67 Barracuda Front Sway Bar

[soonercruiser]

Since I drive my 67 Notchback to shows and around, I am getting a little tired of the front end sway around curves.
NO SWAY BAR.
Most of the videos I see on youtube are for other vehicles; not for a 67 A Body.
(Althought they do have some good tips on solving small problems.)
Since the difference in price is negligable, I'm considering a QA1 sway bar.

Any problems to look for? Any special considerations? Front wheels have 4 inch back spacing.

 

[Oldmanmopar]

What you are looking for is a stabilizer bar for the front. Or a sway bar for the rear. Yes they did have a stabilizer bar on 1967 Baracuda Formula S cars. You will need the lower control arms with stabilizer tabs and the stabiliser bar. First picture is the front stabilizer bar for your car. The second is a rear sway bar

 

[junkyardhero]

QA1 doesn't sell a swaybar for your set up-- unless you have a QA1 coil over conversion or a QA1 K member.

step one: what K member do you have
step two: what lower control arms do you have
step three: what brakes do you have (73~76? are the calipers front or back)

don't guess. confirm what you have.

once you've ascertained that, then you can set about finding a bar that will work with the components you have.

 

[soonercruiser]

I believe the K members should be stock for 67 Barracuda.
Now, we did replace the lower control arms when we installed the Wilwood front disc brake setup.
The spindles turned out to be from a 70 Volare.

As I have just begun to address the swaying issue, I did run her up the ramps to confirm I do not have a sway bar.
And, there is one mounting hole already on the lower control arms; for what I am not sure.
Anybody got a picture of where that mounting hole would be on the lower control arm for my 67 Barracuda?

 

[junkyardhero]

I believe the K members should be stock for 67 Barracuda.
Now, we did replace the lower control arms when we installed the Wilwood front disc brake setup.
The spindles turned out to be from a 70 Volare.

As I have just begun to address the swaying issue, I did run her up the ramps to confirm I do not have a sway bar.
And, there is one mounting hole already on the lower control arms; for what I am not sure.
Anybody got a picture of where that mounting hole would be on the lower control arm for my 67 Barracuda?

verify, verify, verify.

car is 58 years old, who know what's been swapped.

the spindles aren't from a 70 volare. they can't be, because they didn't make a volare in 70.

take a picture of what's on there and we can tell you what you've got; and likely what bar you'll need.

 

[soonercruiser]

verify, verify, verify.

car is 58 years old, who know what's been swapped.

the spindles aren't from a 70 volare. they can't be, because they didn't make a volare in 70.

take a picture of what's on there and we can tell you what you've got; and likely what bar you'll need.

I probably have the year wrong.
But, after many tries, the spindles were identified (and remembered by the owner's son) as being from a Volare.

 

[junkyardhero]

I probably have the year wrong.
But, after many tries, the spindles were identified (and remembered by the owner's son) as being from a Volare.

yeah, i remember your whole rigamarole with the spindles.

 

[harrisonm]

Since I drive my 67 Notchback to shows and around, I am getting a little tired of the front end sway around curves.
NO SWAY BAR.
Most of the videos I see on youtube are for other vehicles; not for a 67 A Body.
(Althought they do have some good tips on solving small problems.)
Since the difference in price is negligable, I'm considering a QA1 sway bar.

Any problems to look for? Any special considerations? Front wheels have 4 inch back spacing.

I was in the same boat until about 15 (or so) years ago. My 69 Barracuda FB has a 375HP 340 in it with a 4 speed and a 3.55 rear end. It was a lot of fun to drive except for the way it wallowed around corners and traffic circles. I put a Hotchkis front sway bar on it and the transformation was AMAZING! It will require a bit of welding, but I easily did it in one afternoon. You will NOT regret it. Huge improvement.

 

[matthon]

Unlike later cars, the early cars have a different 'path' for the sway bar.
I went from a stock sway bar on my 67, to Hotchkis.
Imo, it doesn't really matter what aftermarket swaybar one uses, or LCAs, the end links will not line up to the LCA swaybar tabs, for the perfect vertical end link setup.
Welding tabs on, or relocating existing, will get you there.

Unless it is a stock 67 swaybar with brackets, bolt the brackets on the swaybar first, and modify them to fit the k-frame.
DO NOT just bolt swaybar brackets to the k-frame, tighten them down, and bolt on the swaybar.

Hotchkis rear swaybar bolted on no problemo.

On another note, I went from a completely rebuilt stock suspension to QA1 UCA/LCA/Strut rods, PST manual steering box, retained the stock front swaybar.
Just doing that was a gigantic improvement in handling and the car went straight as an arrow down the road.

Check here, page 4, I posted a bunch of pics: Hotchkis TVS with QA1 lower control arms

 

[mvh]

The Hellwig hollow front sway bar is a good kit. You do NOT need to weld on tabs to the lower control arms. The hollow bar is lighter than the solid bars sold by other vendors. I would warn you against the less expensive ADDCO front sway bar kit — the alignment of the end links is poor, and the brackets are inadequate for the loads experienced.

Don't worry about a rear sway bar until you have tried a front bar. It will probably be all you need.

