60 T-Bird Front Sway Bar Installed

[jandjinfla]

I have a 1960 bird convert. I'm having trouble after the installation of the heavy duty sway bar on the front end. Once the bar was installed it was hitting the body toward the control arm, the sway bar link comes out to far.
Across the front it appears that the inside of the bar is not wide enough.
I am not familiar with the mechanics of the car I am trying to relate the problem as best I can based on what the mechanic told me.
I will try to get pictures.
I hope someone can help.

[jandjinfla]

heavy duty sway bar 1960 bird convt

Update
There is no problem with the sway bar link.
According to the mechanic it is a clearance issue.

[simplyconnected]

Sway bars, even heavy bars, are supposed to fit properly. Mine do. If they don't fit right, send them back. - Dave

[YellowRose]

heavy duty sway bar 1960 bird convt

Here are the pix that were taken of this heavy duty sway bar that Joe is having put on the front.

[simplyconnected]

Ray called me today regarding this job. It seems that the owner went to a popular tire store dealer, and that is who installed and took pictures:


After straightening the pictures, right away I can see paint chipping on the front sub frame.



Here is the 'standard' shim, installed.



If higher shims are added, this problem will go away.

[jandjinfla]

60 T-Bird Front Sway Bar Installed

Many thanks to Ray and Dave.
What a great web site and source for help and information.

I was told one extra 1/4 inch spacer on each side did the trick. I will get the car back early next week. Hopefully it's fine now.
A word to the wise, if you are ordering a sway bar find out where your supplier is getting it from and what company made it. Apparently the one I ordered was a knock-off. Time and labor could have been saved not to mention the cost to re-paint the scraps on the frame.


Joe

[simplyconnected]

Joe, I must take issue with this notion of a 'knockoff'. I have no love for any sway bar company BUT Ford never made heavy sway bars for Squarebirds.

As far as I am concerned, all aftermarket companies fashioned their sway bars after the original Ford bar. I seriously doubt they would have copied a competitor's bar when they had the original as a standard.

So, after all the boasting I have yet to find one aftermarket bar is any better than another.

As soon as I rotated your pictures and saw your installation, I knew the installer wasn't familiar with adding shims for clearance and that's exactly what I told Ray Clark when he called me regarding this installation. You can see from the time on my posted pictures, that I did I say to shim the bar.

I bought two bars in the past from Lance Herrington at Thunderbirds Southwest. Both of them required shims to fit correctly. So, what you have is not unique. The mistake was to hire a tire dealer to do the work. The proof here is, the same mechanic that said this bar has a clearance issue, is the same guy who will miraculously find plenty of clearance. A 'learning curve' is involved, and your man never did this before.

All in all, I'm glad someone saw the light and now your bar fits. properly. - Dave

[jandjinfla]

1960 T-Bird Sway Bar

Dave,
Thanks again for your help, adding the shims was right on the money and I was able to fix the problem immediately. This has been a real learning experience for me.

The car has a continental kit, do you recommend a sway bar for the rear? Is it a hard or easy installation provided I have the right mechanic to do it?

Joe

[simplyconnected]

Happy Father's day, Joe.
The automotive industry has made constant improvements over fifty years. Some ideas stood the test of time (and millions of cars) and some have not. For example: Would you put your family in a car without seat belts and drive for hours on an interstate hwy? Back in the day everyone did. I won't use bias ply tires. All the cars on today's roads have radial tires and that is what I drive among.

In general I always ask myself, "What do modern cars use?"
Everyone seems to be very happy with their performance and longevity. Most modern cars feature the exact same components but differ by brands. Even though our classics were not designed by today's standards, they can be upgraded in most areas.

Modern cars have front and rear sway bars. Do you like the way your daily driver feels on exit ramp curves? Adding both sway bars will produce the kind of performance as a modern car of the same weight. I drive my classic, so I use the bars.

