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Preferred 1" torsion bar size & supplier?

68 Sport Satellite

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I have a '68 Satellite, currently a 360 motor, building a 451, 99% street machine, going for best street handling.

Last year while upgrading to new Eddy IAS shocks all around, Magnum Force drop spindles, new Hotchkis rear leafs and shackles, new stock strut rods, Hotchkis UCA, boxed LCA's, and Hotchkis front sway bar, I upgraded my torsion bars in my '68 Satellite from the stock .088" to new .092" from Mancini. They are OK, but I wish they were a little firmer. Now I have a new motor in the works to replace my 360 - a 451 stroker. Given that I think my 360 would benefit in handling from the next size up - .096" torsion bars, do you think that with the 451 I should go with 1.00" torsion bars or are the .096" bars good enough?

One reason I ask is that currently it feels like my car has some understeer (possibly from drop spindles and front sway bar?) and I know that too big torsion bars can also cause some understeer. The caster was dialed in at +4 by the alignment shop.

The other reason, is that Mancini doesn't carry any larger than .096.

Do you have an opinion on where to source the torsion bars from for ease of install and/or performance? I've listed below what I've learned on the forums regarding several suppliers. Feel free to chime in if I have some wrong info.


Mancini - largest size offered is .096"

Global West - love my subframe connectors, but I don't see torsion bars on their website

Just Suspension - offers 1.00" bars, have heard good things

Hotchkis - offers 1.03" bars, have heard good things, but may be a bit stiff for my car and with the drop spindles and beefy Hotchkis sway bar?

Firm Feel - offers 1.00" bars. Have read from several forum members that they had trouble during installation due to longer hex heads on bar ends.

PST - Have read from several forum members that difference in hex end clocking compared to stock (which is ~ 30 deg) caused installation problems

Right now I'm leaning towards either Just Suspension 1.00" , Hotchkis 1.03" or the .096" from Mancini. What say all of you?
 
What's your camber set at and how large is the sway bar on the back? If you have no bar on the rear, installing one should help but increasing spring rate on the front usually makes it worse.
 
What's your camber set at and how large is the sway bar on the back? If you have no bar on the rear, installing one should help but increasing spring rate on the front usually makes it worse.

I'll have to go back and check the alignment #'s for the camber.

No rear sway bar, only in the front. I've heard a general consensus that a rear sway bar doesn't do much for a leaf spring car.
 
I'll have to go back and check the alignment #'s for the camber.

No rear sway bar, only in the front. I've heard a general consensus that a rear sway bar doesn't do much for a leaf spring car.
Well, they are wrong. Been there done that......but generally, increasing front spring rates will make it worse. I like to go with softer springs and massive sway bars that way the car still rides decent but still corners without leaning.
 
Well, they are wrong. Been there done that......but generally, increasing front spring rates will make it worse. I like to go with softer springs and massive sway bars that way the car still rides decent but still corners without leaning.

Ok, fair enough. So your vote would be to either stick with the .092's or not go any bigger than the .096's that Mancini offers when I drop in my 451 big block? My front sway bar from Hotchkis is 1-1/8 which is plenty big. I don't think it's adjustable.
 
I feel the .920" will be fine with the big block. You're not adding as much weight as you might think. Any aluminum on the new engine? Aluminum water pump housing, heads, intake? With all of that, you can actually end up lighter than a small block and yeah, I would think the 1 1/8" bar is plenty big. I'm willing to bet if you install a 7/8" bar on the rear, your under steer will go away...heck, you might even induce some over steer....which I like better anyways....or go to a smaller front bar and leave the rear one off.
 
yeah, actually I'm using aluminum Eddy Performer RPM intake and heads, so that's something to consider. It's also a 400 block stroker, which is lighter than a 440. I think you're right - I may as well leave the .092's in for now until I've got the new motor in and see how it feels. I just keep hearing that by bumping up to .096 or 1.0 torsion bars that the improvement in handling is significant, even on a small block.

I'm wondering if my understeer problem may be something else out of adjustment? I also swapped out my original steering coupler for a flaming river U-joint and a rebuilt stage II steering gear box from Firm Feel since I have power steering. The steering feels a little heavier than I thought it would and ever since I swapped those 2 steering pieces, added the beefy front sway bar, and the hotchkis tubular UCA's, the steering hasn't responded quite like I had hoped.

Maybe I should have done one thing at a time....

It went from loose and sloppy to firmer, but not quite agile and balanced.
 
