I'm tired of dealing with this thing...

#1: Driveshaft hit the top of the driveshaft safety loop. Solution was to bend the saftey loop extension bar upwards, allowing for enough clearance. (this has happened to others)

#2: Arm hits bolt that hold a fuel line bracket on. A section of the arm is all scratched & dented slightly. Solution was to remove the bolt & bracket, the lines stay put. (this has happened to others)

#3: Just found this one today... The top of the rear mount has made a 2"+ gouge in my floorpan (right under the rear drivers side seat). The rear is centered perfectly, both from left to right and centered in the wheel well. The only solution to this that I can think of so far is to put the stock springs back in, or beat the crap out of that area with a hammer so the rear end doesnt hit. I'll get pics soon. (first time I've heard of this...)

I've you've got a lowered car, look elsewhere for a torque arm.

 

How much is your car lowered? Do these problems only happen to lowered cars?

 

My car is lowered about 1.25" - 1.5" with Jamex Springs. So far I've heard of the first 2 problems happening with one other person, and their car is lowered as well, but I dont know how much.

 

I run the Random Technology TA with a 1" Hotchkis drop..never had a single clearance issue anywhere in 4 years.

 

I REALLY dont want to buy ANOTHER torque arm, but with all the problems I'm having with this one, I may just have to do that. I bought the BMR Arm a while ago, but sold it and bought the Spohn arm because it was easier to install (didnt require a weld in a cross bar). I'll figure something out...

 

Wow, that sucks man. Maybe one of the guys from Spohn can come in here and help you out.
Anyone?

 

I just finished my install of the Spohn TA w/front and rear loops. I had the same problem with fuel line bracket. I had to remove it aswell. My car is not lowered. I have no problem with the front or back loop. Steve was very helpful. You can't expect every part you buy to fit every car just perfect. Not even a brand new car has a perfect fit of every part. If you don't want problems then don't mod your car, otherwise ask for help and we can all help each other out. I agree it is aggravating that some of the parts we buy do not fit perfect, but this is called crafting or hot rodding, take your pick.

 

I hate to benefit from other's misery, but thanks guys. I just ordered the arm without the loops. I'll just install my own.

 

I know not to expect all parts to fit all the time, but man, I've had 3 different problems with this thing, and this last discovery is major. I mean, I'm gonna have to make A LOT of room down there so it doesnt hit. I'll try to get a pic this weekend.

 

I've been installing a Spohn torque arm over this last week. I'm almost done. I've run into various problems along the way. One problem was the mounting brackets for the arm didn't fit over the differential. I had to file the differential down, and then I still used a rubber mallot get the arm on the diff. I only got the front drive shaft loop, but the torque arm hits it. It also hits the fuel line bolt. This install has been about the biggest pain of a job yet (and I've installed heads, cam, headers, etc on this car).

So, to get the drive shaft loop to clear the arm means I need to find a way to bend the loop toward the passenger side? Guess I'll be removing the fuel line bolt too.

When I checked this board before I purchased this torque arm (back in December), everyone seemed to love it. Maybe Spohn's quality control took a brake during their last run and we all got bad parts.

 

Yea, I also had to "massage" the arm over the differential... I had to sand both inside surfaces and beat it on with a mallet.

 

Welcome to the world of aftermarket parts. If your car was stock it would all fit fine, but when you're putting one aftermarket part on top of another, you've got to accept the fact that it isn't all going to just bolt together.

 

Yea, I know. I really wish I still had my stock springs laying around so I could just test it. By looking at the length of the gouge, it really looks like I would have still had this problem, but it wouldnt be as obvious.

 

It happened on my stock height car too, but I had issues with the way the arm fit on my Dana 44. In any case it was nothing a BFH and a drift couldn't fit.

 

the back bracket of the arm hit the floor pan under the drivers side rear seat on my car too, no lowering whatsoever. It's also hitting the fuel line bracket, and it appears as though the front loop may be hitting the torque arm as well. I have a nasty clunk coming from under the car and so far i havent found it. Its getting on my nerves.

I've corrected all but the arm/loop interferance so far and the clunk is still there. I don't know how in the hell i'm gonna be able to bend the loop so it doesnt interfere. Thats some pretty stout metal there...

