Bending Sway Bar possible?

[funbnme]

The sway bar I have for my camaro doesn't fit. It's a helwig bar and the box says "hot formed and heat treated for strength". 4140 Alloy Steel.

To make it fit, I need to bend the first spot where it goes toward the shock out. Then turn the next bend back toward the center. This may move the upper link mount, but I have room for that.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/01/SwayBarHittingShock2-1.jpg

Can you heat the bar to modify the bends. Then let it cool down and still retain the strength needed or will heating it up weaken the bar to much so it won't work?

One guy I knows thinks that since it was heat treated, that if you let it cool down naturally, that it should retain the strength properties.

If I can't make this work....anyone want to buy it off me for a discount?

[jaybee]

Don't do it, it's just like heating a spring in order to lower the car. You take all the temper our of it.

[David Pozzi]

Before you do that, I'd either extend the double shear shock bracket a little to move the shock inboard a bit.
Or can you relocate the bar more to the rear?

Hellwig probably has a straighter version you could swap in.

If you heat it, re-bend it and let it air cool, it will be softer. Not in spring rate, but the yield point where the arms would bend permanently is lowered. What you have there is a heat treated spring, all stretched out.

A second gen Camaro bar will fit, it mounts by hangers, the ends bolt to the spring plates but are not compatable with traction devices. Second gen rears are 1" wider, so the mounts on the spring plates have to be welded in the correct position to fit, they won't just bolt on to the correct position. The bar hangs on links that often get in the way of the exhaust system and a first gen frame does not have the needed threaded inserts for the hangers. The brackets are available from Hellwig however.
I put a second gen bar on my 67 back in the early 70's.
David

[aosborn]

Is there a shop near you that can re-heat treat it after you modify it? Could be a cheap solution.

[JRouche]

Is there a shop near you that can re-heat treat it after you modify it? Could be a cheap solution.

Thats gonna be a tall order. An oven that large is usually dedicated to production work. And unless they know the composition of the material in the bar its just guess work. Heat treating steel is a delicate process. The type of steel is needed. But its a great thought, just too many variables though. And with costs there are some less expensive routes. JR

[David Pozzi]

I've heated and bent a sway bar and seen it done, but hate to recommend it. Oops, maybe I shouldn't have said that! :secret:

[funbnme]

What would be the less expensive options?

I think my shock position is pretty normal for a mini-tubbed car and I know that a lot of guys with mini-tubs care about handling...so what sway bar do people use?

I'm surprised that hellwig doesn't have a bar made for this setup already. Do any of the manufactures have one?

I'd sell the one I have for a nice discount when I find one that will work.

[jpdeuce]

I wonder about a cut and weld on one?

[JRouche]

What would be the less expensive options?

I think my shock position is pretty normal for a mini-tubbed car and I know that a lot of guys with mini-tubs care about handling...so what sway bar do people use?

I'm surprised that hellwig doesn't have a bar made for this setup already. Do any of the manufactures have one?

I'd sell the one I have for a nice discount when I find one that will work.

I will be in your position soon. Once I get all the other work done Ill be shopping for a bar. I need one that will go in front of the axle.

But as far as heating and bending, or welding the SPRING steel, no way. Might as well place a piece of mild steel bar in there. You take out all the properties of the spring steel (annealed) when you heat it up. Heating to bend isnt nearly as bad as welding. You cant weld onto sway bars. The process of welding pulls too much of the carbon out of the surrounding joint and creates a fracture point immediately. Think welding cast iron is difficult to keep together? Think of the sway bar as the same thing. It will pull alot of carbon into the joint. Certain failure.

Now for heating and bending. It will bend, and look good. It wont break, but you just annealed the spring steel, its as stiff as a piece of mild steel at that point. No good as spring steel unless you send it through the entire heat treating process all over again.

Try it with a piece of spring steel, say a simple small coil spring, any size. Heat it cherry red. Let it cool, if slow enough it will bend and stay. Cool it too quick and it will break. JR

[Olav]

I bent a swaybar cold in the press at work. No issues after many years of use.....
Think this is bettet than heating....

[BillyShope]

Olav has the answer.

Ran across a thread in the Grassroots forum which caused my jaw to drop. These guys were talking about welding the working portion of a second stock swaybar onto the original. Say what?? Anyway, they were claiming many miles of hard driving without a problem. Go figure!

http://home.earthlink.net/~whshope
over 130,000 visitors

[JRouche]

I bent a swaybar cold in the press at work. No issues after many years of use.....
Think this is bettet than heating....

Yeah, I have a 50 ton press, It might bend one.. JR

[b-man]

I was talking to Ken Crocie of H-O Racing Enterprises some years back.

He told me the size of the sway bars he was offering at the time was limited to the size that could be bent cold by the outfit he had bending his bars.

He was selling 1-3/8" bars for the GM A-body cars.

The amount of force necessary to bend 1-3/8 solid bar made the bending machine jump off the ground a bit.

He told me when they tried to bend 1-1/2" it broke the bending machine.

[David Pozzi]

Cold bending is good, but is that a hollow bar???

[JRouche]

I was talking to Ken Crocie of H-O Racing Enterprises some years back.

He told me the size of the sway bars he was offering at the time was limited to the size that could be bent cold by the outfit he had bending his bars.

He was selling 1-3/8" bars for the GM A-body cars.

The amount of force necessary to bend 1-3/8 solid bar made the bending machine jump off the ground a bit.

He told me when they tried to bend 1-1/2" it broke the bending machine.

Ohhh, thats scary. I have a friend that has a pretty large 250 ton, twelve foot high press and Ive been around when he is giving it the juice. Scary to say the least, I start stepping back (he is right in front of the ram, has to be) looking for a solid pillar. When that thing starts to grunt its time for me to head to the crapper for a toilet break. But that beast would bend any type of 1.5" bar, no sweat. JR

[chicane67]

I would call up ole Scotty... tell him what you are dealing with and let h8im bend you up a new bar with the modifications to it.

I have had Scott do all my custom bars for 20 years. All he has ever needed was the original piece and some notes/drawing of what you needed done/created.

...And... it was affordable.

[Olav]

quote=David Pozzi;489826]Cold bending is good, but is that a hollow bar???[/quote]

It was a solid bar, but a holllow should not be a problem with using a "matrise" to help it from beeing flat or damaged. It depends on the skil of the person bending it.....:idea:


Olav