Dusteriffic
Stink finger
Anyone know how rare a factory rear sway bar is for an A-body? What size were they? I've heard they were only on cop cars and such. Anyone have one? Just curious.
Factory Rear Sway Bar...how rare?
- Thread starter Dusteriffic
- Start date
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7demon2
Registered User #1824
to my knowledge they never made it on a bodies. the rear swaybars made their first apperance on the f bodies. volare's and aspens and such. i do believe the same swaybar from those cars will work on them though. i'll check into it and see if i can find any further info on it.
7demon2
Registered User #1824
as i had suspected. the rear sway bar didn't appear in the a body platform. the rear swaybar did appear in the f bodies but not until 78. i haven't seen a size yet but i would guess 7/8 inch bar would be about right. i'll post more info as i get it, or find it for that matter........
mikedevore
Well-Known Member
I believe there was a Police pkg. on the 1974,75 Darts & Valiants that used a rear sway bar. I thought I had read it somewhere. I think the size was 3/4 in. I'm not sure about this.
Dusteriffic
Stink finger
7demon2 said:
Thanks Demon. Actually, I picked one up yesterday at the Mopar Spring Fling here in SoCal. The guy said his dad pulled it from a '75 A-body, but I was a little suspicious since he didn't really seem to be that knowledgable about cars even in general. Anyway, at $20 for the bar/frame anchors/bushings/endlinks, I decided to take a chance. When I got it home, I laid it up under my Duster and it looks like a direct bolt in. The frame anchors fit and the endlinks line up perfectly with the springs. Now I just need to find the end link supports that bolt to the spring perches. You were right about the bar diameter at 7/8".
I was able to verify today that a rear bar was available for at least 1976 A-bodys (part# 3845 856). Most of the attaching hardware was listed as "police only". There was no Aspen/Volare part# listed, so you may be right about no availablity until later years.
Feel free to post more info if you get it.
7demon2
Registered User #1824
good catch dusteriffic! i have done some more digging and this is what i came up with. dodge and plymouth for it's final year in a bodies offered a special police only package for the 4 doors. with production code A38. The A38 Dart had the highest-specification components and systems from front to back; suspension (with a rear sway bar), brakes, cooling, electrical, and powertrain systems were all maximum-duty. The engine was Chrysler's 360 in³ V8, with an A727 TorqueFlite transmission. Production totals were low, with most A38 Darts were sent to the Los Angeles Police Department and the Ventura Police Department in Southern California. so technically the a bodies did have a rear swaybar option, but it was only for police use and never offered to the public. the f bodies got theirs in 1978. this bar will fit the a bodies as well. i suspect it is the same bar as the 1976 police bar just with a different part number on it.
Dusteriffic
Stink finger
autoxcuda said:
Auto, I knew there weren't too many of them around and heard they were police-only issue. I almost didn't take it because he wasn't a car guy and didn't really seem too sure of what he was talking about. I also didn't know the eye-to-eye measurements of a B, E, or A unit to verify what it was. But, for only 20 bongos, I was willing to take a chance. It doesn't happen to me often, but I guess I was in the right place at the right time talking to the right guy, with the right money in my pocket.
Anyone got some end-link mounts??? Will any other mounts interchange?? Help a lucky brutha out please.
C130 Chief
Mechanical Genius
As for rarity, it's a no-brainer that OEM bars are getting scarce. But then again Addco currently lists A-body rear bars for all years, and has been making bars for these cars since they were new. I'm not sure how to tell if the bar you bought was OEM or an old aftermarket bar. I am also not sure if one bar is superior to another.
Most suspension vendors sell either Addco or other bars. They are and have always been a popular accessory. One word of caution, ALWAYS install a front bar first, never a rear bar by itself.
As for end links, get out the tape measure, you can get a set of universal links and shorten as needed. Bar should be horizontal with car on ground.
Most suspension vendors sell either Addco or other bars. They are and have always been a popular accessory. One word of caution, ALWAYS install a front bar first, never a rear bar by itself.
As for end links, get out the tape measure, you can get a set of universal links and shorten as needed. Bar should be horizontal with car on ground.
Dusteriffic
Stink finger
C130 Chief said:
Chief, the difference between the two bars is the OEM bar bolts above the rear axel to the frame (inside the wheelwell) and looks like a squiggly W, with the endlinks anchoring to plates that are sandwiched between the vehicle's springs and spring perchs (the ones I need). Go to www.firmfeel.com to see what I mean. They make this type of system but it costs alot more than $20...lol.
Most of the generic aftermarket stuff clamps to the axel tubes with the endlinks attaching to supplied brackets that bolt to the frame up inside the wheelwell.
There will be virtually no difference in handling from aftermarket vs OEM bars of the same size, but I'll always choose an OEM piece.
340mopar
Sorgermotorsports
The oem style mounting of the bar itself to the frame is better than mounting the bar to the axle because the OEM style has a lower unsprung weight. Lower unsprung weight makes it easier for the suspension to react to road/track conditions.
Chuck
Chuck
autoxcuda
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340mopar said:
I agree.
ALSO you can put jack stands on your axle tubes or lower U-bolt perches. With the addco/hellwig the bar gets in the way of doing that.
BTW the T-bars out of that A38 A-body are like .96 IRRC. Did he have those too??
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