If you want more guidance on making  your car more road worthy CHECK OUT

"How to make your car handle" by Fred Puhn,
find it on Amazon Pete

I'm not looking to argue here, just want to pass something on. I put a large rear bar (which I already had) on a smaller lighter car. Seemed to drive real nice, took it out on the back roads, no problem. The first time in the rain I lost the backend big time, and spun the car in an intersection. Fortunately, it was empty. But I wasn't even screwing around, it just had a much different reaction, and suddenly. So, at some point for any combination, there needs to be a balance. Found a smaller bar in the junkyard and solved the problem.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Having zero experience with this, I to would think that an "improvement" is an improvement. Well said 56Roger.
Rowen

Rowen
55CV
Woodland, Ca

My experience with rear sway bars is they must be a smaller diameter than the front bar. For about 10 years I drove a 78 Olds Cutlass as my daily driver. It originally had a scruby 305 2BBL and a TH250. It was my wife`s car. I added a 350 4BBL a TH 350 and Rancho front springs. Better shocks and a quick ration steering box. It had a BIG sway bar in front 1 1/4 inch but no rear bar. After she handed the car down to me to drive I added a rear bar from a GM factory G body with a handling kit. It was around a 1 inch bar. Big big improvement. Not day and night as it already was pretty good but after the addition a lot better. Pete

Great reading. Seeing Riverside in the pictures makes me want to cry, I sure miss that track. I run a 1 1/8" bar on the front and a 1" on the rear of my 57, handles the canyon roads like a snake..

This is an interesting article which mentions the effect of a rear sway bar with leaf springs.

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/chassis-suspension/1511-tested-factory-designed-independent-rear-suspension-for-early-mustangs/

Hi Paul ,
  I have a 57 merc ,  handled poorly to say the least.  Took a rear sway bar out of an early 90's  4 wheel drive f150  ,  it was real nice , had a loop over the pumpkin , attached to the axle tubes , put heims on the front , attached to the frame ,near front of the leaf spring .  Not exactly a sportscar , but handles a lot better . Dave

Po ol Davie

Sparta , Tn.

I'm sure that some will argue, but based on info from people who know much more about suspensions than I do..don't go overboard on a rear sway bar. There can be a tendancy for the car to oversteer (get tail end happy) when driven hard. Factory rear anti roll bars (the correct term) are nearly always smaller than the front bar..  


Paul

Thanks a lot, Roger, I'll give them a call.
Like you, I'll never use bias ply tires. I feel that all the reproduced bias tires are nowhere near the quality of old. I feel much safer with modern radials that  are round, easily balanced, and run at speed without problem. I've read too many accounts of out of round tires and difficulty in balancing, especially Coker's.
Jim

Hi Roger and thanks for the reply.
What did the rear sway bar you're using come from? and what modifications were necessary to make it fit?
I tried to send you a PM or email, but neither would work for me?

Thanks so much
Jim