Sway bar need?????

[DesertRat]

I am getting ready to start on my front suspension rebuild.
My car has no sway bar now and I was thinking of adding one.
At a car show yesterday, a friend of mine with a 340 Duster
suggested with the 1"+ tortion bars a sway bar isn't needed.
I don't want to change the tortion bars and add a sway bar
so I am looking for opinions on the better choice.
On my Comet, I changed the front sway bar to HD Mustang and
added an aftermarket rear sway bar. With the KYB's it is a little
stiff but breaking in nicely. Looking for opinions for my little
street cruiser---------
DR8)

 

[Gen2Cudas]

Morning. Myself too would love to find the size of swaybar to put on the front of mine- '67 fastback. I have original Formula "S" torsion bars installed- and bought an aftermarket (PST) sway for the front and rear. This thing was big and Blue and Heavy! Never got around to hanging the rear one- the front one literally was so stiff it ate its poly biscuits and aluminum separator after just 20-25 k miles of driving with it. My guess is it is a 1-1&1/8 inch; haven't measured it recently. The original sway for a '68 is skinny. . .Good luck.

Mike

 

[RedFish]

Torsion bars and sway bars serve 2 different funtions.
The factory sway bar was weak but still much better than none at all.
Too stiff takes away from the feel of a classic ride.

 

[DesertRat]

:read2:
So should I leave the tortion bars stock and add
a small sway bar? (3/4" or so) Or would you guys
change the tortion bars as well as add a sway bar.
My car will be 273 with 904 combo-just a cruiser.
Ratrofilel:

 

[71DartGuy]

I put the addco 1.125 inch sway bar on my dart and it made a hell of a difference in handling. I'd put one on anything if I could- I dont like body roll!

 

[RedFish]

Comparing apples to oranges... the factory swaybar for pre 73 was smaller and weaker than 73 up. the early one also had triangle shaped forward mounts that hang a bit low and were subject to damage. The later type solved this by routing the larger bar through that K member. To keep your early K and add a swaybar to it, the aftermarket bars are a decent option. Most of those also use a end clip added on the lower shock bolt were you dont have those factory tabs welded on your lower arms.
If I didn't have the factroy parts I would add the Addco brand front bar kit.
Larger, stronger, more expensive brands may be overkill for some of us. Everyone has their own opinion of how one of these cars should feel and handle.

 

[cudavert]

I put a (I think) Hellwig front swaybar kit on my '69 Dart. It was somewhat cheap, at least 1", but used some cornball bracketry that clamped onto the lower control arms. Still worked wonders for handling though, even with the stock 6 cylinder torsion bars. But to address your question, I would suggest the factory front swaybar with the torsion bars that you've got in there now.....BUT....install the newer style poly bushings in the triangular swaybar brackets AND end links. I think that would give you a respectably handling car, with some nice sized wheels and tires too of course.

 

[AndyF]

The guys at Firm Feel www.firmfeel.com can get you sorted out with the proper torsion bars and anti-sway bars. The typical setup for a street car would be a big anti-sway bar with moderate sized torsion bars. That gives you a nice ride but limits the rolling in the curves. Use a big front bar and a small rear anti-sway bar and you should have a reaally nice handling car. Good shocks are a must but they are expensive. Bilstein is probably the best shock or try the Edelbrocks which are a little less expensive.