K Member removal

[moparnut]

OK I have asked this in the past several times with no clear answers, I mostly got retoric like, its easy just drop it out. I like to know CLEARLY what the steps are to safely remove my K member. Can anyone help and use correct terms instead of remove the stp and twist the lga to get the xyz out?
1 I would assume jack the car up and put jack stands on the framerails. This may be too easy for those to explain because you have done it before, so please just humor me and give me some help.
2. Jack up the K member to release tension???
4.?
5.?
 and so on
Can anyone please help.
thanks

[hemiken]

Ok.....
1...Assuming your engine is already out of the car.
2...Steering box is removed or disconnected from column.
3...Car is jacked up and on jack stands.
4...Jack stands fitted back far enough to be out of the way, they should be positioned under the chassis rail, inline with the firewall.
5...Loosen the adjusting bolts on your lower control arms so they have zero tension on the torsion bars.
6...Remove the clips held in the back of the torsion bar housings, one each side.
7...Remove the upper control arm and stub axle so the lower arm is left on its own.
8...Undo the large front nut that holds the strut rod to the K frame that is connected to the lower control arm.
9...You will have to clamp visegrips or a torsion removal tool to drive the torsion bars backwards to move them out of the way.
10..Undo the large nut that hold the lower control arm to the K frame to remove the lower control arms.
11..Undo the 4 large bots in each corner of the K frame and it will drop out, you can support it with a jack.

[moparnut]

Thank YOU VERY VERY MUCH HemiKen, dont know why it took a year to get that answer

Your a star

[hemiken]

  No worries, you posted to early.......... i have not been here for a year yet

[Topcat]

9...You will have to clamp visegrips or a torsion removal tool to drive the torsion bars backwards to move them out of the way.

Do not clamp vice grips onto the outside of the torsion bar. The strength or should I say; the torsional spring rate is built into the outside surface area of the metal. This may or may not comprimise the spring rate value. But at the same time, it's not worth risking loosing your spring rate in one or both either. Find other ways to persuade the torsion bars out. Also, if you plan to re use them, keep them in the order and direction they came out as.
L and R, Frt. and rear.

[moparnut]

thanks Topcat
Hemiken, I havent been on here much the past year either, been doing other projects and some home remodling, time to get back on the mopars

[ChallengerHK]

Do not clamp vice grips onto the outside of the torsion bar. ... Find other ways to persuade the torsion bars out.

When I was doing my suspension last Spring I removed the snap rings from the torsion bar cross member, backed off the lower control arm pivot nut so that it was pst the pivot, and banged on it with a 5 lb sledge to "motivate" the bars back. That did most of it, then I removed the pivot nut and finished motivating them with a healthy pry bar, in this case a 1 1/4" combo wrench.

[moparnut]

thanks again

[Chryco Psycho]

I agree just pry the Tbar & LCA back together rather than using anything on the T bar to remove it , I usually separate the lower ball joint at the bolts & leave the spindle & uppercontrol arm hanging together

[ChallengerHK]

By the way, that advice I gave originally came from Chryco 

[moparnut]

I agree just pry the Tbar & LCA back together rather than using anything on the T bar to remove it , I usually separate the lower ball joint at the bolts & leave the spindle & uppercontrol arm hanging together

Thanks all and Chryco, CHryco whats an LCA? Lower control arm? and whats the tbar?

[hemiken]

Tbar is Torsion Bar

[moparnut]

thanks plez excuse my ignorance

[ChallengerHK]

LCA is lower control arm, yes.

No need to apologize for asking questions. That's how you learn.

[Supercuda]

And while we are learning things, there are special tools for working on Chrysler front ends, which include the ball joint sockets for the upper ball joint (there are 2 sizes, most are the smaller size- these screw in, not press in!), and a tool for the removal of the torsion bars. It clamps around the t-bar, and gives you something to strike with a hammer. Chryco's method is tried and true, and used by me forever. I would use the t-bar clamp, but I haven't had to. When a torsion bar is stuck hard enough as to require more persuasion than usual, the use of locking pliers (like vise grips) is ok, as long as you cushion the jaws against the bar, so as not to mar it. Stress risers in the torsion bar can turn into catastrophe, and the shrapnel is capable of going through the floorboard (trust me, I know from bitter experience). Never strike the spring directly with a hard-faced hammer, and use the proper tools (or a suitable alternative) for removal and installation of components.