 

[cudamark]

I second the Hellwig choice.

 

[MidnightSwinger]

Another vote for Hellwig, got one on my 67. It was a ***** to get lined up with my aftermarket adjustable strut rods, but a great upgrade.

 

[66fs]

Since I drive my 67 Notchback to shows and around, I am getting a little tired of the front end sway around curves.
NO SWAY BAR.
Most of the videos I see on youtube are for other vehicles; not for a 67 A Body.
(Althought they do have some good tips on solving small problems.)
Since the difference in price is negligable, I'm considering a QA1 sway bar.

Any problems to look for? Any special considerations? Front wheels have 4 inch back spacing.

Can you post pictures of your lower control arms and K frame? Here are pictures of a factory 67-72 A-Body 7/8 sway bar. The K Frame mounts are aftermarket and you would need original 65-72 lower control arms with the factory tabs for a sway bar. Or there are aftermarket tabs that can be welded onto the lower control arms. Night and day difference with just a factory front sway bar.

[SOLD] - Front sway bar A-Body 67 to 72

Front sway bar A-Body 67 to 72. Aftermarket mounts with factory 7/8 bar, K-Frame not included. $120 + shipping

www.forabodiesonly.com

 

[72bluNblu]

Something else to note is that Hellwig makes 2 different front sway bars for the 67-72 cars, the #5906 and the #55917. The 5906 can use the factory 67-72 mounting location on the LCA's or be bolted to the shock mounts (with a less than ideal end link angle, as shown above), but it limits front tire clearance to less than 245. Which really isn't an issue if you're sticking with 15" front wheels because of other limitations that will keep you from running 245's on those anyway. But if you're planning for 17" or larger wheels and wider front tires, you will need the #55917, which uses a similar end link tab location as the 73+ cars (further inboard).

The Hotchkis front sway bar also uses the further inboard mounting location and comes with tabs to weld on, and doesn't/can't use the factory mounting tab location for 67-72.

 

[mvh]

Well, the OP doesn't have a factory sway bar so we know he doesn't have the factory sway bar tabs on the LCAs. So that is not an issue. I was assuming 14" wheels and stock suspension since he didn't state otherwise.

 

[Fast340cuda]

Something else to note is that Hellwig makes 2 different front sway bars for the 67-72 cars, the #5906 and the #55917. The 5906 can use the factory 67-72 mounting location on the LCA's or be bolted to the shock mounts (with a less than ideal end link angle, as shown above), but it limits front tire clearance to less than 245. Which really isn't an issue if you're sticking with 15" front wheels because of other limitations that will keep you from running 245's on those anyway. But if you're planning for 17" or larger wheels and wider front tires, you will need the #55917, which uses a similar end link tab location as the 73+ cars (further inboard).

The Hotchkis front sway bar also uses the further inboard mounting location and comes with tabs to weld on, and doesn't/can't use the factory mounting tab location for 67-72.

For reference, I am running the hellwig 5906 on my 68 formula S with 245’s up front with no clearance issues.

 

[junkyardhero]

Well, the OP doesn't have a factory sway bar so we know he doesn't have the factory sway bar tabs on the LCAs. So that is not an issue. I was assuming 14" wheels and stock suspension since he didn't state otherwise.

i assume nothing!

it's an old car and people do dumb **** all the time.

"this car handles like crap with the ridiculously high air pressure in the tires, it must be the swaybar!"
*tosses bar into the bin*

 

[soonercruiser]

The Hellwig hollow front sway bar is a good kit. You do NOT need to weld on tabs to the lower control arms. The hollow bar is lighter than the solid bars sold by other vendors. I would warn you against the less expensive ADDCO front sway bar kit — the alignment of the end links is poor, and the brackets are inadequate for the loads experienced.

Don't worry about a rear sway bar until you have tried a front bar. It will probably be all you need.

mvh,

Do you have a personal experience with the Hellwig bar?
I have seen several YouTube videos where the front sway bar end links do not align straight; as well as having to drill holes/or weld to the cross member. That I'd like to avoid.

 

[junkyardhero]

mvh,

Do you have a personal experience with the Hellwig bar?
I have seen several YouTube videos where the front sway bar end links do not align straight; as well as having to drill holes/or weld to the cross member. That I'd like to avoid.

if your car didn't originally have a swaybar you're *likely* going to have to drill holes for the bar mounts. it's fairly low lift.

however if you want straight down links, then you're going to need weld the tabs for the end link pick ups, none of the bolt on ones as configured do so. or get 67~72 arms with tabs.

 

[72bluNblu]

Well, the OP doesn't have a factory sway bar so we know he doesn't have the factory sway bar tabs on the LCAs. So that is not an issue. I was assuming 14" wheels and stock suspension since he didn't state otherwise.

He actually has LCA's off a 73+ car from what I recall from his brake conversion thread. I don't think he's got LCA tabs anyway but assuming anything is a stretch. As I recall he's currently running 14's or 15's but I did too before I went to 18's, a little knowledge doesn't hurt.

