Rear Sway bar seems a bit low?

[limp]

I was pleased when the stock rear sway bolted up to my new Steeda lower control arms, but it seems a bit low to me?
Its been installed in the same configuration as it was on the stock LCA/ 7.5" rear end, " bending from the LCA towards the ground"..
any thoughts here?
Pics of it on the 7.5" / stock LCA and with the steeda LCA/ 9" rear end....

 

[AeroCoupe]

Can you ditch the adapter plates between the control arms and the sway bar?

 

[limp]

Can you ditch the adapter plates between the control arms and the sway bar?

I don't think so... seems like I tried that when I installed them. I will look at that...
Thanks

 

[Mustang5L5]

Mine hangs low. You can clearly see it behind the car. I’ll have to get a pic from behind

It's below the 8.8 pumkkin. Looking at the shock mounts on the sides, the bar is level with the panhard bar, which is about 1" below the factory shock mounts. Looks close to where yours is.

Where it sits also depends on ride height. As you lower the car down, the control arms will pivot upwards which will raise the bar. if the vehicle is high, they pivot down which lowers the bar in relation to where the rear axle is. In your stock 7.5 pic the axle looks dropped, so that will pivot the bar down more from where it normally sits.

 

[limp]

My bad for not taking a pic of it when the car was on the ground... It really looks low then.....
I think as is, it will scrape all speed bumps...
1" + drop with H&R race springs... sport springs are not recommend for verts.....

 

[vindieseljetta]

Mine is also a bit low, 92lx with Eibach

 

[TOOLOW91]

Totally normal and the shape of the 9inch vs the 8.8 is exaggerating it

 

[Noobz347]

How many Meeeleons of HP are pushing that big ole 9-inch?

 

[limp]

Totally normal and the shape of the 9inch vs the 8.8 is exaggerating it

Being that the 9" is larger, it makes me think the RSB is lower looking at the distance between them..
Then I look at where the RSB in comparison to the wheels and it does look about the same....

 

[KRUISR]

The sway bar mounts are lower than stock on most aftermarket control arms. Look at your stock arms. The mount holes are essentially inline with the front and rear mount bolts.

On most aftermarket arms the mounts have been moved to below the control arm tube (therefore an inch or so lower). Obviously this offset will lower your swaybar.

Then if you alter the rear control arm mount point (for better geometry and grip) you exaggerate the effect even more. Look at the old Southside Machine control arms for their fix when relocating the rear mount point, they moved the front swaybar bolt lower, away, from the tube centerline than the rear swaybar mount.

 

[limp]

I haven't done much to the car due to the heat and trying to wrap up some house projects that NEVER seem to get done....
Looked at mounting the sway bar to the lower control arms without the brackets and the holes are way off and I do not think they would even fit..
I wonder if an EXPENSIVE steeda rear sway bar would fit better?

 

[AeroCoupe]

Looking at the stock LCA the sway bar holes are inline with the front and rear mounting holes of the LCA. The sway bar mounting holes on the aftermarket one below it are at an angle which would pitch the end of the sway gar upwards and close to the rear end which probably puts it in the stock location. The SS Machine lift bars do this as well. I have ran stock, SS Machines, MM, and Griggs on my cars and they all pretty much put the back of the sway bar in the stock location but I do have 8.8's in both of them.

 

[limp]

I will have to take a look at that. Maybe Faber cate up some brackets that " lift " the sway bar up like you say....
I don't think the 9" is affecting the angle of the sway bar.....
Attached a pic of the Lower Control Arms... It does look like the mounting bolts are angled up a bit, but they are lower than stock LCA's... AND the mounting brackets make it even lower..

 

[AeroCoupe]

Maybe just loosen up the adapter plate bolts and the sway bar bolts and then push up on the back of the sway bar and see if it moves up high enough. Might be enough slop in the bolt holes to get it up a little more.

 

[AeroCoupe]

Was also wondering what year car the sway bar you currently have came from.

 

[limp]

Was also wondering what year car the sway bar you currently have came from.

Its an 83, 5 liter, SROD car... I believe the TRX wheels come with some sort of suspension upgrade??
Old picture

 

[AeroCoupe]

Rear Stabilizer Bar Specifications (1)

Standard/ base (non-V-8)	GT/ heavy duty	TRX	Other
Year	Grade of solid steel	Bar diameter (inches)
1979 (9)	SAE 1090	(2)	.50	.56	-
1980-81 (9)	.50	.56 (4)
1982-83	.56	(7)
1984	.67	.56	(3, 8)
1984 1/2-85	.79	-	.67 (3) .83 (5)
1986	.67 (3) .83 (6)
1987-93	SAE 5160	.83 (6, 10)
1. Bar sizes are shown as diameter measured in inches. Non-V-8 bars are shown for comparison. 2. The Mustang"s base-level suspension is not designed for use with a rear stabilizer bar. 3. This bar was used exclusively in 1984-86 on the turbocharged four-cylinder Mustang SVO models. 4. Standard only with the 2.3-liter turbomotor when ordered along with the TRX option. 5. With Special Handling and GT/Handling suspension systems. 6. Standard with the GT and 5-liter LX models" Handling suspension. 7. Available mid-year 1983 with a .067-inch bar in the GT/Handling suspension 8. Available mid-year 1984 with a .079-inch bar in the GT/Handling suspension. 9. The 1979-81 stabilizer rear bar was redesigned for 1982. 10. Includes the 1993 Mustang Cobra and the 1993 Cobra R-Model.

There may be some shape differences but I cannot confirm that as of yet.

 

[limp]

I will have to stick my calipers on it.... Thanks for the reference...