sway bar questions

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by jocko

I wanted a 1.25" one, and none of the factory ones are that big of a dia.

i'm confused...i noticed a couple of posts where guys mentioned pulling a factory 1.25" bar from various trucks...for my '66, i bought a 1.25" bar off a '72 from a fellow member here

[MisterC]

Yes, the 1.25" bar came on many 3/4 ton trucks and most 1 ton trucks. The one I picked up today was 1.25". I'm going to replace the brackets in addition to buying the new bushings, so I'll probably be into it for $100 by the time all is said and done, but that's less than half of what the aftermarket guys want. Again, I'm not knocking their product. I've seen the ECE product and it's damn nice. It's just that I have a long way to go in my restoration/build and every dollar I save is a dollar towards another upgrade.

[jocko]

Well, I must have missed that part - if that's true, and it very well could be - I screwed the pooch! I thought factory bars maxed out at 1+1/8 in the front and 7/8 in the back. Maybe a 1-tonner had a 1.25?? Not a big deal tho - I didn't necessarily have the time to go scrounging like I like to do anyway for this, but now that I have to go to the post office, I guess I could have found the time(!) But, water under the bridge, as they say.

I could have saved about $90 - but if I'd done the junkyard thing, I was leaning toward getting it pc'ed by a guy down in palmdale - and that would have been another 50 or so. Now the whole back n forth thru the mail because of the mix-up kinda derailed the overall plan, but anyhoo.

[Joemomma1]

Originally Posted by ChuckW

Joemomma1,
Hey man. I like your rear bar installation! I noted you said all bolt on and I can see that from your pic's. Did you make the brackets for the axle mounts or were they too from the TA? And the end brackets, are they also off the TA?
I guess I would have to assume that a bar off a 70's - early 80's Camero would also work nicely? Good job on your installation!

You may have mistaken what I said. You can use a bolt in spacer as mentioned by other users but I chose to weld in mine. The mounting point on the axle tubes are just muffler clamps to the stock bushings used by the TA/Camaro. The end link brackets are from the donor car as well, bolts to the body of the car. The only pieces I furnished were the muffler clamps and the frame to end link spacer. Thanks for the kind words.

[pdxhall]

I'm glad you were able to get it worked out.

[ChuckW]

Understand. Thanks Joemomma1.

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by Woogeroo

something I just found, thought I'd add it in here for future searches.

It just saved me some head scratching.

-W

------

Front Sway Bar Install on a 1966 C10 Chevrolet pickup. This article has several excellent step by step black and white shots of the Early Classic sway bar kit being installed. Great information!

thanks for posting, as this modification is coming up soon on my '66...one question though...do you know what the measured distance is in relation to that rivet, for drilling the holes on the frame? it mentions "following the instructions", but that distance isn't given in this tech article...from the pic it looks like 3" forward of the rivet for the front hole

[DPowers]

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ad.php?t=72338

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=517255

Both are in the FAQ section.

[losthope]

From every picture ive seen of the sway bars installed on these trucks, it looks like you have your up side down Woogroo???? is it supposed to be like that if you look at the sway bar thread txfirefighter did he has it the oppisite way(the way I did it) and in the early classics article you posted earlier the sway bar bends the opposite way you have it???? whats the right way?

[losthope]

LOL! I think it is......nobodys perfect...the only reason I said something is because it looked odd, and I was reading about sway bars and read in order from them to work properly the part that bolts to the arm needs to be parallel to the ground then beads up to the mounts on the frame, and the way you have it the bar bolts to the a-arms starting out angling up then goes parallel when it bolts to the frame....

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by DPowers

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ad.php?t=72338

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=517255

Both are in the FAQ section.

the install in those threads isn't quite the same...thanks Woog for the PDF instructions...i will save your installation pics as well & send them to my dad...how much differently does it drive now?

woops, i think you do have it upside down glad "losthope" noticed that!

[losthope]

the only thing different between the stock and in the lowering style bracket installation is the lowering brackets are shorter so the bar doesnt stick down as far on lowered trucks ,the way the bar mounts to the a-arms in both applications is the same.......I mounted mine upside down the first time i mounted mine I was pissed because I fought it the whole way installing it and had to turn around and take it back off!! Hahahaha Good luck !