For reference, I am running the hellwig 5906 on my 68 formula S with 245’s up front with no clearance issues. View attachment 1716358759View attachment 1716358760

That's fortunate for you, but it is backspace dependent and at only 24.8" tall those are some pretty short tires. Running a tire that's more than 25" tall like most folks prefer would also reduce the clearance to the bar. Typically the 245 mark is where clearance issues with the stock 67-72 sway bars start.

The #55917 bar exists because a FABO member with a Barracuda wanted to run 245's up front and had clearance issues, so he worked directly with Hellwig to get the 55917 bar made, and that bar will allow for up to 5.75" of backspace on an 18" wheel. Which still probably isn't enough to get 275's or better up front like you can do with the 73+ style sway bars.

mvh,

Do you have a personal experience with the Hellwig bar?
I have seen several YouTube videos where the front sway bar end links do not align straight; as well as having to drill holes/or weld to the cross member. That I'd like to avoid.

The bolt on tabs don't really line up with the ends of the sway bars. They're a band aid for folks that have LCA's without factory tabs and that can't or don't want to have the tabs welded on in the proper location. Using the hole for the shock mount is easier, but it just doesn't put the tab in the proper location for the bar so the end links end up at an angle.

To echo @junkyardhero, if your car didn't have a sway bar before then you're almost certainly going to have to drill some holes (at the minimum) to get a sway bar mounted on your car. And the better aftermarket sway bars generally want the end link tabs welded onto the LCA's, although the Hellwig at least has the provision to bolt them on.

 

[harrisonm]

Unlike later cars, the early cars have a different 'path' for the sway bar.
I went from a stock sway bar on my 67, to Hotchkis.
Imo, it doesn't really matter what aftermarket swaybar one uses, or LCAs, the end links will not line up to the LCA swaybar tabs, for the perfect vertical end link setup.
Welding tabs on, or relocating existing, will get you there.

Unless it is a stock 67 swaybar with brackets, bolt the brackets on the swaybar first, and modify them to fit the k-frame.
DO NOT just bolt swaybar brackets to the k-frame, tighten them down, and bolt on the swaybar.

Hotchkis rear swaybar bolted on no problemo.

On another note, I went from a completely rebuilt stock suspension to QA1 UCA/LCA/Strut rods, PST manual steering box, retained the stock front swaybar.
Just doing that was a gigantic improvement in handling and the car went straight as an arrow down the road.

Check here, page 4, I posted a bunch of pics: Hotchkis TVS with QA1 lower control arms

Whatever happened to the problems you were having with the Passon 5 speed?

 

[matthon]

Whatever happened to the problems you were having with the Passon 5 speed?

Short version, very short, after 1 year, 3 attempts for them to fix, dealing with 3 different clowns, being ghosted, sending an intent to sue letter, I finally got my money back.

The final result: the A855 is no longer available.

 

[soonercruiser]

Something else to note is that Hellwig makes 2 different front sway bars for the 67-72 cars, the #5906 and the #55917. The 5906 can use the factory 67-72 mounting location on the LCA's or be bolted to the shock mounts (with a less than ideal end link angle, as shown above), but it limits front tire clearance to less than 245. Which really isn't an issue if you're sticking with 15" front wheels because of other limitations that will keep you from running 245's on those anyway. But if you're planning for 17" or larger wheels and wider front tires, you will need the #55917, which uses a similar end link tab location as the 73+ cars (further inboard).

The Hotchkis front sway bar also uses the further inboard mounting location and comes with tabs to weld on, and doesn't/can't use the factory mounting tab location for 67-72.

Good info - Thanks!
I was figuring that the 5906 would be the correct one for me.

 

[soonercruiser]

He actually has LCA's off a 73+ car from what I recall from his brake conversion thread. I don't think he's got LCA tabs anyway but assuming anything is a stretch. As I recall he's currently running 14's or 15's but I did too before I went to 18's, a little knowledge doesn't hurt.


That's fortunate for you, but it is backspace dependent and at only 24.8" tall those are some pretty short tires. Running a tire that's more than 25" tall like most folks prefer would also reduce the clearance to the bar. Typically the 245 mark is where clearance issues with the stock 67-72 sway bars start.

The #55917 bar exists because a FABO member with a Barracuda wanted to run 245's up front and had clearance issues, so he worked directly with Hellwig to get the 55917 bar made, and that bar will allow for up to 5.75" of backspace on an 18" wheel. Which still probably isn't enough to get 275's or better up front like you can do with the 73+ style sway bars.



The bolt on tabs don't really line up with the ends of the sway bars. They're a band aid for folks that have LCA's without factory tabs and that can't or don't want to have the tabs welded on in the proper location. Using the hole for the shock mount is easier, but it just doesn't put the tab in the proper location for the bar so the end links end up at an angle.

To echo @junkyardhero, if your car didn't have a sway bar before then you're almost certainly going to have to drill some holes (at the minimum) to get a sway bar mounted on your car. And the better aftermarket sway bars generally want the end link tabs welded onto the LCA's, although the Hellwig at least has the provision to bolt them on.

Yes, thanks!
I'm running 215/70 R14s up front. 225s on the rear.
So, I'll likely be using the Hellwig 5906 bar.

 

[soonercruiser]

Thanks again for all the input.
I'll post pictures when I do install.