9 replies to this topic

[redtorana#3]

My car I'm putting together has no sway bars.

Do I need them for street only driving?

Reading other posts it seems I do but if not fitted what can I expect?

Got 308 and pacemaker headers so what would be best to suit? Heath who I'm sure knows what is going on recommends heavy at the front which leads me to ask about the rear also.

Thanks for any advise.

[76lxhatch]

Without anti-roll bars you'll experience more body roll and poor weight transfer. If you're only ever going to drive it in a straight line this might be OK for you, but if you really want to drive it I'd definitely recommend adding bars.

 

To over-simplify it's always a matter of balance front to rear, you can't make a recommendation for one end alone. Typically you will want significantly more bar in the front, relative to the back, this is particularly true for a Torana.

 

If your collectors hang down past the chassis rail (sadly most do) then you probably want to look into a front-mount bar. Some of the mounting systems for these are not ideal though and could do with improvement, I made some changes to my Whiteline bracketry not long ago.

https://www.gmh-tora...17#entry1091449

[yel327]

My 2/76 LX hatchback never had front or rear when I got it which I think might have been standard for the non-SLR LH suspension. It drove like a dog though but that was normal for standard LH and pre RTS LX.

 

You'll find plenty of aftermarket LH-LX rear bars that bolt to the lower control arms, but you could also buy the A9X style that bolts to the body. As mentioned above you are going to face clearance issues with the front if you use extractors with a big collector. Have a look around at what others (like Heath) have done. L34 used a front facing sway bar, have a look at how they were done.

 

If you are going to get a new diff made and you are planning on using the A9X style rear sway bar, sort out the sway bar first so you can weld on brackets for it (like a HZ has) so you don't have to have big ugly U-bolts around the housing. Have a look at the new Kmac ones on Ebay, you'll see the U-bolts I'm talking about. For a street driven car I'd just buy a good secondhand early type rear though that bolts to the lower control arms. Make sure you buy it with all the long bolts, nuts, washers and spacers that go in the lower control arms. Image below pinched off the 'web.

 

 ebay145674868455996.jpg   119.22K   4 downloads

 

Here is one with the bits I'm talking about:

 s-l1600.jpg   543.22K   5 downloads

Edited by yel327, 11 June 2024 - 08:16 AM.

[hanra]

VD only

Attached Files

•  Screenshot 2024-06-11 082922.jpg   37.53K   4 downloads
•  Screenshot 2024-06-11 082450.jpg   12.84K   3 downloads

[RallyRed]

That undercar pic? doesn't have the spacer / stiffner in the lower arms?.
Would twist like buggery?
or am I just blind?

[rexy]

Straight line fun? Super stiff rear and no front.

Just cruzin? Whatever you like.

 

You like corners? Both bars, springs, shocks etc to suit.

[yel327]

That undercar pic? doesn't have the spacer / stiffner in the lower arms?.
Would twist like buggery?
or am I just blind?

 

It's probably installed with the flat bit upwards.

[Heath]

My car I'm putting together has no sway bars.

Do I need them for street only driving?

Reading other posts it seems I do but if not fitted what can I expect?

Got 308 and pacemaker headers so what would be best to suit? 

Sway bars I would argue are most important for street driving. What they do is grab some of the spring force from the inside of the vehicle and use it on the outside of the vehicle in any given corner, where it is needed, so you can have a nice compliant ride in your road car on a straight piece of road, but it behaves like something stiffer in corners. Perfect.

Race cars in some cases have so much spring rate that they almost don't need swaybars. I gather sometimes they have readily adjustable swaybars simply because they desire some tunability and bars are easier than spring changes.

 

Your best bet would be to actually see where those Pacemaker headers hang down to. If they hang down a long way below the crossmember where the swaybar U-Bolts go, a front-mounted front bar would be easiest.

 

It's probably installed with the flat bit upwards.

Yes, probably on there, just hard to see. 

[Peter UC]

Personally I wouldn't bother with the rear with the right spring rates and standard geometry, I always had better results without it as the rear bar just made it want to lift in the inside rear wheel off the ground. Definitely the front is required.

 

Weirdly when I had my LX, I had 840lb front springs and standard RTS rear springs with no sway bars and it was surprisingly OK, still wouldn't recommend that however.

[redtorana#3]

I'll throw my extractors on and take a pic to see if you reckon a Whiteline bar will fit the front.

I have a 9" to deal with for the rear so will bug you all for info on that.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the rear with the right spring rates and standard geometry, I always had better results without it as the rear bar just made it want to lift in the inside rear wheel off the ground. Definitely the front is required.

 

Weirdly when I had my LX, I had 840lb front springs and standard RTS rear springs with no sway bars and it was surprisingly OK, still wouldn't recommend that however.

Good to know. I could always add a rear later.