I had to do the exact same thing. I would up welding the cut out portion back in as well. Wish I had seen your video earlier. Would have saved me a few hours of torching, pounding, and swearing.
I tried everything besides cutting mine, including renting a jackhammer that weighed at least a hundred pounds. Everything has failed. This video has given me new hope, will try it this afternoon.
Detroit MI over here.. My shit was super seized.. i had to cut slots in my lower control arms to get the torsion bar out that end too. All worked great.
Thank you sooo much! Doing a 2007 Chevy duramax and the torsion bars are stuck beyond belief..tried all the same tricks finally I welded a big nut on the back of each crossmember and I figured I finally had it coming but opon closer inspection it had actually started bending the crossmember when I torqued a bolt through..lol. was feeling a bit defeated I can see this will work no problem and i'm gonna wrap this bullshit up tonight once and for all..ur a true problem solver thanks again!
Same boat brotha.. doing a 2004 duramax with zone 6b inch lift have about 6 hours of nothing but failures with these cross members. Being from Maine doesn't help my cause with all the rust. Can't wait to beat these god damn torsion bars once and for all lol
@@thegoyimknow. I hate to say it bud but it turned out..at least on my truck that the cross members were actually welded to the frame so I ended up borrowing a great big electric jackhammer off a farmer buddy of mine..and held it on there somehow with both feet and hammered the shit outta it for ten minutes till it broke loose..It was one of those big cement busting impacts..I'd still be hammering I think without that..lol. But I feel for ya..what a nightmare
This worked perfect! my keys were very rusted so cutting and re-welding the crossmember worked great, I had to cut and replace my torsion bars since they were so rusted in the lower control arms I had to remove both right and left lower control arms heat them with a torch and beat them out, but i got them out! Thanks for posting this video.
know all about that northern michigan rust myself, Im about to take a 99 silverado and turn it into just a privet plow truck for my drive way. i want to give it a little lift. in the front end or level it out some so the weight of the plow does not nose dive the plow frame in the ground every time i hit a bump... i ordered the 3 inch lift keys from ebay. So as i look at the rusty pig while im waiting for them to arrive... i was like i better do some video searching... because them things are not just going to slide right out by the looks of things. i dont have any touches to heat and beat so i have limited options... this sir has given me a few other avenues to expedite just in case this thing dont want to come apart...Ironically i have the same ball joint press and planed on using it as the torsion key tool ...it is good to see that it should work just fine.good to know at least one part of this project should go decent with out to much uncertainty thanks for the video and the suggestions..i do have a welder and i too am not afraid to use it LOL.
This worked amazing i worked 6 hours on mine and its 2001 so they were seized bad and it gave nothing so i cut that piece out of the way took a grinder and cut a chunk out of the key and gave hell with an air hammer and pb blaster and it came off
Thanks for this info, your solution was going to be my last resort. This truck is a 2001 and spent 15 years in Padre Island, TX. Needless to say a shit load of rust. I pounded the crap out of the torsion bars for an hour and they wouldn't budge. I was able to fire up the ol' oxy acetylene and heat the torsion keys. Came back with 10lb BFH and a HD punch and separated in about 5 blows.
Was about to buy the tool but wasn't sure which design was the best so wanted to see it in action. This helped me decide-neither. I'm getting the ball joint tool. lol BTW the rust.....I can't imagine worse than western PA. I drove to Nashville and bought an 04 2500hd 4x4 for $5200 with zero rust about 8 or 10 years ago. I oil undercoat every year-even greased the undercarriage. I had problems 2 years ago and couldn't do it. In 2 years it went to crap. The bed is now removed and am sandblasting it. The brake lines need replaced along with the steel tube on the fuel tank sending unit. All steel lines need replaced. My point is 2 years ago there wasn't a spot of rust. I cannot believe how quickly it went. What happened to my 80s Dakota wasn't a fluke. I had it 12 years and the exact same thing happened from great to scrap in a couple years.
nice i had the same problem i didnt cut the crossmember tho. I only cut the key itself then airhammer & big sledge with help from a torch till it got glowing red
This helped me alot. If i can add one thing. Its a PITA making a nice clean cut if using jack stands....what i did. Is cut out one. Unbolt crossmember then slid it out and the 2nd one i cut on the bench.
