Early A Body Sway Bars

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stop the beast

stop the beast

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Okay, maybe I'm terrible are researching this but I can't but a single rear sway bar for my '66 Dart.

The only one I know of so far that will fit is a 7/8" Hellwig adjustable, p/n 6907 which Dave from Hellwig said will fit.

Does anyone else know of any part numbers that will fit the rear of a '66 Dart?

Another question - if you have experience with installing one will I need different mounts or u-bolts if I eventually upgrade to a 3" diamter axle housing as opposed to my current 2.5"?

Thanks a lot!
 
Walt Jackson said:
The best sway bars, front and rear, by far are made by Firm Feel:

http://www.firmfeel.com/swaybars_a.htm

--Walt Jackson
Click to expand...

Thanks, Walt - there mounting hardware looks much sturdier than other kits I've seen. Like most things in life, I'm sure you get what you pay for.

FFI only list an a-body part, encompassing '62 to '76 for the rear. Does this stand true for most other manufacturers that mount the bar to the frame in the rear?
 
I havent found anyone with a firm feel front bar that can take pictures, as im curious how it mounts to the early a's...if its that much improved over the others i would pay the price and get one
 
You can also round up a factory one......from the '76 Police car! :)
Thanks, Mark
 
Stock bar is ~7/8". Addco #751 is 1.125" - - ~ $160 at summit / jegs.

I welded the tab onto mine. We're good set up. Its a little funky to get the brakets welded to the K frame properly. They are on a compound angle.

I don't know now the firmfeel ones install at the K frame.

p1010017.jpg


p2050016.jpg


p8150010.jpg


kframe.JPG


rfsus2.jpg
 
swing69 said:
Stock bar is ~7/8". Addco #751 is 1.125" - - ~ $160 at summit / jegs.

I welded the tab onto mine. We're good set up. Its a little funky to get the brakets welded to the K frame properly. They are on a compound angle.

I don't know now the firmfeel ones install at the K frame.
Click to expand...
I don't like the looks of some the link angles. If the link shaft diameters are big enough, I guess they'll work ok but I've taken off some aftermarket bars where the links were "Z" shaped instead of straight. Does anyone make a bar where the links are lined up correctly and have a straight push/pull?
Thanks, Mark
 
Mark, if you take a look at stock A body welded sway bar tabs, they are at an angle too. They are not vertical. Why? I dont' know....but they are...
 
If someone has pics of the firm feel mounted on their early a, ill be your best friend :)
 
Attaches to the control arm very similar to the others. Mopar didn't give us much to work with on vehicles w/o sway bar tabs which are the majority of the 64-66's. We do make the end link about 2" longer than the competition to reduce wear and tear on the bushings by orienting the L bracket upward. Also the end link bolt is a 7/16" diameter Grade 8 bolt which is very stout. Most of the aftermarket kits use a 5/16 or 3/8" grade 5 bolt. That's about all we can do w/o welding on the control arm.

384424733.jpg
 
It will be a tubular 1-1/8 " diameter. The bar weighs about 9 lb as it is hollow. Cost will be about $225 at the usual retailers. The rear bar is already out - p/n 6907. If you do a search on our rear bars, you can see the writeup by Redfish.
 
Dave@Hellwig said:
It will be a tubular 1-1/8 " diameter. The bar weighs about 9 lb as it is hollow. Cost will be about $225 at the usual retailers. The rear bar is already out - p/n 6907. If you do a search on our rear bars, you can see the writeup by Redfish.
Click to expand...

YES!!! :cheers:
 
Dave, that bar looks sweet.
Wish I was closer (socal) or I would want to drive up and see the bar mounted in person
:)
 
swing69 said:
Mark, if you take a look at stock A body welded sway bar tabs, they are at an angle too. They are not vertical. Why? I dont' know....but they are...
Click to expand...
I didn't mean they had to be perfectly straight up and down and right and left (plumb?) but the stock setup doesn't have a problem bending the link bolts like the aftermarket ones I've seen. The stock bar pushes reasonably straight throughout the suspension travel to keep that from happening. The new setup that Dave posted has better angles and geometry than the one that Swing69 posted but they're still at a more severe angle right/left than a stock setup. I can't tell the front/rear angle for Dave's but Swing69's is the opposite angle of a stock one which is angled forward at the top....not back at the top. Time and track tests will tell the story on performance and longevity. I hope Dave's works out. I like the looks of the fit on the K-member. Is there a version that uses the stock sway-bar type control arms?
Thanks, Mark
 
The sway bar will fit with stock sway bar tabs. Most people don't have them so we provide an option for those that don't want to weld. We use a 7/16" Grade 8 bolt in the end link and make the end link 2" longer so that we put less stress on the bushings. The 7/16" grade 8 bolt is larger and stronger than the grade 5 5/16 or 3/8" bolts you normally see in aftermarket kits.
 
I took a look at the stock tabbed LCAs. The flat that takes the rubber bushing is angled downwards, a few degrees. That should tell you the pict. of the addco bar ends are in about the right place, ahead of the stock LCA tabs. The problem is the bolt on LCA tab is at a 90 deg. angle, straight down.

If the tab were like and L, the angle would be ~ ~ 95 degrees. That puts the endlink on a 5 deg. tilt, forward.
 
I very much liike the look of the Hellwig bar on the front K frame mounts. The angle bracket is similar to the addco type. The addco bar, where is meets the K frame sucks. Its awkward, and I believe needs to be a weldment rather than a bolt up.
 
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