Eric

 

Make sure you've sufficiently tightened the locking nuts (3 on the back and 1 at the front). I got clunking from my adjustable LCAs because I didn't have them tight enough.

 

I guess I'm not the only one with this problem. I'm gonna try my best at beating the crap out of that area so it doesnt hit anymore. Sure am glad I spent all that time cleaning and painting the underside of my car during my fuel pump/12 bolt/torque arm swap....

Scott

 

i recentely purchased a spohn torque arm with a front loop.

i hope i dont have any problems.. i am using the eibach pro-kit..

 

Here are a couple pics of the damage, and my "fix". You'll have to copy and paste the links.

http://www22.brinkster.com/elitefbodies/Images/SpohnTADamage/RearTunnelDamage1.jpg

http://www22.brinkster.com/elitefbodies/Images/SpohnTADamage/RearTunnelDamage2.jpg

http://www22.brinkster.com/elitefbodies/Images/SpohnTADamage/RearTunnelFixed.jpg

I used a ball peen hammer to recess the area that was being hit by the torque arm. The torque arm caused a crack in the metal that wasnt visible at first, but is clearly visible now after beating on the area. Nothing a little JB weld wont fix. After beating it in, I sanded it down to remove some loose paint, then wiped the area with a bit of paint thinner, then sprayed a thin coat of paint over it. I'll be taking it out for a test drive soon, hopefully I dont have anymore interference....

 

let me know how it goes, message me.

 

u guys aint the only ones...



took my fuel line bracket out...dented underneath to accomidate the TA bracket, and took my ebrake out. oh well its only an ebrake

 

One would think this is something that would have been noticed before mass producing the thing....

 

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I've explained this to you nicely, I don't see what part you don't understand.

You lowered your car 2" and you can't understand why things are closer to the floor pan?

It's a close fit under there to begin with, then the car is lowered. Yes, modifications then need to be made, that's the way it works when you mod a car.

 

i have his driveshaft safty loop and cross member i had to gring on the cross member but guess what its not steves fault im running hooker long tubes with mufflex y pipe could he have taken this into his design prob not i have tons of mods and have run into probs with all kinds of products it not thier fault i was very happy to see the quiality of his stuff cant get much beefier id love to lower my car but i realize i cant cause of the long tube headers is it hookers fault i cant no! if you wannna whine about things not going right and expect everything to fit perfect you need to find a new hobby it goes with the territory no trying to be rude or an a$$ but fabbing and making things work go with this hobby later

 

Steve, my car is stock height. Granted, the loop doesn't hit to body, but the torque arm hits the loop and it hits the fuel rail bolt. You make this sound like the only cars that have fit problems are lowered cars. This isn't the case.

 

Steve, if you read the post before you posted, you would see that people are having problems with your Torque arm with stock height vehicles... I realize that my problem with the driveshaft hitting the loop was a result of the lowering, and the extent of my floorpan damage was extended due to the same reason, but when other people experience the same problem with a stock height car, there is a problem.

383LT1intake: I just dont like spending ~400 bucks on a part that has fit problems without being aware of them first. Now that I know the crossmember interferes with long tubes, at least I'll know what to expect when I put mine in.

 

Exactly. IF nothing else, the torque arm hitting the loop is definately a problem that shouldn't exist. My car sits at stock ride hieght, if not a bit taller in the front cause it very light (no ps, ac, alum heads and intake, no AIR, headers etc..). I have nearly all the same problems he has. As of yet, i have not been able to find the clunk in it. I know it is somewhere in that torque arm, x-member, i just can't find where.

Eric

 

its not so much the long tubes that a prob but the mufflex Y pipe but all i had to do was grind down the angle iron on sides of tranny cross member and its ok now i understand about payong $400 and it not fitting right but even if you never do anything to your car you take 2 stock cars and one may not have any fitment probs the other may have all sorts of prob i use to get mad to but its all in the hobby i ask myself all the time "is this suppose to be fun" lol later

 

my safty loop also hits the drive shaft i thouht i was just an isolated case so i fixed it and i have lowerd my car too
but i dont think that it would be caused by lowering the car
becouse if you accerate quickly from a stop it would be like the car was lowerd from squating and it would still couse it to hit at least on my car it would. but on a good note all the rest of the stuff i got worked perfect and looked great.