Nice trick, thanks for sharing! Only thing I would say is that that part of the cross member is definitely structural. Circular structures are very good at transferring force around without breaking the material, and a cut will compromise that. That being said, nothing says you can't weld it up again.
Well I soaked them with BG penetrating oil for two weeks. Nothing would budge loose on the key end. Then nothing would budge loose in the lower control arm ends. So I heated up my keys with the acetylene torch and still keys wouldn't budge. So I decided to slice wheel my cross member right into the rusted up keys. Both sides finally came loose. Now I can't seem to get the driver's side bar to move forwards
I dont suggest cutting or heating the torsion crossmember. What I did was took the bolts out of the crossmember from the frame then beat the crossmember backwards off of the keys. This way theres no weakening of the crossmember or torsion bar by heating.
I am in the process of doing that now. How were you able to get the new torsion bar keys in and unto the torsion bar after you unbolted the cross member? I'm pretty sure I won't be able to move the torsion bar forward as it is badly rusted into the control arm... hope to hear back. Thanks
@@jay12035 nice! Yeah know how to get the keys off but I'm unsure about the bars, seem pretty rusted in there. Did you have any tricks to get your bars loose? Thanks!
@@kcycle1308 Yeah they are a pain. I had one the was rusted in there pretty bad and it also seemed partially twisted incorrectly in the low control arm. The other side seemed loose. So what I had to do to get the stuck one out was soak the stuck end with PB plaster. I used that and I also used ATF fluid.. I would go out and soak it once a day for several days. After that I used a small flat bladed screwdriver in between the torsion bar and control arm and picked out the particles of rust. Then I used a variety of punch and hammers to hit the end of the torsion bar towards the rear of the truck. After I did that for a while I got underneath the truck and twisted and pulled the torsion bar towards the rear of of truck. It takes a while but you'll get it. I had to push the entire torsion bar as far as I could to the driver side of truck and to the opposite side of the truck.. The more rust and crap you get out at the control arm end, the better. Good luck
Thank you for actually putting up a HELPFUL video. I had to search through a dozen retards and their worthless videos before I found yours. Im going to do the exact same thing, but I can just order a brand new crossmember for $125, so Ill just replace it instead of welding it since I dont have a welder.
I have come to the conclusion that I'm just going to have to completely rebuild my front suspension with new parts since my torsion bars are seized to the arms and keys and I don't have a welder (also my lower control arm bushings are seized to the bolts, so might as well go for all new parts and go from there). Been looking for a method to save the old parts but looks like that hope is S.O.L.
Wow. That video was like my second TH-cam video ever! I’m surprised it’s getting views still! Check out my more current stuff. The quality gets better, I promise! Lol
@@Tomsfoolery. I did it and cut the keys off but there is not enough room to get the I beam out,. Now I need to get the torsion bars out of the lower control arms. I've tried heat and some pressure, I may order an hydraulic gear puller. Do you have any more idea's? Thanks..
Yeah I live in michigan to. You watch videos where everything falls apart nice and easy. Meanwhile I have an air hammer and sledge hammers. I am beating things with everything I have and nothing is moving
Quick question, are the keys or bars interchangeable(driver to passenger side)? I redid all my suspension(arms, bushing, tie rods, shocks ect.) yet my truck is close to being bottomed out even with the key screws all the way in. I didn't mark anything and have no clue as to which bar or key is to which side or if the bars is facing front or backwards.
im in the same boat doing lift keys on an H2...the H2 has the same setup ONLY with an I beam directly behind the torsion bar cross member so I cant hit through the hole on the rear I cant even get onto it with most my tools ....im in Massachusetts same bullshit liquid sodium chloride dumped on the streets in the winter
I am not taking that off but I am replacing the torsion bar mount on the drive’s side I got two of the ribbit’s off but I can’t get the ones on the bottom out and idea to help me get them out?? It would help if any one could help me out thanks
I had to do the exact same thing. I would up welding the cut out portion back in as well. Wish I had seen your video earlier. Would have saved me a few hours of torching, pounding, and swearing.
