Sway Bar Fit from 83 to 59

[303Radar]

Several years ago I had an 83 El Camino and I bought some aftermarket sway bars. The front is about 1.25 inch thick and the rear is 1 inch thick. Shortly after installing them, I realized the frame was sprung and on a salvage title. So I took the sway bars and other parts off and had the car hauled off for scrap.

Now that I'm working on the 59 El Camino, it looks like the sway bars might fit with minimal work. The rear looks like I might need a couple of shims inside the rear control arms. The front control arms look like I could drill a hole in each and use a shorter mount.

The questions are:
1 - Anyone done this before?
2 - Is it as easy as I think it is.

I'll get some pictures in a week or so.
Thanks!

 

[rwagon57]

I'm probably the wrong guy to answer since I have no experience with the X-frame cars, but as hotrodders that is the kind of stuff we do. I am building a '55 Chevy PU with an aftermarket MII front suspension and the trailing arm coil over suspension from a mid-60s Chevy PU. I am using a 1-inch rear sway bar from an A-body (similar to your G-body '83) and am looking for the right front sway bar, which ultimately may be adapting an A-body front bar. With the tools most of us have (welder, drills, saws, torches, etc.) it can be made to work. The trick is taking the time to think it through and make sure it works as planned and intended.

Go for it

 

[Bam59]

hi,,,i to have a 59 and put a 1 in dia. front bar on with stock power steering and it it very close to the box. i do not think a 1.250 will fit. the years are 58-64. the job was harder because i did it the driveway (not again). i do not think it would be a good idea to CUT or WELD on a sway bar. just my 2 cents.
mike

 

[jwhotrod]

sway bar question

As said above I do not know about the X Frame cars in particular, but in setting up streetrod suspensions we have always benn taught that the rear bar should always be bigger diameter than the front (stiffer) and that if you had a "choice" to do only one, the rear bar is far more important than the front bar. My 34 chevy coupe has a 1" rear bar (chassis engineering) with the rearend sprung on the original leafs, and a 76 nova subframe in front, no bar. Ther car steers extreamly flat thru curves and fun to drive and more than 200k miles on it. So if I had a 1" bar and a 1-1/4" bar, i would put the larger bar in back and the smaller bar up front.

Big Jim

 

[Brian Thompson]

As said above I do not know about the X Frame cars in particular, but in setting up streetrod suspensions we have always benn taught that the rear bar should always be bigger diameter than the front (stiffer) and that if you had a "choice" to do only one, the rear bar is far more important than the front bar. My 34 chevy coupe has a 1" rear bar (chassis engineering) with the rearend sprung on the original leafs, and a 76 nova subframe in front, no bar. Ther car steers extreamly flat thru curves and fun to drive and more than 200k miles on it. So if I had a 1" bar and a 1-1/4" bar, i would put the larger bar in back and the smaller bar up front.

Big Jim

I think you have it reversed... The front should be larger than the rear. With the front larger, the rear can roll a little more into the turn and point the front end where you want to go. If the rear is stiffer than the front, the frontend will just plow into the turn causing the car to not to turn as easily.

 

[jwhotrod]

Reply

Well, like I said we've setup quite a few cars this way and I have never had one push or not want to track. So, I dont know, and I'll be the first to say I dont road race or anything it is just what we do, and up and down mountains, etc. the car is very predictable and well manered. You may be correct, I just do't know. I have been thru Deals Gap (the dragon's tail) with the car 3 times and if it was going to push it would have done it there.

search for Deal's Gap on the net, it is 318 turns in 11 miles on US 129 between Tennessee and north Carolina. COOL ROAD.

Big jim

 

[hogmotors]

Is that the road that goes east from Fontana? That's got to be the wiggleyst sumbi** in the country!!
From my recollection, much over 1" is TOO much but try it & see . Yes, you may have to shim it away from the frame to clear if the bar is straight(I remember the "A" body bars having the "dip" in the center-@ least the 64-72's.
Ya gotta do sumpin to stop that wallerin!!

 

[Kdurgin]

Front springs are always stiffer than the rear. The front is heavier than the rear. Front bar should be heavier than the rear. MANY vehicles only even have the front bar period. The odds of using the different application bar and having it clear everything, with the correct frame horn to frame horn distance, eye to eye width and work is slim. It should be very easy to put it up in place temporarily to check though. Good luck.

 

[threeimpalas]

Stiffer (larger) bar in front = understeer.
Stiffer (larger) bar in back = oversteer.

Understeer is the safer condition and the one that you want to occur when cornering.

 

[303Radar]

As promised, photos at least of the front

Here are some pics of the front sway bar. Minus drilling holes in the lower control arms, I think these will fit.

I did take a new mesurement and the front is 1 3/8" but the rear is still only 1"

I did a test fit of the rear. I'll need to change the angle of the lower control arms to match the angle of the mounting points of sway bar. I'd rather apply the heat to the mounting brackets when I relocate rather than apply heat and weaken the sway bar.

Thanks for the input. Because I bought this as part of a kit, I'm sure someone put thought into the "balance" of the handling. I figure I can always put these in and take them out if I don't like it.

 

[boxerdog]

That looks like a much better fit than I would have guessed, like it would work easily with the stock or Addco lower mounting tabs...and it doesn't crash into the steering box????

 

[303Radar]

That looks like a much better fit than I would have guessed, like it would work easily with the stock or Addco lower mounting tabs...and it doesn't crash into the steering box????

So far it looks like it will clear the steering box. In the next month'ish I'm going to build a stand to hold the body off the frame. This'll give me a better chance to take some better measurements but you're right, this seems to fit well.

I'm contemplating 2" drop spindles with a disc brake kit. I'll wait until then to fit the bar to the frame.

Thanks for the ideas and input. Once I get this mounted, I'll post more pics.
Ragan