Spacing the Rear Swaybar Back

[Dat73z]

Hi all, 

 

Here the background: 

 

I have a really old swaybar setup from the 80's which used to mount via sandwich plates to the rear drop bars. I ended up finding ST rear drop bars for a good deal then figured out the old swaybar would work with the ST drop bars. My buddy is going to swing by sometime with the ST rear swaybar to compare dimensions but I'd like to avoid getting another rear sway if possible since I already had everything powdercoated. 

 

Even with the old sandwich "style" sway bar mounts, the spacing between the OEM control arms and sway bar endlinks was not ideal. 

 

I'm thinking once I get the diff and CV's in there to fab up some 1/2 to 1 inch spacer plates for the rear sway bar bushings onto the ST rear drop bars + measure out the appropriate endlinks at that time to ensure no binding or interference with CV's at ride height. 

 

Q's: 

 

1) Is spacing the rear swaybar back pretty common on Z cars to prevent binding? 

2) Any issues with this approach? 

 

I've attached some pics to show the issue. 

 

Thanks! 

 

Edit: Upon further research, I see this has been done before: http://www.typeischeap.com/Rear_Sway_Spacer%20(Custom).jpg

Edited January 12, 2016 by Dat73z

[seattlejester]

Apparently it is recommended to do so to prevent binding, so the answer seems to be yes.

 

1/2 inch spacers are recommended from other forum posts.

 

Edit: Post 42

http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/122993-adjustable-rear-lca/page-3

Edited January 12, 2016 by seattlejester

[Dat73z]

Thanks! Great info in that thread. 

 

After a quick measurement, looks like 1/2" aluminum stock will do the trick just fine. 

[Mike Mileski]

You could also make a bar that attaches to the TTT arm via the two holes you can see and extend it forward so it's under the sway bar hole and then use a stud sticking up from it as the link to the sway bar. Just a thought.

 

Mike Mileski

Tucson, AZ

[seattlejester]

Mind taking the dimensions of the spacer you end up making? I'm planning on ordering some stock, would be nice if I got at least two of the sides right, right off the bat.

[Dat73z]

Mike- thanks for the idea. Interesting concept, but I think I'm going to try to keep it simple for the first go around. Eventually I want to run heim joints for the sway bars, but that'll come later as I develop the car...want to get it back on the road first! 

 

seattlejester- not a problem. I'm going to measure out the dimensions this week and prototype up some brackets out of AL stock on my buddy's mill once I figure out what stock to order. Probably take 30 mins-1 hr total, but this is a slow moving project so probably won't get back to you until next week  . 

[seattlejester]

That sounds fancy, I plan on just ordering up 0.5 inch 6061 aluminum bar stock and cutting it to width or length if I can get one of the measurements. 

[Dat73z]

I plan to do the same but I want to make sure I get everything straight. Really it's just some rectangles and holes, could do it with a chop saw  . Easy peasy. 

[heavy85]

Been there done that. Just get whatever aluminum the local hardware store has, drill holes, cut to length and stack as needed.

[seattlejester]

That might be a little more convenient, but my local metal supplies is close to my work and has 0.5 inch aluminum in stock in a variety of widths .

[JMortensen]

Don't need 6061 either. Get whatever is cheapest.

[gnosez]

.....add me to the list of "been there, done that"

[Dat73z]

Thanks guys,

 

Do you recall how far back you spaced your swaybar? 

 

Finally got some time to throw the rear diff in there and mock up the car at ride height. It looks like I'll need closer to a 1-2" spacer. I'm thinking with grade 8 swaybar mounting hardware (or better) this should be fine as the shear characteristics won't change substantially with a solid spacer. Thoughts? 

 

Edit: Also spacing back that far is to partially account for interference with the CV's. It's a really tight fit and the angle of the swaybar from the back is not conducive to good clearance. At full droop sway touches the CV's with a short endlink distance. Still figuring out the final measurements for this thing. 

Edited January 15, 2016 by Dat73z

[seattlejester]

I think the 6061 was the cheapest offered, I think it was less then 10$ for 2 ft of 1.5 inch bar stock. Picking it up today if things go well.

 

Looks like the dimensions are ~1.5 wide and either 3.5 or 4.5 inches long depending on the type of bushing used according to energy suspensions for the clamp diagram.

 

From the same post that was linked, I was told long end links and a 1/2 inch spacer, it might seem like it is close at full droop, but once one the ground I think you gain clearance if memory serves.

[Dat73z]

Were you looking for measurements of the ES bushing clamp? If so I can snag the dimensions for you tonight, I ordered up a universal one after measuring the ST rear sway drop bars a while back. 

 

Thought you were looking for the final dimensions of the bracket I've been measuring up. Only difference for me may be the thickness of material used as the ST rear sway drop bars are what they are. 

 

Yeah, I put a jack under the rear LCA with the coil turned all the way down so I wouldn't be fighting the spring. Once the frame just starts to lift off the jack I measured something like 1.5" between the sway bar endlink hole and the rear LCA endlink hole. With the CV in place at "ride height" it was something like a 1-2" swing up for the swaybar before hitting the CV. Would be maybe another 1/2" gained there with the sway bar spaced back due to the bends being positioned more optimally. It'll fit for sure, but need to find a good height for the endlink although it seems doubtful the suspension would ever reach full droop unless I start 2-wheeling around the track  . 

 

Edit: Actually if memory serves (pulled the old sway off a year ago when I decided to rebuild the sus/brakes/drivetrain) the original sway setup I had was actually hitting the stock u-joints at full droop. Didn't drive the car enough to figure out if that was an issue, but I found that interesting. Also by design the "clamp on" style brackets spaced the sway bar back around 0.5-0.75". 

Edited January 15, 2016 by Dat73z