I found this book helpful as well:

http://www.moparpages.com/suspension_book/

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1963 Dodge Dart, motor by Doug Dutra, Offenhauser two carb intake, Pertronix, Clifford 6x2, Flowmaster 40's, Erson RV15/295 RDP, head work. Addco anti-sway bar, urethane suspension bushings, KYB's, racing leafs, SSBC discs. Need ZDDP? Get STP.

In my opinion, old cars handle pretty good. My Duster has bone stock suspension with no sway bars or anything. Yet it is still an easy and fun car to drive.

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82 D150-225/727
02 Dakota-3.9/5 speed
87 GMC C7000-8.2 Detroit Diesel/5+2

Absolutely, its a great resource and I highly recommend it to anyone. Problem is, the addco bar is the only one that he talks about directly, and I've only seen one mounted the brackets hung below the K member just begging to be hit on something like a speed bump or something.

Do you have one mounted on the dart? I'd be interested in pictures.

MJ

Firm Feel offers excellent front and rear bars:

www.firmfeel/swaybars_a.htm

yes i've been chatting with them about their bars. They look like they are well made, have very good mounting vs. the addco setups, but they are atleast $100 more.

Have you used these bars and if so on what application? I'd love some personal experience info on them.

MJ

If you are not into fabrication much, I would say $100 more is about right for the FF sway bars with good mounts. The Addco mounts take a good amount of work and welding to make them right. Everything I've heard about FF products has been quite good.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

Mmm, yummy...new source of sway bars...

I've installed the Firm Feel sway bar on my 1963 Dodge Dart GT convertible.

The car's not on the road yet. I'm still putting it back together after it spent 30 months in a body shop having all the rusted sheet metal replaced and first class paint applied.

I also installed Firm Feel's K member, boxed lower control arms, tubular upper control arms, the 11/16" seamless tubing tie rod kit, polyurethane bushings, greasable lower control arm pins, Edelbrock IAS shocks, and the Mopar Action 11.75 disc brake conversion with Wilwood calipers.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll install the A body 8 3/4 rear end, sure grip third member (Auburn Gear), Edelbrock IAS shocks, Firm Feel's rear sway bar, and Wilwood's 12.19" disc brakes with integral parking brake.

At the pace I'm putting everything together, it will be at least a year before I get to find out how the car feels and handles.!

--Walt Jackson

just give it to me and i'll put it all together! WOW that sounds like its going to be nice ride.

Lou--can you detail a little for me on the fabrication end of the swaybar setup for addco?

My dilemma is this (and you guys can chime in).

I can get a stock 65 swaybar with LCA for pretty cheap (about $50) so there's no fabrication there or problems with mounts. Probably need new bushings so add a little for that. I believe that bar is pretty light-duty like 13/16" with #85 wheel rate vs the 1 1/8" with 100# wheel rate of an addco. I just hate the freakin mounts! The FF bars put the mounts higher up and bend them to fit the K member.

I'd prefer to go with ADDCO and do the fabrication work myself if I can. I just need to know what exactly you consider to be a "small amount of fabrication"

MJ

actually did the shocks (KYB) and sway bars (Addco) before replacing the tires (had 30 year old bias ply 6.50 13's (rears were snow tires)), and had fun sliding around until I could find some rims for the small bolt pattern wheel.

Shopped around on the internet for all of the above and got some good prices.

The Addco bars are bolt on (except for some drilling for bolt holes up front) and are the poly version. The rear is a simple bolt on (poly also). Everything is out of the way, and doesn't hang down waiting to hit the ground (you have some leeway up front of where you put the mounts on the K-member, I tried to tuck it up as high as possible), the ends mount to the lower shock mount and haven't noticed any squeaks.

Finally managed to get some 14 x5.5 rims, and am currently using 195 70 14 tires. The handling is unbelievable...... Flat and neutral. Now I just need a faster steering ratio.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

Is it okay for me to upgrade my shocks on the front and keep my NAPA shocks on the back. I'm trying to put off adding a swaybar.

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82 D150-225/727
02 Dakota-3.9/5 speed
87 GMC C7000-8.2 Detroit Diesel/5+2

what would leaving the napas on the rear achieve? Having stiffer rear shocks should help the rear springs resist roll and do a better job (assuming the springs aren't shot--in that case you're just going to ruin the shocks quickly) . My springs are pretty close to flat in the back, so I'm in the market for some new ones pretty soon I'm afraid.

MJ

Just lower the front with the torsion bars............

Much cheaper.

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

Get yourself a set of them overload shocks from JC Whitney. these will raise back up the rear of your car, take some of the load off of the springs, and stiffen up the rear suspension significantly. I have a 1500 lb. set on the back of my truck.

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82 D150-225/727
02 Dakota-3.9/5 speed
87 GMC C7000-8.2 Detroit Diesel/5+2

i'll check into them. I don't really want to raise the rear so much as stiffen it and make sure they are arched. I had toyed with the idea of making some lowering blocks from some box stock steel but its all in the "hmmm" stages

MJ