factory trailing arm rear sway bars

[Allensracing]

does anyone know about them? how common are they? are they factory or dealer installed?

[chev-obsession]

They are an aftermarket add-on.

http://www.classicperform.com/Store/...uck/CP7401.htm

[Allensracing]

I know there are aftermarket ones, there was never a factory option?
I ran across a very old rusty rear sway bar, it really looked like a factory installation

[Rogue]

Hmmmm Interesting.

[Captainfab]

No that's an aftermarket sway bar....I have one of those. As far as I know there was never a factory rear sway bar offered on the trailing arm suspension by GM. There is a thread here somewhere on how to mount a 3rd gen F-body rear sway bar on these trucks. It looks as close to factory as you're going to get.

I can't find that thread ATM........

Originally Posted by Allensracing

I know there are aftermarket ones, there was never a factory option?
I ran across a very old rusty rear sway bar, it really looked like a factory installation

[Allensracing]

I dont know anything about factory options, but that is the only rear sway bar I have ran across. it used factory frame and trailing arm holes, so I assumed it was factory. I took that picture in 2002, i think. the truck had been parked about ten years at that time.
I have no other history, although there was also air shocks installed on it. the air shock installation was obviously sloppy

[StevieC]

Originally Posted by Allensracing

I know there are aftermarket ones, there was never a factory option?
I ran across a very old rusty rear sway bar, it really looked like a factory installation

I have something that looks kind of like on my 65, it goes from left side frame to the opposite trailing arm
I don't know if it's a swaybar from the looks of it I'd swear it came from the factory

[blackedoutharley]

That looks like the Helwig that I installed on my '65 C-10 (which I like and recommend very much!).

[markeb01]

I had a factory sway bar that bolted directly to the control arms in my 1967 Chevelle. The sway bar and the lower control arms came out of a factory Olds 442. The control arms were much shorter in length than those on our trucks, and were much stronger with internal boxing plates connecting the sides and bottom into one piece. It doesn't seem like the stock trailing arms on a 60-66 series truck would tolerate the twisting forces of a sway bar bolted directly to them, at least not for very long.

[Allensracing]

Originally Posted by markeb01

I had a factory sway bar that bolted directly to the control arms in my 1967 Chevelle. The sway bar and the lower control arms came out of a factory Olds 442. The control arms were much shorter in length than those on our trucks, and were much stronger with internal boxing plates connecting the sides and bottom into one piece. It doesn't seem like the stock trailing arms on a 60-66 series truck would tolerate the twisting forces of a sway bar bolted directly to them, at least not for very long.

well, the sway bar on that truck lasted for a long time. the trailing arms gave no indication of fatigue. the trailing arms on a truck have more strength and flex than a chevelle/olds. the trailing arms on the olds was a known weak point. the high performance versions were boxed, and thety were still not that great. the truck arms were used in nascar for decades