RE: More ?s on Milano torsion bar lowering

[Tony Lupton <Tony.Lupton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Derek,

[contains obligatory Fred content that I haven't seen echoed yet, and
probably the best piece of advice I ever saw from him.]

> So now the question is what is the appropriate type to get?

You need a screw-operated one that is large enough to fit over the eye of
the a-arm that retains the ball-joint. Either the cup-type or lever type
will work, provided they're big enough.

> Also I'm not so sure about the articles I've seen that 
> simply say use a chevy v8 harmonic balancer puller to remove 
> the torsion bar

That won't work. Assuming you've got something bolt the balancer to, a
balancer will attempt to push the bar out the front. With the lower a-arm
still on the car, it's got nowhere to go. All you need is a large socket
(same one as crankshaft nut works just fine). A stack of large, thick
washers to "extend" the socket", and an appropriate bolt to screw into the
back of the torsion bar. Exact size escapes me, but it's the same as the one
that holds the inner end of upper a-arm onto the car (M10x??). I happen to
have some of these lying around - you'll need to go out and get one if you
don't want to pull the upper arm to re-use this bolt.

Procedure:
- loosen wheel nuts
- jack up front of car
- support on jack stands
- remove wheels
- disconnect shock absorber from lower a-arm
- separate ball joint (either upper or lower. It doesn't 
  matter which, but I've found the upper ones are easier, but 
  it makes the lower a-arm more unwieldy with the steering 
  knuckle attached.)
- pop plastic cover off rear of torsion bar
- place large socket and washers over rear of torsion bar
- screw bolt into rear of torsion bar
- as the bolt head bears on the washer stack, it pulls the 
  torsion bar out backwards
- when you run out of travel (do not over tighten), unscrew and 
  add more washers to give you more travel. repeat as 
  necessary.

Now you can adjust height and then do everything up again.

A couple of rebuttals:

> You'll spend $100 of that $200 in tools alone.

The ball joint splitter, the socket, and the bolt are the only special tools
you'll need. Nothing like $100 (assuming you already have basic
spanners/sockets/jack/stands).

<Fred content>
Get the shop manual!
This will take it close to $100. cardisk, IAP, centerline, etc all have
manuals. Once you have the manual, life becomes much simpler.
</Fred content>

> And unless you own a Chevy V8 and replace the harmonic 
> balancer often, that tool won't come in handy too often 
> again.

When you need to remove camshaft pulleys on the V6, get one of these - it
works like a charm.

Tony
1985 Alfa 90 2.5i
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