How to install F body rear sway bar

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pontiacgp

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Mar 31, 2006
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It's cheap and easy....there are two tooling holes in the lower lip of the rear crossmember that I used to install the stock sway bar links. You can use the stock parts to mount the bar to the axle. I have a 8.2 rear end so I had used a 3" u bolt from a muffle clamp. I had to slot the holes on the sway bar mount to use with 3" u bolt but if you have a 7.5" rear you can use the stock u bolt. The bar is too wide so the arms have to be pulled in 1.5" on each side. I heated the arms and straightened out the ends to pull them in. The bar sits a bit too far forward so I rotated the bar on the axle tube and then tightened the u bolts on the sway bar mount and installed the stock sway bar link.

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Nice! Any pics of it on the car?
 
Nice, a few pics would help others out if you have them. I have installed an S truck - 98-05, on my wagon. Same principle, but the bar is narrower that the f-body.
 
I'll get some pictures of the it but the car is parked for the winter so it may take me a day or two
 
pontiacgp said:
I'll get some pictures of the it but the car is parked for the winter so it may take me a day or two
I'll be waiting! Is there any benefit to using the F body sway bar compared to the F41 g body bar? I didnt know if the different mounting locations would make a difference or not.
 
The difference is the F body sway bar is mounted independent of the control arms and also it's arm is secured at the end allowing the bar to twist naturally. The stock sway bar is attached with two bolts on the lower sway bar which I think binds the bar.
 
On the F-Body, its attachment helps tie the rear axle to the chassis during hard cornering, keeping the axle more inline with the chassis... whereas the old-tech set-up on the '78-88 A/G-Body only ties the two rear lower control arms together (3rd Gens do not have rear upper control arms but do share the same basic rear lower control arm). The difference being in the two suspension designs and the more rigid experience with the 3rd Gen vs the '78-88 A/G body chassis.
The GNX is a hybrid of the two designs, but more F-Body like. Based on the "Seat of the Pants" romp I was fortunate to experience about 4 years ago, the GNX definitely is "tighter" in the rear than the typical G-Body. (I was the passenger). I would strongly believe the upgrade to the 3rd Gen F-Body rear sway bar set-up would show some noticeable improvements over stock G Body.
 
Dammit I wanna kick my own *ss so bad right now. I had a rear sway bar from an 80s Z28 that I gave away for free because I didnt think I could use it! It was the matching bar to my 34mm front bar from the same car.
 
Thankfully there are still plenty out there, but like the G-Body, their numbers are dwindling fast... just like the "Early" '78-80 A/G-Body's, the "Early" '82-84 3rd Gen F-Body's (mostly Firebirds) have a lot of valuable bits in the resale market... like the UBER-Valuable '82 Trans Am Aluminum Turbo Hoods and 15" Turbocast rims w/ the Bowling Ball hubcaps, but its the later cars had the best performance parts.
 
Well I picked up a bar from a Z28. I bent the ends in about 1.5" with a torch and pliers. It will be blasted and I hope to put it on soon.


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