1960 Torsion Bar Suspension Sway Fix

[1960HDGMC]

Hello, I have a 1/2 ton 1960 GMC with torsion bar front suspension. It sways when you take a curve. I have contacted sway bar makers and they all say there is, was and probably can not be a sway bar for these trucks. Rear sways are out there, just not front sway bars. Then why do I see bosses for the sway bars (that do not exist) on the lower A-Arms?
I wonder why I cant just get a set of 3/4 ton truck torsion bars and swap them onto my truck. Surely that would tighten up the front end a little and help in the corners. Is a torsion bar swap a pain in the rear end, or can I manage it in a home garage?
The truck is set to factory ride height and rides like a 1959 Caddy,because it pretty much has the same front suspension. Will I lose the smoothness if I can even manage to find and install 3/4 ton bars? I want to keep factory ride height after swap.
Thanks for any ideas, Greg Mead

[Funky61]

Greg, Here is a link from another forum on changing out the front suspension.

http://67-72chevytruck.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=366828

On the same forum, a member was supposed to be working on a sway bar for the torsion suspension.

http://www.67-72chevytruck.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=5833078

You are correct that the torsion bar suspension does ride smooth

[1960HDGMC]

Turns out 1960 GMC 1500 and 1960 Chevy C-20 share the same part numbers and color bands for the 3/4 ton Torsion Bars. So a pair from either clan will serve the purpose. I want to swap them out, and bring the stiffer bars to the current factory ride height. I want to see if this may be a viable upgrade. I love this truck anywhere but a curve. I have to crawl around them. Interstate, I can hang with a Corvette, uphill or down, but one curve and I am hobbled. There must be a fix.

[6066gmcguy]

Back in the day there was a swab spring offered aftermarket for the front end see below.

[AZKen]

If the truck cornered well when new, which I assume it must have, then why not fix what is worn, broken, sagging, fatigued or get a good 1/2T donor suspension? (maybe from a Chevy if they are more available). Maybe a coil front will swap. This is a question for me to learn not a criticism. BTW: the links above don't work for me. They've been Hijacked.

[BarryGMC]

These torsion bar trucks are leaners. The 3/4 ton bars help but make the ride more stout. I found that putting the overload setep in the back helps a lot.

[1960HDGMC]

The front end is back to factory specs. Steers true, etc. It is just a design issue with the torsion bar front ends. The idea was to get passenger car ride into the traditionally hard riding trucks. The plan worked, but the top heavy trucks will sway exponentially more than a lower center of gravity car.
As for the rear load idea, I added a Timbrem Rubber spring setup. But it only kicks in when hauling a load. I have read that there are rear sway bars sold today for these 1960-62 trucks. Question. Would having this added to rear help with the roll that seems to be coming from the front end? Barry, was there yet another rear end device you were suggesting might help?
I know this will never corner like a Corvette. I don't expect it to ever be close. But I need to get it to corner safely so I can enjoy driving. Right now I have to slow way down to go around a corner. I need to get it so if I have to slow down, I want have to almost crawl.
I will try any tweek to improve the cornering, even if the overall ride is stiffened up a bit. It rides like a cloud now, but I will trade some of the cush away if it helps the cornering. Maybe some sort of front air or coil over shocks, 3/4 ton Torsion Bars, rear sway bar, etc., I will try it. Thanks for the help, Greg Mead

[AZKen]

You have probably seen or heard about these swaps and want to keep your truck stockish. But a bunch of band aids may never work. Remember the rear end of a truck is light. That means that changes to the rear, many times, don't get "exercised" enough to effect the front as you have noticed. If Barry says it helped, then do it.
here is the swap info anyway:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=366828

[1960HDGMC]

Hey AZKEN, I have read this before, great info. Thanks for the link. He has a picture of what he says is a Mustang II sway bar, that he say worked really well in the truck. That looks like what I have in my minds eye. I can not for the life of me figure out why no one has marketed such a cross-over piece for the torsion bar trucks. I can only assume it is some kind of safety issue. The mechanics of the front end are basically identical, and the T-bars exit to rear, so no forward obstruction. I just don't understand the absence of such a helpful device. It is the other half of the T-Bar suspension, that they forgot to ad on. Any one seen these on T-Bar trucks before? Thanks, Greg Mead