Please find a good suspension mechanic. We have a shop around my house called, John-R Spring. The name describes their work, if you already know that John-R is a road. They are always busy doing cars and trucks. I saw a beautiful white Squarebird there one time, getting new front bushings and coil springs. They also install air bag suspension, sway bars, leaf springs, etc., for car, truck, trailer & bus. Check out their local services.

This is the type of place you should look for. Pep Boys aren't equipped. These guys do this kind of work every day and their prices are more reasonable than Detroit Spring. If you had brought your parts to this place, there would have been no problem because they do thousands of car suspensions.

I hope this helps and it gives you a better idea of what is out there. - Dave

[jandjinfla]

1960 T- Bird Sway Bar

Hi Dave, A Happy Fathers Day to you also.
I read between the lines of your last reply to my question.
I will investigate installing a rear sway bar and find someone competent to do the work.
If I lived in Michigan I would be happy to have it installed there but I am retired and live in Florida but Ray gave me a lead on a shop that does restoration work in my area.
I bought this car and it was supposed to be completely done, a retired show car completed in the early 2000s.
Beautiful on the outside but nothing but problems mechanically.
I have been reading as many of the threads in the forum as I can each day to understand some of the problems and solutions the owners are facing with these cars. I craved this car since I was 17 years old. I have a few more mechanical issues with the car to overcome, possible transmission rebuild, wheel alignment and balance, power steering box, timing, and maybe one more oil or fluid leak. With people like you and Ray on this web site, I'll get her done.
Joe

[simplyconnected]

Joe, don't try to tackle all your problems at once. If you have suspension work that needs to be done, take it to a suspension specialist. They will save you money and many headaches.

The same holds true for your other work. Of course, body work should be done by a competent body shop. Convertible tops should be done by a good trim shop. Engine work needs to see a FORD engine specialist.

I don't mean you need a dealership, they are the most disappointing because the mechanics aren't always Ford guys and they rarely work on classic cars. They do computer diagnostics, warranty work and brake jobs. Show them a car with no computer and they want nothing to do with it.

You have a Ford FE engine. FEs were put into every Ford car and truck for decades, but that was awhile ago. Try to find an old-timer who knows FE engines, not a Chevy guy. Grill them. Ask them what experience they have with FE engines. If they hem and haw, run.

The South probably has more great FE mechanics than the North, because they hang on to old stuff and make good use of it down there. Everyone has a Chevy engine tucked away, nearly as many have FEs.

If you need information as to who is good or who is the best, call a local speed shop. If they don't know, go down the list and keep calling.

Also, you need to know that your car didn't come with the equipment you are installing. Yes, you are making it safer to drive but many times judges will knock off points because you have aftermarket parts that never existed when your car was built. 'just say'n.'

I enjoy my classic and I am the only judge that matters to me. I drive mine a lot without thinking twice. If after I'm gone, someone wants to bring it back to stock, I won't complain. - Dave

[Yadkin]

I will investigate installing a rear sway bar and find someone competent to do the work.

I just installed on a few weeks ago. I got mine from Larry's Thunderbird, and it fit perfectly. Just that the instructions were nearly worthless, so I wrote up the procedure here.

http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=83878&postcount=8

Instead of having the work done at Pep Boys or any franchised shop, find a local shop that specializes in repairing and restoring old cars.

[jandjinfla]

1960 T-Bird Rear Sway Bar

Steve,
Thanks for the very detailed instructions. This site is like having a team of experts at your finger tips.
Joe

[Guest]

I just installed on a few weeks ago. I got mine from Larry's Thunderbird, and it fit perfectly. Just that the instructions were nearly worthless, so I wrote up the procedure here.

http://www.squarebirds.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=83878&postcount=8

Instead of having the work done at Pep Boys or any franchised shop, find a local shop that specializes in repairing and restoring old cars.

Now that you have had the new sway bars on for a while, would you mind giving us your feedback on how they perform?

[Yadkin]

Now that you have had the new sway bars on for a while, would you mind giving us your feedback on how they perform?

I am currently restoring the body and interior. It won't be on the road until September or October.