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Sway bars and stiffer (Adjustable) shocks? Worth it?
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=54916		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  MoreDoorVal [ Wed Mar 19, 2014 1:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Sway bars and stiffer (Adjustable) shocks? Worth it?
Hey guys I'm hoping for some feed back from anyone who's installed oem sway bars on a non factory equipped car (mines a 72)

What years did these swaybars come standard?

For some reason I'm thinking it became law in 74 or 75..?

Also Hotchkis makes adjustable (16 way damp able) shocks.

I lowered the front end slightly but it's not stiff enough for my taste. Would they be worth 200 to stiffen it up? Or should I look into small block torsion bars?
Author:  MoreDoorVal [ Wed Mar 19, 2014 1:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
Link for the shocks:
https://www.hotchkis.net/hotchkis-tuned ... y-fox.html
Author:  Joshie225 [ Wed Mar 19, 2014 1:54 pm ]
Post subject: 
Stiffer torsion bars and better shocks will do wonders for the car. I used 1.04" torsion bars and QA1 single-adjustable shocks on my '67 Valiant. It handled wonderfully without sway bars and rode like a modern car. For a little more plush ride I would do .940" torsion bars with Bilstein shocks ($400 for the whole car rather than $195/ea.) and add sway bars if you want less body roll. Firm Feel has the torsion bars and shocks.
Author:  MoreDoorVal [ Wed Mar 19, 2014 2:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
The Blisteins are pretty firm?

The torsion bars seem like quite a hassle to change so ill definitely be looking into shocks first hand, but I want to make this car quite a bit stiffer so I'm pretty positive ill be doing both. I believe my stock bars are .873..? .920 is the small block A C cars? What are the 1.00+ ? Big block or just after market.
Author:  Joshie225 [ Wed Mar 19, 2014 4:04 pm ]
Post subject: 
Bilstein dampers can control rather high rate springs and still ride well. The QA1 dampers also do the job well, are adjustable and are still less expensive than the Hotchkiss units.

Torsion bars are easier and faster than sway bars if you have or make a removal tool.

Early cars often had .830" or .850" torsion bars. Don't confuse the diameter with the last 3 digits of the part number. .890" was the factory big block torsion bar, but I wouldn't bother. Anything larger is aftermarket.
Author:  WagonsRcool [ Wed Mar 19, 2014 8:45 pm ]
Post subject: 
On my 75 Dart I ran .940 T-bars & Addco sway bar- 1" front, 3/4" rear. Rear springs were home built packs- re-arched with an extra leaf. KYB shocks - both axles. P205/60R15 Michelins on 15x7 alloy Chrysler 5th Ave rims. That car wasn't too harsh but ran like it was on rails. I had to "tune" the rear axle roll resistance by loosening the rear sway end links some & running rear tires at 3-5 psi less than front. If the back axle is too "stiff" you end up with oversteer. :o

While'll you are looking at parts to "firm up" your suspension, be sure to thoroughly check the condition of what's on the car. If it needs ball joints & bushings, you'll want to do those before or during any other upgrades (esp lower C/A bushings)
Author:  DusterIdiot [ Thu Mar 20, 2014 5:12 am ]
Post subject:  They didn't...
Quote:
What years did these swaybars come standard?

For some reason I'm thinking it became law in 74 or 75..?
Sway bars were an option all years, only recently will you find them under everything to firm up the sloppy suspension engineering on domestic brands.
Author:  vynn3 [ Thu Mar 20, 2014 10:52 am ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
The Blisteins are pretty firm?

The torsion bars seem like quite a hassle to change so ill definitely be looking into shocks first hand, but I want to make this car quite a bit stiffer so I'm pretty positive ill be doing both. I believe my stock bars are .873..? .920 is the small block A C cars? What are the 1.00+ ? Big block or just after market.
I would swap (good) shocks and bigger torsion bars at the same time. They compliment each other. I first ran .890 torsion bars and KYB's. Handled better, but the ride sucked. Eventually installed a set of Bilstein shocks, and it made a HUGE difference in ride quality. Last year I moved up to 1.03 torsion bars with the same shocks, and it's a great compromise between ride and handling.

I wouldn't use shocks to firm up ride or handling, I'd bigger torsion bars for that. Then really good shocks are used to control the shock for acceptable ride quality.

I don't think shocks OR torsion bars alone will produce favorable results. That's like adding a 4bbl to a stock engine. It's gotta be a package.

Oh, and swapping torsion bars isn't any harder than most other suspension projects. I swapped from .890's to 1.03's in about an hour.
Author:  zorg [ Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
Like Vynn3 said, think system. A stiff shock will mask too soft a torsion bar, and then beat you up once you put stiffer torsion bars on. Figure out what your goal is for the car, and then build it accordingly as you have the money. Buying cheaper parts now will only end up costing you more when you buy the good stuff later, after the 'cheap fix' doesn't work out.
Author:  MoreDoorVal [ Mon May 05, 2014 7:35 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks or the help guys! I read a few reviews on shocks, there's a few Valiants that auto x at good guys all running 1.03 bars and the QA1 adjustables.

I'm sold on that setup!

If I can find a sway bar for a good price I can always add that down the road. I really want it to be able to take corners once I swap to front discs. Nothing to crazy, but I enjoy my spirited driving. :wink:
Author:  vynn3 [ Tue May 06, 2014 8:42 am ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Thanks or the help guys! I read a few reviews on shocks, there's a few Valiants that auto x at good guys all running 1.03 bars and the QA1 adjustables.

I'm sold on that setup!

If I can find a sway bar for a good price I can always add that down the road. I really want it to be able to take corners once I swap to front discs. Nothing to crazy, but I enjoy my spirited driving. :wink:
For now, I've pulled my crappy Addco sway bar off, since the mounts were tearing up my K member. With the 1.03 torsion bars, Bilstein shocks, and 225/45-18's up front, I don't even feel the difference with or without the sway bar.

Someday I'd like to get a "good" sway bar on there, but for now, it's a low priority for me.
Author:  wjajr [ Tue May 06, 2014 12:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
Here is how I fixed the poor Addco bar mounting on my Dart:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ENS-5-5135G/

http://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=304376&highlight=anti+sway+bar+mount#304376

The Addco bar has been service for five years, still tightly mounted as the day I made the mount modification. Car corners flat, with 0.940â€￾ torsion bars, six leaf rear springs, and cheap Monroe Gas Matic shocks.
Author:  vynn3 [ Tue May 06, 2014 1:37 pm ]
Post subject: 
Author:  emsvitil [ Tue May 06, 2014 4:25 pm ]
Post subject: 
Or modify the addco mounts........

start here to the end of the thread.

http://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php ... unt#301100
Author:  MoreDoorVal [ Tue May 06, 2014 9:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
So do you think 1.03 bars are too harsh? Maybe 940 bars with a performance shock would be the way to go...

Hm..
:?

Really the major reason I was thinking 1.03s is because they seem to be more common and I could get a set for $200 (Mopar performance versions of the .940 bars are like $350 :x

I really wanna limit re-doing the front end (shocks, bars, new bushings once i get disc brake UCAs).to under $500, (plus a manual disc brake conversion which will be about $3-400)

Another thing I see is that some bars say they are not intended for lowered vehicles. I have mine lowered a bit and the SPT bars have "indexing" designed for lowered cars.

Ive got time to think/reasearch though, need to put a few checks in the bank first before i spend any more money on cars :twisted:
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