VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Rear Sway Bar for '41 Chevy car???

Has anyone figured out a rear sway bar that'll fit a '41 (and thru '48?) car? No, I ain't goin' racing but I do love for any car to handle good (safer, too). Addco doesn't list one. There's gotta be something that will bolt on a '41 (even with some modification?

Interestingly, you get about 70% of potential roll control from the rear. So, for how long has Detroit been putting 'em on the front? I've run rear bars for over 40 years. They make an amazing improvement in handling.

You might want to surf the web for other websites which promote modifications to vintage Chevrolets. We may have someone here on Chevy Chatter who have your answer, but generally speaking, our VCCA members and visitors do not deal in these type of modifications. Hopefully we have the answer. Good luck.

dtm

You might be able to adapt one for a 55-57. a lot of after market kits out there.

I have one on my 41,but I had to modify the spare tire well to make room for it. I used a rear sprig kit from Chassis Engeringing and that also had tube shocks for the rear, I have an S-10 rear end. I removed the spare tire well and made a shorter box and that is where my battery is. I did use the spare tire well in my 47 Fleetline that I an restoring, back to original. I am not sure if anyone makes one that does not require you to modify the spare tire well.

If you look on ebay usa under nascar arca sway bars 7/8 splined ends and search for 24---28 inch width of the sway bar and there are various sizes of the bar itself = bigger the bar the more the resistance too swaying of body in rear.

You can also search for aluminum sway bar arms splined 7/8 in various lengths to mount the bar either from the front or the rear of the rear end. SCHROEDER in california makes sway bars and sway bar ends. You will need some type of mounts and some spherical rod ends to link it all together.

A lot of nascar teams cleaned out their inventory when they did not get new sponsorship and re sellers on ebay have been auctioning off the parts over the last couple of years.

mike

I hadn't considered the spare tire well. I ain't gonna mess with that. I'll be under it Tues AM. Might run the bar forward (?).

I'm thinking thru '62 Corvette or perhaps an early pickup. The Corvette frame was very similar to the '54 Chevy. I want a bolt-on approach. 'Don't want to butcher the car. I just want it to handle good.

FWIW, The front (stock) sway bar bushings were original and really shot (as were the rear shock link bushings). I put polly bushings on the end links. It make a real difference in the car. The poly frame bracket bushings came today and go on in the AM (the orig rubber is shot). They come in black from AutoZone so you don't really notice 'em. With poly, you don't have to compress a bunch of rubber bushings. You get the roll control from the stock sway bar immediately. Thus, less body roll. The effect is about equal to going to the next larger bar diameter. Good handling is fun but it is also much safer.

Thanks for your input. I hope there will be more. Gotta be a suitable rear sway bar out there somewhere. The early Corvette my have the answer.

The short 26--28" sway bar can mount to the front of the rear end and arms extend rearward. I looked on ebay and there were quite a few 26" long 7/8 splined bars for sale. There was also a pair of aluminum mounting blocks with oil lite bearing inserts available. Think i spotted one of the bars as an .800 or .850 thickness to stiffen rear control.

Requires two ears welded to rear axle, 4 rod ends, 2 arms and floor panel mounting too make it work. beauty is the short sway bar and easy to fit in.

mike

Chassis Engineering is the place to go for this. Their hardware will be made to go with a replacement rearend but that shouldn't be a problem. They have a nice setup to install tube shocks in the rear.

Thanks. I'll check both sources.

FWIW, I finally got the poly frame bracket bushings on the front sway bar (already had poly end link busings installed). This made a very dramatic improvement in the way this ol' Chevy drives! They really tightened it up.

I'm still researching a rear sway bar that wont require altering the car. There's gotta be one.

Thanks for your thoughts and comments.

The Chassis Engineering website is a little difficult to navigate but here is the page you might want to look at. Sway Bar Kit

I'm gonna call CE to clear up the note about not fitting orig.