Trunk rods for a '68

[68Buick]

Damndest thing. There are two 1/4" spring steel rods that cross over each other in the trunk of my '68 Skylark. They seem to keep the trunk lid counterbalanced so that it opens smoothly and stays up when open. Don't know how one of them snapped, but it did. Right at one of the bends that hooks it in place. I welded it back together twice. It's holding now, but I don't think that it will hold for long since spring steel doesn't like to be welded. I'm not even sure what you call these, but I'm pretty amazed that they're so hard to find. I thought for sure that Poston or Year One would make these as replacement parts. Aside from salvaging from parts cars, anyone know where to get these? Can I yank them from any A-Body from 1968 or thereabouts?

As always, thanks in advance for any advice.

[NTX5467]

Those torsion bars for the deck lid usually don't break, hence no need for the repro people to have them. They are basically "salvage yard" items. In those earlier times, they were probably more "universal fit" than might be expected--probably why there are three or so slots for "adjustment" of the spring tension preload. Key thing would be their length and diameter, plus the length of the lever arm (where they go into the slots). Request the salvage yard people to consult their Hollander Interchange Manual to see what other years and models of vehicles might be suitable donors for these parts. Maybe even dedicated "right" and "left" items too?

If you find a suitable donor vehicle, be sure to check the rods you get for rust and/or cracking. Rust will degrade the surface and cracks can contribute to that. Prior to repainting them, be sure to clean the surface and probably lightly sand it with some fine grit abrasive to get it cleaned up for inspection prior to the painting operations. Using some brake clean (or some other non-oily evaporating solvent) to possibly show up minor cracks and such might be a good idea during the cleaning phase too. Don't forget to put the rubber sleeves on them too, where they might rub together. As you probably know, there is quite a bit of tension in those torsion bars and getting them installed can be an "experience".

Enjoy!

NTX5467