[AZKen]

It does look like the sway bar on his donor 1975 would fit. An anti sway bar is just a bent torsion bar. It's worth a try and should be easy to install. Get a donor sway bar that is 1" diameter or bigger. I don't know the specific engineering explanation coil vs bar in regards to what is actually happening. The coil spring will compress/extend and lean when cornering. The torsion will twist. The coil is a tall feature compared to the torsion bar down low. Have you tried to adjust your bars full one way and then another to see what that does to the sway? Not hard to test that if they are adjustable.
Question: What exactly is your truck doing around corners? Will it stoop down? spin out? heavy body lean? sway all over the road? It does not make since that you have to go that slow? What kind of corners ? and how fast do you want to go around a tight corner? Barry says they are leaners. Maybe torsion bars loose their temper or get fatigued after 50+ years.

[AZKen]

Hey Greg. Consider this. It seem like the torsion bars have the same length and mounting features from series 1000-3000!!!! Maybe if you find a higher series set of torsion bars, which are designed for higher loads, it will stiffen the sway. The torsion bars are color coded with colored bands near the rear end of bars, as you know. One band for the right side and two bands for left. Yours should be colored red. 1500 is green, 2500 is yellow, 3000 orange. Think about it and see what you think. If you can find a 1500 set cheap and try them, you can gauge how much it helps and know it does help and move up or be satisfied. I don't know how they change torque rate, but could be by rod diameter. That may mean you have to change the receiving end brackets but the book says they are the same length so that's good. However, if the did it with temper, and they are exactly the same size and configuration, that would be almost too good to be true. If it works, you will have discovered a cool way to help the cornering. (no sway bar needed). I do admit that a sway bar may fix sway without too much loss in straight line ride quality whereas the stiffer torsion bars may provide a stiff ride and the same sway. (don't want that combo). A proper width sway bar is easy to install.

[1960HDGMC]

Hey AZKen, That's the plan. I have a feeler out in the Market Place on here. I looked and found they share the same color band and part number for 1960 Chevy. So a donor pair with green bands should fit from either make. 1960-62 GMC and 1960 -62 Chevrolet. I am sure all the torsion bars weaken over 50 years,but the one size up should suffice. If I notice it needs more, The look out would be for the next size up. I really think the 3/4 ton (1500)bars will be just about right. I hope I can find a pair to try and see. Thanks for the help, Greg Mead

[AZKen]

Good deal. Sorry, didn't know you already decided on that. I actually talked myself into a sway bar. I will stick with this theory below. Who knows? Just guessing.


I do admit that a sway bar may fix sway without too much loss in straight line ride quality whereas the stiffer torsion bars may provide a stiff ride and the same sway. (don't want that combo). A proper width sway bar is easy to install.

[1960HDGMC]

I would love to ad a sway bar. But I have yet to see one that is available for these torsion bar trucks. That guy said the Mustang II sway bar worked pretty good, but I want to know how they got it onto the truck. It almost looks like they just welded some plate stock to the bottom of the lower A-Arms, drilled some holes and added the sway bar. Pretty simple. In fact, too simple to not be a common fix for these trucks. There must be some con to this simple fix, or it would be more widespread. I hope I am wrong. I would much prefer this fix over the 3/4 ton T-Bar swap. I love my ride, I just need the swaying tampered down a bit in the curves. Thanks again for all the help and ideas, Greg Mead

[BarryGMC]

The thing you are not considering is your tires. I know half of the problem is the tires under rolling and deflecting. The stock bias 4 ply 15 and 6 ply 16 inch bias tires had a much stiffer sidewall. The p rated 15 inch radials are very thin in the side wall. Those cokker wide whites are not good for anything but cruising. I throw those away on full size gm cars all the time. Cooper or BFG tires are way better. I NEVER RUN P RATED tires on a truck. Lt 225 75 15 tires from anybody will feel better than a p tire. Put a 60 series 25 inch tire and your truck will feel like a slot car.

