OK, so I was trying to take the torsion bars out and the first thing that I run into is that the bolt won't turn (on the driver's side). I have set the car up on jack stands to the frame and I have a 2' breaker bar. What happens is that the bolt is hard to turn when I start it, about two turns of the bolt later it just stops, to the point of where I have all of my weight on the breaker bar(or at least to what I think it can take). The bolt pops and eventually doesn't turn anymore. Just to make sure I wasn't losing my mind I went and turned the passenger side bolt and I could loosen it easily and tighten it fairly easily even with the weight of the truck on it.

So...I think that the bolt somehow got bent. I've checked the threads and they look good. The half-moon nut is becoming rounded from rotating 90*. Should I just get someone to plasma cut the head off of the bolt and replace the whole adjuster assembly? That's the only solution I can see.

If it is wedged in the nut tight enough to pop it up (essentially levering down the adjusting arm to allow for that) then it is time to cut it out of there.

If you have enough room to get a clamp in there, you might be able to tighten down the arm so the head/nut protrudes through the bottom of the bracket. Then you can get to it with a sawzall or hack saw. Or, even loosening the a-arm end may allow for that.

Most likely, you drug down some dirt from above into the threads as it was loosened.

Good Luck,
Michael

That's a good idea, would I just use a regular C-clamp? Could I get it tight enough?
Then I wouldn't have to worry about messing up the cross-brace.

I figured I brought some dirt in the splines and then when it got stuck and I tried to force it I bent the bolt. Oh well, anybody have a driver's side torsion bar adjuster assembly they want to sell me?

You did not bend it. You are not that strong. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

What you did was probably get it nicely galled together. Add a bit of corrosion and you have essentially welded that puppy to the nut.

As for the clamp, use whatever you got. You may have to take the front end of the a-arm to get it lose.

Your other option is to drill the head off that bolt. Start small, work up and smack it off with a chisel. But, you had better take the tension off of it first or you could have a problem.

Good Luck,
Michael

That's the thing though, the bolt can go in and out for a certain amount of turns. The limit on one end is where the adjuster assembly hits the frame and on the other end is where the bolt just stops moving <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />. Whatever the reason is I've got some ideas now to get the bolt off and that's what I'll do as soon as I can source another adjustment assembly.

Thanks for the help.

you could just try more leverage if you are not sure why it won't turn. i had to use a 4' bar on mine to make my torsion bolt turn.

Have you tried turning it back in the other direction? If you turn it to tighten it, you can see the threads above the halfmoon nut and see what's up. Run it up and down a couple of times maybe that will clean out the threads.

Air tools might also help.

I could try to get a longer breaker/cheater bar on there, I was bending the 2 footer.
I have tried turning it back the other direction. I've tightened it all the way back the other way and it still didn't seem to help.

When I "loosened" the bolt the first time it was hard to turn from the get go. Then it got to where it wouldn't turn anymore. I tightened it up again. After that I wire brushed the threads and soaked it in PB. I did this about two more times on two different days. I've taken some pictures...
Here you can see the silverish part of where I tightened the bolt beyond where it was when I started messing with it. Also you can see how the half moon nut is slightly rounded on the left from turning it counter-clockwise.
Torsion bar adjuster bolt


Whatever the situation I'm probably just going to end up sawing the head of the bolt off like Michael suggested and replacing it with a new(used) bolt/half moon nut.

Oh yeah, air tools didn't help either, just a lot of loud "air tool" sound coming from the stuck bolt and the resonating frame. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/drunk.gif" alt="" />

I ended up using a 6' piece of 2" pipe and a 3/4" drive breaker bar on my 88 Trooper when I did it's lift. Mine wouldn't move either direction. When I finally got it loose I thought I broke something and was pushing so hard I just about fell down. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

You just need more leverage. If you were going to get a new adjuster bolt anyway, you won't be out anything if it breaks. I haven't heard of any breaking though. I'm sure it's happened, but that's a pretty big bolt to break.

Joe

OK, I have to ask the simple question...which way are you turning the bolt? Judging from the pic, you are maxed out in the wrong direction (assuming you were trying to remove the bolt). You are effectively at max crank, unless you re-index the adjustment arm.

You need to go lefty-loosey on that bolt ("lefty" meaning counter-clockwise, as you are looking up at the head of the bolt whilst laying under the truck) if you want to remove it.