Joined: Tue Nov 14 2006, 08:34PM
Location: brighton co
Posts: 7
hey guys, any good places to get torsion bars for c bodys or am i stuck with factory stuff? ive got adco sway bars front&rear and gas shocks so that helps,but wondering about uprated spring rates. also was there a non power steering box option for these cars? my steering is as numb as an ice fishermans butt! thanks in advance for any ideas/sources or mods that have worked for you. !drive <span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited ]</span>
Joined: Sat Dec 10 2005, 04:28PM
Location: United States
Posts: 4954
Most people say KYB shocks are the way to go. . I use Monroe, the best they make.. . . But it's a matter of what you want and plan to do with the car.
For front end and suspension, I use justsuspensions down in North Carolina. For springs, I use Eaton Spring up in Michigan, they ar eexpensive, but the darned springs last forever. T Bars for the front, well you are stuck with scrounging a set of NOS or used. Buying a used T Bar isn't like buying a used leaf or coil spring though.
We had a discussion about T Bars a while back that will help you to choose the right ones. I'd have to find it again.
Hope this is a start for what you are lookng for
<span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Tue Nov 21 2006, 06:47PM ]</span>
There's not much out there for T-bars other than stock. I *THINK* that Firm Feel is about to start selling new t-bars for most body lines, including C's. They did the bars on Henry's Flyin' Whale years back, but that was the only set of C bars they ever did. To know what's available for your car, we need to know what it is, as there were still 2-3 different lengths for 70. Good shocks will help a lot, and I don't really put KYB's in that realm, but it seems that quite a few C-bodies have benefitted from them. Edelbrock makes some nice shocks, but no direct C-body PN's. I'm going to experiment with a set for the front, though. Haven't made any progress on that front in months... The cop car steering was basically revised valving and springs inside the steering unit, as all PS boxes had the same 15.7:1 ratio. You CAN find manual boxes (I got one from a 65 Fury I), but at 24:1, it would be miserable to drive on a regular basis. Make sure the lash in the steering box is within spec and the steering will tighten up. Tires will be the biggest improvement in steering response. The OEM 75-series tires are big, squishy, marshmallow things that were supposed to give a smooth, isolated driving experience. They did. If you want more feedback, you'll have to go to a lower profile tire. Less squish=more feedback to your steering inputs. Are you staying with the wheels you have, or going bigger? That will drive a lot of your decisions from here out.
Joined: Tue Oct 11 2005, 01:33AM
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Posts: 5893
As Steve pointed out, we had a huge discussion about T bars and for '70 an interesting point came out the 70-71 parts list.
6 cyl (except wagon) - 2269-576-7 318, 440 (except wagon) - 2269-578-9 383 (except wagon) - 2269-574-5 all wagons - 2269-574-5 Police and taxi - 2269-578-9 heavy duty - 2269-578-9
2269-574-5 are 0.94" 2269-576-7 are 0.96" 2269-578-9 are 0.98"
Which means the T bars in 318 and 440 cars, police, taxi and heavy duty all use the same T-bar. Note that 318 is not a typo. What was very confusing, the 383 cars and all wagons used the smallest diam T-bar.
We didn't get much further than that and could figure out why a 318 would get a HD T-bar.
Confusing, you bet. !cowboy <span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Tue Nov 21 2006, 08:59PM ]</span>
Joined: Tue Nov 14 2006, 08:34PM
Location: brighton co
Posts: 7
hi clair, thanks for the info. my car is a 1970 fury 3 convertable.318 car.im running 15in wheels w/245r 60 tires.your sugestion @ checking the steering box slop is a great idea. i have had good results with that in the past,just have to be careful not to go too tight. i went out and looked things over tonight and i did find the bushings on the links to the frame from the swayber are shot so at least i have somewhere to start. i did see that t bar info, it does seem stange, i guess i will take the micrometer to my bars and check them. <span class='smallblacktext'>[ Edited Tue Nov 21 2006, 09:12PM ]</span>
Clean up your T-bars and put a micrometer on them. Even though there are no new ones, there might be a larger set of used ones you could swap in.
The Steering box might just need rebuilt. I dropped in a rebuilt one from the parts store during the restoration, perfect! Firm Feel offers firmer boxes, and stage 1 is supposed to be the same as the Cop package. But honestly, I think factory is perfect. The Firm Feel box's are only harder to turn, they don't change the ratio. You need it to be easy to turn when you have to spin it so many times, but it should not be sloppy.
If the sway bars are factory, you could swap to a larger aftermarket swaybar. Factory was .75", new ones are 1" and can make a big difference.
I was very happy with the KYBs, not overly stiff, but in control.
I completely went through the suspension when the car was restored. I added 73 disc brakes, replaced all the rubber with the PST kit, added KYB shocks, the 1" front sway bar, rebuilt steering box, upgraded to larger T bars from a parts car, added TSM rear disc brakes, and added 17" wheels with 50 series tires.
These upgrades made an amazing difference!!!! The Fury now handles and rides like a modern performance car. It out brakes and out handles our 2000 Intrepid, which also has 4 wheel discs.