you had a door jig and wrench to do a proper job. And even then you may not succeed in getting a pure solution. I did move my bracket as far as possible to one side while de-torquing a door. And the bar still rubbed the hinge afterward. Results will vary....if the rivnuts weren't correctly positioned relative to the hinge then you can only move the bracket so far. Or you would be left having to modify the bracket with slotted mounting holes to gain lateral travel. Not recommended. Just shim the bar.

Thanks Rich. I don't think I can shim it without at least some adjustment first, as I can't even slip a sheet of paper in there now. Guess I'll try and get access to the rig again!

[DMCH James]

Received this via email from DMOCO Rick as a response from his supplier regarding the corrosion on the new, reproduction mild steel torsion bar.


From the picture, it looks to me like a rust problem. I know that the car is prone to this problem.� The solution would be to completely remove the paint and any rust pits.
�Then you could re paint. Use a commercial powder coater or a military grade paint. Spray can will not be enough. We use a phosphate undercoating and then a powder coat paint.�"


I've asked Rick to inquire with his supplier as to suggestions for removal of the original "phosphate undercoating and ... powder coat paint".

James

[DMC5180]

I refurbished a set of Coil over shock springs a couple years ago with fresh powder coating. I removed the original powder coat paint using KLEEN STRIP aircraft paint remover. I brushed it on and let do its thing. The coating bubbled up just like regular paint would. It literally fell away from the steel with light brushing with a stiff paint brush.

[justlooking]

I refurbished a set of Coil over shock springs a couple years ago with fresh powder coating. I removed the original powder coat paint using KLEEN STRIP aircraft paint remover. I brushed it on and let do its thing. The coating bubbled up just like regular paint would. It literally fell away from the steel with light brushing with a stiff paint brush.

The problem with chemical stripping is you cant always get it all off and then the next coating will fail prematurely. Abrasive blasting, or overbaking it in the oven followed by abrasive blasting would be my choice. The phosphate undercoating is very thin and fragile and will come off easily.

Blast with walnut shell or glass beads. Also you can use a plastic abrasive media which will remove powder coat very well, but rust not so much.

Consider silver zinc plating it and keeping it waxed. If the powder coat is failing from twisting, then so will any other paint. No paint is impervious to water 100%. Thats why we wax our cars, but sadly wax has less permanence than paint and must be reapplied.

[DMC5180]

The problem with chemical stripping is you cant always get it all off and then the next coating will fail prematurely. Abrasive blasting, or overbaking it in the oven followed by abrasive blasting would be my choice. The phosphate undercoating is very thin and fragile and will come off easily.

Blast with walnut shell or glass beads. Also you can use a plastic abrasive media which will remove powder coat very well, but rust not so much.

Consider silver zinc plating it and keeping it waxed. If the powder coat is failing from twisting, then so will any other paint. No paint is impervious to water 100%. Thats why we wax our cars, but sadly wax has less permanence than paint and must be reapplied.


The chemical strip was done just to see if it would work. Which it did quite well. Their was some spotty surface rusting where the coating had failed. The powder coater bead blasted the coils before re-coating.

My personal preference to torsion bar finishing would be Clear (silver) Cadmium. It has the highest resistance to salt spray corrosion testing. It may cost a little more than ZINC but it's worth it.

When done as a production Batch, the cost would minimal in the overall scope of things. I wonder if the original batch of 25 bars has been used up yet or if some folks bought one for insurance.

[jawn101]

Going back to what Rich said, I installed some vinyl tubing on my bars at the rear hinges today. 39 cents bought me enough to do 8 doors. It's black vinyl, 5/8" OD, 1/2" ID. Perfect fit and doesn't seem like it will slide around or get out of position. Piece of cake.

[justlooking]

The chemical strip was done just to see if it would work. Which it did quite well. Their was some spotty surface rusting where the coating had failed. The powder coater bead blasted the coils before re-coating.

My personal preference to torsion bar finishing would be Clear (silver) Cadmium. It has the highest resistance to salt spray corrosion testing. It may cost a little more than ZINC but it's worth it.

When done as a production Batch, the cost would minimal in the overall scope of things. I wonder if the original batch of 25 bars has been used up yet or if some folks bought one for insurance.


I agree on the cad plating if you can find it. What i meant was you cant always get all of the stripper chemical out of the pores in the metal.

[Bitsyncmaster]

How about Flex Seal? That rubber coating they sell on TV for gutters.

