100 4 Front Sway Bar

[TonyR]

I have a TR3 with a front sway bar ( anti roll bar) that is very stiff. It is a hoot to drive. Kas Kastner recommends a stiff front with a stock rear as the best combination.

My Healey BNI has the standard front bar that is very weak. Question is, which bar is recommended to stiffen the front?

Is the route to fit a 100M type bar or a bar from a 3000?

Cheers,

Tony

 

[wangdango]

We have a '56 100 LeMans vintage race car and use urethane bushings all around, a front bar from Victoria British (think they only sell one size), BJ8 front springs, front shocks with heavier valves and 40weight motorcycle fork oil in them. The rear is stock springs, shocks, fork oil weight. We were told by a lot of folks when we built the car (over 20 yrs ago now), make the front stiff and keep the back soft. The car handles fantastic, and with Dunlop Racing tires she slides in perfect 4 wheel slides......

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

I have a TR3 with a front sway bar ( anti roll bar) that is very stiff. It is a hoot to drive. Kas Kastner recommends a stiff front with a stock rear as the best combination.

My Healey BNI has the standard front bar that is very weak. Question is, which bar is recommended to stiffen the front?

Is the route to fit a 100M type bar or a bar from a 3000?

Cheers,

Tony

I owned a 100 over 30 years ago and I installed a standard 3000 swaybar and it improved the handling.

 

[Randy Forbes]

My 7/8" front swaybar (stock 3/4"?) was purchased from Addco back around 1985. They probably still offer them.

I, at times, also used a 3/4" rear bar, but it's been off the car since I put the articulated A-arm on (instead of the Panhard Rod).

 

[TonyR]

Thanks guys,
I guess I was on the right track, I have purchased some up-rated valves and thicker oil for the front shocks.
I gain as much enjoyment out of playing with these cars as I do driving them!
Tony

 

[WaltCasten]

My 7/8" front swaybar (stock 3/4"?) was purchased from Addco back around 1985. They probably still offer them.

I don't think the stock 100 (4 cylinder) front bar was 3/4", more like 1/2" and some had 5/8".

Later,
Walt

 

[big6]

"I put the articulated A-arm on (instead of the Panhard Rod)".

Randy,

Can you post some photos?

Thanks...

 

[Randy Forbes]

My 7/8" front swaybar (stock 3/4"?) was purchased from Addco back around 1985. They probably still offer them.

I don't think the stock 100 (4 cylinder) front bar was 3/4", more like 1/2" and some had 5/8".

Later,
Walt

Mine's a 100/6, but maybe 5/8" is closer__it's been decades since I've seen the original swaybar; it might be stored with some other Healey parts I have (including a couple of engines) in my brother's shed in Florida...

... I guess now that I'm moving to Florida, he'll want me to come get that stuff too!

 

[Randy Forbes]

"I put the articulated A-arm on (instead of the Panhard Rod)".

Randy,

Can you post some photos?

Thanks...

 

[BoyRacer]

Wangdango is spot on. Keep the front stiff and the back end soft. If you stiffen up the rear it will want to swap ends. I learned that when I installed a rear sway bar 25 years ago in my race car. At the time it sounded like it was the next smart move to make the car handle better -- big mistake for a big Healey.
Now, you can do this on a street car and maybe never realize the mistake you made because you don't drive it hard enough. Because I drive my car at the absolute limit every time I race, I know what works and what doesn't.
I use a 1" sway bar in front and 500 lb front springs. BJ8 springs are about 385 lbs. No rear sway bar. Stock rear springs with the smallest leaf removed. Very soft rear shock setting (I have adjustable Armstrong rear shocks) Traction bars to prevent spring windup - it acts something like a 4 link setup - very effective. I use the stock panhard rod with urethane bushings at one end and rubber bushings at the other (you do need some flex).
In my opinion, for a 6 cyl. street car, I would go with BJ8 front springs and go with a 3/4" front sway bar with (of course) urethane blocks. The most important thing about the higher rated BJ8 springs is that they eliminate a lot of body roll when cornering.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

...
In my opinion, for a 6 cyl. street car, I would go with BJ8 front springs and go with a 3/4" front sway bar with (of course) urethane blocks. The most important thing about the higher rated BJ8 springs is that they eliminate a lot of body roll when cornering.

My stock BJ8 sway bar is 3/4". I installed a 7/8" bar from Addco:

https://02bbfb5.netsolhost.com/aftermarket.htm

To the best of my (amateur) observations, the car stays flatter in corners with no discernible increase in understeer. I did have to notch the bumper brackets to make room for the bar.

Can't say enough good stuff about Addco.

 

[BoyRacer]

That's odd, I had a BJ8 once and I thought the sway bar was the same as the earlier 3000s - 5/8".

 

[Bob_Spidell]

That's odd, I had a BJ8 once and I thought the sway bar was the same as the earlier 3000s - 5/8".

Oops ... you are correct. Looks like I misread my caliper last night. Apologies.

Surprised I went that much oversized, but this:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ACO-801/

was more appealing than the Moss 'uprated' 3/4" at $255.