Scored a 1 ton sway bar

[Billett]

Just got back from the junkyard here in Philly. I never plan to go back. I'd much rather pull a part myself in a fairly open yard than have to deal with cranky owners who think they know everything, and squeezing past walls of sharp objects.

On a brighter note, I scored a front sway bar off of a 1980 c30



Unfortunately it's covered in grease and crap, but after I clean it up I'll paint it red. Also unfortunately it didn't come with any hardware and the bushings are shot... My '68 didn't come with a stock sway bar. Thankfully we have Tx Firefighter to provide to provide some part numbers haha.

Looks like I'll need:
GM # 6271375 - mounting brackets. My truck is only lowered 2" so stock mounts should be fine.


GM # 334671 - clamps


I'm also going to grab some bushings but not until after I measure the bar. Since it's a c30 I think it's a 1-1/4" which means Ill need:

Moog # K6476


Just wanted to say thanks to all you suspension gurus for all of the faqs and threads on these bars. It has helped me out a ton, pun intended

[69gmcc10]

Tx Firefighter has a good write up about this, but I found it easier to just order all the parts you need from ECE at one time. I did the same thing and got Poly mounts with straps and bolts $30, lowered mounts and bolts $20 all from ECE at one time and on time. For about $50, paint and elbow grease you will have all you need, just give them a call.

[Tx Firefighter]

I need to go back and amend the article on the sway bars. I wrote it years ago and recently found some things have changed over time. I recently refurbished the sway bar on my 1 ton and found the Moog bushings that I originally referenced had taken a giant price hike. Shopping through RockAuto, I found several real good alternatives with a much cheaper price. These were half price of the Moogs and are still a good brand and urethane.





And GM still sells the frame brackets if you choose to buy stock ones.

[Billett]

Amazon still has those Moog bushings for $13.55 a pair and I ended up ordering the clamps and mounts through the dealership my brother works at. Clamps were $4 and change each and mounts were $20 or so each. Once I get the receipt I'll post the info so you can update. Mounts probably would have been cheaper through ece but I didn't have to pay shipping on these so I figured it evened out. I'm still waiting to measure before I buy the bushings.
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[69gmcc10]

good stuff!

[Billett]

When I measured my bar to be sure of the size it seemed to me to be a bit smaller than 1-1/4" in diameter. At the time I just assumed it had rusted away a bit, but after some more research I discovered that summit has an option for 1980 C30s for a 1-3/16" sway bar. I know sometimes these sites aren't always right, but is this true? Should I be ordering one of those sizes?

EDIT: Moog has these listed also, so I guess it's fine. I used a ruler the first time to measure, guess I'll grab some calipers this time haha Are the clamps just for one specific size?

[eldogg]

I use Energy Suspension 3.5177G. Includes greasable shells & hardware for less than $40 bucks. Bushings are available is every diameter under the sun.

[Billett]

Yeah I'll have to grab some calipers just to be sure. My problems is that I made the mistake of ordering OE clamps from the dealership along with the mounting brackets, so I don't want to waste the money on more clamps. Also, I don't mind the bushings without the grease fittings. Cleaner look IMO and I doubt I'll hear any squeaking of the bar over all the other rattles the truck has haha

[Billett]

got it measured. new question. It's definitely 1-3/16", which is pretty much 30mm. Could I buy a 30mm sway bar bushing instead of a 1-3/16" one? The math comes out to be a 0.006" difference... The reason I ask may seem dumb, but as I said before I already have the brackets ordered so I don't need those, and although Moog does sell a pair of 1-3/16" bushings for this bar (MOOG-K6437) I would prefer a red or black bushing as opposed to a blue one. The Raybestos one is blue too.. (Raybestos 550-1129)

[Billett]

got it measured. new question. It's definitely 1-3/16", which is pretty much 30mm. Could I buy a 30mm sway bar bushing instead of a 1-3/16" one? The math comes out to be a 0.006" difference... The reason I ask may seem dumb, but as I said before I already have the brackets ordered so I don't need those, and although Moog does sell a pair of 1-3/16" bushings for this bar (MOOG-K6437) I would prefer a red or black bushing as opposed to a blue one. The Raybestos one is blue too.. (Raybestos 550-1129)

Should I just suck it up? I know it won't even be very noticeable, but its one of those things where I'll know it's there.

[Billett]

Another premature post. Guess I'm full of them. My youngest brother measured it for me and told me 1-3/16 as well, but he ended up using a ruler as well. My older brother actually grabbed the micrometers and it's a 1-1/4" bar, so I was right in the first place. That also makes it much easier to find bushings. I'm going to use these from prothane.

Prothane 7-1102-BL Black 1-1/4" Front Sway...

I'll post a pic after it's painted and mounted.

[Billett]

Guess I never got around to that pic...