C H E A P Front sway bar idea: This is what I did.

[Kern Dog]

I had an 1 1/8" Addco front sway bar in my 70 Charger, but I wanted more roll control. The only vendor that offers a 1 1/4" front sway bar is Firm Feel, but the price was a little more that I wanted to pay. Besides, I like doing things on the cheap when I can.
I bought a 1 1/4" front sway bar from the junkyard. It came from a mid 80s GM 1 ton 2wd truck. I laid the Addco bar atop the GM bar and cut off the excess material. After tapering the ends and drilling the mounting holes, Its in the car. I spent $33 for the bar, $20 for the bushings and $17 worth of beer to a guy that drilled the holes. $70 for this upgrade versus $300+ for the new one. Pretty cool!

[Fred]

We need pics.........

[68X426]

Did you get the roll control you wanted - or - does it handle like a 1 ton GM ?

[tan top]

     

[Cooter]

Working on a rear sway bar from a Ford Exploder for the Challenger as well...VERY nice, but like mentioned, I need pics.

[Ghoste]

Yes, yes, pics and real life useage report.

[elacruze]

Did you get the roll control you wanted - or - does it handle like a 1 ton GM ?

Have you ever driven a 1 ton GM *without* that sway bar? I have and it's a bit scary. 

Photos!

[c00nhunterjoe]

Working on a rear sway bar from a Ford Exploder for the Challenger as well...VERY nice, but like mentioned, I need pics.

And I need pics of this too

[Kern Dog]

Here we go....
The bottom bar is a stock 74 Duster unit. it measures 7/8" and is similar to the stock sized 70 Charger bar.
The middle is the Addco bar. it measures 1 1/8"
The top one is another GM bar that I am using in a Duster. It measures 1 1/4"

[Kern Dog]

Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of the GM bar before modifying it. THIS shot sorta shows how it was formed before any work.

[Kern Dog]

I took a DeWalt grinder to the ends to taper them, then had  a shop drill the 7/16" holes. I radiused them at home with a deburring bit in the drill.

[Kern Dog]

Fitting the thicker bar through the K member wasn't easy. I had to have the car up pretty high. Once in there, it fit nicely.

[Kern Dog]

I used 1/2" thick aluminum plate stock for mounting brackets at the k member. The Zerk fittings should reduce the squeaks.

[Kern Dog]

Another shot.

[Kern Dog]

Last one.

[mpdlawdog]

 ......nice work...

[ChargerST]

Very clever! how did u find out that the GM would fit?

[tan top]

nice Work   

[68X426]

That rocks. 

[Kern Dog]

Very clever! how did u find out that the GM would fit?

I HAD an '84 Chevy truck from 1993 to 2002. It was a half ton with a 1 ton sway bar and a trailer package rear bar. I was changing the oil and noticed that the shape looked similar to the one in my Charger. I took measurements and went from there.
I made one of these for my car several years ago. My efforts back then were a little crude though.  I cut one side a little shorter than the other, and I figured that it might result in some inconsistancies in the slalom. This one measures 10 1/2" on each side.

[Fred]

Two thumbs up. 

[Kern Dog]

Thanks guys!
The install is complete and I'm happy to report that the car feels great. I installed the 7/8" rear sway bar with poly bushings too. The rear stays planted in the turns and simply follows the front with no drama... unless I lean on the loud pedal. It corners flat and neutral just as I had hoped. I don't know what the cars limits are at this point. When a car UNDERsteers, you simply back off of the throttle until the front grip improves. With OVERsteer, you lift the throttle and coast or stay in it and countersteer. With a neutrally balanced car, I suppose you keep incresing speed until you run out of road?? Who knows. I don't have the stones to push the car like that on a public street. I'll have to run it on a closed course and report back. Thanks again, Greg.

[Big Sugar]

Wow.   Pretty creative.       



Ron

[Ghoste]

Good work! 

[Steve P.]

Did you get the roll control you wanted - or - does it handle like a 1 ton GM ?

My bet is that the ride just became very tough.. Car -VS- truck is a big difference. Not just weight, but also center of gravity control.. That may sound odd, but it has to do with heat treatment... I watched a show on it long ago.. Something that looks so simple actually has a shitload of science in it...

Have you driven it on a crappy road yet or just smooth?

Looks great under there. Nice job....