Torsion bar front suspension

[LONGHAIR]

I am admittedly mostly clueless about this. I am fairly sure that it was done on the early 60s trucks, but I am not sure which years? Was it an option?
I am asking because a guy at work offered to sell his '63 today. He says it has the 305v6, but when I asked about the torsion bars, he didn't know. He is supposed to have pictures and more info tomorrow.

[61_FL_Apache]

I think 63's start with the coils in the front.

[ole dollor]

i am not a expert on this , but i believe that from 1960 to 1962 had them. then in 1963 they went to a-frames....some one will chime in and correct me if i am wrong....

[fleetsidelarry]

chevys from '60-'62 but I don't know about GMCs. with a 305 v6 it would be a jimmy, right? friend of mine has a '62 GMC 'burb that has coils (and leaf springs standard instead of trailing arms out back).

and torsion bars had a-arms (control arms) similar to coil sprung front ends

[markeb01]

All 1960-62 pickup trucks and suburbans came with torsion bar front suspension. In 1963 it was replaced with the conventional coil spring front suspension that lasted with minor changes until 1972. With a few more minor changes it continued in production until 1987. The 60-62 torsion bar suspension and heavy duty convertible frame were in many ways far superior to the lighter/cheaper frame and suspension that replaced it. It isn't disliked because it doesn't work well. The current unfavorable popularity of the torsion bar front end stems mostly from cost of replacement parts, and almost total lack of aftermarket support for performance and lowering upgrades.

All Chevy 1/2 tons (and some GMC's - including mine) came with coil spring/trailing arm rear suspension. I believe some 1/2 ton and all 3/4 ton GMC's came with rear leaf spring suspension.

[1Bad62Pro/Street]

Here's more info:

1960 Chevrolet Truck
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-h...olet-Truck.pdf

1961 Chevrolet Truck
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-h...olet-Truck.pdf

1962 Chevrolet Truck
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-h...olet-Truck.pdf

1963 Chevrolet Truck
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-h...olet-Truck.pdf

1964 Chevrolet Truck
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-h...olet-Truck.pdf

1965 Chevrolet Truck
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-h...olet-Truck.pdf

1966 Chevrolet Truck
http://www.gmheritagecenter.com/gm-h...olet-Truck.pdf

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1960-1966 Chevy/GMC Pickup Truck Specs & Engine/Trans/Axle ID's
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=327764
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[Brad54]

Originally Posted by markeb01

All 1960-62 pickup trucks and suburbans came with torsion bar front suspension. In 1963 it was replaced with the conventional coil spring front suspension that lasted with minor changes until 1972. With a few more minor changes it continued in production until 1987. The 60-62 torsion bar suspension and heavy duty convertible frame were in many ways far superior to the lighter/cheaper frame and suspension that replaced it. It isn't disliked because it doesn't work well. The current unfavorable popularity of the torsion bar front end stems mostly from cost of replacement parts, and almost total lack of aftermarket support for performance and lowering upgrades.

All Chevy 1/2 tons (and some GMC's - including mine) came with coil spring/trailing arm rear suspension. I believe some 1/2 ton and all 3/4 ton GMC's came with rear leaf spring suspension.

This about covers it!

What I've heard is that Chrysler sued GM over the design, and won, so GM went to A-arms and coil springs up front.

As for the rear suspensions, GMCs were the "heavy duty" working brand, and came standard with leaf springs in the rear and Dana 44 rear axles. The "Heavy Duty" option on the GMC was trailing arms and HD coil springs.
For Chevy, they obviously came standard with coils and trailing arms, and the HD option was leaf springs. The Dana 44 was an optional rear end on both. I have an original Dana 44 for trailing arms under my '61 Suburban.

You're again right on the current unpopularity of the T-bar front end: ball joints, cross-shafts and other parts are pretty expensive, though I've seen where someone has just released ball joints that are the same prices as other vehicles... $40 each, rather than $150 each.
Drop spindles, disc brake conversions and other bits are also hitting the market... and I've prototyped front sway bars and will be releasing them next year.

The T-bar set-up rides VERY well... it's why I'm keeping it.
-Brad