[AZKen]

What about the one on the 75 donor in the link? Looks like it attaches to the lower control arm nicely. The attachment on the frame is just sliding the bushings and brackets along the rod until it lands on frame or cross member of your truck and drill two holes to mount. Any angle that the bracket mounts to, at that point, is OK. I don't see a con, I see that's how they did it on the coil type. It will look similar to that on your torsion bar lower arm. I don't know why the guy removed the sway bar from the 75. I think I see where he cut the bracket on his shinny black picture?... and there is a bracket already there on the lower arm on the 60? The 60 and 75 front frame dimension is basically the same. 28.24 and 28.01. That's good.

Another remedy...........bag it.

[1960HDGMC]

Hey AZKen, I saw what looked like a Mustang II type ad-on sway bar in the picture of the original front end. That is the one I think they welded to the A-Arms to mount. Are you suggesting that the much larger, (and in my way of thinking, much more helpful), 1975 donor truck sway bar might be readily convinced to play ball with my T-Bar truck? Thanks for the help, Greg Mead

[1960HDGMC]

Hey Barry, I have thought that the swap to radials might be adding to the sway. But I think this thing would still be swaying almost as bad with the old bias type tires. I bet it would help some, but I think the radials would work fine with the truck, if it had a sway bar. I am just fixing to start a thread about tires to try and gleam more insight into there effect on performance vis-à-vis these torsion bar equipped trucks. Thanks for the help, Greg Mead

[AZKen]

Hey AZKen, I saw what looked like a Mustang II type ad-on sway bar in the picture of the original front end. That is the one I think they welded to the A-Arms to mount. Are you suggesting that the much larger, (and in my way of thinking, much more helpful), 1975 donor truck sway bar might be readily convinced to play ball with my T-Bar truck? Thanks for the help, Greg Mead

Yes, that's what I'm saying. Also want to say I think the entire sway bar is bolted. I said he cut it off but it unbolts. What could be easier?

[tdeming]

Not to hijack this thread, but does anyone have a good source for rebuilding the front end ball joints and tie rod ends?

[FetchMeAPepsi]

Not to hijack this thread, but does anyone have a good source for rebuilding the front end ball joints and tie rod ends?

When you say rebuild the ball joints do you mean the big ball looking things at the end of the axle? I've heard of people just welding those up and sanding them down as needed. If you mean the little cups and seals etc. I have the part numbers in my build thread where I tore mine apart. Quad4x4.com has most of the hard to find things like the little brass bushings.

[1960HDGMC]

I spoke with the son of the Cambria Spring Companies owner. He said he could make the springs at his current Dayton Leaf Spring company. But he needs blueprints or a surviving setup from a truck, from which to take measurements. Please ask around if anyone knows where one might be located. It will be returned unharmed after the measurements are taken. This is a good chance to get a great cure for these 1960-62 Chevy and GMC torsion bar front ends. Thanks, Greg Mead

[Funky61]

A new link from the other forum;

http://www.67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=659224

[1960HDGMC]

Thanks Funky, This is a great story. I wish he had followed up the install with an assessment. I will never understand why no one ever adapted a sway bar for these T Bar trucks. It seems to be the missing link that caused many clip swaps over the years. I am very much inclined to attempt this setup. I bet a factory swaybar setup from a donor truck would also do nicely. Thanks again for the link, Greg Mead

[1960HDGMC]

Hey Funky, Well good things come to those that wait. Joe Pass from the thread you posted, finally got to road test the sway bar. He posted yesterday that it works great. He also added a sway bar to the back axle. I am going to order the Addco 117 and try to emulate his install. From what I gather, the end link style is better suited to this type suspension than the direct connected type. And it is adjustable, where the bolt on style is not. The 1 inch thick spacer blocks he fabricated from aluminum are the only missing piece to make this kit work with the 60-61 Torsion Bar trucks. I can not believe no one has stamped a couple of brackets for this purpose. The ones from the later model trucks are designed to mount with the back foot going up with the arch of the frame. Where the 60-61 trucks are still rather flat where the brackets would connect to the frame. I may try to get a machine shop to make me a couple of level brackets. They serve to move the bar 1 inch from the frame, so it clears the power steering gear box and the front bumper brackets. This should be relatively painless. I will update next month when I get the Addco kit. Thanks again for all the help, GM