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Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body

Posted By: plazomat

Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/12/14 03:58 AM

Finally completed my disk-o-tech upgrade and Addco 541 swaybar install - along with replacing every bushing in the front end.

Have to say after years of putting this off it was way easier than anticipated - hardest part was getting out the rusty cam bolts in the uppers.

Sway bar install was super easy - the hardware change Addco made a few years ago must have done the trick - it took about an hour to install.

Method I used was to

-raise front end
-remove wheels and install brackets at lower shock - leave loose
-remove the K-member to lower rad support bracket thing
-drill out holes in K-member to pass mounting bolts
-loosely install K-member brackets
-use sway bar bushings and brackets loosely installed to hang sway bar
-point bar in the right direction
-put wheels back on
-drop car back onto ground
-install end links loosely - building stack from bottom to top - starting with side that required the longest end link
-tighten all K member mount bolts and bar mounts
-angle lower shock brackets properly and tighten them down
-tighten end links
-install the K-member to lower rad support bracket thing

Check out picks - hope this helps someone else in the future - the instructions are non-existent for this bar

Now onto the rear...

Plazomat

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Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/12/14 04:00 AM

Pic#2

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Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/12/14 04:01 AM

Pic#3

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Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/12/14 04:04 AM

PM me if anyone has questions - I'd be glad to help - Addco surely can't...

BTW - that is 10.98 in disks with pin calipers under a 14 inch Centerline auto drag...

This is the front end stance for now...

Attached picture 8297772-IMG_20141010_162003.jpg
Posted By: roe

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/12/14 04:19 AM

If you haven't had one on there previously , you are going to love your sway bar after you take your first turn or take a hard curve with speed. Adding one to my car has been the single best handling upgrade on my car.
Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/12/14 03:08 PM

Quote:

If you haven't had one on there previously , you are going to love your sway bar after you take your first turn or take a hard curve with speed. Adding one to my car has been the single best handling upgrade on my car.



No previous bar, hope it makes a world of difference, school bus handling wasn't any fun.

Did you use a rear bar? Which one? I got and Addco 7/8 waiting to go on..

Plaz
Posted By: roe

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/12/14 11:12 PM

Quote:

Quote:

If you haven't had one on there previously , you are going to love your sway bar after you take your first turn or take a hard curve with speed. Adding one to my car has been the single best handling upgrade on my car.



No previous bar, hope it makes a world of difference, school bus handling wasn't any fun.

Did you use a rear bar? Which one? I got and Addco 7/8 waiting to go on..

Plaz



No I only used a front bar and it still made a night and day difference. And it was just a stock sized bar that I pulled from the j/y. I still want to add a rear bar as well.

What size is your front bar? What's the recommendation of bar sizes when uses both? Should they be the same size or should one be larger than the other?
Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/13/14 03:32 AM

My front bar is a 1 1/8 inch bar, Addco only makes a 3/4 or 7/8 rear bar. I have the 3/4 bar not the 7/8 like I thought.

I don't think they are supposed to be the same - but I am sure a guru on this board will have a suggestion..

Plaz
Posted By: feets

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/13/14 03:19 PM

The bars are rarely the same size. Proper sizing depends on the spring weights, weight of the car, balance of the car, and a few other things.

In general, the rear bar will be significantly smaller than the front to promote a more controllable understeer at the limit.

I used a factory 7/8" bar on the front of the hot rod and a 3/4" bar on the rear. It handled fairly well.
Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/14/14 04:57 PM

Feets,

There are so many options for torsion bar and leaf springs on the market - how do you properly size the swaybars? Is there a formula or calculator etc that you used?

Plazomat
Posted By: DaveKanofsky

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/16/14 09:46 PM

Thanks for posting this Plazomat, we are going to get that kit for my dad's '66 Coronet.

I emailed Addco, and attached are their installation instructions...

Attached File
8302355-541_revised.pdf  (329 downloads)
Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/17/14 01:45 AM

No problem - at least they got back to you...

Let me know if you need any more pics or help..

Plaz
Posted By: feets

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/17/14 05:35 AM

Quote:

Feets,

There are so many options for torsion bar and leaf springs on the market - how do you properly size the swaybars? Is there a formula or calculator etc that you used?

Plazomat



There are tons of formulas and calculators. What it comes down to is personal taste.

Some like big springs and small bars. Others like small springs and big bars. Others want big everything.

To race competitively, you have to calculate the roll rate of end end of the car using the suspension geometry and vehicle weight to determine the most effective bar for your combo.

That gets kinda messy so most places default to a bigger front bar than rear bar. The stiffer front suspension will make the car understeer when pushed. That is easier to control than a rear end trying to come around.
Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/25/14 03:57 AM

Took it out for a drive today, man what a difference that bar makes from no bar...I can really toss it around now and car has hardly any lean and just feels so crisp and planted firm..

Now the brakes...well they just suck - not sure what exactly I did wrong but it stopped better with manual drums on the front..

Plazomat
Posted By: roe

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/25/14 04:56 AM

Quote:

Took it out for a drive today, man what a difference that bar makes from no bar...I can really toss it around now and car has hardly any lean and just feels so crisp and planted firm..

Now the brakes...well they just suck - not sure what exactly I did wrong but it stopped better with manual drums on the front..

Plazomat



I told you that thing would make a huge difference. Enjoy.
Posted By: larrymopar360

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 10/26/14 10:50 PM

That front suspension looks great. I can imagine how much difference no bar to bar would make.

Is your pedal hard now, or sinking, or what?
Posted By: plazomat

Re: Addco 541 swaybar installed...1969 Plymouth B-Body - 11/11/14 04:28 AM

Quote:

That front suspension looks great. I can imagine how much difference no bar to bar would make.

Is your pedal hard now, or sinking, or what?



Sorry Larry just saw this...pedal just sucks but I did somethings wrong have another thread on that with lots of suggestions from the gurus on this board as usual..have not had time to work on it...she will be right eventually.

PLAZ
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