sway bar question

[fdbdw]

71 c10 LB,
Just put on a new front sway bar, shocks, wheel bearings and new ball joints, after reading a few posts on sway bars I was excited to get it mounted, I have to admit Im a little dissapointed, I dont notice that big of a difference with the sway bar added. the end link and frame bushings are rubber and Im wondering if getting urehtane bushings will make a difference and, If I can find a pick and pull, adding a rear sway bar will help (rear coils on this truck) Ive trippled checked and I know Its mounted correctly. Any opions will be great. ( maybe I was just expecting to much)

[Andy4639]

First off, what size did you install? Secondly yea you may have been expecting more than you got. I have both on the 71 and it's not no race car but it does handle nicely though.
I bought the front truck bar and did the Camaro rear bar.

[Security guy]

How is the rest of your suspension? I've got a sway bar on the front and it handles like a go cart, but my whole front end is brand new also. Your sway bar may be helping, but if the rest of the suspension is wore out, its fighting against itself. Jack the front end up and pull on and shake everything to see if theres any play in it.........Just seen you replaced ball joints and bearings....maybe you did expect to much? Just trying to help.

[powell72]

I added a bar to one of my trucks and was very pleased with how much it helped. It was a BB truck, so there was some weight up front moving in the corners. I did the poly bushings at the time of install also. My current truck had a bar on it already and I put poly bushings in it also and didn't notice a difference from just that.
I don't know maybe you were expecting to much, it is still an old pickup, not a slot car. At least you were able to notice some kind of difference.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I added a 1-1/4" bar to my truck and I feel it made a big difference in higher speed cornering.

On straight road and slow turns you won't notice any difference.

It's still a full size truck, so overall, the handling wasn't that great to begin with.

[fdbdw]

1 1/8 havent driven it much outside taking the kids to school so maybe will notice more when I get it out on faster roads, what ya think about adding a rear bar, I realize its not a sports car just trying to do as much as I can cause my daughter says it feels like she gonna fall out when we turn left ( shes probably getting to used to her moms new charger)

[Andy4639]

The rear helped some as did the front. Just don't put a bigger on the back than what's up front.

[powell72]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

The rear hwelped some as did the front. Just don't put a bigger on the back than what's up front.

Agreed, most of the aftermarket rear bars for our trucks are 1 1/8-1 1/4''. Brothers was the only place I could find a 7/8'' rear bar. I think it was $150. I'm very happy with it.

[Andy4639]

I did the Camaro bar in the rear. Turned out OK I guess.

[ibad57]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

I did the Camaro bar in the rear. Turned out OK I guess.

Will this work with air bags?

[big_al_71]

I installed front and rear sway bars that I bought from classic perform and I did noticed my truck handled a heck of alot better...

[dwcsr]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

I installed front and rear sway bars that I bought from classic perform and I did noticed my truck handled a heck of alot better...

I have the same setup and it did make a big difference in driving and much bigger difference in towing. Lost a little of that coil spring soft ride but still nice.

[ulakovic22]

As said above your results will vary with the rear bar and don't go bigger on the rear than the front. You want a little articulation in the back so your tires stay on the ground and it's easier to turn.

[Gray Ghost]

In normal driving you won't notice it as much. Here's how to really get the feel of what it does.

First off it really helps if you had done this before you put it on for comparison. Drive to a parking lot and while going slowly [3-5 mph] crank the wheel in one direction or the other hard. If you don't notice the difference in a ton less body roll, you might need to have your front end checked.

[powell72]

Here's my rear-

[fdbdw]

heres what i got

[67ChevyRedneck]

That's different. What kit did you use? It seems to me that with the bar spaced out closer to the wheels that it would help a little more than a stock one.

If you're curious, this is what a stock one looks like with a 1-1/4" bar (stock is 1-1/8" for 1/2 tons). Mine is an ECE bar made to fit in the stock location, I think the 3/4 ton and up trucks used the 1-1/4" bar.

[fdbdw]

orded through LMC pg.54, #34-2510 no other info given in the catalog wasnt cheep though

[fdbdw]

in comparison to others it seems liket the post bushings are really compressed and angled, do you think it would be a good idea to loosen the post bolt and let the weight rest on the suspension and settle while grounded and then re-tighten

[Andy4639]

That angle just doesn't look right. The way to tighten up the end links is with it on the ground and no weight on the bar it self. Did your a-arm not already have the holes in them, mine did. I see yours is on a mounted tab. I also think the fram mount is to far back toward the motor mine I think sits further forward on the flat of the frame where the hole is on yours.

[ibad57]

Have you considered the shocks are shot causing the sway? just asking

[fdbdw]

to answer a couple of the replys,this bar would not mach up with the existing holes had to drill new ones, I put on new shoks a few months ago so they are ok, I had the same issue with the bumper braket and had to cut about a 1/4" off the end, thinking about loosening the end-links seeing if they will straighten out with the weight on and re-tightening or maybe going with longer end links, thanks for all the replies this is a great disscusion ( keep them comming)

[texanidiot25]

Originally Posted by Andy4639

That angle just doesn't look right. The way to tighten up the end links is with it on the ground and no weight on the bar it self. Did your a-arm not already have the holes in them, mine did. I see yours is on a mounted tab. I also think the fram mount is to far back toward the motor mine I think sits further forward on the flat of the frame where the hole is on yours.

There is no need for their to be weight on a sway bar. It's job is merely to minimize independent suspension motion when one wheel wants to go in the total opposite direction of the other... a turn. It should have little to no effect on up and down motion when the wheels are moving together. His setup is no less effective than the others pictured. Bit more strain on the end link (since it's short), but unless your bottoming out all the time, shouldn't be an issue.

[Green Machine]

I'm sorry if you don't like my reply, but that bar just does not look right, geometry wise and how it fits and is mounted in general. If you can send it back or sell it, I would. Then check the parts board here, or one of the vendors. You should be able to get a used stock 1 1/16 bar and the correct mounts, they were used on the C10 and C20 (they were the same), for about $50. You will need to drill out 2 existing rivits in the frame to mount the stock piece. Use new grade 8 bolts and add some new poly bushings, Classic Parts of America has them for $15 and you will be good to go. We have added the stock bar with poly bushings to both of our C10 trucks and it makes a big difference.

Heres some pics of the stock bar we added on the 68 -

[Andy4639]

I wouldn't see why not. I have the helper air bags on mine. I turned it upside down to make it fit better. I also have a set of the spacers too. I asked about the size of them in another thread and was told 2" for them so I had them cut at 2" thick, they must have meant 2" total because they were way off at 2" per side so I had them cut in half.