Help with Addco Sway Bar

[Valkman]

Hello all,

I'm been installing Addco sway bars on my 65 Barracuda. The rear went on without a problem but the front end links seem to be interfering with the lower ball joint (see pictures). I bought this as set on eBay a while back and I don't remember the Part# but they were supposed fit my car, are the later a-body front sway bars different and is it possible that what this is for? I tried mount the end link bracket the other way but I got similar results.

 

[TrailBeast]

If it were me, I would shorten length the end link and run it.
Assuming it won't hit somthing else.

If you take the spacer tube out and put it at the end under the nut you wont even need a shorter bolt.

Just a thought.

 

[RedFish]

Sorry but I cant determine anything from your pic.
Folks tend to snap pics so close that others cant tell which end is up.
I do just barely see what looks like late A brake parts.
Any sway bar be it Addco or other with this brake system will require the caliper be located to the rear or 1 o'clock position instead of the 11 o'clock position. Then the longer sleeve end link kits work.
And no you cant run it without an end link, geometry wont play that way.

 

[KitCarlson]

Years ago I installed an ADCO bar on my 66 Barracuda. I used tabs on lower control arm, not the shock mount provided by ADCO. The bar then goes above with the endlinks down to tabs. This provides excellent ground clearance. I also fabricated custom K-frame mounts and added stops at bushings to stop lateral movement.

Please see the past post with pictures, it might work even with calipers at front location.
www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=222037&highlight=stops

 

[Valkman]

Years ago I installed an ADCO bar on my 66 Barracuda. I used tabs on lower control arm, not the shock mount provided by ADCO. The bar then goes above with the endlinks down to tabs. This provides excellent ground clearance. I also fabricated custom K-frame mounts and added stops at bushings to stop lateral movement.

Please see the past post with pictures, it might work even with calipers at front location.
www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=222037&highlight=stops

Thanks, this is very helpful. The instructions, as bad as they are, don't mention anything about moving a caliper? That seems pretty drastic, surely others have some success with this? Am I missing something here? I'll try to post some pictures showing the whole bar on the car tomorrow

 

[amx364]

enclosed pictures. You have some work ahead of you with the welder.

 

[KitCarlson]

Nice, by bringing the bushings out wider, no need for stops.

I used OEM holes in K-frame, for a bolt on, but stops required.

 

[Jim Lusk]

With that mount arrangement you will have to swap the spindles and calipers. With all stock parts you can shorten the end link and the bar will react quicker, but the location of the tabs is VERY critical or you risk shearing of the link. It's not a big deal to swap the spindles. Bear in mind that the factory disc brakes for your car had rear mounted calipers and did not interfere with the sway bar. The late cars with the front calipers used a narrower sway bar for clearance.

 

[RedFish]

Some might find this interesting... Back when I worked for used car lot the manager bought a strange looking Grand Prix ( similar to the aero coupe Monte Carlo ) at auction.
During PDI I found 4 of those coil spring spacer things in the left front spring. I wasn't sure why they had been installed but I did already know the car had been in a accident ( the headlight buckets were mixed and wrong, etc..). The spacers were easy enough to remove but then the car sat waaay low at left front. Then I discovered the end link ( long bolt ) to the stabilizer bar was bent badly. It didn't break. Instead it changed the stance of the whole car. So that repair is all it needed. I still have those spring blocks here somewhere.
Back to A bodies...
The later stabilizer bar that passes through the K has short end limbs with shallow bends. This geometry allows a short end link to cover the movement. A bar that goes around the K has very long end sections with steep bends, thus different geometry requiring longer end links.

 

[Valkman]

One thing I didn't mention is that the this car has a '74 disc Brake conversion (which was on the car when I bought it) and looking at amx364's pictures it looks like the shocks lower mount is a different location than what I have. It might be that I have later model control arm. Does anyone know if the control arms differs between the years? I'll take a better look at it today if I have the time and post some pictures.

I did some search and I found the kit I bought:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1964-1965-1...965|Model:Valiant&hash=item1e7d1c6d59&vxp=mtr

The rear is a 751 and the front is a 675 and funny the the front is not listed on the Adcco website?

This is a great help! Thanks all!

 

[RedFish]

Majority of lower control arms don't have sway bar attach tabs at all. To answer your question ... yes the 2 different designs of sway bar included 2 different tab locations. Easy A is out toward the lower ball joint. Later ( 73 up ) tab is just about the middle of the lower arm.
Most aftermarket bars attach at the lower shock bolt so what year arm, with or without tab, not an issue.

 

[Valkman]

Majority of lower control arms don't have sway bar attach tabs at all. To answer your question ... yes the 2 different designs of sway bar included 2 different tab locations. Easy A is out toward the lower ball joint. Later ( 73 up ) tab is just about the middle of the lower arm.
Most aftermarket bars attach at the lower shock bolt so what year arm, with or without tab, not an issue.

