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Posted by: simonjb Jun 18 2018, 03:03 PM

Probably a stupid question, but do all of the front sway bar products require welding to the chassis? My car did not come with sway bars.

Thanks

Posted by: Racer Chris Jun 18 2018, 03:11 PM

To do it right - yes.

Posted by: cuddy_k Jun 18 2018, 03:18 PM

You're close enough that I can come by with my welder and help you if you want to DIY. Otherwise, Chris is less than 100 miles away and he's the man.

Here's the install video I made which shows the mayeur kit and welds. HUGE difference in handling...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2-iOhb-4Gw

Posted by: simonjb Jun 24 2018, 02:15 PM

Thanks guys. I have the Maurer kit. What sway bars are folks using these days?

Posted by: mlindner Jun 24 2018, 02:28 PM

Well, at the level Racer Chris is at yes.....I installed one thirty years ago, auto crossed and track for over ten and the bolt in installation has been perfect. Best, Mark

Posted by: cuddy_k Jun 24 2018, 06:37 PM

I installed the stock bar. Easy install and great for street use. I'm sure the track / auto x guys will have some reccos for higher performance units.

Posted by: ClayPerrine Jun 24 2018, 07:15 PM

There was a bolt in front bar installed on Elwood (factory six). It is not usable right now because the holes in the fender well on the left side have torn out. I am going to have to put in the reinforcement plates and weld in the bolt plates to fix it.

32 years ago, I installed sway bars on Betty's car. I welded in the brackets. I have only replaced the rubber bushings since then. And that with 400,000 miles and a LOT of AX and TT runs.


Do it right and weld it in properly.

Posted by: Mark Henry Jun 24 2018, 07:15 PM

What is your intended use of the car?

Sway bar type and size depends on what the car is being used for, one of those things you need to be totally honest and realistic with your plan.
You don't want a heavy bar on a street only car.

It's somewhat like cams choices, a full race cam will make for a horrible street car engine.
Too heavy of a sway bar would be too stiff for normal driving and vice versa.

Posted by: simonjb Jun 24 2018, 09:34 PM

Thanks. It is for street use only.

Posted by: 914_teener Jun 24 2018, 09:40 PM

The stock bar is fine......ditch the stock drop links.

Posted by: 914werke Jun 24 2018, 11:09 PM

The stock bar is 17mm. Whoops! For street use you needn't go over 19mm.
Adjustable linkage will allow you to remove pre-load and further "tune" to your driving use.

Posted by: Racer Chris Jun 25 2018, 05:04 AM

The stock front anti-sway bar is 15mm!

Posted by: Dave_Darling Jun 25 2018, 08:55 AM

The stock rear bar is 16mm, not that it matters. Just a front bar is sufficient.

--DD

Posted by: Mueller Jun 25 2018, 09:17 AM

Yep 15mm for stock front.

Someone just posted a swaybar setup in the classifieds for $100.... listed as 914 Parts. Killer deal for stock or aftermarket.

Posted by: simonjb Jun 27 2018, 03:45 PM

Thanks All

I am looking for a 15mm set up, but can't seem to locate one. Looks like most are 19mm

Posted by: mepstein Jun 27 2018, 03:54 PM

I have a stock 15mm set up. It needs refinishing and new bushings. $250 + ship.

Posted by: xperu Jun 27 2018, 04:32 PM

If Simon does not want it I'll take it. Thanks. Mike Kelly

Posted by: simonjb Jun 27 2018, 05:33 PM

PM sent. Tx

Posted by: mepstein Jun 27 2018, 05:38 PM

I’m taking care of Simon but I’ll look tomorrow to see if I have enough parts to make a second set. If I do, you have first dibs.

Posted by: RickS Jun 27 2018, 09:35 PM

Elephant does not require welding but does require drilling holes in your front fenders. That said I have said Efalant sway bar and am being driven nuckin futs by the way it squeaks. Replaced the plastic bushing and still squeaks. Added lithium grease infused with Teflon, still squeaks. Am ready to ditch it since Chuck won’t answer my question about creating a rubber bushing as a replacement. Any suggestions on a replacement? Stock sway? Who sells these?

Posted by: Dave_Darling Jun 28 2018, 09:35 AM

All of the commonly-available aftermarket bars are 19mm or larger. Most are adjustable so you can make them work like a stock 15mm bar would, or make them more effective, or less. AFAIK, the stock bar is the only common one that is 15mm.




Almost none of the kits require welding. They all require drilling holes in the fenders (except the under-body bars, which are less effective and not adjustable and kind of a pain to work with, but are cheap to make). Welding the backing plates in will make them stronger and less prone to tearing the fenders at the holes.

I don't think there are rubber bushings available for the Elephant bars. They use "pillow block" bearings which allow free smooth rotation, at the expense of some extra NVH. Not sure what would be causing the creaks in your case, but it might be a good idea to make sure that there is nothing binding in the setup.

--DD

Posted by: John Jun 28 2018, 09:41 AM

If you are sure your sway bar is squeaking, check to make sure your gas tank isn't sitting on the sway bar causing the squeaking. You may need another pad under your tank to allow space for the swaybar if it was installed slightly too high or the rubber spacer blocks for the tank aren't thick enough or in the proper location any longer. I found one like this and the squeaking was rather annoying.

Posted by: ConeDodger Jun 28 2018, 09:49 AM

^^^ this.

You’re most likely sitting on your sway bar.

