Re: 55 Clipper custom, torsion level not working, considering.....

Posted by Rusty O\'Toole On 2010/8/20 14:16:15

If you are not familiar with torsion level maybe some basic info is in order. Once you become familiar with how it works it becomes a lot easier to understand and to fix. Most faults can be found and repaired fairly cheaply.

You probably already know that a torsion bar is a type of spring in the form of a straight rod of spring steel that twists when the wheel hits a bump.

In the Packard system there are 2 long rods, one goes from the right front wheel to the left rear, and the other from the left front to the right rear.

In other words they criss cross. This does some interesting things. For a start, when one front wheel hits a bump it pushes up on that wheel and pushes down on the rear wheel on the opposite side. This braces the car for the impact and helps the car glide smoothly without rocking back and forth.

BUT since the springs are not tied down or anchored, the car is free to tip like a teeter totter. For instance a big load in the trunk will make the back go down and the front go up big time, even more than a regular car.

The solution to this was to put 2 more short torsion bars on the rear wheels, one on each. These were attached to an electric motor that automatically stiffens up the rear suspension when there is a big load on, and unwinds when you take it off.

So you can see if the automatic leveler is on the fritz you are in trouble. Probably this is why the previous owner put the air shocks on. Why he put them on the front is the big mystery because it makes no sense. Of course, if you understand how the system works it makes no sense to put air shocks on anywhere.

Now you see how something as simple as a loose wire can stop the system from working. So, get the service info and carefully check the system over. It may be easier to fix than you think.