Rear leaf spring "tensioner"??

[prowler]

So I am disconnecting everything attached to my LeBaron 7.25 diff, getting ready for my 8.25 replacement. The rear leak springs have something I've never seen before described as a "spring tensioner". It looks like a torsion bar of sorts. The factory service man states must have a special tool to relieve tension. The tension is on the back of the shackles. If I jack the diff high enough, there is space created between the shackle and the torsion bar and looks to relieve any tension at that point. This bracket assembly can be unbolted from the bottom of the frame rail but I'm not sure what to expect once the attaching bolts are undone. Anyone else dealt with this leaf spring tensioner??

 

[DCAspen]

How about some pictures of what you’re dealing with?

 

[Camtron]

Are you talking about a rear sway bar?

 

[Camtron]

Oh man, I wonder if someone left a spring tensioner one the leafs instead of replacing them….i think I know what he’s talking about

 

[prowler]

These are a bracket of sorts that has two bolts bolting them to the the bottom of the frame rails, both sides. The top of the rear shackle bolts go through them. There is a tension bar that when the car is on the ground, a tension bar goes across the two rear top shackle sides and provides tension on the back upper portion of the shackles. I had never seen this before and it is in the fac serv manual. It looked like the easiest was to remove the diff/suspension in it's entirety, is to remove the assembly, leaf's and all. That's what I planned on doing. Clean up the leaf's, new shock plates for the 8.25 and throw it all back up in place. I been Mopar all my life and have never heard of or seen these tension bracket(s) before. They are by the serv manual,... only on certain models.

 

[Camtron]

Beats me. Sounds like you either have a couple spring tensioners which are normally used for setting spring rate to determine how many leafs need to be added or removed, or there’s a factory helper system on the rear leafs and the car was used for hauling at some point.

 

[Camtron]

only thing I have is a sway bar option but my manual is an ‘89 and there’s definitely options/variations over the years.

 

[DCAspen]

Rear sway bar is the same 76-89

 

[Camtron]

Rear sway bar is the same 76-89

Yea, I should specify options across the platform not just sway bar wise. Like, my manual makes no option of towing packages but, I know people have them optioned on their cars out there. I don’t know if it’s a dealership/aftermarket install or factory option, but they’re out there.

 

[M_Body_Coupe]

...and this is a FACTORY setup???

Actual part, or a service tool...because yeah, I too would love to see a pic of this "thing"!!!

 

[AMC Diplomat]

. I had never seen this before and it is in the fac serv manual.

Pics?

 

[Mikes5thAve]

The only thing I see in the manual is a spring stretcher tool, nothing else shown at the shackle or extra steps to remove anything?

 

[M_Body_Coupe]

@prowler ...buddy, this is killing me...I MUST KNOW!!! (LOL)

 

[prowler]

Well,......I ended up jacking the diff high enough to see that the tension bars were not touching the shackles on both sides. So,..removed front retainer bolts bolts AND the entire two bolt rear tensioner brackets from the upper rails. The whole diff assembly dropped down after that. Not sure how easily things will go back together. The 48 year old U-bolts were brutal to get off. My impact hammer, ....worthless! Had to use a long breaker bar that could only pull about half way around, take it off, reposition and repeat. ALL the eight U-bolt nuts were brutal. I was shot after that !!!! Now comes more fun, new leaf spring bushings, parking brake cables. brake lines, new shock plates,.... assemble leaf's on to new 8.25 and install. Drive shaft will be the last thing I will hopefully need. The tensioner looks like it was meant to keep the shackles from moving and forcing more road shock control on the leaf springs. In all my years, never seen this kind of set up. Even through all the years I collected all the Mopar magazines, I don't recall ever reading about those bracket tensioners. You CAN'T remove the leaf springs without removing the tensioners as the shackle upper and lower bushing bolts won't clear the gas tank.

 

[Camtron]

Pictures! Now it just feels like you’re messing with us all, lmfao

 

[Ele115]

The ones built for export to New Guinea had a Beryllium loaded photon encabulator on both leaf springs. They did this for 3 years. If the threaded 8/16" fitting for the sensor breaks, you will have to be tested for HIV, Measles, Rabies, Rickets and about 35 other things.

 

[DCAspen]

I’ve seen those before…….If I only had a picture of it.

 

[Ele115]

I absolutely believe him. I know from years of dealing with these monstrosities and forgetting half of what I ever saw that Chrysler changed things all the time and their engineers were definitely not drug tested. Just when you think you've seen it all, something else comes along and tops it. Like Mack or Mercedes. There could be some kind of JC Whitney trailer towing gimmick on there too, who knows. Over the years lots of people have been playing with a car that age. Anything can happen.

 

[kkritsilas]

is it possible that these are traction bars of some sort? I don't see if the "tensioners" are going between the axle and the front leaf spring eye, or between the axle and the rear leaf spring eye. This part of the description is really confusing: "...shackle and the torsion bar and looks to relieve any tension at that point.....". Also, if they are traction bars, they should not be in the factory service manual (no factory traction bars ever factory installed, as far as I know). Maybe they are "helper springs"?

 

[Mikes5thAve]

Whatever they are don't sound like anything factory bur there's been 40.plus years of tind for people to throw whatever the latest hoodoo is on there to compensate for bad springs or because they think looks cool.