'68 Coronet R/T wrote:Notice the retaining lip on the left side looks damaged compared to the one on the right side.
Left side:
The attachment Deck Lid Torsion Bars.JPG is no longer available
Right side:
The attachment Torsion Bar Right side 1.JPG is no longer available
Finally got this fixed. It turns out the retaining slot towards the front of the car was worn out. I tried straightening one of them and it helped but the metal was too weak to keep the tension bar in place.
I ended up cutting a thick 3/8" washer in half and while holding the tension rod into position, welding it into place. This was definitely a job for a contortion artist because trying to hold everything in the proper place and weld upside down, while leaning into the trunk was a feat.
Here's a picture after spraying a bit of epoxy on it.
This allows me to remove the tension bars when needed but also let me increase the level of tension without an popping issues.