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Source for torsion bars?
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=23067		 Page 2 of 2
Author:  AnotherSix [ Tue May 08, 2007 1:56 pm ]
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Yes suspension needs to be approached as a combination as much as an engine does.
With that in mind, I went round and round and looked at the rates quite a bit before deciding on .92" bars. .89" would likely work great as well.
Keep in mind the rear springs and shocks have a major affect on ride quality. But for everything to work there needs to be a balance between the front and rear, so you can stiffen up the front quite a bit before the ride is terrible, but at some point it will have real handling problems that will not show up at low speeds and lower cornering forces. You can end up with a car that feels great just cruising around but has a nasty surprise for you in a hard bumpy corner at speed.
So part of my ride / handling criteria included new stock 5 leaf rear springs and KYB shocks all around. Both chosen for being as stiff as I want to go and the price is right. The KYB shocks should be fine with the .92" bars as well. I would not go any stiffer in the front with the setup I have in the rear. One reason I like going as stiff as possible in the front is it allows the car to stop in a shorter distance. You can increase the rear brake bias without lock up when the front end is not diving. You can also get off the brakes later setting up a corner without upsetting the cars balance.
At this point I have the rear done but have not had the time to put the front bars in. I am going to replace the inner bushings and weld on lower arm plates at the same time. I have 1 1/8" front and 3/4" rear bars for the final step. Many people do not recommend running a rear bar, but I do not think they are running .92" torsion bars in front. My best and untested as of yet guess is that the 3/4" bar will work well with my setup. If not I'll change it.
Too bad these bars are not $119.00 anymore. It would take some of the sting out of making a bad choice.
Author:  dakight [ Tue May 08, 2007 2:02 pm ]
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Just Suspension has the front sway bar for $99.00. I don't know about the rears and I don't know if any of them are worth a nickle, let alone $99.00.
Author:  DionR [ Tue May 08, 2007 3:00 pm ]
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Author:  vynn3 [ Tue May 08, 2007 3:54 pm ]
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Quote:
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Everything I've read says shocks are the most important thing to maintaining a comfortable ride.
Not quite that simple. Everything has to be matched up well or there'll be deficiencies in the handling and/or ride. You can't put poorly-chosen springs, tires and/or sway bars on and expect any set of shocks to compensate.
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I know of a guy on Moparts that uses something like 1.157 bars in his small block Valiant (Clair), and says they are fine.
Yeah...colour me doubtful in the extreme. Some people consider the noise from an unmuffled 440 "fine", too! :shock:
Doubt all ya want, Dan, but Clair knows his stuff. He's a local guy (well, we attend the same Mopar shows), and his Valiant handles and rides about like a 90's Vette (granted, not the smoothest ride, but not TOO punishing, to me at least). Reading Clair's suspension research and postings are like you discussing lighting technology. :) He knows more about rebound rates than... well, he knows a lot! I've come to respect his input.

That said, I'd still have a hard time paying $200-300 per shock. But then, I'd have a hard time paying $200-300 on a pair of torsion bars, too. Good thing I got 'em before the prices went up...
Author:  AnotherSix [ Tue May 08, 2007 4:09 pm ]
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I'm not saying this to be contrary, I like stiff suspension myself. Our older cars are going to give up some ride quality to handle on par with a newer car. The newer cars have much less unsprung weight, better geometry and even with the suspension more isolated as far as noise, stiffer chassis. We still can get quite a bit and have a comfortable ride though.
I like kyb shocks for their value and performance. They are not nearly as stiff as they were 20 years ago, which was a bit much for lighter cars. Otherwise Bilstein shocks may be the best I have used, and they should be for the price.
Part of a serious handling package for a street car should be eliminating as much flex from the body/chassis as possible and realistic. I have the bolt on parts for our car already but whenever I work on it I take a look at what might be done to stiffen the chassis. Welding in frame rails and the k member mods are the two most common things that seem worthwhile and realistic for a street car. A full cage would make a night and day difference but is not realistic.
Author:  SlantSixDan [ Tue May 08, 2007 5:27 pm ]
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