Left A-arm torsion bar won't insert..., Pound more, use bigger hammer? Options

[neo914-6]

Some history, the a-arms were from Mueller assumed to be in good condition and 914 not 911. If they were 911 the splined hole should be bigger so a 914 bar will insert too loose. The stock torsion bars are from Kevin (Rhodyguy).

I realized I had the L & R bars switched so I corrected them but L bar won't insert on L arm. R bar inserts on both arms.

I pounded L bar with a small sledge hammer but it didn't insert much.

I soaked the bottom in solvent overnight, no affect.

There is no front cap (bottom pic) to remove, is this a different type?

These arms were seam welded

These arms are powdercoated and prepped for needle bearings so I don't want to find another arm if possible. New strut bushings aren't tight yet...

[914Sixer]

911 bars have one extra spline (30) whereas the 914 only has 29. Something sounds to be mix matched. You can pop off the cap on the end where the bar slots in to see what the problem is. You may have to drill a hole and pop it off with a slide hammer. You should not have to us nothin more than a hammer to give a few light taps to drive it in. Was the spline end coated by the power coater with the end caps off?

[davep]

If the L bar does not go in, then perhaps it is a 911 bar.
As a side note, some 911 A-arms used for hydro-pneumatic suspensions were not splined at the front since they did not use torsion bars.

[rhodyguy]

are the a arms the same version? pop the cap out from the front of the odd fit and look inside while trying to line up the splines. the t-bars were a set out of a 4 lug suspention. in fact i believe they came out of my 73' when i went to 21mm bars. then i switched back to 17s with another set i had.

[r_towle]

Show the front edge, the inner part, of the front of the torsion tube.
There should be a soft metal cap there that you can pry out.

You can, once the cap is removed, stick them in from the front.
I know you say there is no cap to remove, but maybe you are thinking of something else.

The front cover is a soft metal circle the size of a quarter.
It fits into a groove in the torsion housing up front.
Its job is to retain the bar from walking forward, and stop all the dirt from entering the tube.
If you get a really long bar, smaller than the torsion bar, and tap the front cover it wont deform to much and it will pop out.

Or, you can pry it with a screw driver from the front. It will deform, but its soft enough to gently tap flat again and reuse.

Rich

[Dave_Darling]

Also try cleaning them very well. It seems like the tiniest speck of dirt can keep them from going together.

--DD

[davep]

Better yet, try the adjuster caps on both bars. I both caps fit both bars, then the problem is with the A-arms alone. If both caps don't fit both bars, then figure out if it is a bar that is the problem.
You need a matched set of A-arm, bar and cap on each side. I'm almost 100% certain that the 911 bars are all bigger than the 914/4 bar.

[SirAndy]

Better yet, try the adjuster caps on both bars. I both caps fit both bars, then the problem is with the A-arms alone. If both caps don't fit both bars, then figure out if it is a bar that is the problem.
You need a matched set of A-arm, bar and cap on each side. I'm almost 100% certain that the 911 bars are all bigger than the 914/4 bar.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

try putting your adjuster caps on the ends of both torsion bars ...
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif) Andy

[neo914-6]

SOB! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

Popped out the cover and 914sixer hit it, 911 spline count. Thanks for all your tips, now I need a Left a-arm...

[r_towle]

I may have one...if I do I have four or five.
I had loads of bars broken on one side and not the other.
So, I may also have alot of rights and no lefts...

I will go check.

Rich