I was reffering to the shock mounting location being different.

 

[Jim Lusk]

Shock mount location is the same for all a-body lower control arms. Also, short links work fine with the early bars. We've run cars for many years this way...but, like I said that won't fix your problem...

 

[Valkman]

OK I gave it another look it and took some more pictures. Swapping the spindles won't help because if you look at the red arrow in the 1st picture, the bottom of the link hits the lower ball joint nut. I also flipped the mounting tab around it makes it worse! I could make the link longer and it might clear but shouldn't it work the way it is now?

 

[amx364]

On the 66 Barracuda pictured on post #6, it is my sister-in-laws car which she has had since her father died and used as DD for many, many years. Pictures show later (74) disc brake conversion. It uses the later style upper control arms and larger ball joints. The spindles can be mounted either caliber forward or back, main effects brake hose routing. I had them mounted rear at first and then changed to front mount after reading on these forums about addco sway bar mounting issues. I copied someone elses ideas on the frame mounts from there pictures. THE only thing uncompleted on sway bar install is tack welding shock bracket to lower control arm. Will have to remove lower shock mounting to protect the rubber bushings from the heat.
That said on my 65 B-Body lower sway bar, it ended up as short link system at the ends. It MIGHT be the same bar for both aplactions. No pictures of that install. Sorry.
Oh yes one other thing was the first sway bar ordered was wrong in the paper catolog, so this is the replacement bar which did fit. Classic Industries bar #FSB751, there is a up side differece in the angle of the end link.

 

[RedFish]

your missing the point.. The bar and end link kit goes above the mounting tab.
This puts the bar farther from the asphalt, more level, and then it interferes with the late model caliper.
You can put it together several different ways but only 1 way is right. That pizzy little bolt through the end link does not belong down next to road level hazards.

 

[amx364]

Can you show a picture of what you mean?

 

[KitCarlson]

Look at the url in post with#4, the first picture shows ADCO bar above tab. The tab is on bottom outer end of control arm. My links are a little long, but provide clearance to strut rods. It works well, if I was to make a change it would be stronger T-bars than the 340 bars. I have V8, A/C, iron intake, and PS, so it is a bit front heavy.

 

[Valkman]

Look at the url in post with#4, the first picture shows ADCO bar above tab. The tab is on bottom outer end of control arm. My links are a little long, but provide clearance to strut rods. It works well, if I was to make a change it would be stronger T-bars than the 340 bars. I have V8, A/C, iron intake, and PS, so it is a bit front heavy.

That shown using the stock mounts, what about with the Adcco tabs?

RedFish: all I've seen in pictures shows the link mounted below the tab, if you or someone else could show us a picture of this it would be very helpful

 

[RedFish]

I don't have pics of anything other than factory bars. Those can be seen in any service manual. You wont find pics of the early bar mounted along with the late model brakes. Addco couldn't know this either.
These parts are put together pretty much the same way on every car ever built. A rear bar is attached beneath the end links. That is about 2 feet from the road too.
Another member recently posted pics of his install that was similar to yours only worse because his was beneath the factories lower tabs. I really don't know if it will work that way or not.
I have nothing more to add here except good luck to all.

 

[Valkman]

Thanks RedFish.

I looked again at amx364 pictures and I think I have the bar upside down! I'm take alook at it tomorrow and see if it helps.

 

[RedFish]

the only differences between his pics and your pics... His mounting tab location is about 2 inches different from yours.
his end link sleeves are about 2 inches longer than yours ( that should scream "same plan" ).
and the most important difference. his late model calipers are at rear or 1 o'clock position.
I do understand your not wanting the switch the spindles left to right.

 

[amx364]

Valkman, my pictures were taken with the car weight on the blocks. That makes the LCA not hanging down and closer to bar ends. My calibers are pointed forward, same as yours. I used supplied end links from the kit. My sway bar mount is level and everything lined up fine before install. I wanted as much ground clearance as possible and everything tucked in. My end links do point down, but if anything were to take them out then it would also take out the tie rod ends also. Anything that bad would have to be caused by driver stupidity. Make the templetes from cardboard and use heavy metal straps from Home Depot. Little metal was used and a lot of cutting and grinding was done. Also both sides will be a little different from each other, so test fit often. Once started you should finish in 1-2 days with fitting and welding.

 

[KitCarlson]

Swapping caliper position as RedFish suggests is a good idea. Most performance cars are built in that configuration.

 

[Valkman]

Swaping caliper position as RedFish suggests is a good idea. Most performance cars are built that way.

I might end up doing this when I rebiuld the front end but that's a project for another time. Since I've already installed the rear bar, I'd like the front working as well or it would oversteer hell!