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Sway Bar Locators

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Barry - I'm trying to understand myself...I don't understand why the cars came with locators to keep the bar in one place if its supposed to "slip around"....

....also, when we were building my '68 GT's race suspension & installed a larger front sway bar, everybody told me not to install a rear bar - & to mount the front bar to the body without rubber buffers but with aluminum mounts & to make sure I had a good set of locators to make sure it doesn't move around. I dunno.....

We need Hap to weigh in on this one!!
 
...you guys kill me...
 
...well, how 'bout 'splaining' it to us...
 
The crazy thing is these locators are not attached to the bar very well at all. When I tried to remove the ones that were installed they slid right to the center of the bar with almost no effort. The bolts were as tight as possible- in fact I had to cut the bolts off.

All of the diagrams seem to show them closer to the "inside the bushing position", but I notice that they have the flared side facing away from the bushing.

The flared side makes me think it's supposed to keep the bar from sliding, but under any pressure at all, it appears the locater would slide, or the bushing (especially if rubber) would push away from the bracket.

I don't know. I need to go back and read the posts and think about this a while.
 
I agree. Where is Hap when you need him?? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif Heck, where is Jeff and the rest of the guys. They must be sleeping. It will be interesting to see what they have to say on the topic tomorrow.

I will have to check tomorrow myself, but I think I installed the locators in the inside of the mounts. (Can't remember why...) I noticed the lack of "strength" from keeping the bar for sliding from side to side as well. I figured their function was to kind of recenter the bar if needed and not really offer much of a stop to the side to side motion because there wasn't that much stress horizontally. But, that answer would probably answer what we have been trying to figure out. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
The British term is anti-roll bar which makes more sense (to me).

The locators go on the inside (both sides) and are needed with this style sway bar.

The purpose of the sway bar is to help keep the car level in the corners to control the steering effect of the rear axle. No sway bar and the body rolls in the corner and the rear axle does a bunch of steering and it is easy to swap ends. Too much sway bar and the rear axle gives no steering effort and tries to push you straight and you get a bunch of understeer.

The size sway bar you need depends on spring rates, center of gravity, tires, etc.

Thicker ones allow less twist (depending on construction). The stock ones allow quite a bit of twist so that you get some control, but not a hard noisy ride.

OK, now maybe Jeff will come along and correct me, or provide better details.
 
I agree with Trevor. Both of mine are in the inside, But since teh standard Spridget sawy bar has almost like small tie rods I imagine without these locaters it could swing all the way to one side. I wouldnt run a stock one without it on the other hand my 3/4 bar has chevy looking end links with one bolt through a set of bushings. This setup in itself would limit the side to side movement.
 
How the heck can it slide sideways with all that strain on each end holding it in place.

Watch my lips, it does not slide side to side.
 
Jack, it will slide without the locating clamps. Especially when those rubber ball joints in the links get loose. And they will get loose quicker without the locating clamps.
 
BTW, I can't see your lips Jack. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
LOL, has to have the locating bushings of course. But the bar is not tight in them.
 
Going back to this diagram:
SPM-032.gif
 
You need part number 56 (two of them). Mount them either both on the outside, or both on the inside. They are there to prevent lateral movement of the bar so the the vertical force on one side is applied to the other (minus the twist of the bar.

Note: some aftermarket bars do not require locating clamps due to their shape.
 
I agree, all those parts are required but I think nothing except design precludes lateral movement. No where for the bar to go as long as the ends are attached.
 
Jack (look at part number #'s 52 and 51) the links can allow lateral movement. They are not solid. They are a rubber encased ball and socket joint.

Additionally, the bends in the stock bar are well outside of the frame mounted bushings, so the bar can slide sideways.

I wish I still had a stock bar on my car so that I could demonstrate it in a video.
 
... and to try and clarify what Tony was asking about...

People replace the rubber bushings with harder materials (even solid aluminum) so that less vertical force is lost and more of it is transfered to the other wheel.

The stock rubber bushings compress a bunch before the bar starts to rotate.
 
Hmmm. I bet, I just bet that the lateral movement is very slight, those A frames do not move up and down much at the mid point where the sway bar is bolted and the links are very short.
 
Nope, but they would move a lot more if the sway bar wasn't there. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
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