Sway bars 1/2 the price of Firmfeels version, any one tried these?

[Oz Sport Fury]

Hey guys,

Looking at updating the front and adding a rear sway bar to try and limit the massive body roll my 72 Newport Royal has, already added new KYB's front and back.

Anyone had any experience with these guys?

1" front and 0.75" rear diameters

ADDCO Sway bars

Cheers!

 

[Boydsdodge]

Years ago when I was young and new. Mostly one bar fits many, maybe. Rear hangs low off axel. If you alreadt have a sway bar, the Addco is not much bigger than stock. My vote is no.

 

[polara71]

YES, YES, YES!!! Firm Feel Rear Sway Bar

Do it! Do the rear bar. You won't regret it.

 

[Boydsdodge]

YES, YES, YES!!! Firm Feel Rear Sway Bar

Do it! Do the rear bar. You won't regret it.

You will need a front bar matched to go along with your new rear bar.

 

[polara71]

Sure.

 

[Oz Sport Fury]

Years ago when I was young and new. Mostly one bar fits many, maybe. Rear hangs low off axel. If you alreadt have a sway bar, the Addco is not much bigger than stock. My vote is no.

I agree they aren't much bigger but the way they locate and control movement is way better than the floppy sloppy way the current one works, sliding left & right along the sway bar is rubbish.

 

[CBODY67]

The '72s did not have factory rear bars, C-bodies that is. ADDCO and Helwig were the main suppliers of rear sway bars for everything in the 1960s and 1970s.

Chrysler allegedly did not like rear sway bars, although GM embraced them in 1969 on Caprices (F41 option) and Pontiac a year or so prior on the GTOs. On those earlier systems, the front bar was not up-sized when a rear bar was installed. BUT when radial tires and the then-new '73 B-bodies also arrived, there was a HP suspension option which had Goodyear radials and a rear sway bar. "Radial Roadability Option" on Road Runners, as I recall, PLUS 15x6 W23 Class II 16-Slot road wheels were a part of that package. Not unlike what later appeared on the '75 Cordoba/Charger SE cars, plus the B-body police units.

A friend installed a '76 or so Cordoba rear sway bar on his '66 Polara 2dr ht. Said he had to heat the bends a bit to make a sharper bend to mate with the '66 C-body rear spring pads.

I suspect a '74-'78 C-body rear sway bar might be a closer fit, considering the tread width similarities on the Fuselage cars and the Formals?

DO price-check and see what's the best value! Dorman might also have some replacements for the OEM rear bars, too!

Enjoy!
CBODY67

 

[LocuMob]

I have a P-S-T bar I got in a parts buy that I haven't decided which car I should install it in. It's still boxed up.

 

[67_300_Convertible]

I have front and rear PST sway bars on my '67 300 and love the improvement in handling. The car goes where I point it with no body roll.

 

[volksworld]

67 300 convert...maybe i'm crazy but i dont see where your rear bar attaches to the chassis...it looks like its just attached to the links and hanging in front of the exhaust

 

[Mr Mopar]

67 300 convert...maybe i'm crazy but i dont see where your rear bar attaches to the chassis...it looks like its just attached to the links and hanging in front of the exhaust

Me either. Looked up the pst instructions, should be mounted to the frame rails…

 

[67_300_Convertible]

There's a really logical explanation for all this:

A) The car handles better, not because the non-sway bar is installed correctly, but because it's extra weight in the rear that simultaneously lowers the center of gravity and puts more weight on the rear wheels.
B) I'm not the sharpest rock in the box.
C) All of the above.

Seriously...so glad I posted the photos and you guys caught that. It needs to be corrected. Thank you for saying something, volksworld and Mr Mopar.

 

[LocuMob]

There's a really logical explanation for all this:

A) The car handles better, not because the non-sway bar is installed correctly, but because it's extra weight in the rear that simultaneously lowers the center of gravity and puts more weight on the rear wheels.
B) I'm not the sharpest rock in the box.
C) All of the above.

Seriously...so glad I posted the photos and you guys caught that. It needs to be corrected. Thank you for saying something, volksworld and Mr Mopar.

What size exhaust is that?

 

[CBODY67]

When I saw that picture, with the clamp going around and touching the leaf spring assy directly, I frowned at that method, without some rubber in between the clamp and spring. A "wear area" on each edge of the leaf stack, not good to me, as presented.

Seems like the old Helwig bars had a u-clamp that went around the axle tube? As the OEM rear bars have links which attach to the lower shock mount plate.

 

[Margos Dezirian]

I had a 73 Roadrunner with the rear swaybar.
I took it off as I thought made the car too loose.
It handled better without it in my opinion.

 

[Just Carbs]

I had a 73 Roadrunner with the rear swaybar.
I took it off as I thought made the car too loose.
It handled better without it in my opinion.

Agreed. If a car doesn't have the full-on setup to go with it, spin time.

 

[volksworld]

mine had an unknown rear bar that's been in it over 20 years...it wouldn't clear the new TTI exhaust (2 1/2) where it turned down behind the axle...i would have had to put spacers at least 1/2 inch thick between the brackets and the frame rails to use it...will probably attempt to make it work when i install the sure grip but have too many other things going on at the moment to get involved...so i took it out ...seems like the TTI pipes play better with the sway bars that mount in front of the rear (with the big bend in them to clear the diff)

 

[67_300_Convertible]

What size exhaust is that?

TTI 2 1/2"

 

[fury fan]

I've tried the ADDCO rear bar 2 times in the past, probably over 20 years ago.
Never could get it to fit any-which-way, on both a Fusey and a Slab.
When I saw @67_300_Convertible 300 s bracketry on the springs, I thought 'hey, that's an ADDCO bar, how did he do that?"
My memory is that I could not locate the bar, whether above or below the axle, or pointing forward or rear - no way to get the endlinks close to vertical.
The length of the bar's arms always put the endlink location right at the axle.
Maybe the bar could mount on the axle, but that would require hardware they didn't provide.

My experience with P-S-T's 1" front bar is disappointing also.
Bought one about 15 years ago and couldn't get it to fit properly at the strut rods with the universal saddle bracket setup they provide. (their instructions were typewritten Chenglish with hand-sketches)
Just recently I revisited it and discovered why it doesn't fit. It's the wrong shape - too short and too wide!!!!!!

I was able to get it to fit better this time by using factory clamps to teh strut rod instead of the universal stuff they supplied.
But in so doing, the bar must move rearward, so it causes the links to the frame to lean backward.
But I buttoned it up and drove it, and it made a nice improvement going thru the neighborhood (on 215/75-14 tires, to boot!).
I would be hesitant to buy another one due to the shitty fit.

I have a FirmFeel front bar on another car an it's a great piece, with great installation, and it activates off the LCAs, instead of the strut bars that surely flex a bit and reduce effectiveness. The FF bar is a lot more expensive, but IMO it's worth it.

 

[Knebel]

I have the Addco swaybars front and rear. Not the biggest fan on tje mounting on the leafs in the rear but they work just fine for me. No more roll and I can take corners faster without feeling like I'm in a Boat!