Been a while since I was keeping up with the DeLorean. I've still got mine but haven't been doing much with it aside from driving it and have been putting all my wrench time into some other projects I've got.
Anyway, so I've noticed a lot of owners insist on having a helper or two when they are adjusting the torsion rods. I had never considered the need for an extra set of hands when working on my car and when I finally got around to replacing the passenger torsion rod in my car recently, I took some pictures. It is a simple process and doesn't require any insane straining or risk of busting out the back glass.
Removal of the T-panel is necessary but I figure the task is simple enough and didn't see a need to document it. The first thing to do is remove the door strut and prop the door up so that the torsion rod does not need to be under any real tension:
I used to use an old broom handle but found this left over piece of cabinet door was much more stable
As I recall it measures out at 64 and 3/8ths inches which is likely crazy talk if you're used to the metric system.
Below are the tools required, 13mm ratchet/socket (I prefer a ratcheting wrench as pictured), GM caliper bolt hex wrench (3/8ths inch), length of pipe (pictured is a handle from a bottle jack). Not pictured in this shot is the rag used to keep the torsion rod from getting scratched.
the setup
there is very little effort going on right here
gratuitous shot of the rag placement
bolts removed and t-rod bracket slid back onto the hex wrench. Basically, I apply about as much force as I would to push a heavy door open and loosen both bolts. Then I just watch the bracket while I loosen the bolts the rest of the way and adjust my tension as necessary to allow the bolts to turn freely.
As for the reinstall, I put the torsion rod in place and position the bracket such that its corner is just resting on the back glass as pictured:
It requires maybe 10-15 degrees of twist to align with the bolt holes and allows me to put the bolts in fingertight:
Then I snug the bolts up with the wrench:
Remove the prop, lower the door enough to put in the strut and you're good to go with a door that stays open when you open it yet doesn't try to give you a bloody nose from lifting up too fast.
The whole process takes about 15 minutes and that's if you spend 5-10 looking for something to prop the door open like me. I've done both of my torsion rods this way. The passenger side was done several times because my original one broke and I had it repaired. Periodically it would need to be retensioned but this new one I've replaced it with should remove that as a maintenance item.
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Originally Posted by Michael
