old-tank Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Temporary mock-up and attachment for testing....it works VERY well! Permanent to follow. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Your car? Do you push it that hard? Speedy! Ben 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 Are the hose clamps staying? Have you considered making or adapting a thicker bar? Or adding one to the rear axle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 A fella made a few for the 54's. Sold them all if I remember correctly. Worked well I as told. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Beemon said: Are the hose clamps staying? Have you considered making or adapting a thicker bar? Or adding one to the rear axle? The wood and hose clamps will go away. i had a second bar and mock-up looked good. Rear bar may be next. 1 hour ago, avgwarhawk said: A fella made a few for the 54's. Sold them all if I remember correctly. Worked well I as told. I missed out on the latest run of bars, but do have a 1 inch on my other 55 (replaces 11/16") and it performs so well that I am spoiled: no more leaning, sway and squalling tires that wear the edges. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 My newest toy has a trim sensor and a torque motor (#1) built into the sway bar. I know you can do it. Makes a 5,000 pound car rock steady. Bernie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 39 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: My newest toy has a trim sensor and a torque motor (#1) built into the sway bar. I know you can do it. Makes a 5,000 pound car rock steady. Bernie YIKES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 How the sway bar tore itself from the frame is interesting. They must have assumed that the torque being transmitted to the bar before and after the turn would be negligible enough to not have to worry about it twisting from the frame rail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 (edited) Reading that one must always have bigger sway bar in front than rear. Consult tech papers for reasons(how short can short term memory get?) One is Mark Ortiz monthly news letter! Free for signing up. Good for them aspiring college SAE chassis builders, wink wink, nod! Edited April 24, 2018 by Guest (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthbob Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 20 hours ago, avgwarhawk said: A fella made a few for the 54's. Sold them all if I remember correctly. Worked well I as told. I sincerely regret not getting one back then...I was not ready to work on the car at that time so I put it off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 2 minutes ago, stealthbob said: I sincerely regret not getting one back then...I was not ready to work on the car at that time so I put it off. Bob, I had considered it but wanting to keep the 54 Buick feel with bias ply, sway bar etc. I did not make the purchase. I still drive it like I stole it though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 24, 2018 Author Share Posted April 24, 2018 18 hours ago, Beemon said: How the sway bar tore itself from the frame is interesting. They must have assumed that the torque being transmitted to the bar before and after the turn would be negligible enough to not have to worry about it twisting from the frame rail. Nothing broken...just an additional bar with rigged attachment for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 3 hours ago, old-tank said: Nothing broken...just an additional bar with rigged attachment for now. I meant in the article, where they cover the section on how the sway bar ripped itself from the frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttotired Posted April 24, 2018 Share Posted April 24, 2018 Oh my god, its been farmered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthbob Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 9 hours ago, avgwarhawk said: Bob, I had considered it but wanting to keep the 54 Buick feel with bias ply, sway bar etc. I did not make the purchase. I still drive it like I stole it though! Yea, if you want the true experience then why change it....even incrementally? "Might as well" is a powerful force, its hard to see it in real time but there comes a time when you realize you may be chasing something you dont need or even want. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airy Cat Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I installed 1 1/8" front sway bars to my '54. '55 and '56 Buicks. They made a very big improvement in the handling performance of the car. No more wallowing on curvy roads. I got them from Steve Dole, (831) 655-4838. Garden Grove, CA $165.00 each. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airy Cat Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 Correction: That should be Pacific Grove and not Garden Grove, CA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 4 hours ago, Airy Cat said: I installed 1 1/8" front sway bars to my '54. '55 and '56 Buicks. They made a very big improvement in the handling performance of the car. No more wallowing on curvy roads. I got them from Steve Dole, (831) 655-4838. Garden Grove, CA $165.00 each. I found your posts on TeamBuick from 2006. Is he still in business? That information is 12 years old now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I bought the last one Steve Dole had and UPS LOST it somewhere between California and Georgia. That’s when my friend Brad started having them fabricated but has sold all he had made. Let me know if I need to nag him into having more made. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 I would definitely be interested. Taking mountain roads sideways is not very fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stealthbob Posted April 25, 2018 Share Posted April 25, 2018 1 hour ago, MrEarl said: I bought the last one Steve Dole had and UPS LOST it somewhere between California and Georgia. That’s when my friend Brad started having them fabricated but has sold all he had made. Let me know if I need to nag him into having more made. Please feel free to forward my thoughts..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted April 26, 2018 Share Posted April 26, 2018 OK, I'll start bugging Brad to get some more made,but now, back to Willies scheme thread. Anxious to see his prototype. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted April 29, 2018 Author Share Posted April 29, 2018 Got a better attachment of the bars. Road test: good control of sway/lean, but not as good as my other one with 1 inch bar (but that one has heavy springs and radials). Maybe some resident engineers can calculate the control of two 11/16 inch bars vs one 1 inch bar. Still not satisfied with the setup. Tire rubs at full R or L lock. Grind on bracket? Buy smaller brackets ($$$)? I have an idea...more later. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Simmons Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 I've come to believe after hanging out here with you other old Buick owners that there ain't nothin that that can't be thought up and shade treed together to make our beloved Buick(s) better than when they left Flint. You go for it Old Tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 The two sway bar mounts, compounded, put the two bars in a more parallel orientation, which is much better! If the Moog Blue bushings are more rubber than urethane, you might try a trick I saw years ago to stiffen-up normal rubber sway bar mounts. With a drill, put small holes through the bushings, then inset small dia nails in the holes to reinforce the rubber and make it stiffer. If they are already stiff polyurethane, not much that can help that. Just some thoughts, NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 (edited) As far as bar diameter sizing, the front bar should be larger as that's the heaviest end of the car, with just a driver and front seat passenger. Adding a rear bar to help balance the roll movement in a turn, can work wonders, IF it's sized correctly for the loads it will experience. For example, my '77 Camaro came with a 1" front bar and a .562" rear bar in the non-Z/28 F-41 suspension option. The Z/28 used a 1.25" front bar with a '75" rear bar. IF the bar is too big, the ride on rough roads will deteriorate as the bar will act like an additional stiff spring, adding to the existing spring load actions. When one wheel drops down and the other one stays on the flat/level pavement. Best to use smaller bars, but more of them, than one BIG bar on the front. The bigger front bar puts more of the cornering forces to the front, which can mean the traction limits of the existing tires will be deteriorated. Adding the rear bar puts some of that cornering force to the rear wheels, which makes them "work" too, balancing the handling in the process. NTX5467 Edited April 30, 2018 by NTX5467 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Willie's solution is way past novel......maybe he should have an alias like "Old Tank Goldberg" Have you checked with ADDCO? They have been making sway bars and kits for a long time, it would not surprise me that they already have something for your Buick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lancemb Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 On 4/29/2018 at 4:11 PM, old-tank said: Got a better attachment of the bars. Road test: good control of sway/lean, but not as good as my other one with 1 inch bar (but that one has heavy springs and radials). Maybe some resident engineers can calculate the control of two 11/16 inch bars vs one 1 inch bar. Still not satisfied with the setup. Tire rubs at full R or L lock. Grind on bracket? Buy smaller brackets ($$$)? I have an idea...more later. I'd replace your original sway bar bushings and link pins and then give another test drive; they look pretty tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 2, 2018 Author Share Posted May 2, 2018 3 hours ago, lancemb said: I'd replace your original sway bar bushings and link pins and then give another test drive; they look pretty tired. planned...:D 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 7, 2018 Author Share Posted May 7, 2018 Final product. All firm bushings. Works great. It is best to buy a reproduction one inch bar, but since they are not available this is definitely an alterntive 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 Looks like the stabilizer link has bent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 39 minutes ago, JohnD1956 said: Looks like the stabilizer link has bent? Camera artifact... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 Having them parallel versus how you had them before will definitely help. Without knowing the exact spring rate of the bar, it's a bit difficult to gauge exactly how much better the setup really is. You might loose some suspension travel with shorter links, too. How tight did you make the bushings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 7 hours ago, Beemon said: Having them parallel versus how you had them before will definitely help. Without knowing the exact spring rate of the bar, it's a bit difficult to gauge exactly how much better the setup really is. You might loose some suspension travel with shorter links, too. How tight did you make the bushings? According to a previous vendor of the one inch bars: HERE 113lb/ft spring rate for the stock bar, his one inch are 500lb/ft (?) I am getting as much control as my other car with the one inch and this one has softer springs. A local road with lots of curves and heaves rated at 35 mph was manageable at 50 mph as well as modern iron. There is one rubber bushing in the system that is squashed down to usual installation...the other synthetic bushings did not squash. I have no directions on how to install the synthetic. I was hoping one out resident engineers would calculate the spring rate of the two bars.? ...it seems better than 226lb/ft . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted May 9, 2018 Share Posted May 9, 2018 I think that springs and sway bars will be rated in "pounds/inch". NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ttotired Posted May 13, 2018 Share Posted May 13, 2018 Sorry to be a wet blanket, but you do realise the eyes at the end of say bars are going to travel through a different arc Its going to tear itself to bits Your first farmer design was probably safer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Perhaps a spring shop could bend up some (correct alloy) bar stock that would fit just inside the existing bar (to which it would be attached, mechanically), rather than using two bars mounted parallel to each other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 (edited) 18 hours ago, Ttotired said: Sorry to be a wet blanket, but you do realise the eyes at the end of say bars are going to travel through a different arc Its going to tear itself to bits Your first farmer design was probably safer Ok Mick, after peeling that moldy web blanket off my head and wiping the slime out of my eyes, I still ain't seein' it. After about 200 miles of 'spirited' driving on lumpy roads everything is in place. So I removed the links and rotated the bars through the approximate range ofsuspension travel and you are right...there is some difference in the arc, but not enough to cause a bind on the link bolt and even then the deflection in the frame and link bushings should compensate. This might be more of a problem on one of those off-road racing vehicles with very long suspension travel. Gonna go take a shower and remind myself to check everything at oil change time.? Edited May 14, 2018 by old-tank (see edit history) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s_hilmoe Posted June 1, 2018 Share Posted June 1, 2018 (edited) Why not order one from Quickor Garage here in Portland? http://www.quickorgarage.com/CartPages/buick.htm They can also make custom bars for pretty much anything you need. http://www.quickorgarage.com/custom.htm Edited June 1, 2018 by s_hilmoe correct name (see edit history) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEarl Posted June 2, 2018 Share Posted June 2, 2018 Well I’ll be!!! And looks like they have been available since 2007!!! Velly, velly intwesting!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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