G-body rear sway bar, which one actually works? The Hellwig one doesn't.

[83hurstguy]

I've had my car apart for the better part of the year, and one item I've been trying to install is the Hellwig 55809 rear sway bar. The first issue is the end links... I've cut out about 2-1/2" so far to get the bar to sit level, and there's still have another 1/2" to go! Here's a picture of that process...

I knew before bolting it up that the bar was going to be really tight to the stock cover (and I have installed an LPW cover), so I fabricated some 3/8" thick aluminum spacers to lower the sway bar to add some clearance. Now that I have it on the car, the Hellwig bar hits my LPW cover after only 1-1/8" of rear suspension bump travel. The sway bar and brackets are installed level to the car to optimize sway bar efficiency, as it should be for proper installation. Here's two pictures at ride height... sorry for the poor lighting, it's dark out by the time I get out to the garage.


All Hellwig had to do was add another 1/2" to 3/4" of rear offset on the bar and this wouldn't be an issue. I'd gladly pay a few more bucks for a bar that actually FIT the car, instead of spending $200 on a pile of scrap. This thing would be really close on a stock rear end cover too.

Here's the questions. Does anyone else have any experience with this issue? I don't want to swing the mounts backwards by 10* to make it work, as it looks terrible and will mess up link angles for the stiffest bar setting. I'm ready to buy a new rear bar from another company, but don't seem to be having much luck... my car isn't THAT lowered, it has Eibach springs and still uses stock length rear shocks with no bottoming. It rides great!

Spohn: bar only offered in 7/8" diameter (I'd prefer 1")

UMI: seems promising, but this picture below from their website (with their swaybar installed on their Monte test car) shows the characteristic issue of having too long of an end link, where the bar is pointing nose down at the ground. At $400, I wouldn't want to trim end links or buy custom ones...



DSE: another fair option. End link lengths aren't adjustable, and seeing some feedback that they hit the support covers on turbobuick... (http://turbobuick.com/forums/threads...upport.410501/)

ridetech: Still using the old school design of attaching to lower control arms.

HR Parts N Stuff: Drag bar (1.25" diameter) only.

Speedtech: Won't work, talked to Ben a while ago about it.

I never thought buying a rear sway bar just to fit my car would be so challenging. I could probably have designed my own and already have it on the car for the time I've wasted on this project... are there other options out there I am missing? Has anybody had luck with the DSE bar on a lowered car and support cover? Same with the UMI? I don't want to start playing a $400 guessing game.



Thanks for any help.