PST 1.03 torsion bars

[1KoolBee]

Anyone running pst 1.03 torsion bars? How do they ride? Do they hold their spring rates or do the sack out quickly? Thanks.

 

[Don Frelier]

I have them in my charger and they are excellent.

 

[wasco]

I have them on my ‘68. I like ‘em, though I don’t have anything to compare.

 

[T Brashears]

I have them in my 65 with a 383,I had to adjust them twice,but not much. Id use them again.

 

[1KoolBee]

Awesome thanks guys. Love those chargers !

 

[hunt2elk]

I have used them on 4 cars now. Absolutely no complaints.

 

[70ChargerRT]

Great bars.

 

[Don67Satellite]

I have the Hotchkis 1.03's and they are fantastic. PST is quality, so likely the same.

 

[AR67GTX]

I have them on my 66 Hemi. They seem slightly stiffer than the factory bars but not by much. They ride very well with good control. Not harsh or overly stiff by any means.

 

[Hilljack68]

Nadine has them - 340 in a 68 Coronet. Nice upgrade from the factory bars.

.

 

[Don Frelier]

Nadine has them - 340 in a 68 Coronet. Nice upgrade from the factory bars.

View attachment 1733649.

WOW! That car is perfect.

 

[Hilljack68]

Thanks Don. During the early stages of her rebuild, I considered making her a Bee clone. So glad I kept her a 500.

 

[Belvedere408]

I have the 1.03 PST bars on my 67 Belvedere to go with Bilstein shocks. I think it’s a great combo.

 

[Hilljack68]

I have the 1.03 PST bars on my 67 Belvedere to go with Bilstein shocks. I think it’s a great combo.

Agreed. A went with the Bilsteins on mine too. It's a much-improved ride.

 

[1KoolBee]

Awesome thanks for the replies!

 

[Kern Dog]

For years, I have heard and read from "experts" that say that if you choose torsion bars that are too stiff, you'll rattle the fillings from your teeth.

No.
I don't know everything but I do know that the relationship between the torsion bars and shocks plays a bigger role.
In my Charger, I had 1.0 bars and KYB shocks for 14 years. It rode firm, to the point of being harsh, In 2015 or so I swapped in 1.15" torsion bars and Bilstein shocks. The "experts" would have surely thought that the ride would have been much worse but it isn't. It actually rides better but that is because of the shocks.
These cars with their .88 torsion bars rode really nice but didn't handle as well as they could. The leaf springs were stiffer than they needed to be while the torsion bars were softer than they should have been.
Years ago, a start-up company known as XV Motorsports invested the money to assemble a chassis jig to test these cars in the interest of finding weaknesses and testing different combinations. They found that in stock form, the rear could be left alone while the front needed more spring rate.
Having stated that, a 1.03 " torsion bar with stock leaf springs seems to be a nice choice to firm up the ride and handling. Still, quality shocks are an important part of the combination.

 

[1KoolBee]

Thanks KD! After building and riding dirt bikes for decades, I learned (sometimes painfully!) the importance of dampening. Where did you get 1.15’s from?

 

[1KoolBee]

Anything better than Bilstiens for these cars?

 

[70ChargerRT]

Anything better than Bilstiens for these cars?

Yeah. I’m running Viking dual adjustable. They are way better but way higher.

 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks KD! After building and riding dirt bikes for decades, I learned (sometimes painfully!) the importance of dampening. Where did you get 1.15’s from?

The 1.15" bars were actually made by XV Motorsports but sold through Bergman Auto Craft.

The 1.0 bars are the top 2, the 1.15" bars are the bottom 2.

Peter Bergman had leftover stock from when he worked with XV. I got mine at a great price but that was 9 years ago. Hotchkis sells similar sizes. There are other options too from what I have heard.