Haha! I hear ya man. Well thanks for watching anyway!
I did the same thing after watching this. I wish I would of watched this before. It would have saved me 4 hours of failed attempts. Thanks!
I tried everything besides cutting mine, including renting a jackhammer that weighed at least a hundred pounds. Everything has failed. This video has given me new hope, will try it this afternoon.
Detroit MI over here.. My shit was super seized.. i had to cut slots in my lower control arms to get the torsion bar out that end too. All worked great.
Northern Mi here. Glad you were able to get it apart. They get so corroded its like they're welded sometimes!
Thank you sooo much! Doing a 2007 Chevy duramax and the torsion bars are stuck beyond belief..tried all the same tricks finally I welded a big nut on the back of each crossmember and I figured I finally had it coming but opon closer inspection it had actually started bending the crossmember when I torqued a bolt through..lol. was feeling a bit defeated I can see this will work no problem and i'm gonna wrap this bullshit up tonight once and for all..ur a true problem solver thanks again!
Same boat brotha.. doing a 2004 duramax with zone 6b inch lift have about 6 hours of nothing but failures with these cross members. Being from Maine doesn't help my cause with all the rust. Can't wait to beat these god damn torsion bars once and for all lol
Torsion bars, not cross members.. already broke the passenger cross member mount with a porta power hydraulic jack and 4x4 against rear axle lol
@@thegoyimknow. I hate to say it bud but it turned out..at least on my truck that the cross members were actually welded to the frame so I ended up borrowing a great big electric jackhammer off a farmer buddy of mine..and held it on there somehow with both feet and hammered the shit outta it for ten minutes till it broke loose..It was one of those big cement busting impacts..I'd still be hammering I think without that..lol. But I feel for ya..what a nightmare
thank you - I am a body man
,not a mechanic ,but I just used this to help me install a liftkit .excellent advice
I'm glad it helped! Thanks for the feedback.
This worked perfect! my keys were very rusted so cutting and re-welding the crossmember worked great, I had to cut and replace my torsion bars since they were so rusted in the lower control arms I had to remove both right and left lower control arms heat them with a torch and beat them out, but i got them out! Thanks for posting this video.
Thank you, this is by far the best advice I've seen!
You're so welcome!
know all about that northern michigan rust myself, Im about to take a 99 silverado and turn it into just a privet plow truck for my drive way. i want to give it a little lift. in the front end or level it out some so the weight of the plow does not nose dive the plow frame in the ground every time i hit a bump... i ordered the 3 inch lift keys from ebay. So as i look at the rusty pig while im waiting for them to arrive... i was like i better do some video searching... because them things are not just going to slide right out by the looks of things. i dont have any touches to heat and beat so i have limited options... this sir has given me a few other avenues to expedite just in case this thing dont want to come apart...Ironically i have the same ball joint press and planed on using it as the torsion key tool ...it is good to see that it should work just fine.good to know at least one part of this project should go decent with out to much uncertainty thanks for the video and the suggestions..i do have a welder and i too am not afraid to use it LOL.
Well I hope it goes well for you. Thanks for the feedback!
This worked amazing i worked 6 hours on mine and its 2001 so they were seized bad and it gave nothing so i cut that piece out of the way took a grinder and cut a chunk out of the key and gave hell with an air hammer and pb blaster and it came off
Thanks for this info, your solution was going to be my last resort. This truck is a 2001 and spent 15 years in Padre Island, TX. Needless to say a shit load of rust. I pounded the crap out of the torsion bars for an hour and they wouldn't budge. I was able to fire up the ol' oxy acetylene and heat the torsion keys. Came back with 10lb BFH and a HD punch and separated in about 5 blows.
THATS WHAT HE SHOULD HAVE DONE.
