Moparts
SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!!
Posted By: BullT
SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 12:40 AM
i am an idiot and did not put jackstands under the axles when i disconnected the torsion bar, shocks and drums now i am in the predicament below
the axle is being held up by a tire, 2x4, and a mini van jack...luckily i kept the wheels under when i was working to save my life but unluckily i have no idea how to get the axle and sturdy ground. will the axle fall to the ground or does it have a stopping point? i am afraid of destroying something major haveing it all fall, i got jackstands everywhere keeping the car up but i cant figure out how to reach something near the axle
please help!
Posted By: Supercuda
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 12:42 AM
Bad pics, but if the torsion bars, shocks and spindle is disconnected then it's not an issue, you should be able to move it by hand.
Posted By: BullT
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 12:48 AM
bigger pics:
Posted By: sam64
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 12:48 AM
go ahead and jack it up,then back off the torsion bar adjusting bolt.after you get everything back together adjust bolt back.
Posted By: OzHemi
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 12:51 AM
Hopefully you have jack stands under the body of the car itself....and as well you let the tension off the torsion bars (undid the adjustment bolt) before doing everything else..
In that case, as said you should be able to move the lower control arm up and down by hand basically.
If the only thing holding the front of the car in the air is the contraption of support you have in the pic, get some stands under there without putting yourself in harms way for sure.
Posted By: BullT
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 12:58 AM
thanks for the fast replys...which one is the torsion bar adjusting bolt?
it is currently also under 2 jack stands and a jack in the front but i cant raise it any higher and for some reason there is a ton of weight on the wood where the axle is coming down and that thing is not budging
Posted By: BullT
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:02 AM
torsion bar and shock were already out, i was wondering why the back plate of the drum was so hard to get out and after a struggle i got the back plate bolts out and then the whole axle fell
Posted By: JohnRR
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:03 AM
Looks like you popped loose the upper balljoint without releasing the tension off the torsion bar . the bolt that release the tension is on the underside of the control arm near the pivot point loosen that to take the tension off the T bar.
Posted By: towguy76
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:05 AM
i think he still has tension on the bars. Looks like he removed the front brakes and undid the upper balljoint and it came down. Otherwise i am not sure why he has the scissor jack under it.
If the torsion bars are still under tension, make sure you have jackstands under the frame of the car first. Then slide under and back off the adjustment bolt for the torsion bars until they are loose. Then you will be able to bring the lower control arm up enough to reinstall the balljoint.
Posted By: towguy76
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:10 AM
I see now. you didnt undo the upper balljoint. you removed the bolts that hold the lower balljoint and steering knuckle to the spindle. yeah back off the t bar adjuster and you will be able to move the lower control arm by hand. wont have tension on it anymore.
Posted By: nomore65BelvJim
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:18 AM
for some reason I dont see this ending well.
I hope I am wrong!
Posted By: BullT
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:18 AM
ok i am now trying to figure out which bolt is the adjuster...anyone have a pic of one?, if not i can probably figure it out
i think i may have been mistaken on having the torsion bar out for some reason i think i was thinking of the center link
Posted By: towguy76
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:23 AM
it will be on the lower side of the lower control arm just outboard of the pivot point which is where the t bar goes thru the control arm. The lower control arm is shaped like a c channel and the adjuster is inside the channel.
Quote:
ok i am now trying to figure out which bolt is the adjuster...anyone have a pic of one?, if not i can probably figure it out
i think i may have been mistaken on having the torsion bar out for some reason i think i was thinking of the center link
Posted By: towguy76
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:28 AM
I am not on my pc right now so this is the best i can do. see the adjusters in the channel near where the t bars go in?
Quote:
ok i am now trying to figure out which bolt is the adjuster...anyone have a pic of one?, if not i can probably figure it out
i think i may have been mistaken on having the torsion bar out for some reason i think i was thinking of the center link
Posted By: OzHemi
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:31 AM
Large bolt here will take the tension off of the torsion bar....
Posted By: BullT
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:32 AM
ok i think i see what you are saying so if i loosen that bolt i should be able to move the axle back up? where will all the weight be shifting too?
heres a few more pics the bolt i am assuming we are talking about is the one inbetween the torsion bar near the pivot point and the bumper in the photo, you can just make out the end of the bolt threads in the pic
Posted By: OzHemi
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:33 AM
And MAKE SURE you have jack stand under the body of the car when you loosen those off....if the car's weight in on the lower control arms still, it will come down as you loosen those adjuster bolts..
