Kenworth Torsion Bar Suspension

[Diesel Jockey]

Can someone please tell me how rare the AMT Kenworth kits, either the K123 Cabover or the W925 Conventionals, are that feature the Torsion Bar Suspension?

[scale trucker]

pretty rare the k123 was issued 1 time with it and the challenger mixer 1 time not sure on the 925

[Diesel Jockey]

Thank you.

[highway]

Don't hold me to it, but I think I read here once before the W925 was issued 1 time with the torsion bars too. Maybe the Watkins issue?

[scummy]

They are rare but in the last two weeks ive got two of usa ebay at about $ 80.00 each including postage . You just have to look at the sides of the boxs on ebay and ask the question . The first release of both kennys had torsion but because of the complaints of the rear not sitting level they tooled up the hendo rear end .

[Bennyg]

Aftermarket caters for people wanting the kenwoth torsion bar set up.

Ben

[Diesel Jockey]

You are right Highway, the Watkins W925 had the torsion bar suspension initially and I've only seen one kit listed one time. Thanks for the information guys.

[Force]

The AMT Kenworth Torsion Bar kit's are very rare.

I have never seen any AMT Kenworth K-123 with torsion bar suspension and if any of them had the numbers are wrong.

The last 2 digits in the KW model number is the number for the suspension type, in this case the 23 stands for dual drive Hendrickson walking beam, the torsion bar version should have been numbered K-125 as 25 was the designated number for the KW torsion bar dual drive suspension.

The numbers Kenworth used to designate the chassis type were:

_21 for Single Drive Spring, Torsion or Air Ride.

_22 for Single Drive "Monkey Motion" or other tag or push axle setups.

_23 for Dual Drive Timken or Hendrickson Center Point Walking Beam, Rubber Pad Walking Beam or KW Air Ride suspensions.

_24 for Dual Drive Larger Capacity Timken Center Point Walking Beam or KW "Big Six".

_25 for Dual Drive KW Torsion Bar suspension.

Later in the 70's Kenworth dropped the last two digits and the models were K-100 or W-900 regardless of suspension type.

So the AMT W-925 was at first correctly numbered when it had the torsion bar but it should have been changed to W-923 when AMT changed to Walking Beam, the only kits I know of with dual drive torsion bar suspension was the Watkins and the Challenge Mixer versions.

There are a couple of kits with single drive torsion bar suspension, both the AMT Tyrone Malone Super Boss and Bandag Bandit trucks have that setup.

Edited March 30, 2014 by Force

[scummy]

The AMT coe torsion bar unit is catalogue number - T520 , i got 4 . I just checked and the hendrickson rear also shares the same cat number, so maybe AMT didnt worry about changing the cat number when they changed the rears . You just have to ask the question when you see one on ebay .

[Truck parts]

Thanks for the tip.

[checkmate]

They do pop up quite often as Scummy said if you know what you're looking for. Scummy's bought a few I've collected over the years off me. One of the early 123's I had that ran Torsion bar also ran two piece tyres. The W model that had torsion bar was boxed as a Watkins truck, the only difference is the side panel on the box.

[Force]

The AMT coe torsion bar unit is catalogue number - T520 , i got 4 . I just checked and the hendrickson rear also shares the same cat number, so maybe AMT didnt worry about changing the cat number when they changed the rears . You just have to ask the question when you see one on ebay .

Well it's not only the catalogue number AMT didn't care to change.

A Kenworth K-123 COE should have a Dual Drive Timken or Hendrickson Center Point Walking Beam, Rubber Pad Walking Beam or KW Air Ride suspension, with KW Torsion Bars the KW model number should be K-125 and not K-123 so it was not correct there, the KW model number later became correct as the Torsion Bar suspension was dropped and changed to Walking Beam.

The W-925 was the other way around, at first the KW model number was correct as the kit originally had the Torsion Bars, but when they changed to Walking Beam the model number should also have been changed to W-923 but AMT didn't care to do it.

But as I said earlier, KW dropped the last two digits from the model number in the mid 70's and the model numbers was K-100 and W-900 regardless of suspension type from there on.

Edited April 5, 2014 by Force

[Mr mopar]

Just to let you all know the super boss and Bandag bandit both started life as Kenworth Glider kits.

[Force]

That I can believe as both are heavily modified, so it was probably easier to start with a Glider Kit than to modify a regular truck.