[tlchaffin]

I recently got my 68 back from the painter and he had installed the torsion bars on the wrong sides so that the lid had the famous droop.
I reinstalled them correctly using the procedure in TCCN. It is a good procedure except that I couldn't get them into place with a pair of vice grips as called for in the article (lots of loud banging as the tool kept slipping off). I finally made a useful (and cheap) tool that may help someone.
I bought a 10 inch mending plate from the hardware store for $1.50. I ground a small groove near one end to hold the long dimension, then drilled a hole for the short end. This gives plenty of leverage and then just used a mallet to pop it into the groove. It worked perfectly the first time.
I will try to attach pictures.

 

[tlchaffin]

trunk picture

I guess that I can only attach one picture per message. Here is what the tool looks like in the trunk.
Tom

 

[TheRktmn]

Great idea! Thanks!

 

[swamper]

I made mine with piece of 3/4" pipe. Cut gruve with 4" grinder blade and drilled hole. I used pipe to avoid flex in flat stock.

 

[tlchaffin]

Pipe would work too --- same idea. But the mending plates are plenty stiff enough for the job and thin enough to stay on the torsion bar.

 

[CAL-KAT]

Eye Test

Tom,

Do you think you could post a larger picture of the tool in the trunk? This is something that needs to addressed because trunk droop is annoying. If you don't belive me ask my friends ex-wife. No, really could you post a visible pic.

Thanks,
Neil

 

[72cat]

If you want to post two pictures at once, copy them into paint, then save as a jpeg/jpg.

 

[tlchaffin]

Sorry about the tiny pictures, this was my first time to send pictures and I didn't get a chance to look at them. I am traveling now and the pictures are on my home computer, so it will be next weekend before I can resend them.
Tom

 

[tlchaffin]

OK, let's try this again. I have resized the pictures so that maybe you can see them. I still can't get both of them on one post. The first is the tool and in the next post I will show how the tool looks in use.
Tom

 

[tlchaffin]

Here is the tool in use. By the way, if your trunk is droopy and the rods are in the 3rd notches, you might try switching the rods. I found that they are not identical and it made a big difference.
Tom

 

[tlchaffin]

I still didn't get it right. I will try to send the tool picture one more time.

 

[modifiedmark]

Huh, I musta did mine wrong using a vice grip and a screwdriver!LOL. That is a good idea though and would be alot easier and not tear all the paint off. mm