[dvonk]

How about Flex Seal? That rubber coating they sell on TV for gutters.

Phil Swift says, "That rusty torsion bar could cost you thousands in repairs!!" hehe :giggle:

in all seriousness, though, that actually might be a decent idea. id try it, but i need a torsion bar first. :wink:

[DrJeff]

I think what David means (and I have done this to my Delorean) is to place the rubber tubing on the torsion bar at the rear hinges (rear of door) in the roof. Enough for the tubing to prevent rubbing of the hinge on the torsion bar.

What is the best solution if there doesn't appear to be enough of a gap for even so much as a sheet of paper between the bracket and the torsion bar?

[Rich]

What is the best solution if there doesn't appear to be enough of a gap for even so much as a sheet of paper between the bracket and the torsion bar?

Good question. Easily overcome.

Open the offending door. With a bare or gloved hand grab the torsion bar in the middle, about halfway from the front hinge to the rear glass (where the back end of it is anchored). Pull it toward you until there is 1-2mm clearance from the rear hinge. Insert your small, non-metallic shim/guard/vinyl/hard rubber wear-strip of choice in between the bar and the section of the rear hinge it was hitting. Release the bar onto the shim. Close the door. No tools on the bar, please. You won't need them in any case.

[jawn101]

Good question. Easily overcome.

Open the offending door. With a bare or gloved hand grab the torsion bar in the middle, about halfway from the front hinge to the rear glass (where the back end of it is anchored). Pull it toward you until there is 1-2mm clearance from the rear hinge. Insert your small, non-metallic shim/guard/vinyl/hard rubber wear-strip of choice in between the bar and the section of the rear hinge it was hitting. Release the bar onto the shim. Close the door. No tools on the bar, please. You won't need them in any case.

Listen to Rich. He's the torsion bar king as far as I'm concerned :) I had the same question and had no idea it would be safe to do what he just said, but it was, and it worked like a charm.

[DrJeff]

Good question. Easily overcome.

Open the offending door. With a bare or gloved hand grab the torsion bar in the middle, about halfway from the front hinge to the rear glass (where the back end of it is anchored). Pull it toward you until there is 1-2mm clearance from the rear hinge. Insert your small, non-metallic shim/guard/vinyl/hard rubber wear-strip of choice in between the bar and the section of the rear hinge it was hitting. Release the bar onto the shim. Close the door. No tools on the bar, please. You won't need them in any case.

I tried out your suggestion tonight. I had some 5/8 OD, 1/2 ID clear pipe (fish tank piping I think). Didn't look like it would ever fit. I cut about 3in of tubing and then split it length-ways, placing it around the torsion bar near the bracket. The I grabbed the torsion bar like you described and pulled it outwards. It proved to be much more flexible than I expected and without too much hauling the tubing slipped into place between the torsion bar and the bracket. Tested both doors out and they open and close exactly the same as before.

Rich - Thanks for the excellent advice. I feel much better about the torsion bar now. :thankyou:

[DMCH James]

This torsion bar has been installed in our test car for about 7.5 years now and while the visible rust has grown, the bar still works fine. We have intentionally not done any maintenance or attempted any clean-up/refinishing to try and slow this process. Overall, we're pretty pleased with it and if we can make it to ten years with this one we'll consider it a great success. Even if it breaks tomorrow, we've had a good, working torsion bar for about $115 year (plus installation labor).

48794


We just got the Stage III car back from being at DMCF/DCS and noticed the aftermarket DMOCO torsion bar is starting to rust. It's a little over three years since installation.

The original bars were a fairly esoteric variant of 301 stainless. DMOCO's are some type of mild steel and then powdercoated. The slight twisting of the torsion bar has caused the powdercoating to fail and rust has formed as shown in the attached photo.

I've emailed Rick this photo and asked him to check with their supplier for recommendations. At 3+ years, it's out of warranty.

James

[Bitsyncmaster]

Heat shrink tubing would probably solve the rusting problem if don't when the bar is new. You can seal the ends with RTV just to make sure.

[kings1527]

This torsion bar has been installed in our test car for about 7.5 years now and while the visible rust has grown, the bar still works fine. We have intentionally not done any maintenance or attempted any clean-up/refinishing to try and slow this process. Overall, we're pretty pleased with it and if we can make it to ten years with this one we'll consider it a great success. Even if it breaks tomorrow, we've had a good, working torsion bar for about $115 year (plus installation labor).

48794

Hi James. Do you have any update on how the torsion bar is doing?