Alignment

daves66valiant said

Glad you chimed in. Thanks. I know you do a lot of the pro touring type stuff. It is concerning it’s that close to the strut rod. I wish they still made the factory style tabs you could weld on yourself. I would have done that when everything was apart. Unfortunately, relying on an aftermarket sway bar solution was a risk. I have a welder and could do it my self but am wondering what Hellwig will have to say if I call them.

I’m wondering if this is why Hotchkis supplies you with welding tabs for their sway bar kit.???

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Hellwig will likely tell you to put the tabs were the instructions tell you to put them and make sure you have enough clearance. Which as you're finding out may be conflicting advice on your car. But they probably won't tell you to weld the tabs on near the factory location, just because that's not what they designed the tabs to do. Even though realistically that's probably the best option.

Hotchkis supplies you with tabs to weld onto your LCA's because their bar doesn't use the factory sway bar tab location on the 67-72 cars. The tab location for the Hotchkis bar is basically the same as the '73+ location. And actually, the Hellwig "pro touring" bar for the 67-72 cars is similar, it runs the '73+ location and improves tire clearance compared to the 67-72 factory location.

I would suggest doing what's right for your car. Meaning, take the mounts and end links off, level the sway bar, and determine the best spot for the mounts while considering strut rod clearance and trying to keep the end links somewhat vertical and as short as possible. The Hellwig mounts can be welded on, although they are pretty thick compared to the LCA metal so make sure you take that into consideration. Or buy a set of tabs from BergmanAutocraft, he sells them for like $40. They also look a little more like factory tabs, if that's something you're concerned about.

Bergman Auto Craft - Home of the Modern Muscle Car