Rear sway bar

[Buckaroo]

I have a 1958 Coupe. The rear coil suspension has been replaced with leaf springs. I have added the heavy duty front sway bar. The car feels "squirrelly" in the corners. I am thinking about adding a rear sway bar. I have been reading the instructions on the Technical Library and the question I have is where do the angle brackets mount? I did not see any instructions on where to mount them. I assume on the inside of the frame but unsure exactly where. Also, the drawing shows the rear shock tilted with the top of the shock going rearward. My shocks go more straight up.

[Yadkin]

A heavy-duty bar in front with none in back will make the handling unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

I wrote detailed instructions for my '64, which may help you since the frames are similar.

http://www.squarebirds.org/picture_gallery/TechnicalResourceLibrary/FlairbirdHvyDutyRearSwayBarInstall.htm

Also some pictures here:

http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=84823&postcount=16

[simplyconnected]

There are no hard rules regarding fitment except that sway bars must flex in their bushings. You can run the 'legs' forward or backward, whichever is more convenient. The end result is the same because a sway bar is a "U" shape.

Think of a car body holding a tight curve at high speed. The body wants to roll to the outside of the curve. That transfers weight to the outside, making matters worse.

Now add a swaybar, with legs going either forward or backward and the middle is connected to the axle tubes. As the body rolls, the axle distorts the bar, pulling down on the inside and pushing up on the outside of the curve in equal proportions. The swaybar tries to maintain its 'U' shape, so it resists the roll.

Notice that front sway bars are mounted as far to the outside as possible (right behind the brakes). Try to mount your rear bar as far out on the axle as well. They work like handlebars, the longer the lever, the easier it is to control the vehicle. Henry knew this when he built his first Quadra cycle's 'steering stick'.

My Mustang has a very slick rear suspension. The coil spring bottom perches are part of the trailing arms. Just below the springs, on the same arms, Ford bolted the sway bar with two bolts on each end so they are solid. If the trailing arms are not going up and down in unison, the sway bar corrects them to be in unison. There is no need to attach to the axle because the arms are already attached to the axle at the farthest points. Everything is neatly tucked into the channels.

This got me thinking... For a leaf spring car, a sway bar could attach to the front spring eyes (pivot points) and simply bush through the lower plate that the U-bolts and shocks go through. - Dave