It this thing really needed? I have been building cars for years but never a 3rd gen until now. Never had a car that has had a torque arm, seems to be in the way more than anything. i have converted to a th350 and it seems that if keeping the arm i will need to change the tail of the trans. it seem that it is there to prevent twisting of the frame, if thats the case cant i just run sub frame connectors?

 

Yes, you need it.

 

ya youll need it unless you want your car to twist like a prezel... ive seen some major damage done to a 3rd gen without one on.. windows breaks, a pillars twist... its not pretty nor cheap to fix...

 

you definitely need it for the stock type suspension.. if you modify it, ie. ladder bar or 4link, its not needed.. most people just get aftermarket crossmember mounted torque arms from Spohn, Bmr, Umi, or Jegs..

 

It's there to replace upper control arms on the rear. Not for frame support.

 

it does help in frame suppost as well. It keeps the transmisson in line witht he rear end so no flexing or twisting happens otherwise your driveshaft/car twist and moves.

 

no no no no no, totally wrong idea of what the torque arm does

the panhard bar keeps the rear from moving left to right, the lower control arms keep the rear centered front to back, the torque arm replaces upper control arms and prevents the rear from rotating up or down.

without the torque arm, the rear will rotate upwards during acceleration and rip the driveshaft out of the tranny and destroy the rear of the car. It will not twist the front in anyway, it will just rip the complete rear suspension out.

 

The torque arm is similar to a 3 link suspension. It's a required suspension component like any other suspension component. GM just happened to attach it to the transmission. Aftermarket torque arms attach to a new crossmember so it has nothing to do with the transmission or actually mounting it on the transmission.

When a car accelerates, the front of the differential wants to rotate upward as the pinion climbs the ring gear. With a leaf spring suspension, this twists the leafs and traction bars can be installed to limit how much they twist. With a factory triangulated 4-link car like an 80's G-body or a mustang, the upper and lower bars prevent the diff from rotating. Since the third gen rear suspension only has lower control arms, the torque arm adds a single point similar to a 3 link suspension to keep the diff from rotating. The only proper way to eliminate the torque arm is by changing the suspension to ladder bars or a 4-link. Ladder bar type LCA will work but are not a performance component and will not be strong enough for anything but mild street use.

 

This post is correct. The rearend will be facing upward at an extreme angle without the tourqe arm. You're bound to break something without the tourque arm in the rearend.

 

Building cars for years? I hope you haven't removed too many things that have "gotten in the way" during those years!
Just messin with you, but seriously, you need the torque arm, even the new mustangs have adopted a rear suspension that is similar to the 82-02 FBody.

 

I had my car towed to the paint shop with no engine and gearbox in. Because there was no gearbox in the car I couldn't mount the torque arm. I couldn't see a problem with it until I went to look at the car at the paint shop.

The diff had rolled right up until the input shaft smashed into the floor. The wheels were pressed hard up against the back of the wheel well. The damage to the floor pan was minor but it snapped the bottom mounts off my shocks(I upgraded to Konis anyway so it wasn't too bad).

That was just from having the car winched up onto a tilt tray truck. I'd hate to see what would happen if you tried to drive with it disconnected.

 

Thanks everyone, I am so happy it sounds like i really dont need a torque arm after all......just kidding. I bought the replacement one from JEGS last night and its adjustable so thats cool. thanks for the info

 

"even the new mustangs have adopted a rear suspension that is similar to the 82-02 FBody." I noticed that too, guess that says something for our cars!