63 Tracker Bar (Rear Stabilizer)

[petelempert]

On my 63 Riviera there's a bar stretching across the rear axle. The shop manual calls it a tracker bar...looks like a stabilizer or Panhard bar to me. Anyway, mine has a mild bend in it. At first I thought maybe that's the way it supposed to be...but it can't be. Also that might explain a sporadic, funny "crabbing" sensation when I take a tight turn. My first question...am I right that it should be straight? Second...anybody had any experience taking one off and having it straightened? Any tricks I need to know before I start wrenching on this thing? Third...any tips on how to source the rubber bushings? Fourth...is this one of those things that is better left to a pro with a lift? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thx PRL

[RivNut]

Pete,

I just replaced those bushing on my 64. The old nuts/bolts had seized and we had to break them to remove them. A new grade 8 bolt from the local hardware store worked fine as a replacement. I got new bushings from Classic Buicks. I was just getting a clunking sound and the body had some lateral movement to it, no grabbing.

I don't know if the bar would lose any of its strength if you had to straighten it. It probably wouldn't be much more expensive to try to find a good straight one to begin with. In my experience, "once bent, easy to bend again." I couldn't have done it without the car being on a lift. I needed the extra room for the breaker bar to break the bolt loose.

If your car has a posi-trac rear end, you might check it to see if the posi-trac additive to the rear end fluids is adequate. Clutches that don't release during a turn can cause a popping or grabbing sensations from the rear. It's really noticable on a tight cloverleaf on or off ramp. If that's the case, adding some new additive to the rear fluid should take care of that. However, the springs and shocks wouldn't be aligned correctly if the track bar were bent too badly. Go with the track bar first and see what that yields you.

[petelempert]

Thanks Ed. I'll try the bar first. I know I don't have a posi rear. The sensation is actually more as you described it...kind of a slight wobble. I had a feeling I'd need a lift to get at this thing. Right now it looks pretty frozen on. I originally noticed it because I'm going to replace all 4 shocks. Probably what I'll do is take it to shop I know and have them do the shocks and the bar at the same time. I don't like the idea of me trying to break that thing loose while the car is perched on jack stands...spooky. Anyway...thanks as always for your insight. PRL

[Mr Riviera]

Find yourself a good used track bar - get the new bushings and have it ready to install . Take the old one out - install the new used one and your done. I am sure one of the ROA Vendors can supply you with the trackbar. Its a simple job to replace all. Have fun !