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by losthope

the only thing different between the stock and in the lowering style bracket installation is the lowering brackets are shorter so the bar doesnt stick down as far on lowered trucks ,the way the bar mounts to the a-arms in both applications is the same.......I mounted mine upside down the first time i mounted mine I was pissed because I fought it the whole way installing it and had to turn around and take it back off!! Hahahaha Good luck !

yes, the brackets for lowered trucks don't hang down as low as stock brackets...and where they attach to the A-arm is the same...however, unless I'm reading or seeing things wrong, this section I quoted from the other FAQ threads is different:

"Here is the main difficulty of the job. Notice I'm holding the brackets up where they will go, and there is a rivet in one of the holes. The rivet secures the bottom of that little crossmember in place. Take your grinder or torch and remove the rivet head. Using a punch, hammer the rivet out of the hole after de-heading it. Do one side at a time, or the crossmember will try to move. After removing the rivet, bolt the mount in place, before removing the other side rivet."

with my '66 frame, per the Early Classic instructions Woog followed, you have to drill holes into the frame to install the brackets...no rivets are removed...once the front bracket hole is drilled, then you can bolt up the bracket to determine where to drill the rear hole

[losthope]

Originally Posted by likaroc13

yes, the brackets for lowered trucks don't hang down as low as stock brackets...and where they attach to the A-arm is the same...however, unless I'm reading or seeing things wrong, this section I quoted from the other FAQ threads is different:

"Here is the main difficulty of the job. Notice I'm holding the brackets up where they will go, and there is a rivet in one of the holes. The rivet secures the bottom of that little crossmember in place. Take your grinder or torch and remove the rivet head. Using a punch, hammer the rivet out of the hole after de-heading it. Do one side at a time, or the crossmember will try to move. After removing the rivet, bolt the mount in place, before removing the other side rivet."

with my '66 frame, per the Early Classic instructions Woog followed, you have to drill holes into the frame to install the brackets...no rivets are removed...once the front bracket hole is drilled, then you can bolt up the bracket to determine where to drill the rear hole

this is true that the tech thread "txfirefighter" did says to remove the rivits! I followed this when i did my update to his thread, but I also found this to not fit quite right with my set of lowered mounts , I also ended up drilling new holes as per the early classic's instruction and it fit much nicer and the correct way to install it,so woog and i have the brackets mounted the same way im just running the shorter lowering ones......so depending on how someone mounts the brackets would be different....good catch tho on the different directions between removing rivits verse drilling new holes.....the txfirefighter thread should be updated with the early classics way of mounting the brackets

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by jocko

good info AT, thank you. Rather than scrounge the local yards - I did order a bar. It's 1.25", which might be a bit stiff, so hopefully I didn't cornhole myself.
Yep, I can't imagine trying to keep a truck like yours from wallowing around on turns, that thing is really heavy, I had no idea it'd be that much!

I'm still trying to decide if I need a rear bar -some companies don't sell one of those, so I'm gonna see how I like the front one solo and then decide. Hopefully I didn't go so stiff that now my hubcaps pop off on hard turns!! Either way, it's gonna be an improvement, my truck rolls around like it's trying to balance on a bowling ball. Or like a "waterbed" in turns as protrash said

Rest free, jocko! Based on a sample of just one, you did nothing wrong. I put the same size you ordered on my '66 (from of a 1-tonner), using brackets et al, & it made mine just right--not in the least too stiff. Even the used OEM bushings are as quiet as one could ask for(luck?).

A thought: I believe if you Google the necessity/effectiveness of a rear bar also, not narrowing it just to '60-'66, you'll find lotsa responses stating no need for rear bars[unless, of course, somebody hauls heavy loads]. This is just what I recall when doing mine. Hope you enjoy your addition of the 1.25" front bar! Please let us know the additional effect of the rear bar if you decide later to add one: it'd be interesting to hear the before and after
sam

[luvbowties]

Originally Posted by jocko

Well, I must have missed that part - if that's true, and it very well could be - I screwed the pooch! I thought factory bars maxed out at 1+1/8 in the front and 7/8 in the back. Maybe a 1-tonner had a 1.25?? Not a big deal tho - I didn't necessarily have the time to go scrounging like I like to do anyway for this, but now that I have to go to the post office, I guess I could have found the time(!) But, water under the bridge, as they say.

