Anti Roll bar for Mustang II

rick 36dodge · July 30, 2004, 08:05:50 AM

I got a Mustang II front end in my 36 Dodge. It works great except I have a lot of body roll. I have the stock Mustang II anti roll bar. I also have a 3/4" rear anti roll bar in the rear. Do any of you guys know of a good larger diameter one from the junk yard. Ford Explorer, ect.
I would like to bolt it in place. Thanks in advance for help.
Rick Harris :?:

Charlie Chops 1940 · July 30, 2004, 10:25:19 AM

I don't know of a lot thicker bolt on for the MII, hopefully someone else does.

I modified a 1.25" dia. front bar off of a 2nd generation Camaro/Firebird to fit my '40 Chevrolet...shortened the arms and rewelded the link eyes where they needed to be and fabricated a bolt-on lower link bracket for the front of each lower a-arm. Been in service 15 years or so with no problem. I used a stock '40 front bar on the rear - 5/8" - maybe 3/4", can't remember.

Charlie

alchevy · July 30, 2004, 10:46:29 AM

Quote from: "Charlie Chops 1940"I used a stock '40 front bar on the rear - 5/8" - maybe 3/4", can't remember.

Charlie

Charlie,
That's an interesting use of original parts. That's what makes street rodding different. My '40 Chevy has Mustang II front and Nova rear with a Chassis Engineering rear sway bar. Don't have a front sway bar and the car drives and handles very well. The front crossmember is from Fatman's and I have a rebuilt (real, not aftermarket) manual rack. I've got pictures of the build-up of my car on my website at: www.astreetrodder.com
What was your '40, mine is a Master 85, the lowest model avail. that year. The original front suspension varied depending on whether it was a Master 85, Master Deluxe, etc. There's pictures of the original stuff I did not use on my site also...including the stock frontend. My '40 Chevy will be in Louisville, will yours?
AL

rick 36dodge · July 30, 2004, 11:23:21 AM

Quote from: "Charlie Chops 1940"I don't know of a lot thicker bolt on for the MII, hopefully someone else does.

I modified a 1.25" dia. front bar off of a 2nd generation Camaro/Firebird to fit my '40 Chevrolet...shortened the arms and rewelded the link eyes where they needed to be and fabricated a bolt-on lower link bracket for the front of each lower a-arm. Been in service 15 years or so with no problem. I used a stock '40 front bar on the rear - 5/8" - maybe 3/4", can't remember.

Charlie

Charlie, what arms are you talking about ? You can't cut the sway bar can you ? and do you have any pictures ?
Thanks for all the info !!!!
Rick Harris

rick 36dodge · July 30, 2004, 11:30:21 AM

Quote from: "40chevy"
Quote from: "Charlie Chops 1940"I used a stock '40 front bar on the rear - 5/8" - maybe 3/4", can't remember.

Charlie

Charlie,
That's an interesting use of original parts. That's what makes street rodding different. My '40 Chevy has Mustang II front and Nova rear with a Chassis Engineering rear sway bar. Don't have a front sway bar and the car drives and handles very well. The front crossmember is from Fatman's and I have a rebuilt (real, not aftermarket) manual rack. I've got pictures of the build-up of my car on my website at: www.astreetrodder.com
What was your '40, mine is a Master 85, the lowest model avail. that year. The original front suspension varied depending on whether it was a Master 85, Master Deluxe, etc. There's pictures of the original stuff I did not use on my site also...including the stock frontend. My '40 Chevy will be in Louisville, will yours?
AL

GREAT WEB SITE !!! I love to see guys that BUILT them yourself. Your photos are real clear. What camera did you ues ?
I also used a Fatman crossmember. It was easy to weld in with little grinding. What springs did you use. I used V6 Mustang like fatman suggested but the ride hight is toooo low for me. I added a spring rubber and it went up 1 inch and it is better. I also have a manual rack. It works great ,but a little hard to turn parking. I guess that is what we have arms for.
Thanks for your info !
Rick Harris

enjenjo · July 30, 2004, 11:58:24 AM

QuoteYou can't cut the sway bar can you ?

Why not? If your cut and weld is at the end of the bar, it works fine. I have heated and rebent them too. Contrary to popular opinion, sway bars are fiarly easy to modify, as long as you do the same operation on both ends.

