| Procedure |
| 1 |
|
Order your new end caps (and optional underhood
insulation) from Mesa Performance. Tell them to leave the cockroach
out. |
| 2 |
|
Put on your safety glasses. These assemblies
are under alot of torque and can come flying apart at any moment. |
| 3 |
|
Prop up your hood with your standard issue 2-by-4
or other support device. You will probably discover that during
this operation, your support will fall over. Consequently, be
prepared to take the brunt of your hood on a well-positioned
shoulder. No pain required, just mental preparation. |
| 4 |
|
REMOVE YOUR BATTERY. You are going to be waving
large metal things in close vicinity to the battery terminals. |
| 5 |
|
Note how the washers, nuts & bolts holding
down the two "legs" of the torsion bar in the engine compartment
are sequenced. Then remove them (17mm and 13mm wrenches). Screw
them back together in order after removal. (You may need to
detach your washer fluid line from one of these legs, as well.) |
| 6 |
|
Remove the four screws holding the two end caps
(two screws each; 10mm heads) onto the underside of the hood. |
| 7 |
|
NOTE WHICH LEG IS RIGHT AND LEFT, and then remove
the whole assembly from the hood. |
| 8 |
|
Knock the end caps off the ends of the torsion
bar. It may help to rotate them to relieve any remnants of torque
from the spring that may be holding the end cap in place. Otherwise,
the only other thing holding the end caps in place is decades
of grime. |
| 9 |
|
After you've removed the end caps, marvel at
how this once-studly metal has become Play-Doh. |
| 10 |
|
You can now inspect your springs and see if
they are broken. If so, then you need to replace the springs
individually. If you're not into that, go buy a new torsion
bar and move on to 11.
(If you need to replace the springs and don't have any
replacements handy, it is totally OK to stop at this point,
replace your battery, close & latch the hood, and drive
away until your springs come in.)
|
| 11 |
|
If you need to replace one or both springs,
then:
- Remove the washer at the end of the torsion
bar.
- Remove the broken spring using simple pulling
techniques. You will need to rotate the spring to get it
through the dogleg in the torsion bar, but it is really
pretty easy.
- Refitting is the reverse of removal. Really.
- Put the washers back on the end of the torsion
bar.
|
| 12 |
|
(Optional) This is an EXCELLENT time to replace
that underhood insulation |
| 13 |
|
Did you remember to note which leg was right
and which was left? If not, you can probably figure it out
one of two ways:
- On mine, the clips for the washer fluid line
were on the right leg.
- Notice where the notches are on the legs
that have been created by the leg "kicking itself in the
shin" when the hood is fully opened. That'll give you an
idea of orientation
- On my assembly, the exposed ends of the spring
pointed back toward the passenger compartment when it was
properly oriented.
|
| 14 |
|
Make sure you understand how the new end caps
will be screwed down on the hood. The flat side of the end cap
goes down, and the beveled side fits nicely against the hood. |
| 15 |
|
Here comes the mental preparation part. Stick
an end cap onto the torsion bar. Turn the end cap to simulate
the opening and closing of the hood. You want to mount this
sucker in a manner such that the legs are impelled forward,
e. g. toward the front of the car. This is what throws the hood
open and keeps it open. If you do this backwards, you'll need
the Jaws of Life to get your hood open. You're also making sure
that your going to have the end cap with the right end up so
it fits properly into the hood. |
| 16 |
|
Now you are One with the spring. Put the other
end cap on in a symmetrical orientation. |
| 17 |
|
Fully extend both legs of the torsion bar. |
| 18 |
|
Position one end of the torsion bar under the
hood and screw it down (10mm). This should be pretty easy. Make
sure the legs are being impelled forward; they'll probably be
essentially flush with the hood at this point, attempting to
unravel themselves. MAKE SURE THE LEGS ARE EXTENDED FULLY or
you'll be screwed later. |
| 19 |
|
Go get a cold beverage (or a hot one, if it's
winter) because the next part might take a while. |
| 20 |
|
Position the other end of the torsion bar and screw down the easy
screw. |
| 21 |
|
This was the hard part for me.... The hole in
the end cap for the final screw will resist being properly positioned
(that's why this assembly works). I was able to finally lever
it into place using a screwdriver that pushed on the leg and
on the end cap simultaneously. This method also moves the leg
out of the way of the hole, thus giving you a straighter shot
at tightening the screw. |
| 22 |
|
Get one set of bolt, nut, and washers ready for
reattaching the legs to the engine compartment. Also, have your
wrench ready. |
| 23 |
|
Lift the candidate leg into the engine compartment
(you'll know what I mean). Be prepared for the simultaneous
events of your 2-by-4 falling over and hitting you in the head
and taking the hood on your shoulder. It shouldn't hurt too
bad, just be prepared. N. B.: This is where I heard a loud CRACK
from the torsion bar and thought I'd busted a spring. I may
have, indeed, but it may have also been the repositioning of
the new spring inside the torsion bar. In either case, my hood
lifts with the best of them. |
| 24 |
|
The sequence of parts from the engine compartment
side should be: bolt (17mm), washer, leg, washer, body, big
washer, little washer, nut (13mm). Make it so. |
| 25 |
|
Do the same for the other leg. |
| 26 |
|
Make sure your end cap screws are nice and tight,
as well. |
| 27 |
|
Reattach your washer fluid line, if necessary. |
| 28 |
|
Replace the battery. |
| 29 |
|
Marvel at the wonders of torque. |
| 30 |
|
Make sure your hood will not only open but
also close! Make sure it latches.
|