Was about to buy the tool but wasn't sure which design was the best so wanted to see it in action. This helped me decide-neither. I'm getting the ball joint tool. lol
BTW the rust.....I can't imagine worse than western PA. I drove to Nashville and bought an 04 2500hd 4x4 for $5200 with zero rust about 8 or 10 years ago. I oil undercoat every year-even greased the undercarriage. I had problems 2 years ago and couldn't do it.
In 2 years it went to crap. The bed is now removed and am sandblasting it. The brake lines need replaced along with the steel tube on the fuel tank sending unit. All steel lines need replaced.
My point is 2 years ago there wasn't a spot of rust. I cannot believe how quickly it went. What happened to my 80s Dakota wasn't a fluke. I had it 12 years and the exact same thing happened from great to scrap in a couple years.
nice i had the same problem i didnt cut the crossmember tho. I only cut the key itself then airhammer & big sledge with help from a torch till it got glowing red
great time saving tips! found some dodge crossmembers are already notched for easy removal. saved me a lot of time and hammering!
Thanks for the tip. Helped me not tear all my hair out lol. Im from Northern Michigan too!
I'm glad the video helped! Being from the same area you're familiar with the rust factor then! lol
This helped me alot. If i can add one thing. Its a PITA making a nice clean cut if using jack stands....what i did. Is cut out one. Unbolt crossmember then slid it out and the 2nd one i cut on the bench.
Nice trick, thanks for sharing! Only thing I would say is that that part of the cross member is definitely structural. Circular structures are very good at transferring force around without breaking the material, and a cut will compromise that. That being said, nothing says you can't weld it up again.
Mid michigan here. Thanks!!
Well I soaked them with BG penetrating oil for two weeks. Nothing would budge loose on the key end. Then nothing would budge loose in the lower control arm ends. So I heated up my keys with the acetylene torch and still keys wouldn't budge. So I decided to slice wheel my cross member right into the rusted up keys. Both sides finally came loose. Now I can't seem to get the driver's side bar to move forwards
Awesome video!!!! I’m in northern MI also and everything is either rust and or under coated. Where in northern MI are you?
I’m near Gaylord. Rust rust rust everyday!
I dont suggest cutting or heating the torsion crossmember. What I did was took the bolts out of the crossmember from the frame then beat the crossmember backwards off of the keys. This way theres no weakening of the crossmember or torsion bar by heating.
I am in the process of doing that now. How were you able to get the new torsion bar keys in and unto the torsion bar after you unbolted the cross member? I'm pretty sure I won't be able to move the torsion bar forward as it is badly rusted into the control arm... hope to hear back.
Thanks
@@jay12035 did you ever get it off?
@@kcycle1308 yes I did. Are you having issues with yours?
@@jay12035 nice! Yeah know how to get the keys off but I'm unsure about the bars, seem pretty rusted in there. Did you have any tricks to get your bars loose? Thanks!
@@kcycle1308 Yeah they are a pain. I had one the was rusted in there pretty bad and it also seemed partially twisted incorrectly in the low control arm. The other side seemed loose. So what I had to do to get the stuck one out was soak the stuck end with PB plaster. I used that and I also used ATF fluid.. I would go out and soak it once a day for several days. After that I used a small flat bladed screwdriver in between the torsion bar and control arm and picked out the particles of rust. Then I used a variety of punch and hammers to hit the end of the torsion bar towards the rear of the truck. After I did that for a while I got underneath the truck and twisted and pulled the torsion bar towards the rear of of truck. It takes a while but you'll get it. I had to push the entire torsion bar as far as I could to the driver side of truck and to the opposite side of the truck.. The more rust and crap you get out at the control arm end, the better. Good luck
This helped me today! Worked great. Thanks for the vid!
That's good news! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for actually putting up a HELPFUL video. I had to search through a dozen retards and their worthless videos before I found yours. Im going to do the exact same thing, but I can just order a brand new crossmember for $125, so Ill just replace it instead of welding it since I dont have a welder.
I'm glad you found the video helpful, that was the goal. I also searched for an easy solution and couldn't find one. Thanks for watching!
