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Installing front sway bar  Rating:  Rating
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 Posted: 10-24-2013 09:48 pm
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atgparker
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This angle allows the bushing stack to match the angle of the A-arm's tabs which come on the OEM suspension's lower arms . What is more with the spacer I used it clears the strut bar in this location and the cross bar is the only low point that will hit things should one miss judge the clearence. It seemed this was the best approach to get the bushing stack snug and have all the washers and spacers work without binding when you cycle the suspension. Unless you use the Addco "L" bracket I cannot see how to use the bolt and spacer they supply with the OEM tab. 205/60-R13's on OEM rims do rub on the bar at full lock with this arrangement. But the tire and smooth shape of the bar touch and do not really pose a problem.

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 Posted: 10-27-2013 08:07 am
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roland11a
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Strange looking at these after market Anti Roll bar setups! I've got a genuine one I presume from a GT or some early Vauxhall Magnum. This bar fits completley to the front sub frame and is mounted underneath the lower suspension arms. I would have thought it a bad idea to mount an anti roll bar part onto the subframe and part onto the body as the subframe is mounted on flexable rubber bushes . So allowing a sertain amount of movement between the two. Still if it works well job done.

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 Posted: 10-28-2013 04:58 pm
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atgparker
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I was wondering about those other holes in the sub frame as they looked like they could harbor a sway bar.

The bushing which fixes the rear of the sub frame to the unibody-chassis is perhaps the best candidate on the entire car to replace with a polyurethane replacement. Also the fasteners in my car, 11602 came with were undersized fasteners bolting this assembly together. So I replaced the sleeve and increased the fastener to a nice big 1/2-13UNC grade 8 bolt with a Nylock so that you don't have to torque the bolt to spec as you will crush the sleeve. The hole in the body will take the 1/2" bolt with out any drilling so I can only guess the smaller bolt was either a PO putting it there or JH choosing it for ease of assembly. You may need a spud wrench to get the holes in the frame and sub frame to align when you drive the bolt through. This might help with your sub frame mounted sway bar's response being quickened a bit if its still rubber and the bolts are the smaller ones.

In actuality the mounting of the sway bar to the unibody and the A-arms is mechanically a better means to spread the anti-roll loading into the chassis as it takes the sub frame to body flex out of the equation. Having said that the funky U bolts are starting to tare the sheet metal in the frame rail so I may have to plate the frame rail with some strip and perhaps weld in some blind nuts to secure the bracket for the bars OD.

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 Posted: 10-28-2013 05:04 pm
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roland11a
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When I put my front crossmember back together I'll post a photo for interest sake. All off the car at the moment undergoing a rebuild .

 Big day tomorrow as the body is back from spraying.

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 Posted: 11-28-2013 09:39 am
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roland11a
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/99803698@N07/sets/72157638139249415/

As promised. The genuine part anti roll bar fitted.

Last edited on 11-28-2013 09:44 am by roland11a

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 Posted: 11-28-2013 07:09 pm
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Art DeKneef
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Tried to view picture but the page redirected to Yahoo and wanted me to log in. No go.

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 Posted: 11-28-2013 07:38 pm
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roland11a
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Try These

Just got to attach the drop link once the springs are compressed

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 Posted: 11-29-2013 08:01 pm
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Jensen Healey
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That looks really odd compared to the chassis mount bars.

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 Posted: 11-30-2013 01:16 am
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atgparker
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Yup it sure does. But the Addco chassis mounted bars end up having a longer effective arm as they are rear set by quite a bit from the OEM mounts shown above. So that makes the bar's relative stiffness less for a given diameter being the same with these two arrangements. It's no wonder that Huffaker Engineering did something completely different for the sway bar when they raced this car.

When I auto crossed mine a few weeks ago with the Addco bars in place I thought I was going to clean house. But the Koni's were wide open so there was no rebound damping resistance and the cars excellent steering response made short work of the excessive body roll but the transitions made nailing the desired route impossible.

I just hope the Koni's on the front are as mal adjusted as were the rear on 11602.

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 Posted: 06-25-2017 11:28 pm
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Frank Schwartz
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I'm stuck here with a ADDCO 101 sway bar that doesn't seem to want to fit. The tabs on the suspension where it is supposed to bolt on front is so close to the steering arm assembly that it is almost impossible to mount the sway bar... the steering rods prevent easy installation. I have two brackets included with the kit but no instructions or any indication of how they are to be used. I've read the instructions and also the previous posts here...and am still very confused...plus I cannot weld..(pacemaker will go crazy). Any help??

Thanks,
Frank

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 Posted: 06-26-2017 05:00 am
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atgparker
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Frank, Get some longer bolts and some tubing to space the washers and bushings so that sway bar is above the truss rod that has the large bushing and washer stack which passes through the sub fame. Look at my cars setup the vin is 11602. The tabs on the lower suspension arm are well suited when the bar is set up this way, unless the suspension arms were swapped from left to right at some point in the cars history?

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 Posted: 06-26-2017 05:41 am
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Frank Schwartz
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Well, it does appear, upon close inspection that the two arms are crossed. If removed and swapped over then the mounting points will be correct. How in the heck does this happen?? Or did some PO swap them..or did the factory do it???
Seems that these can be both ways...that is on a couple of the JH's I have checked they are placed wrong..and then on a complete front end we recently purchased in a lot for parts, the mounting point is to the rear and is correct...what a mess this is.........

Frank

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 Posted: 06-26-2017 07:26 am
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Tim Murphy
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Frank, I had the same problem years ago. The very experience JH mechanic who swapped arms said it was common, the factory installed the arms randomly, some both mounting points front, some both back. It didn't matter too them because the stock JH did not have anti sway bars.

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 Posted: 06-26-2017 06:04 pm
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redracer
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Frank & all:
the tabs for a sway bar should be pointed back. You have to drill a hole in the supporting "U" channel to put a "u" bolt through it. I don't recommend doing this as Parker's weld is much preferred if you MUST have one.
On the race cars, the tabs are pointing forward for mounting across the radiator shroud, but we also did not have a fan, which would be in the way.
A third option is to get a GT sway bar which mounts to the subframe itself, and not the "U" channel behind it.
Having said all this, rear sway bar is MUCH preferred as the car had a tendency for understeering/plowing, for which a front swaybar would only increase the understeer.
Over the years, the adjustable SPAX shocks with the rear setting 2 clicks/1/2 turn stiffer than the fronts, gave very good handling characteristics without any sway bars necessay. However, if you are trying to turn your car into a street racer, then you will need also expensive tires(tyres, for all you other blokes) to give you acceptable handling.

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