I have a 1996 Firebird, 5.7, T56. The original torque arm was replaced with a Spohn adjustabe torque arm kit after damaging the transmsiion tailhousing on the factory mount setup in 2002. The front hiem joint on the arm bolts to the factory exhaust cross member cover mount in the center of the car. The problem, the front cross member mount of the torque arm does not stay mounted securely, it loosens and drifts under load. I have tried many fasteners and even to weld it in place, which resulted in tearing the mount off the floorpan. I know the torque arm style may be dated, but I need something else that will be adjustable and likely bolt or weld to the body of the car.

I have seen the jegster chassis torque arm as well as BMR and they look like they may work, but do not want to invest until some feedback comes forward. All comments and help appreciated. The car makes moderate power and hooks up well with installed moser 9".

Chris

 

Hard to understand how this could happen. I've had two different versions of the Spohn Torque arm mounted to the G-load brace location, one with a poly bushing and one with the spherical rod end. Neither of them ever came loose, never damaged the chassis mounts. Under max load, the chassis mount would be in compression, lifting the chassis, so that couldn't tear them off. Hard braking would cause the arm to pull downwards on the chassis mounts, so that would have to be the situation that caused them to tear off.

What do you have the pniion angle set at?

The current setup is handling an 800HP/800lb-ft nitrous setup, through both a T56 (5-6,000 clutch dumps w/ McLeod Street Twin), then through a TH400 and then the TH400 with a Gear Vendor O/D. The DS loop had to be altered because of the TH400+GV length, but everything else is straight out of the Spohn parts bin. The front cross-piece is still from the first TA I ever bought from Spohn, dropped for a 3"x4" Y-pipe (no longer installed), The newer mounts are made from round tubes rather than the square tubes, but that shouldn't affect anything.

http://www.injuneer.com/images/photo.../DCP04295a.jpg

http://www.injuneer.com/images/photo...n/DCP04301.jpg

 

I snapped a Spohn TA the only time I drove my Dad's Comp TA. He ended up getting it replaced with a newer design. Maybe call them and see what they say.

 

Was the one that "snapped" the original design, with the slider and bellows on the front? That was not his most successful design, and I doubt there are many of them left. I bent mine with bolt-ons and nitrous. He repaired/strengthened it for free, though.



I'm thinking that the problem with actually tearing the stock mounting pads off the floor pan might possibly be caused by not having the "link" between the mount and the rod end positioned vertically with the chassis normally loaded. As the pinion comes up, the arm pushes forward. If the link is already too far forward, it could prevent the rotation of the link from absorbing the forward movement of the arm. That would put the mounting pads in shear and possibly tear them off the floor pan.

 

I believe it was the original but I'm not sure. Steve did replace it though.

 

Probably not very important, he never came back to the site to look for responses after he posted.

 

I was going to mention the possibility of using 3-point SFC's, which connect to the tunnel brace as another way of adding strength and support to this part of the car chassis. SLP and UMI both make them. Helps to tie everything together, another option.