OK so my 94 GMC S15 Jimmy 4x4 needs new torsion bar crossmember-to-frame mounts. They went bad so it makes a nasty clunking on bumps and heavy turns. I gotta remove the torsion bars and crossmember since I can't access the bolts on top of the frame mounts. Now I have my front end jacked up... no weight on the wheels at all. I tried the c-clamp trick to tighten the adjusting arm but I couldn't see it budge. I talked to a mechanic friend over the phone and he said that with the front end in the air, there's little tension on the torsion bars and the adjustment bolts can safely come out... then I just slide the bars out. OK well I removed the bolt, there's no c-clamp on there... nothing. Is it safe to knock the bar out with a pin and hammer? Please help soon since I need this truck on the road! Thanks!

 

You really can't drive the torsion bar forward. You have to knock the key off towards the back. Some penetrating oil will make the job easier. A brass rod makes for safe removal, but if you don't have one, a punch will work.

 

Yeah I noticed that... I ended up pushing the adjusting arm up with a c-clamp and i removed the little 2 inch metal block (name?) it was resting on. i removed the clamp and now it looks like that bar has no strain on it. i'm in the process of removing the other side (pass. side) but it's so nerve-racking! I'm afraid it's gonna fly out and take my head off lol.

 

Once you get the piece out that the adjusting bolt threads into, there will be no tension on the keys.

 

Yeah I see that... it was just that moment when I was loosening the c-clamp after I got the adjustment bolt piece out. This is my first time ever doing this so I didn't know what to expect; I was just going by the Haynes manual and online tutorials. Come to think of it, I think the Haynes manual skipped a step! I'll get back to you when I finish since I can't think of it at the moment.