Sway bar mounting area trouble?

[Guest]

Who has had trouble with the bar ripping out on the street and what size bar did you have/type driving you did? I'm looking to get a bar but can't decide which size.

 

[nomad]

3/4 on a BE ripped out with spirited street driving. Its my understanding that if you go anything over stock and like to use it it will break. Recommend reenforcing before fitting. I'm going to in the future.

Kurt.

 

[vagt6]

A professional British car specialist here, Mike Gassman of Gassman Automotive, informed me that with <span style="text-decoration: underline">stock</span> front suspension components, a 3/4 sway bar is a bit too much for a STOCK Midget front suspension. It makes sense, really.

The sway bar is bolted directly to the spring pans thus it takes a LOT of stress from the suspension travel. Increasing the diameter/size of the sway bar introduces a significant stressor to the system, and would not seem a great mod from a safety standpoint, IMHO. The added rigidity that the 3/4 bar gives may be a bit too much for the OEM suspension setup, as noted in posts above.

Mind that I'm referring to a stock, MK III Midget here, but the physics are similar to the Bugeye setup. Unless you have upgraded, stronger suspension components, go with the smaller, stock sway bar.

FWIW, I went with a totally stock suspension rebuid on my Midget and couldn't be happer with it. After completely rebuilding the entire suspension on the car with stock parts (all parts from Moss except the steering rack), I was very pleasantly surprised at the handling and ride of this car. Nice, smooth ride with little body roll and really great handling.

Stick with stock parts, unless you're upgrading the major components: that's what the car was designed for.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Later Wishbones from RB Cars I believe are much heavier duty than the original set that came on a '68 or on the '69 I parted out trying to find some wishbone cores I could reuse. The set on Bugsy now came from a 75+ Spridget and are heavier and have additional bracing underneath on the bottom side of the wishbone pan.

 

[Guest]

GUys, I have a '79.

 

[leecreek]

I had always heard the the weak point was the attachment points on the chassis when you went to a larger bar.

 

[Gundy]

Mimi's pans have what appears to be "steel candy bars" on the back side. Beefy. They only have two holes instead of the three.
Guess I'll find out if they can handle the 7/8 tubular anti-sway bar in the near future 'cause I ain't holding back.
The front has stiffer & lower springs and tube shocks.
I do like how the new bar flattens her out on hard corners.
It has reduced the over-steer. She's pretty darn neutral now.

 

[Jim_Gruber]

Kelly,

Then you'll be surprised in the difference better your wishbones and what came on earlier models. You should have the "better" ones on your car already.

 

[aeronca65t]

I've torn both sides out on mine. Had to weld in steel plates to beef things up. I'm running a non-standard 3/4" bar that has shorter arms (so it's probably like a "normal" 7/8" bar).

 

[leecreek]

Photo courtesy of Safety Fast.
One of this winters projects is to beef up this area.

 

[Tom Rynne]

I have been running a 3/4 aftermarket bar since I got my 65 in 2001 and sure enough the mounting points ripped the thin stock bottom plate last year. I cut it out and welded in a 3/16 plate and it seems fine since. I did tap the 3/16 thickness as well so the mounts are actally bolted to the backing plate rather than just the welded on mounts as stock.
I am using rose joints on the bar ends, attached to the stock plates which bolt onto the A arms which shortened up the travel and I added poly bushings I got from Summit since the original kit came with rubber doughnuts.

 

[jlaird]

yep. you made a mess Lee.

 

[leecreek]

Not mine Jack. Just a picture of a example of what could happen. Thinking about modding mine before something like this could happen. Preemptive strike so to speak. Been running a anti sway bar since the '70's and would not be surprised to find cracking there now.

 

[jlaird]

Miss Agatha has a plate welded under there with holes taped. No sway bar but I have one. She is an x race car long long ago.

 

[bwm1974]

Here's a picture of the outside edge of the passenger side chassis leg on my 1979 Midget. Addco 3/4" bar #131, less than 3000 miles use!