I could have saved about $90 - but if I'd done the junkyard thing, I was leaning toward getting it pc'ed by a guy down in palmdale - and that would have been another 50 or so. Now the whole back n forth thru the mail because of the mix-up kinda derailed the overall plan, but anyhoo.

Hey, jocko, I was looking at Adv. A/P just now, and according to their site, there must be 1 13/16" as well as 1 1/4" bars. At least, they have same-brand bushings listed for each of those diameters, in addition to 1" and 1 1/8". I'd have never guessed 2 bigger bars so close in diameter as those larger two.

BTW: I enjoyed reading further along where the co. made you happy in agreeing to send you the black p/c'd bar! You gotta be doing something right
sam

[dean jendro]

The sway bar in my stock 65 C10 is 15/16 (.937). The Moog website says the rubber bushings they sell are for 3/4" (.750) bars for 65 and 66 and 11/16" (.6875) for 64. I'm confused.

[losthope]

Originally Posted by luvbowties

Rest free, jocko! Based on a sample of just one, you did nothing wrong. I put the same size you ordered on my '66 (from of a 1-tonner), using brackets et al, & it made mine just right--not in the least too stiff. Even the used OEM bushings are as quiet as one could ask for(luck?).

A thought: I believe if you Google the necessity/effectiveness of a rear bar also, not narrowing it just to '60-'66, you'll find lotsa responses stating no need for rear bars[unless, of course, somebody hauls heavy loads]. This is just what I recall when doing mine. Hope you enjoy your addition of the 1.25" front bar! Please let us know the additional effect of the rear bar if you decide later to add one: it'd be interesting to hear the before and after
sam

I have a 1.25" sway bar on the front and on the rear a sway bar off of a camero on the trailing arms on my truck, I installed them at the same time and truck drove like a slot car!! I didnt know if the rear bar actually helped untill the(pick-n-pull swaybar) old used rubber bushings on the end links wore out and I unhooked the rear sway bar for a week untill I bought new energy suspension end links and hooked it back up!! I can tell the difference right away in the way it rides and steers even with the front sway bar still hooked up when the rear wasnt....front and rear sway bar is the way to go for me!...just my 2 cents!

[likaroc13]

Originally Posted by losthope

LOL! I think it is......nobodys perfect...the only reason I said something is because it looked odd, and I was reading about sway bars and read in order from them to work properly the part that bolts to the arm needs to be parallel to the ground then beads up to the mounts on the frame, and the way you have it the bar bolts to the a-arms starting out angling up then goes parallel when it bolts to the frame....

Originally Posted by likaroc13

thanks Woog for the PDF instructions...i will save your installation pics as well & send them to my dad...how much differently does it drive now?

woops, i think you do have it upside down glad "losthope" noticed that!

Originally Posted by Woogeroo

losthope - I went back out and looked at it with the flashlight... and looked at my pics and some other pics of installs I've saved...

I think yer right, it is upside down!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA.

I guess I was more tired than I thought at that point.

I'm glad you caught that!

Thanks.

Oh well, the hard part was the holes and everything for me, I was freaking out I'd drill 'em wrong.

hahahahahaha.

It never fails, I have to do everything over, anytime I work on this thing... it always turns into a civil engineering project, I swear!

-W

p.s. likearoc13 - don't use those pics! hahahaha

use these instead

The sad part is I looked at those, the install article photos and more... before I slipped it in there!



It looked right when I was upside down and under it... hahahaha.

Dang it, Woog! I sent the link with pics to my dad; I also printed those instructions & mailed them to him. And what did he do tonight??? Installed the sway bar brackets backward. He did get the bar itself correct though. He sent cell phone pics at first. I asked if he used the instructions, & he said nope. Oookay. So I get home & upload the pics to the computer, only to find out the frame brackets are backward.

Moral of the story: If you've never done this, READ THE DIRECTIONS! And then look at pictures to verify.