The Cal-look Lounge

I don't have a front sway bar on my bug right now and I'm not sure if I even need one. I had a sway-away sway bar that was pretty thick and was meant for lowered cars, but it hung pretty low on the corners and would bottom out a lot. (my car is pretty low) Last December I hit a huge pothole and broke one of the clamps, so I just took the stupid thing off. I don't really notice a difference, but I don't usually take corners very fast. I've though of just putting a stock sway back bar on. BTW, my car is a '67 and it still has the stock "Z-Bar" in the rear.

If you dont care for your life, just keep driving without.
T

I have one now but on a previous bug i never had it and was also lowered to the max and never had problems.Car handled ok without it.
Am planning to lower my car more and take it off 8)

get a thick one,I don't have confidence in the stock ones when it gets to lowered cars

in the 80's I ran two stock sway bars. One clamped to lower arms and one clamped to uppers.  ::)

For the longest time I ran 3/4" sway a way on my car and it handled well, especially with 195mm front tires, but steering was heavy
I have since removed it, as it hung very low too, and car definitely leans harder in corners and is dicier in wind.

I plan on maybe making something that tucks up in front of panhead.

 Back in my teens I had a sway away bar on my '63 and it handled great like a slot car. I don't run one though on my current car and never really gave it much thought untill I just read Ratto mentioning being a little dicey at times. That made me stop for a sec. and say HMMM my car is a little dicey at times be it wind or at speed on the freeway. I bet a bar would help things out. I probably won't run one still but this is definately one of those things that makes ya go HMMM.        Well maybe.  First I am going to put a headliner and carpet in it then who knows maybe I'll think about the bar.

I'm running a Custom Build Sway Bar, Pat from PAT's VW Stuff had them made when some of us went with Narrowed Front Beams...

The Are the same Style as a Heavy Duty Sway-A-Way only Narrower... ;)

Works Perfect...!!!

Frank

I dont think a front bar is neccessary IF your car is extremely lowered with adjusters and there is a lot of tension on the springs, and/or your beam is heavily narrowed (shorter springs are stiffer). My car has a stock width beam with drop spindles and Koni shocks, I feel like I have waaaayyy too much lean in the corners, and the 145's will slightly rub if I take a corner quickly with more than one person in the car. I'm going to put a 3/4" front bar on until I find genuine EMPI bars ::) ;)

Thanks for all the response. I'm pretty sure that I'll put a sway bar back on eventually because it seems to lean a little bit on curves a highway speeds. I found a bar that Aircooled.net sells one that mounts using the bolts that hold the beam to the framehead and has links that go to the lower shock bolt. It looks like a pretty good desigh that won't hurt what little ground clearance I have.  ;D

I have a swayaway on the front of my car and it improves the handling. Get the one for a lowered car so that it tucks up in front of the beam.

Do not mean to hijack but what camber compensator do people use or recommend?

The rear of my car seems unstable through turns and when on and off the throttle. I might need to change my torsion bars since they are 52 years old.

My '67 still has the Z-Bar in the back, but I put an extra set of snubbers on it to help with the launch a few years ago. I also have 28mm torsion bars. I'm not sure if any of this stuff helped, though, because I'm more of a straight line acceleration guy anyway. :)

Last month I finally pulled the stock 10mm front bar off and installed a 3/4" bar, to see if it would cure my rubbing issue. Well with 4 people in the car, seriously loaded down with all of our stuff and full tank of fuel, I couldn't make the tires rub if I wanted to :) It takes corners as flat as a board, but now the car rides like shit >:( It takes sharp bumps much more violently, and I avoid uneven pavement at all costs. The original EMPI bars were "only" 5/8" diameter, and I now truely believe that a pair of those front and rear would be the way to go. Better ride, and still flat in the corners. The 3/4" bars are total overkill, IMHO. I'm thinking about having a 5/8" (or maybe even 9/16") bar bent up, along with some sleeves to mate it up to the 3/4" sway bar bushings... If I can't find an EMPI bar, that is ::)

A stock bar is 10mm. 

A 3/4" bar is 13 times stiffer.

A 5/8" bar is 6 times stiffer.

9/16" is 4 times.

½" is 2.6 times.

Sounds good to me. The 3/4" bar almost makes me not want to drive my car. Like many things, EMPI had it right.

Maybe you can find someone that can build a 5/8" for you.

I also know some guys that have a modified camber compensator on their front axle, they say it runs pretty well.

I do not run a front sway bar on my lowered balljoint car, and do not fear for my life.  With skinny 145s up front I do not wish to reduce traction in corners anymore than necessary.

I had a SAW 3/4 inch bar on the front of my carfor a a few weeks this sunner. It was the model made for lowered cars, but it bottomed out on everything. I ended up pitching it and going back to a stock bar and I'm much happier.

This makes no sense at all.  A swing axle camber compensator mounted up front will have zero effect as an anti-sway bar.  All it will do is add to the spring rate when the front is compressed.

I don't know how they mount it, all I know is that they say it runs well and that the camber is modified a lot to fit the front beam. Thought I found this idea a little strange too when I heard about it.

That's what I'm thinking. How hard could it be?? ::) What are they made out of? Just mild steel, or is it something fancy?

Mild steel won't get you there.  You need to start with spring steel.  It must have at least the minimum carbon content to be heat treated.  Stainless steel can be made into a spring.  But I think you need to start with the right alloy.

Look up spring manufacturers in your area.  Take a sample sway bar to them and tell them you want one from 5/8".  Likely they will tell you to get lost for such a small job, so consider getting a bunch made up then selling them.  I bet a few hands will pop up right here.

The heat treating process involves heating the whole thing to glowing yellow, then dunking it in oil to quench it.  After doing that, you need to clean it down to bright metal to prep it for the tempering step.  This is slowly heating it up right through the core until the surface turns blue.  Once you get there, turn off the heat of the oven.  I think some guys might find the whole manufacturing process interesting.  Perhaps Deano could do an article showing what SAW does to make sway bars, torsion bars, axles, etc???

i've got a bugpack 19mm (3/4") sway bar for lowered front beams, impossible to bottom out on as it curves right up to almost above the lower tube.
and the front stays FLAT in corners but after reading zack's post i figured this may indeed contribute to my stiff ride as well!

so, i'd be interested in a slightly thinner 5/8" sway bar!!

I'm not using a front sway bar at the moment and my car is only lowered about 2 inches with just pulling all the smaller torsion leaves. I drive it everyday and never noticed much to be concerned with. The rear has more lean than the front even though I'm running KYB Gas-A-Justs on the rear with a stock Z bar and Bugpack urethane torsion bar grommets. I know I don't have a sway bar, so I don't drive like Michael Schumacher.

I have an adjustable beam I plan on putting in soon and it will get a lowered ball joint Sway-A-Way sway bar along with 2 sets of caster shims. I had this sway bar on my other 67 it kept the front planted. I could drive the car like a sprint car, it could almost swing out the rear at will. I can't do this now, but I don't think it is unsafe without a sway bar.

Cut the rubber mounts, with a utility knife. And mount two stock anti-sway bars, in the stock position. Easy and cheap!