Releasing the torsion bar tension

[ALAN COCHRANE]

As part of my engine removal saga I've split both lower ball joints which in theory should release all the tension on the torsion bars. Despite this the reaction plate mounting bolts were still tight and needed a hefty whack with a hammer and drift to remove them.
I noticed that all four already had varying degrees of damage to their threads, so needed replacing.
In the end I needed to use two ratchet straps to pull the lower wishbones down a further 1-2 inches to align the mounting holes and release the bolts.



Has anyone else encountered this problem or have I missed something obvious?

Cheers

Alan

[MSM]

Alan

I think you need to also remove the split pins and slacken the nuts on the lower wishbone pivots.

[ALAN COCHRANE]

That may alleviate the problem but it's not normally required. The lower wishbones should be free to move whether the castellated nut is loose or not. Anyway the ratchet straps came to the rescue.

Alan

[mgcjag]

Hi Alan...not quite correct.....the lower wishbone should not be free to move as it is gripped in the rubber bushes...it is only their flex that alows movement....thats why they shouldnt be fully tightened until the full weight of the car is back on the ground... Steve