Posted By: OzHemi
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:36 AM
Yep, the bolt head will be about here....
You can try and count the number of turns you loosen it as well, if you want to try to get things close when you put it all back together again (or easier to just measure how far it sticks out..)
Posted By: Paul Jacobs
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:38 AM
Turn this bolt left to loosen the tension. You should really get a service manual before you do some of this stuff, you can really get hurt or killed ya know!
Posted By: towguy76
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:47 AM
Again, make sure you have jackstands under the framerails just behind the front wheel wells before you loosen those bolts. A floor jack will not cut it as they can leak and drop while you are under the car crushing you. If you have all the weight from the front of the car on the lower control arms and you loosen those bolts, the car will drop. Make sure you have jackstands under the front of the car. Dont want to read about you in the obits.
Posted By: BullT
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 01:59 AM
thanks for the concern and help, i currently have 3 jackstands and a jack under there
so am i backing this bolt ALL the way out? ive gone 75 quarter turns and the tension doesnt seem relieved at all, just want to be careful not to pull it out and have the whole thing fall on top of me
Posted By: OzHemi
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 02:01 AM
You can take it all the way out if you like..(or just unscrew it so the rounded end is flush with the plate it is screwed into)
As long as you have the car properly supported, all that will happen is the lower control arm should become loose and have no more tension holding it down (like it is now)
Posted By: BullT
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 02:27 AM
ok we are now good! thanks for all the help guys i am still alive!
so i am guessing now that i have a jackstand safely under the axle i should tighten the adjusting bolt back up to relieve some of the pressure off the frame?
Posted By: towguy76
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 02:41 AM
No, leave it how it is. The weight on the frame is fine. When you have the car on a lift thats where they pick it up from. I wouldnt tighten that bolt untill you have the brake backing plates back on, otherwise you wont be able to get them back on. If you are going to have it torn down for a while, you are fine to leave the torsion bars loose untill you are ready to put it all back together.
Posted By: JohnRR
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 04:50 AM
Quote:
ok we are now good! thanks for all the help guys i am still alive!
so i am guessing now that i have a jackstand safely under the axle i should tighten the adjusting bolt back up to relieve some of the pressure off the frame?
You really need to get a service manual , you have your terms all screwed up and it sounds like you are learning this as you go , you are going to damage or bend something , or worse hurt yourself .
Posted By: Jim_Lusk
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 05:53 AM
What you are calling an axle is the lower control arm. Mopar suspensions aren't all that difficult, but you really need to know what oyu are doing before going and unbolting things. Since you have it at this point it would be a good idea to check all of your ball joints and bushings......
Posted By: bomber1965
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 08:25 AM
Quote:
ok i think i see what you are saying so if i loosen that bolt i should be able to move the axle back up?
where will all the weight be shifting too?
say force instead of weight......you wont be shifting weight you'll be relieving the force (twist) in the torsion bar.
what you did was unbolt the suspension end, that had this twisting force exerted on it, wanting to come apart violently. 
you need to understand the components your trying to disassemble to avoid bad things from happening.
your only born with a set number of fingers and eyeballs. 
see the red torsion bar?
that is preloaded (twisted) with that little bolt you were looking for.
then the weight of the whole car bouncing down the road loads and unloads it more.
you have to fully unload the red bar using the little bolt before taking the suspension parts off, or it go BOOM!
.
Posted By: OzHemi
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 08:28 AM
Quote:
your only born with a set number of fingers and eyeballs.
.
Weeeeell........ 
Posted By: bomber1965
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 08:40 AM
wellll..... I never said it was a standard set,
just try keeping what nature gave ya.....
Posted By: jbc426
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 03:04 PM
Often times a man's life in these parts depends upon a mere scrap of information. In the future, you can get the scraps of information you need to save your life from the internet or the local library. The trick is to get them BEFORE you start a project.
Posted By: lokalik
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 03:33 PM
sounds like all the great members here got you lined out.very glad it all worked out for you and you did not get hurt or even worse. one more thing i would add is to remove the shock absor it will help you lift the lower control arm back in place. mopar front ends are pretty straight forward but that tor bar can kill ya, you can see in the first pics from you that the t bar still has tension on it. good luck , please be careful and ask some questions first.
Posted By: feets
Re: SAVE ME FROM MY STUPIDITY PLEASE!! - 12/30/10 06:04 PM
Please click this link and download the service manual. It's for a Plymouth but it'll work for your Dodge.
http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=109