• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Anybody install one of PST's rear sway bars on a B-body?

hunt2elk

FBBO Gold Member
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
6:16 AM
Joined
Jul 15, 2009
Messages
10,592
Reaction score
11,832
Location
WI
I see PST is selling a rear sway bar that will fit a 69 Charger. I have new HD springs on my car, but am not satisfied with the roll and softness. This seems odd to me because 5 years ago I put the exact same springs on my 69 Road Runner and am very happy with them. I am not really interested in raising the car as much as adding a leaf would do. Just wondering if any of you have tried the sway bar. Is it a simple bolt on, and where does it go? Any other thoughts to get a firmer ride?
 
Recently I read on here the quality of the HD springs from various vendors that buy from China are inferior to oem or USA made springs. A lot of folks are buying their HD springs from Springs n Things.
 
I got mine through the local Chrysler dealership - the same place as my RR springs came from. They sure don't feel the same though. Been doing a little research and see that Firm Feel is also selling a nice looking bar, although kind of pricey. Theirs goes above the rear and mounts to the frame instead of the axle housing.
 
How much were the springs from the dealer?

Here's a recent quote from Spring n Things, "The leaf springs are $250/pair. They are matched pairs and come with the front rubber bushings pressed in. The poly front bushings would be $24/pair; the rear poly bushings are $24/set of 8 or the rubber ones are $12/set of 8. Shipping is $85.92."

I read or watched a video about installing rubber bushings up front for softer ride and poly bushings in the rear for stiffer handling in the turns. What bushings do you have?

***UPDATE 8-3-14***

Here's the video about bushings, etc. It's a GM shop but the info is good for all makes.

[video=youtube;d5L7fMvsaLc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=d5L7fMvsaLc[/video]
 
Last edited:
How much were the springs from the dealer?

Here's a recent quote from Spring n Things, "The leaf springs are $250/pair. They are matched pairs and come with the front rubber bushings pressed in. The poly front bushings would be $24/pair; the rear poly bushings are $24/set of 8 or the rubber ones are $12/set of 8. Shipping is $85.92."

I read or watched a video about installing rubber bushings up front for softer ride and poly bushings in the rear for stiffer handling in the turns. What bushings do you have?

I bought the P44552982 & P44552983. $220. for the pair plus sales tax, but no shipping $232.10 total. The front bushings were installed and are rubber. The rears I put in and are rubber also. Maybe I should try a set of poly's in the rear? I think I read DennisH used these same springs but added a Summit helper spring. If I remember correctly, he stated the helpers raised his rear 2" but also stiffened things up. I don't want the 2", but maybe could live with 1".
 
Some thoughts, too stiff in the rear can give you an 'oversteer' situation. Because of this I personally prefer adjustable rear sway bars to help fine tune if needed. Hotchkis, Hellwig, etc have three mount points to adjust the stiffness of the rear.

Also if the sway bar is mounted on the axle it adds to the unsprung weight of the car. The only one I know of that is frame mounted is the Firm Feel bar, but this isn't adjustable.

For me, I'm going with the Hellwig 7/8" (22mm) rear bar. Axle mounted, but adjustable. Hotchkis is 1/8" (3mm) bigger, but nearly twice the price. Firm feel is smaller and non adjustable and still more expensive then the Hellwig rear. Non adjustable PST is cheaper, the adjustable PST version dearer. It'd come down to the discount, personal preference and shipping costs to split them.

Just my 2c.

Also as the saying goes, under spring - over sway!
 
Have you given Hotchkis any consideration? http://www.hotchkis.net/mopar_b_body_geometry_corrected_sport_leaf_springs.html

Have them on my Coronet and rear body roll is greatly reduced, and I don't think I will need a rear stabilizer now.

I saw those, but they have a 1" drop and I don't want to go any lower.

- - - Updated - - -

For me, I'm going with the Hellwig 7/8" (22mm) rear bar. Axle mounted, but adjustable. Hotchkis is 1/8" (3mm) bigger, but nearly twice the price. Firm feel is smaller and non adjustable and still more expensive then the Hellwig rear. Non adjustable PST is cheaper, the adjustable PST version dearer. It'd come down to the discount, personal preference and shipping costs to split them.

Just my 2c.

Also as the saying goes, under spring - over sway!

I will do some research on the Hellwig.

- - - Updated - - -

I wonder if part of my problem is that I went with a .96" torsion bars over the factory .92" Would this have anything to do with giving me rear body roll with stock springs?
 
hey hunt got all hotchkis leafs sway bar and shocks on mine it really stiffened it up. in my opinion the leafs dropped it more than an inch. just so you know but the sway bar and shocks are awesome.
 
I wonder if part of my problem is that I went with a .96" torsion bars over the factory .92" Would this have anything to do with giving me rear body roll with stock springs?
You are probably 'feeling more rear body roll' because the stock springs are softer and will not increase the rear roll rate like stiffer rear springs. 'Roll rate' is an expression of the stiffness the suspension exhibits to the cars tendincy to roll in a corner, and is is exacly like a spring rate; think of it beingn like a T-bar twisting stiffness.

Roll rate on both front and rear come from 2 sources: in the rear, it is the rear spring stiffness plus rear anti-sway bar stiffness. On the front, the roll rate comes from the T-bars + any front anti-sway bar. The overall car's roll rates is the combination of front plus rear roll rates. So to get it right, you have adjust the anti-sway bars to get the right roll stiffness with the springs you have on each end, and distribute that roll stiffness front to rear for oversteer-understeer.

What you are likely experiencing is that you have stiffer t-bars up front, and these are now comprising most of the car's overall roll rate. The rear is just going to 'wallow' around more as corner tightness changes and throttle and braking change due to the lighter stock spring stiffness. As the rear height moves up and down with these varying corner conditions, the rear roll center moves up and down and the over-understeer characteristic changes, and things move around even more. Stiffer rear springs combats all of this. And a rear sway bar helps take the roll load off of the front and (can) further help the rear move around less.

I have experienced this type of thing long ago on a race car when younger and poorer and using some stock progressive rate springs.
 
You are probably 'feeling more rear body roll' because the stock springs are softer and will not increase the rear roll rate like stiffer rear springs. 'Roll rate' is an expression of the stiffness the suspension exhibits to the cars tendincy to roll in a corner, and is is exacly like a spring rate; think of it beingn like a T-bar twisting stiffness.

Roll rate on both front and rear come from 2 sources: in the rear, it is the rear spring stiffness plus rear anti-sway bar stiffness. On the front, the roll rate comes from the T-bars + any front anti-sway bar. The overall car's roll rates is the combination of front plus rear roll rates. So to get it right, you have adjust the anti-sway bars to get the right roll stiffness with the springs you have on each end, and distribute that roll stiffness front to rear for oversteer-understeer.

What you are likely experiencing is that you have stiffer t-bars up front, and these are now comprising most of the car's overall roll rate. The rear is just going to 'wallow' around more as corner tightness changes and throttle and braking change due to the lighter stock spring stiffness. As the rear height moves up and down with these varying corner conditions, the rear roll center moves up and down and the over-understeer characteristic changes, and things move around even more. Stiffer rear springs combats all of this. And a rear sway bar helps take the roll load off of the front and (can) further help the rear move around less.

I have experienced this type of thing long ago on a race car when younger and poorer and using some stock progressive rate springs.
So do you think I would get better end results with a rear anti-sway bar, or doing something with the springs to stiffen them up?
 
If you don't mind the look of Cal Tracs they worked wonders for stiffening my suspension without having to mess with my ride height I was already happy with
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top