Wrong sway bar

[canajien]

I was checking on the pst front sway bar that was sent along with the other suspension goodies and it might be the wrong one.

When I bring it up to the control lower control arms it nearly touches the spindles, this may be because I was sent the wrong bar or my suspension is cranked up to support the big block.

The instructions seem to indicate this is sway bar 105, not 150 for a bodies but searching their site is hopeless and I've been disconnected from their phone 2x today.

Before I try again tomorrow can anyone tell me what the measurement between the two end link holes should be on an a body sway bar, 71 duster in my case? This one measures at about 42.25" from centre to centre of the holes.

Thanks.

 

[canajien]

After a bit more reading I think the problem is how the torsion bars are cranked to lift the LCAs to
support the big block, seems the original sway bars are 44" centre to centre.

The bigger tbars should help sort this, I'll know better once they are in and ride height is set.

 

[mcodecuda]

Set the car at ride height first and see what the bar looks like. The ride height shouldn’t be any different whether you have a slant six, small block or big block.

 

[canajien]

Set the car at ride height first and see what the bar looks like. The ride height shouldn’t be any different whether you have a slant six, small block or big block.

Agreed, I had another look/think and came to the conclusion it's not the engine, but rather the oil pan which is why the front is so jacked up, bringing the LCAs closer together.

Right now with the car on the ground the sway bar nearly contacts the spindles. The huge oil pan sits around 2 inches below the k member and it takes about 7.25l (7.7q) with the loooooong filter. I may be looking at changing that oil pan as well before getting the front low enough to get the LCAs far enough apart to get a sway bar on no need for that much oil anymore as it's been nearly 20 years since this car went drag racing.

For now I'll be looking at getting the beefier torsion bars and the taller/wider front wheels and tires on to see if there's enough room to get the sway bar on when it's set at the current ride height while providing oil pan clearance. At the very least it should improve the ride comfort.

It would be nice to go through a gentle curve without having to think.

But if anyone has any other ideas please let me know.

 

[canajien]

sooooooooooo, been a while sorry, between the commie flu slowing me down and the 7yo having the last two weeks of summer camps being cancelled I ended up dropping off the car with family of mechanics, they like carbs, especially the ones that drink lots of fuel

they had no luck getting a sway bar in either, but they were able to get the torsion bars on, funny story, both were missing the retention rentention, and the red gasket maker that us everywhere else found its way there as well

at any rate they had to cut the torsion bars in order to remove them and install the new beefier ones, while down there they also got the adjustable strut rods on, those 2 combined with new shocks, and the car is a lot more manageable around corners

but I finally had a good look at the how the rear leafs were relocated and the rear shackle seems a bit off

might be the reason why there's a lot of heavy clunks back there as the leaf spring ends up slapping the frame rail a lot

I suspect that swapping the current oil pan with 7.75 inch deep sump for a more reasonable one from 440 source will allow the LCAs to be moved enough to get a sway bar on and not tear open the sump, and the rear shackle kit from usct will take care of the rear end

for now the car is going away till next April... lotsa time to wait for sales!

thanks again to everyone who gave their advice on my posts here and on the overheating issue

 

[junkyardhero]

is the bar contacting the spindle itself or is it hitting the caliper, caliper bracket or bolts?

because you have the 73+ brake stuff on there, the 67~72 bar is going to foul up on those pieces if they're mounted forward facing. especially if it's an aftermarket bar that attaches to the shock mount.

is the k-member 73+ or the correct 71 piece?

there are work arounds, none of which are quick and easy though. more pics and info and i'm happy to help you figure it out though.

 

[canajien]

wow, I am always awed by the knowledge of the guys and gals here when they spot something in a picture

from what I can tell looking at other pics this summer its likely 72 and older big block k member

the pst sway bar is meant to attach to the lower shock mounts but wont even go inbetween the calipers when approached directly and parallel to the ground

let me know what you would like more pics of and I'll see what I can do before it goes away

is there a stamping somewhere on the k member that might confirm when its from?

thanks

 

[72bluNblu]

The ride height shouldn’t keep you from installing the sway bar.

Just think that through- the LCA’s move up and down all the time when the car is driving down the road. The sway bar is connected that whole time. If the LCA’s are between the bump stops, the sway bar should fit. Unless of course it’s the wrong sway bar, or you have some other mismatch of parts.

 

[junkyardhero]

picture of the motor mounts on the K and a better picture of the lower control arm toward the spindle/caliper should tell the whole story.

throw up a pic of the sway bar and mounts as well.

i'm guessing that it's just a compatibility issue of parts swapping two different systems.

thanks for putting up the pic! otherwise i would've asked for a few. a lot of us only have this very specific granular knowledge because we've made the mistake or run into that problem before!

 

[autoxcuda]

Looks like a 67-72 type K-member since I don't see a hole through that a 73-76 style K-member would pass through it.

Like junkyardhero said, you have slider calipers (73'-76') style and they are mounted on the front side of the spindle. To move them to the rear for sway bar clearance, you swap the spindle from side to side and mounting the calipers so the bleeder screws are on top. Then you'll need different caliper hoses. Dr.Diff sells some.

It also looks like someone did a 3" rear spring relocation on your A-body since the rear shackle hole goes through the frame.

Yes that oil pan is lousy for a street driven car unless you jack the front end way up.

You've bought yourself a modified car. Lots of learning to do on what was done to it. Not for the faint of heart.

 

[canajien]

Looks like a 67-72 type K-member since I don't see a hole through that a 73-76 style K-member would pass through it.

Like junkyardhero said, you have slider calipers (73'-76') style and they are mounted on the front side of the spindle. To move them to the rear for sway bar clearance, you swap the spindle from side to side and mounting the calipers so the bleeder screws are on top. Then you'll need different caliper hoses. Dr.Diff sells some.

It also looks like someone did a 3" rear spring relocation on your A-body since the rear shackle hole goes through the frame.

Yes that oil pan is lousy for a street driven car unless you jack the front end way up.

You've bought yourself a modified car. Lots of learning to do on what was done to it. Not for the faint of heart.

that explains why there's one sway bar for earlier years that attaches to the lower shock mount, and another for the later years that attaches to the middle of the LCA, I've often wondered why that was.... thanks

whatever happens the oil pan is being changed

 

[canajien]

picture of the motor mounts on the K and a better picture of the lower control arm toward the spindle/caliper should tell the whole story.

throw up a pic of the sway bar and mounts as well.

i'm guessing that it's just a compatibility issue of parts swapping two different systems.

thanks for putting up the pic! otherwise i would've asked for a few. a lot of us only have this very specific granular knowledge because we've made the mistake or run into that problem before!

the sway bar is in storage, but its the kit from pst

1 1/8" Front Sway Bar

and here's some more pics

don't mind the spill absorbent on that last one, left over from when I was trying to solve the puking issue