I'm not a huge fan of huge front springs. It just rides too rough in normal driving. Many years ago, someone mentioned to me about using lighter springs but go with heavier sway bars and it worked well but I also had a bar on the back too. Even air pressures can make a difference in the way it acts....also alignment plays a big part too. I also dial in a lot of camber into my setup. With a fairly light weight car, you might be surprised at how much camber you can stick in and yet not wear out the tires prematurely but when you play with the front end settings, you either need to learn how to do it yourself or find a good front end guy that's willing to work with you and not break the bank. I learned how to do my own because I got tired of arguing with the front end guys when I told them what I wanted and then not getting it and then the back breaker was when this yeahoo totally did it all wrong. Don't know if he was doing it for spite or was that dumb. Doesn't matter since no one touches my old cars anymore.
 
I say go with the bigger bars and send me your current ones, lol!!!
 
I agree with everything cranky has said. I myself could not give a **** less about ride quality. On my 68 dart I'm running PST 1 inch bars, 7/8 sway bar up front and 3/4 sway bar out back. corners like a porche lol. but ride quality sucks, you really feel the road, but that is the way I like it.
 
I thought I might add a good way to remember witch way is negitive and positive camber. Camber kind of sounds like amber, and if Amber's knees were pointed tword each other it would be a negative thing, ( top of wheels pointed in) But if Ambers knees, and legs are pointed away from each other, That would be a positive thing ( top of wheels pointed out) lol
 
I agree with everything cranky has said. I myself could not give a **** less about ride quality. On my 68 dart I'm running PST 1 inch bars, 7/8 sway bar up front and 3/4 sway bar out back. corners like a porche lol. but ride quality sucks, you really feel the road, but that is the way I like it.
How old are ya? I'm 60 now and still like to go fast and drive hard but nowadays, I like my AC and smoother (but still fast) ride mo better :headbang:

I thought I might add a good way to remember witch way is negitive and positive camber. Camber kind of sounds like amber, and if Amber's knees were pointed tword each other it would be a negative thing, ( top of wheels pointed in) But if Ambers knees, and legs are pointed away from each other, That would be a positive thing ( top of wheels pointed out) lol
Been awhile since I've heard that one lol
 
How old are ya? I'm 60 now and still like to go fast and drive hard but nowadays, I like my AC and smoother (but still fast) ride mo better :headbang:

Been awhile since I've heard that one lol

I'm 22. I'm sure I'll feel the same way when I get to be your age lol.
 
I used to set up with really firm suspension too but found out that I could set up a bit softer and still have great handling and not deal with a harsh ride when just cruising...and I did that before I became ancient lol.
 
Cranky is correct about using a rear sway bar. It will really help balance the handling front to back.

And Mopar used them on their cop cars since 1968......

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Well I'm right in the middle at age 40. Sounds like we've got the full gammut of experience here! Thanks for all of the great info. So if I did go with a rear sway bar, who do you guys like for a supplier - or does it matter? I'm not equipped right now to make one myself. I would love to have one that doesn't hang down if possible. I saw a trick straight one with a triangular piece in the middle that sat flat from Speedway Engineering in a magazine, but I think it was custom.

Should the rear sway bar be adjustable? Stick with a size of about 3/4"?

So if I was to go up in size with my torsion bars from the .092's, it sounds like .096's should be plenty big.
 
Well I'm right in the middle at age 40. Sounds like we've got the full gammut of experience here! Thanks for all of the great info. So if I did go with a rear sway bar, who do you guys like for a supplier - or does it matter? I'm not equipped right now to make one myself. I would love to have one that doesn't hang down if possible. I saw a trick straight one with a triangular piece in the middle that sat flat from Speedway Engineering in a magazine, but I think it was custom.

Should the rear sway bar be adjustable? Stick with a size of about 3/4"?

So if I was to go up in size with my torsion bars from the .092's, it sounds like .096's should be plenty big.

I got my rear sway bar from the junk yard, off of an explorer. I had to modify the brackets to make it work. It is not adjustable. rear sway bar should be lees then front. If you have 3/4 up front go 1/2 out back or so. I run the 1 inch bars because a big block in an A body is alot of weight in the front end. .096 should be plenty in a B body.

Whoever told you a rear sway bar in a leaf spring car wont make a difference is ignorant. I thought the same thing until I did it.
 
I got my rear sway bar from the junk yard, off of an explorer. I had to modify the brackets to make it work. It is not adjustable. rear sway bar should be lees then front. If you have 3/4 up front go 1/2 out back or so. I run the 1 inch bars because a big block in an A body is alot of weight in the front end. .096 should be plenty in a B body.

Whoever told you a rear sway bar in a leaf spring car wont make a difference is ignorant. I thought the same thing until I did it.

just seen your running 1 1/8 sway bar up front, I'd go with 7/8 out back.
 
Thanks for the info Brandon. I'm sold on the rear sway bar idea now based off of the feedback from you and Cranky. I'll leave the .092 torsion bars for now, add the rear sway bar and wait until the new motor is in with the aluminum heads and manifold. If it's not enough up front then I'll bump up the torsion bars to .096, but I have a feeling it will be fine with the .092's.

Thanks for your help.
 
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