Calmin says the torsion bars become right and left after installation, but they say there is a front and back to them. The bars I got are not marked for front and back that I can see, but one has an "L" on it and one has an "R" on it. So, I'll put the "L" bar on the left and the "R" bar on the right, but how do I know which end goes forward? I need to do this tomorrow, so I can't talk to Calmini. Anyone have any idea?

Thanks!

It shouldnt matter which end goes where just as long as you have the bar with the R on the right and the one marked with the L on the left.

on the sway away bars i believe the marked ends of the bars go toward the front of the vehicle. it may be different for the calmini bars.

nothing in the installation instructions says anything other than "Torsion bars become left and/or right sides after mounting." i don't believe there is a L/R, nor front/back. if so, i screwed up when i put mine on. maybe someone from CALMINI should verify this for us, as it seems to be a question that pops up every time this is discussed.

I don't know who makes Calmini's t-bars... But, Sway-A-Way make two kind of t-bars: the kind of t-bars that can be used for either right or left, and the kind of t-bars that have to go right and left....as far as I am aware of/as I was told by them. SWAY t-bars for Xterra are right-and-left and front-and-back specific.

If Calmini's t-bars are made by SWAY, then, it could be the same way as well... :rolleyes:

Hey, thanks for clarifying it. I thought I read about it somewhere...

Hmmm, I was reading the instructions for the SLR bars (SLR always has better instructions) and their bars are marked at the rear. Seems to me we put Schlud and Rrdstarr's Sway-Aways in with the markings toward the rear too. I wonder if the Calmini's go in that way? I'll probably go ahead and do them that way unless I hear soemthing better.

Thanks!

Actually to clarify it more, Sway-away did used to make calminis torsion bars, but they couldn't produce them at the same pace as calmini needed them. Calmini has now moved to making their own in order to not hold up shipping to their customers.

My bars were not indicated R or L or Front and back. Once you load the bars, they then have to stay on that side.
John

I went back and noticed that Schludwiller's instructions for the Sway-Aways indicate putting the markings forward. I'm becoming more and more confused!

Mine are definately marked "L" and "R" and have a set of numbers at the ends just like I remember the Sway-Away bars having. I wonder if Calmini got some bars from Sway-Away again after sending the other ones back?

Well, wish me luck...I've got a 50% chance of getting it right and it's Calmini's fault if I don't. They don't put any friggen instructions with anything and the online instructions don't say, so it's not my problem. I already waited several weeks and missed my first window of opportunity for installation. This is probably the last chance I have to put them in before summer is over and I don't think my factory bars are going to hold up with the lift. :rolleyes:

Well, I just got off the phone with Steve at Calmini for clarification on the torsion bar install.
He said it doesn't matter if a new bar is stamped L or R or whether you put the stamp at the A-arm end or the anchor end, just pick one way and keep them that way forever after. If you take them out again, put them back exactly like you had them, so that you don't change the direction of twist on the things.
He also said that they had some bars go out that had no stamps on them but most of them should and that is really only to help you pick/remember which way to install them, not because the bar itself is born as a left or a right. If the bar isn't stamped, use a paint pen or laundry marker or even green (starboard/right) and red(port/left) tape to differentiate them permanently.
His personal preference was "stamps aft, L is driver-side".
He also gave some good advice: avoid nicking, gouging, scraping, dinging the bars along their length, as that introduces stress points (like a chip/crack in a piece of glass). Zip tie some rubber hose on them to act like anti-chafing gear.
BTW, Steve was very nice about explaining all this to me (I'm a torsion bar neophyte) and it was certain worth the phone call to clear up my confusion. Hope this helps everyone else too.

Steve is very good at answering questions thouroughly. Glad to hear you got it all straightened out. I was curious why mine didn't have stamps, but you just told me!
John

Is the rubber hose supposed to stay on after the install, or just for the install?

Leave it on. It's not going to be bullet-proof protection but it will help. Also depends on what type/thickness hose you put on. Even split garden hose would help but I imagine that there is thicker/stronger stuff that could be used too.
Now I doubt that anybody is going to be producing bar armor/skids any time soon, so you really just want to avoid using your torsion bars as sliders. I could imagine the ideal would be some sort of metal jacketed rubber sleeve so that you can still get the audible warning of your bars dragging.

I hadn't thought of this much until Steve mentioned it, but since my old bars had a nice gash in them (from the Pardoes Road trail rock garden) I might just do something to protect my investment.

Cool, thanks! I hadn't had a chance to call them yet, but went ahead an put my bars in on Sunday. So far I'm pleased and happy to know I didn't put them in backwards. The only thing I screwed up is I forgot to mark the old ones before I picked them up off the ground and put them in the truck. Oops! :rolleyes: