Sway Bar Question, Seems too wide

[NovaPwr]

Guys, got around to trimming those ST LCA's and they were an easy fix. I did receive an e-mail from Todd at Speed Tech yesterday offering to take the bars back and do whatever it took to make them work properly. Just wanted to make everyone aware he did get back with me finally and would have taken care of my clearance issue. The sway bar which was on this car and measures 1 1/8" seems too wide to attatch to the end links properly. How should the end links look when they are installed properly? When I get mine bolted up and tighten the nut to squish the poly bushings a bit, the top on each side is leaning to the outside of the car a lot. Where it mounts to the control arm is way in. Should that be straight up and down when viewed from the front of the car? I will send a picture. What should a 72 Nova/1st Gen Camaro sway bar measure center of eye to eye? Maybe someone used one too wide. Don't know enough about this stuff so that is why I am asking. Thanks
Dave

[NovaPwr]

Can't get the picture to load. Will try later if it's needed.


Guys, got around to trimming those ST LCA's and they were an easy fix. I did receive an e-mail from Todd at Speed Tech yesterday offering to take the arms back and do whatever it took to make them work properly. Just wanted to make everyone aware he did get back with me finally and would have taken care of my clearance issue. The sway bar which was on this car and measures 1 1/8" seems too wide to attatch to the end links properly. How should the end links look when they are installed properly? When I get mine bolted up and tighten the nut to squish the poly bushings a bit, the top on each side is leaning to the outside of the car a lot. Where it mounts to the control arm is way in. Should that be straight up and down when viewed from the front of the car? I will send a picture. What should a 72 Nova/1st Gen Camaro sway bar measure center of eye to eye? Maybe someone used one too wide. Don't know enough about this stuff so that is why I am asking. Thanks
Dave

[David Pozzi]

When you put weight on the suspension the bar links will be almost straight. When the A arms are hanging the links will be angled due to the arc the lower A arms swing in.

Sometimes you have to trim the antiroll bar link sleeves slightly to get the bar eyes to sit close to level. You dont want the end links to bind when the car is on it's wheels. You shouldn't trim them too short though or they will not have enough swing left to right and bind from that.

[NovaPwr]

When you put weight on the suspension the bar links will be almost straight. When the A arms are hanging the links will be angled due to the arc the lower A arms swing in.

Sometimes you have to trim the antiroll bar link sleeves slightly to get the bar eyes to sit close to level. You dont want the end links to bind when the car is on it's wheels. You shouldn't trim them too short though or they will not have enough swing left to right and bind from that.

David, here are a couple pics of how things look right now. I have the weight of the car on the suspension. The steering arm nut hits the sway bar when the wheel turns. And you can see the angle of the end links here. Also to get the ride height even from the wheel lip to the center of the spindle, the pass. side spanner nut had to be ran up about 1 3/4" more than the drivers side. Coils are in the pocket correctly. Weight is on the suspension. Does anything ever work like it's supposed to? lol

[jeffandre]

I would say the bar needs to be bent some more, or replaced? The end links look way off. Was the bar built that wide to clear some other part? My bar is shaped the same as the frame on my 71 Camaro to give maximum clearance, and my tires do rub it when I turn all the way, so I will adjust something else or replace the bar with a different model to reduce the steering radius a bit more. I currently have the same steering radius as a 3rd Gen F-body, so I could probably live with it as is. Good luck,

[David Pozzi]

The eye to eye dimension should be 46.75".
Who makes that bar???
I'd either have that bar bent inward or get a new one. If you try to bend it, do it cold so the heat treat won't be lost. I think even if you bend in the arms, the middle part of the arm may still stick out too much, I'd get a new bar.