torsion bar upgrade

[dart6]

Are the bars from a 69 383 rr bigger than on my 70 318 sport satellite.
I'm thinking of stiffening up my front end
Can anyone give the thickness of the 383 bar so i can measure it against mine
thx

 

[Cranky]

Yes, they are bigger but dang if I remember how much. I can go check later if no one else chimes in soon.

 

[warwagons2]

Are the bars from a 69 383 rr bigger than on my 70 318 sport satellite.
I'm thinking of stiffening up my front end
Can anyone give the thickness of the 383 bar so i can measure it against mine
thx

Check the part # at the end of the T-Bar (last 3 #'s).
# 776 & 777 is a typical 318 bar @ .880
778 & 779 is a typical big block @ .900
Some 318 cars may have the bigger bars if A/C but not all.

 

[q-ship]

Are the bars from a 69 383 rr bigger than on my 70 318 sport satellite.
I'm thinking of stiffening up my front end
Can anyone give the thickness of the 383 bar so i can measure it against mine
thx

The answer is a big "it depends".

I have never seen a actual B body torsion bar application chart, but from decades of dealing with 100+ of these cars, I have only run across three diameters of stock bars.

.880" standard 318 bars.

.900" standard 383 bars, and on many A/C 318 cars.

.920" 440 and Hemi bars, 383 police cars, and a couple of 318 Cars with A/C and "desert cooling" and/or "towing" packages.

I have never had a slant 6 B-body, so they may be a different size, and though I have read about other sizes, I have never seen them personally.

Unless you have both sets out of the cars and laying there, I would not bother changing .880's for .900's, as I doubt you will notice any difference.

The .960" bars are my favorite as far as replacement bars go with an iron headed big block with A/C, but I like a smoother ride.

As a side note, Mopar recommends the .960" bars as an "improvement" for small block cars, but it seems as though everyone likes a much harsher ride than I would ever accept from my cars.

Hope any of this helps.

 

[dart6]

thx i might look for a used set of .920 bars,i think you're right that the .880 bars would probably be a waste of time

 

[Cranky]

You can also do a lot with 'soft' springs, and heavy duty shocks and bigger sway bars. It just depends on what you're trying to do with the car. It'll surprise you if handling is what you are looking for....

 

[dart6]

handling is what i'm after
thx

 

[scotts74birds]

If handling is the goal, then maybe a front sway bar up-grade is the best investment. It works with the torsion bar to control body-roll in the corners. And unless you have a hi-po model, maybe a rear sway-bar too. After that, changes in caster, camber, and toe to a more performance minded setting can be done. Great for handling, bad for tire life.

 

[Cranky]

If the alignment is done right, tire life isn't so bad. I may be wrong but having a bit more toe in seems to help when you have a lot of negative camber....at least it seems to with mine. It also seems to help reduce scrub on the inside tire.