 

i also have his torque arm and a stock height car.and i have a clunk now that wasent there before (27000mi so it's definatly somthing with the arm)will find it this weekend and report back.my arm fit tight .BUT IT FIT.now i'm worried because it seems that full suspension travel might not have been thought of in the design process. because just lowering your car to me is the same as hitting a bump hard or a hard launch.guess i'll have to check this thing out a little closer before i drive too hard. as i really dont want to beat the $hit out of the bottem of my car.
pete

 

FYI, I took the car out the other day, and it rides MUCH better after beating the area in, but I STILL had some minor interference.... I need to indent the area little more and I should be ok... This was just normal driving too, not anything intense. I cant wait to find out what happens with slicks and a 406 at the strip

 

What will happen is your car will hook harder then you ever thought it would, our torque arm works.

On the above discussions, let me cover a few topics and then we can finish beating this dead horse

The floor pan in the area of the torque arm's rear mounting bracket will have to be "massaged" on lowered cars. You have to do that for just about ANY aftermarket torque arm. Don't wanna believe me, do a search on the 4thgen discussion boards. That was the original "gripe" posted here, and that's what my first response was answering. You bring the floor down 2", yeah, it's gonna touch.

You guys gotta remember there is not alot of room in the tunnel of these cars. The stock arm is flat sheet metal and it's close. Now you have an arm that is 1.25" tubing with a heavy duty rear mounting bracket, yes, it's a tight fit on a std ride height car and some areas may need to be "tweaked".

The brake bracket varies, remember these cars came with various brake set ups, disc/disc, disc drum, 9 bolt, 10 bolt, they all had different set ups. Some are fine, some get close to the arm and may rub it. It's not a major deal, you can simply bend the bracket away from the arm, I've had to do it myself on installs. Again, it's close on stock ride height, it's an issue when lowered.

The above picture with the loop cut off is a Tremec aftermarket T-56, we have not offered a loop option on that set up for over 6 months. On some cars it was fine, on other cars there were fitment issues. My solution was to not offer a loop anymore on that set up.

I've never had any loop problems on the 700R4, TH350, T-10 set ups, other then if you're lowered, you may have to jack the loop up a bit as I told Scott how to do, very easy fix.

On the TH400, T-56, and 200-4R units, for some reason on some cars the loop wanted to touch the torque arm. We made some changes a couple months ago and moved the loop over towards the passenger's side a bit, away from the arm. The loop is not perfectly centered on the shaft, but with a 5" i.d. loop, it's not a big deal, it will still clear the shaft, and gives another 1/2" clearance from the arm....I have not had any complaints brought to my attention since we've done that. So yes, your feedback is always listened to and acted on.

You guys have to take into consideration that I'm building a torque arm that will be installed onto a WIDE variety of applications. Some people have a stock rear, some have a Moser 12 bolt, some have a Moser 9", some have a Strange 12 bolt, some have a Dana 44, some have a Currie 9"....no two are the same, each company puts the torque arm mount at a different location, which makes my job very difficult.

Some cars are 16 second daily drivers, others are 8 second trailer queens, while others are a 3" lowered open track car.

I do my best to design products taking all of that into consideration, but it's impossible to have a drop right in without any problems what so ever on each type of car. Some minor mods on the installers part are to be expected. That's why I always say, that's part of the game

I always appreciate your feedback, and thank you for keeping it civil. I treat everyone with respect, and I happy to get it in return. Thanks for your business, we do very much appreciate it.

Steve

 

I have no doubt that the Torque Arm works, I can already feel the difference with my measly 305 I'm just scared that when it hooks with the 406 with slicks, its gonna rip a hole in my floor pan. I hope others arent shyed away from buying your torque arm due to a few customers problems, but I do hope that it makes them aware that if they do buy your torque arm that they might need to break out the BFH if something doesnt fit right

 

I guess I need to let you know this isn't accurate. I have a '92 with a 700R4, stock height, stock differential, stock 16x8 rims. The car runs low 13's and will be in the 12's soon. My torque arm hits the drive shaft loop. The torque arm was purchased in January '03, so unless you made the changes in Feb. or March, there's still a problem, even on pretty stock (suspension-wise) cars. My suspension mods consist of Spohn LCAs, panhard rod, and torque arm.

