Heavy Duty Rear Spring Torsion Bar

[Gmann66]

Hello All,
I've been reading this board a lot lately as I bring my 1977 GMC C35 into her third life. I purchased the truck 25 years ago. It had a utility / body as well as a Versalift one man utility bucket mounted to the frame. I removed the utility body, man lift, and fabricated a steel flat bed and used it for some time hauling big pressure washers and water tanks. Now that I am cleaning it up again I am contemplating removing the heavy torsion bar shown in the pictures. The bar is bracketed to the leaf springs, and the brackets are keyed into the torsion bar itself. I am not sure if the bar was installed to assist the springs, or was it part of the bucket lift system to control lean or roll when the bucket was up and extended outward. The truck did not have outriggers. I may mount a large wood burning pizza oven on the new bed. If I do I would like to be in control of a little softer air bag ride and this torsion bar is mounted where the airbags would be installed.
I am hoping someone here has seen this. Looking forward to any feedback.
Thank you

 

[bucket]

That sucker is beefy! But it's simply an anti-roll bar so you can remove it and it will not change the spring capacity at all.

 

[Snoots]

I wonder if that would work on a '73 Jimmy?

 

[Gmann66]

Thank you bucket !!

 

[Originalthor]

That sway bar is pretty cool. I would keep it on and mount the air bags elsewhere. It probably did wonders while hauling a water tank around.