Broke the passenger side rear torsion bar a month or so ago and have been so busy I just now got a chance to get it apart. Well, the torsion bar broke right close to the inner splines and I can't find anyway possible to get ahold of the small remaining piece of torsion bar. So I decided to take off the drivers side torsion and knock the broken bar out the other side... Sounded like an easy enough plan but the drivers side torsion bar has no intentions of coming out peacefully. Inside the torsion housing inbetween torsion bar and housing its a solid packed layer of red clay mud & rust it looks like (looking in the pass side of torsion housing). I'm guessing it's been QUITE awhile since either of the torsion bars have been out, any tips as far as removing the non-broken torsion bar? I jacked up on spring plate to relieve tension from the torsion and tried prying outward to pull out the torsion bar and it wouldn't budge. I'm sure I'm not the first or last to run into this problem so if you have any suggestions or tips I'd greatly appreciate it!!!

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--WHEN IN DOUBT, THROTTLE OUT!!!--

Use a pressure washer and remove all of the mud etc to be able to spray PB Blaster on the splines. Let it setup for a few days. Make a clamp that will attach in behind the splines on the outer end of the torsion and also will attach to a slide hammer. Then you know the drill , slide , slide , slide!

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

clean it like steve said . i would heat it with a torch on the inner splines. there is a cap on the spring plate pop it out so you can hit on the torsion bar and after you get it hot try and drive it in if it moves then try pulling it out. usually if you get it to move one way it will come out.

Get a piece of pipe that just fits over the bar not the splines beat it onto broken piece then wigogle it right out

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i wana ride, i wana ride, i wana ride

Can you use a 7018 (hard steel) rod and weld a long large bolt head to the good torsion and go from there. Then go buy some old type 3 Sqareback or fastback torsion bars. They are 23mm instead of beetle 21.5mm. Adjust 1 notch on the inner and 1 notch on the outter and it will ride tall and incredibly soft. Beetle bars adjusted too hard to get hieght, ride too hard. Bounce on my son austin's buggy or ask someone who has.

well tried again today for a few minutes after work and I've never seen anything like it. Tried "chiseling" away at the rust/mud layer of shit around the broken torsion bar and it's just about as hard as the torsion itself!! its so far back in there that I can't spray anything to the middle of the housing where the broken piece is. Figures that I don't have water faucet at the garage or I'd try the water hose... Tried being patient about as long as I can and I'm bout to say FU*K it and airbag it!! theres no way that the torsion was traveling like its supposed to with all that shit inside the housing, It had to be making it very hard to move. I really hate to but has anyone went to the extreme and cut into the housing and welded it back up whenever they got bars removed?? A previous owner welded one of the floorboard supports to the torsion housing and after years of beating and banging on the floorboard the welds broke and theres a gap in the housing that measures bout 1/2", hence one of the obvious ways all the mud found its way inside the housing... Whats an "estimate" on a budget airbag setup? not counting shocks cause I'm not sure what kind of shock to go with just yet. I know that theres a lot of variables when pricing all the stuff to put together an airbag kit but if anyone can give me a rough idea on what I'm looking at

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--WHEN IN DOUBT, THROTTLE OUT!!!--

just take the torsion out on the other side and get you a long rod stick it in there and knock it out the splines has a hole that goes all the way through is the easyest way to get the broken one out

Read first post

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

knew a guy with a small pnumatic knocker That will get it loose.

Air hammers will work wonders somtimes. If u can find a long enough chisel.

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when in doubt use the skinny pedal!

With all the energy your going to waste trying to get the broken bar out, you might as well put air bags under it. You would have been half way done by now and the ride is WAY better than ANY bar can be.
http://www.airbagit.com/ Bag #3800

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Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.
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Put a piece of bar in between. And as far as the air bags, I love the air bags on the Passat but the type 3 torsions on my son Austin's buggy are too perfect.Put a fast impact shock with it with a slow return.Damgood ride.

If im not mistaking I heard that willie had the same thing happen or maybe his stripped. I beleive he cut the center section of the torsion out and welded another one in.

You can also cut the splines out and replace with one of the adjustable units being offered. That would solve the problem and give ya a perk.

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

now that may be the route I take! never thought of doing that. I'm assuming that the torsion adjusters are weld in?

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--WHEN IN DOUBT, THROTTLE OUT!!!--

yea they just weld in. You need to get them first so you know how much and where to cut.

Word of advise on the adjustable splines. Do not buy the cheap latest rage or EMPI, they will break in a short time. There are good ones out there . Try McKensys.

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Water cooled Dry Sumped Subaru Powered Turbo Charged Fuel Injected 2500CC Tank. Oh Rah! He who dies with the most Toys not only wins, He also wears them out!

A couple of us had to do this at D&K Memorial Day weekend and it took big hammers and a solid spud bar the same size as the torsion bars and beat it through one side and then the other. It can be done,that was my first time having to do that as well.

Even if u sawsall the center out you still have to factor getting that broken piece out. A nice sledge hammer maul with a piece of pipe after you gowge all the mud will go sailing across the yard if it were mine.I had a torsion at pull apart that I had to circle around like the Olympics 3 times with the 10 pound sledge about 30 times but guess who won!Like Clint Eastwood said,"When it looks like you're not gonna make it , you gotta get mean, I mean mad dog mean.(Jossie Wells)... Paw ,is that you paw? I got the gold rite here paw.We really showwed em huh paw? Don't pay no tension to him, he's crazy...Oh yeah... Look and see if the old owner welded above the torion and penatrated into to the bar. If so , the hi speed grinder should doctor it up and free it.

another question, is it feasable to use a pipe the same diameter as torsion bar like said above and actually knock the small broken piece of torsion bar inward and drive the other torsion bar (drivers side) out? If that makes any damn sense... fooled with it a few minutes today and everytime I get around to try and make some progress i end up really wanting to go berserk with the ol' BFH! The only thing I really know to try before cutting into the housing is to drive both the broken and the other out the same side. (if it can be done...) Issue that comes to mind with trying this is if the splines on the inside line up? Meaning is there 2 actual sets of splines in middle of housing or 1 set? After trying to read back over this post it would really surprise me if anyone can make any fkn sense of what I'm asking!!

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--WHEN IN DOUBT, THROTTLE OUT!!!--

im pretty sure this is what they been saying to do, and is exactly what i would do if it were mine

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Just Stand On It!!!!

Chris