I've jacked the car up from the drive shaft loop support arm (until it was about to hit the tranny tunnel) and let it sit over night hoping the weight of the car would bend the support up. It hasn't helped much if any. Any better methods to gain clearance that you care to share with the rest of us?

A lot of 3rd gen owners will be set up like I am, and I have problems. There's something that still needs to be looked at there.

 

I think I am going with the BMR trak pak. Anyone have anything bad to report on it?

 

It's certainly a pain in the **** to install, as you must have a cross-brace welded to your SFC's, and if you dont have SFC's, you better get them first or you'll be tearing out your cross-bar when you get the SFC's installed.

 

I can always make my life much easier and eliminate all the complaints, I won't offer a loop anymore.

You guys just made up my mind, now no one will have any problems


Steve

 

NO STEVE, don't do that. or at least hang on to 1 arm with loops on it for me

 

If the hoop was made to be adjustable, I think people would have less problems, but that would also raise the cost of the loop. I hope I dont start getting death threats for starting the revolution

 

I ordered a torque arm for my car with a loop, if i have any problems i will just cut it off most likely.

 

well i would like the loop option there, i know it probably won't fit on my car out of the box, anymore i expect to have to modify things to fit, that is the way this hobby goes, the more i modify , the less things fit right out of the box.

 

The loop option is gone, just deleted it from the website.

For those who want one, you can call and specifically ask for it, but it will be on the understanding that if something rubs 1/16", we don't include any tissues to wipe your tears.

 

lol, i don't think the tissues would help much, but how about some shop rags

 

Agreed...I run a 3.5" aluminum driveshaft and Moser 9" with my torque arm/loop. I really thought the driveshaft was gonna hit the loop before I even installed the torque arm. Much to my surprise it hasn't hit the loop. My car isn't lowered though.

 

The loop option is down temporarily. I'm working on a new set up that will be adjustable side to side and up and down. Yes, it will cost more than $40.00 as it's much more involved. But if you want a loop that is adjustable for any type of application, this will be the ticket.

Steve

 

How many manufacturers do you know would go through this bashing and still readjust their process to incorporate a new design because a few cried about it?Go ask Holley or Edelbrock to do that!Thanks for listening to these guys and doing what you could to fix the situation.Many many thanks Steve!I am a customer and will continue to be because of how you deal with situations like this.You listen..comment..and adjust to please the customer.

 

well put!

steve is great, and has impressed me over and over with his customer service and the way he runs his buisness!

 

So we're just a bunch of whiners, eh?

I know you feel this interference should be a minor annoyance at most, but unfortunately we don't all have nice machine shops like yours. My garage size and budget won't allow that.

As I said before, I tried to make some room by jacking the car up by the drive shaft loop support. Is this the best method for adjustments or do you know of another way? Is there way to make it bend rather than flex up when its jacked up and having come back down? Providing us whiners with your insight would help us fix our problem and shut us up.

Glad to hear your making the loop adjustable. Sounds like the right fix.

 

i also agree theres ben times that ill stop dealing with a company that had a great product but loosy customer service and theres times where ill deal with a company that has a marginal product but great customer service looks as though steve has great products and customer service think if it was edelbrock that had this problem think how long it would take jus to get to the right person that can deal with it if even they would do anything about it bigger companys seem to care more about the $$$$ than satisfaction ive got your cross member with driveshaft loop no probs here GREAT product i prefer to deal with the smaller guys they apprecate the customer loalty more i will be contacting you soon with anther order steve thank you

 

I agree with all you guys too. I'm sorry I instigated this whole slamming of Steve's torque arm, but I'm sure some of you guys can understand my dissapointment when things didnt fit right. Steve, thanks for working this out, and not just saying "Oh well, go buy another Torque Arm then", like many other manufacturers would have probably done. I'm sure your future customers will appreciate your adjustable DS Safety Loop.

L98 Z28 - I jacked the car up, placed some bricks and a piece of wood under the extension bar, then lowered the car down slowly. It bent the bar about .25" and gave me the clearance I needed.