I have come to the conclusion that I'm just going to have to completely rebuild my front suspension with new parts since my torsion bars are seized to the arms and keys and I don't have a welder (also my lower control arm bushings are seized to the bolts, so might as well go for all new parts and go from there). Been looking for a method to save the old parts but looks like that hope is S.O.L.
Good idea, I may have to try it..
Wow. That video was like my second TH-cam video ever! I’m surprised it’s getting views still! Check out my more current stuff. The quality gets better, I promise! Lol
@@Tomsfoolery. I did it and cut the keys off but there is not enough room to get the I beam out,. Now I need to get the torsion bars out of the lower control arms. I've tried heat and some pressure, I may order an hydraulic gear puller. Do you have any more idea's? Thanks..
Great video! Thanks bud!!! Where ya at up in northern MI? I am too!
Yeah I live in michigan to. You watch videos where everything falls apart nice and easy. Meanwhile I have an air hammer and sledge hammers. I am beating things with everything I have and nothing is moving
Quick question, are the keys or bars interchangeable(driver to passenger side)? I redid all my suspension(arms, bushing, tie rods, shocks ect.) yet my truck is close to being bottomed out even with the key screws all the way in. I didn't mark anything and have no clue as to which bar or key is to which side or if the bars is facing front or backwards.
No, not interchangable. There is a right and a left
Brett Grantham I found that out the hard way. Alignment cost me $500 🤦🏿♂️
im in the same boat doing lift keys on an H2...the H2 has the same setup ONLY with an I beam directly behind the torsion bar cross member so I cant hit through the hole on the rear I cant even get onto it with most my tools ....im in Massachusetts same bullshit liquid sodium chloride dumped on the streets in the winter
hmmm. I still don't know if I want to do this.
Send it my way, I'll do it up for ya! lol
This work great! I wish I would’ve watched this video earlier. Would’ve saved me about a pint of blood.
Please help I cant get them out of my control arms
Dakota’s come stock with that “notch” cut out.
Dodge was considerate!
Did you cut it off with a angle grinder?
Yes sir. I used a 4 1/2" angle grinder with a dewalt cutoff wheel on it
Your my hero
Thank you
I am not taking that off but I am replacing the torsion bar mount on the drive’s side I got two of the ribbit’s off but I can’t get the ones on the bottom out and idea to help me get them out?? It would help if any one could help me out thanks
Thank you I ran into the same problem
You're welcome and thanks for watching!
Thank you for this sir!
I would buy a cheap used crossmember and be done with it
excellent man thanks
Thanks for watching!
I have a way without cutting the crossmember at all. A lot of backyard guys like me don’t have access to a welder.
After cutting the notches in the crossmember to take the bars out, do you have to weld them back up?
Yes, I welded them back into place.
ts6034 I mean do you have to weld them back? What would it hurt if you didn't?
I think you'd be fine without welding them back in if you cut them the same as I did. But if you have access to a welder, weld em up!
Chris Nagy did you weld your back? If not is it okay?
Dakota’s have that notch missing stock.
There’s this modern thing called an air hammer. It’s pretty amazing
He said he tried that, try watching the video.
Air hammer did jack shit on mine too.. besides giving me arthritis.
Just spent 2 hours air hammering mine and I had to put it back to stock I might try again with cutting it
I have a way without cutting the crossmember at all. A lot of guys like me don’t have access to a welder.
What is your way?
awesome
Type in the search box Michael Charles torsion keys. He has a method I used without having to cut the cross member.
Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you. I'm going to do nearly the same thing. I how ever will use a torch and cut the key.
Michael Mankowski cutting with the torch will damage the torsion rod.
You gonna weaken the frame cutting
guys I am his son and he will post soon
gee rust anybody?
Matt Moyer Welcome to the Salt Belt.
for the love of god lose the portrait mode and shoot in landscape next time
Done.
Ummm heat it lol
I have a way without cutting the crossmember at all. A lot of backyard guys like me don’t have access to a welder.