MYRIDE · July 30, 2004, 01:02:53 PM

Quote from: "rick 36dodge"I got a Mustang II front end in my 36 Dodge. It works great except I have a lot of body roll. I have the stock Mustang II anti roll bar. I also have a 3/4" rear anti roll bar in the rear. Do any of you guys know of a good larger diameter one from the junk yard. Ford Explorer, ect.
I would like to bolt it in place. Thanks in advance for help.
Rick Harris :?:

Rick, funny the stock sway bar didn't work for you. I used the stock MII bar on my '38 Dodge without a hitch. I don't use a rear anti-sway (as of yet) but experience next to nothing as far as roll is concerned......almost like it's on rails.

alchevy · July 30, 2004, 03:30:05 PM

Quote from: "rick 36dodge"
GREAT WEB SITE !!! I love to see guys that BUILT them yourself. Your photos are real clear. What camera did you ues ?
I also used a Fatman crossmember. It was easy to weld in with little grinding. What springs did you use. Rick Harris

The digital camera I used at first was a Kodak DC215. It was a 1mp and it did ok. Now I have moved up to the Kodak cx6330. It's a 3mp and makes very nice pictures. The last few pictures were taken with it. I used coil springs from a '74 MII 4 cylinder w/o air. I have the opposite problem you have, mine is too high and so I need to cut off one or 1/2 ring of the springs. My lower control arms are not sitting flat (horizontal) like they should. I need a better stance. I had a lot of help from my car club in the building of my car. It was the first one I had done and I learned a lot from them and still are learning.
AL

Charlie Chops 1940 · July 31, 2004, 03:40:32 PM

Al,

My '40 is a convert. Yes, it'll be at Louisville. OBT and I will be leaving Tuesday A.M. Be hanging with this gang. I would have thought that no front bar would be a bit spongey in the corners. The rear of my car still has original leaves, however I just went through it all with a new pair of reversed eye mains and rearched the old 2nd through 7th leaves and got rid of the lowering blocks, made a couples pairs of spring clamps for in front of the rear end and put gass shocks on in place of the air shocks I've ran for the last 15 years or so. That's the first I've touched the springs in anout 24 years. Let's share some ideas at the Nat's.

Rick,

I've been reshaping the ends of sway bars for years...heat and bend and/or cut off the eyes and shoten the ends and weld back on. No, haven't got any pictures. Back when Frank and I started doing this, digital cameras and a place to show the pictures was a pipe dream (LOL), right Frank?

Charlie

enjenjo · July 31, 2004, 11:58:21 PM

QuoteBack when Frank and I started doing this, digital cameras and a place to show the pictures was a pipe dream (LOL), right Frank?

And nobody to tell us not to LOL

I just put a sway bar on the desoto, it will be at the nats too. I made it from a Sprint car torsion bar. I got the mounts and bushings from Speedway, along with a pair of splined torsion arm ends, steel of course. I made the sway bar arms from 3/4" steel bar stock, with a sleeve over the joint, and bent them to the proper shape with heat, welded a ring on the end for a sway bar link, and with a set of NAPA links for a Camaro, I had a sway bar. So far it is working good, with several hundred miles on it.

alchevy · August 01, 2004, 12:55:12 AM

Quote from: "Charlie Chops 1940"Al,

My '40 is a convert. Yes, it'll be at Louisville. OBT and I will be leaving Tuesday A.M. Be hanging with this gang. I would have thought that no front bar would be a bit spongey in the corners. The rear of my car still has original leaves, however I just went through it all with a new pair of reversed eye mains and rearched the old 2nd through 7th leaves and got rid of the lowering blocks, made a couples pairs of spring clamps for in front of the rear end and put gass shocks on in place of the air shocks I've ran for the last 15 years or so. That's the first I've touched the springs in anout 24 years. Let's share some ideas at the Nat's.
Charlie

Charlie,
Chevy made a great car in '40 when they made a convertible. They are one of my favorites even though mine is a 2-door Sedan. It's got the original rear leaves. They, along with the Nova rear end, were attached using a kit from Butch's Rod Shop. Anybody know if they are still in business? By the way, trivia fans, did you know that Chevy did not make a convertible in '39?
I'm impressed with the ability several of you have and can do with welding, bending, and cutting steel. It's an art in itself. I had to buy everything for the most part to go on my car because I don't know how to do that stuff. I had a lot of help from my friends when I did need something welded and such. It helps to have talented friends in this area when building a car. I use the talents I've been given to take pictures and put them on websites. People are amazed at what I can do with some pictures and words just as much as I am amazed at what they can do with cutting, bending, and welding steel.
AL