Posted by: frostyf Nov 7 2019, 12:18 PM

Hi, just scoping what a stock front bar and fittings goes for? Can I ask as well if the tabs on my front control arms are correct for a front sway bar fitment.

Thanks Nick

Posted by: Mikey914 Nov 7 2019, 12:23 PM

Got new bushings for the stock

https://900designs-container.zoeysite.com/front-sway-bar-to-body-bushing-1

Posted by: cuddy_k Nov 7 2019, 12:58 PM

Yes those tabs on your A-arms look correct.

Posted by: fixer34 Nov 8 2019, 11:27 AM

Posted these on another thread about 914-6 'features', but since the topic is relevant. Anyone familiar with this sway bar style? (I can pull the wheel to get better pictures). It was on the car when I bought it 42 yrs ago. No rear sway bar, and while I don't know any history of the car previously, I would think any PO that went to the trouble to add a sway bar would have made other modifications also, but the car was bone stock.

Posted by: dr914@autoatlanta.com Nov 8 2019, 11:31 AM

usually the brackets are already on the a arms, but the inner fender well triangles are never there. Weltmeister used to make a bolt in kit, we probably still have a few of them on the shelf, but Rose Passion in France bought all of the weltmeister stuff and probably has them available


quote name='simonjb' date='Jun 18 2018, 02:03 PM' post='2620826']
Probably a stupid question, but do all of the front sway bar products require welding to the chassis? My car did not come with sway bars.

Thanks
[/quote]

Posted by: Jamie Nov 8 2019, 12:20 PM

This looks to be an original sway bar installation.

Posted by: jcd914 Nov 8 2019, 03:09 PM

All stock front sway bar parts shown here.

The fact it has no rear bar means the PO either removed the rear (fairly common) or installed a stock front bar. Look in the rear for the sway bar brackets on the body.

Jim

Posted by: fixer34 Nov 8 2019, 05:03 PM

I'll check the back, but don't remember anything 'orphaned' being there. I know there isn't a rear bar.
What's confusing is I'm also hearing there was no 'stock' sway bar on '70 models, yet here one is.

Posted by: mepstein Nov 8 2019, 07:30 PM

I'm having trouble finding a pic I posted about two years ago of the front swaybar opening and triangle mount on the wheel well. The stock factory mount is different from what is commonly used to mount a bar. If I remember correctly, the factory did not weld a plate on the inside of the wheel well or if they did, they spot welded, not miged the edge. Whatever it was, it was easy to tell factory bar vs one added later.

Posted by: mepstein Nov 8 2019, 07:40 PM

OK, found it. As you can see, the stock factory mount is very different from one that is added later, even though many 914's without factory sway bars have the A arm mounts from the factory.


Attached image(s)

Posted by: fixer34 Nov 10 2019, 02:50 PM

Well it appears that is what I have. I would assume at this point it was dealer installed, and only the front, if it was not a factory option. With the gas tank installed, I can't see the inside to match up. I looked in the rear and there are no traces of a sway bar having been there.

Any ideas about replacement rubber bushings?

Posted by: 914werke Nov 10 2019, 03:42 PM

Hard to tell from the pic but those links look ..long.. like 911/912 units.

Posted by: Mark Henry Nov 10 2019, 06:46 PM

Yes the 911/912 drop links are longer, but an easy fix with a hacksaw and a MIG welder.

Posted by: mepstein Nov 10 2019, 07:00 PM

914rubber has the bushings.

Posted by: rhodyguy Nov 10 2019, 10:32 PM

Start spraying everything down with a penetrant. Plan on new hardware for the drop links.

Posted by: nathanxnathan Jun 29 2022, 02:50 PM

Resurrecting this thread because I'm thinking about adding a stock front swaybar that I've had sitting around. At a G&R swapmeet many years ago I picked up a set of brackets that look a lot like these Elephant ones



They're all black maybe powdercoated though.

I looked at a wayback machine how-to on Pelicanparts, that showed cutting a notch in the inner to let the bottom point of the bracket go through, and I've always thought that must be hard to do well — I've never seen it done where it doesn't look a bit butchered. Searching for how a factory installed sway bar mount (shown above in this thread), I am surprised it's welded from the outside only. It makes sense, I mean if the bracket is there to avoid tearing the fender sheet metal, as a reinforcement. The way they do it in the Pelican article, there's no way to weld below the area that you cut the slot for.

Why not just drill the center hole and holes for the 3 nuts like the factory did and weld the bracket on/from the outside? Wouldn't this be stronger and cleaner than the cut slot method?

I see the 914ltd version that has the top 2 nuts inside, the bottom 1 outside. The factory setup just seems really clean though.

Posted by: Literati914 Jun 29 2022, 04:20 PM

Honestly, I think this is just a case of 'there's more than one way to skin a cat'... and probably most don't even realize it could be done as the factory apparently did it. It is a clean method, but for me (at least on my current project) I like having the heavy/thick bracket on the inside - 'cause that way it sandwiches the thin sheetmetal (from the body) between inside bracket and outside mount. I've actually even wondered how necessary the bracket being welded was, when putting the bracket inside the tank cavity... I'm mean the metal sandwich is under torque from 3 nut/bolts/lock washers each side.


.

Posted by: brant Jun 29 2022, 04:25 PM

It’s necessary on the track
I say that because I ripped metal out on a car I used to race that didn’t have a sandwiched plate once