El Caminos and sway bars

[Ugly1]

If you are looking for the frame brace on the rear I had to look carefully most will not fit but there are a couple out there. I believe UMI does have one for Wagons and ElCo’s. Something makes certain bracing only fit them.

 

[SoFloG]

If you are looking for the frame brace on the rear I had to look carefully most will not fit but there are a couple out there. I believe UMI does have one for Wagons and ElCo’s. Something makes certain bracing only fit them.

Which frame brace? I was looking to get a shock tower brace

 

[69hurstolds]

see if the shipping outfit will put the label on the bar instead of trying to box it up like they do with tires.

Mebbe. USPS has proven time and again that they could f**k up a bowling ball in a sand pile. Just make sure you tag the address in multiple locations so it doesn’t go to sorting warehouse purgatory.

 

[Ugly1]

Trailing arm braces are from QA1 or UMI

UMI Performance Control Arm Reinforcement Brace Kits 3028-R

Tower brace is

UMI Performance Adjustable Strut Tower Braces 3055-B​

I shop at Summit a lot but Jegs should have some too.

 

[SoFloG]

If you are looking for the frame brace on the rear I had to look carefully most will not fit but there are a couple out there. I believe UMI does have one for Wagons and ElCo’s. Something makes certain bracing only fit them.

You're saying the trailing arm to frame braces are the the ones that don't fit? The shock tower braces are all the same correct?

 

[86LK]

Yep. Olds had F41 suspension which included rear sway bar with air shocks standard on the 83 (the air shocks were optional in 83 only) and 84 H/O and 85-87 442. That was it, though.

I cannot find any definitive information that the El C/Cab came with rear sway bar. Doesn't mean it didn't happen. Although I see no reason you couldn't install one.

The 1980 product information guide SAYS F41 was available on El Camino. Actually, it just states that it's N/A on Station Wagons. Thus I'm deducing it was available on El Camino, etc. But what I can't find, at least not yet, is what F41 meant to an El Camino. Was it just a bigger front bar or did it come with a rear bar too?

View attachment 231721

Heritage kit info is a little different

Site Maintenance

pg 10, 13, 40, 149, 153, 167

the pages cited refer to El Camino or suspension for El Camino in some way or another

 

[Ugly1]

Both of the parts i listed fit ElCo’s. The Shock tower one was the part that you have a slight difference between regular G-bodies and the wagons/ElCo’s.
* The control arm one I figured you would want the information on. *

 

[Sweet_Johnny]

I don't want to deprive another member of a sale, but I took a factory rear sway bar off my Elco and you can have it for shipping- I don't want it nor do I want money for it. I've never shipped anything before but if you tell me where to drop it off I'm free Mon- Thurs. and can take it to UPS, USPS, wherever.

 

[Longroof79]

For you wagon and Elky guys, you can always add a full hitch setup which acts as a rear frame brace. That's what I ended up doing. It certainly helps stiffen up the rear frame rails plus it's still functional as a hitch if and when you ever need to utilize it.

 

[69hurstolds]

Am I mistaken, or did no G body El Caminos come with rear sway bars? Was behind an 87 Cutlass tonite and saw the rear sway bar and got to thinking. My 84 and the 87 with f41 also don't have rear sway bars. I've owned 3 Monte Carlos 79 83 85, 1 85 Regal and 2 88 Cutlasses and they all had them, but neither of the 2 Elcos. Can someone shed some light on this?

Getting back to the theme of the thread, I stole this off of the El Camino Central Forum in a post from 2017 by pbr400. He seems to have pretty good knowledge of El Caminos, as I sure as heck don't, but what he's discussing seems legit. He also doesn't seem like a fly-by-night poster over there either, and reading a few other posts he has made seems like he's very fluent in El Caminos. Some of you El Camino guys should be able to confirm or deny this. Some of what he has stated I did independently confirm, but I can't confirm/deny all of it. Perhaps more knowledgable people can chime in here. He's saying the F41 package didn't have rear bar, and nothing has turned up in GM literature to definitively say one way or the other.

"F41 was available on any trim level, base, Conquista, Choo Choo SS, and Z15 'Sport Appearance Package'. My 85 Conquista has it. It should have a fatter front bar, triangulating 'jounce' bars, quicker steering, and stiffer springs. Rear bars weren't part of the package on Elkies but are easily added. As for your ground effects, these are confusing. The package Chevy sold in the early years as 'Super Sport' (option Z15) had the air dam, no rocker or fenderwell chrome, sport mirrors, two tone paint and Super Sport in relief lettering on the side. (And the little dash badge said it). Beginning in 1983 or 84 the Choo Choo SS debuted with the aero nose and a lot of other details either standard or optional. Those were sold along side GM built Z15 optioned units that now only said 'Super Sport' on their dash badges. Both packages were available until end of production. If yours is a Z15 'Sport App.' cruck it should say so on that SPID sticker. If it's a Chooch it shouldn't he a Z15 ( exceptions do exist) and should have a recert sticker in the door jamb.
Patrick
Ps-they redid the dashes for '86 and '87 and eliminated the little dash badge."