Hello All-
I am purchising the Hotchkis rear leaf kit and some Belstein shocks today, should I add on a sway bar? I was looking at the Addco rear sway bar from summit racing (solid, 7/8 in bar), what do you think?

It's not good to cross breed anti-roll bars unless you know how to compare them.
Do you have the Hotchkis front coils?
David

Magic ,I took all David's advice from his web site and got the whole Hotchkis T V S kit, Shock's too F & R , (plus Speed Tech upper A arm's)you will not regret it,few bucks more but well worth it ...TVS kit and schocks around 1,400.00...Happy Motoring

I rebuilt the front end when I was first getting started with a front end rebuild kit along with new subframe bushings. The car is completely gutted of engine, transmission, and interior. Once I put the new rear suspension in I was going to do some of the body work. And after that, purchase the Hotchkis front coils and shocks along with the sway bar, once I save up a few more pennies. If I do this in the future is it still ok to put in the Hotchkis rear leaf springs and belstein shocks for now.

And is it easy to add a sway bar in once the leaf springs are in or is it easier to wait and do it once I have the Hotchkis rear sway bar?

It would of been nice to order the whole package, but diapers these days cost alot :)

Hope this makes sense

Thanks,

I'm thinking about roll stiffness and how the car would handle. You don't want the rear to be stiffer than the front in roll or the car will have major oversteer and wag it's tail around corners.

If money is limited I'd buy parts in this order to insure safe handling.
Option 1
1. Front anti-roll bar
2. Rear anti-roll bar
3. Front springs
4. Rear springs

Option 2
1. Front anti-roll bar
2. Rear springs
3. Front springs
4. Rear anti-roll bar

You can do option 2, items 1 and 2 first, then add the front springs or rear bar separately later.
Do not drive the car with front stock and just rear springs and bar added, you will have oversteer. The rear bar can be added any time with no problems.
I like the Adco rear bar end link attachment points better, it attches to the frame rails in the rear, the Hotchkis bar attaches to the center of the rear seat kickup with 4 bolts on each side.

I don't know for sure if the Hotchkis and Addco bars are the same effective rate. I think they are pretty close, but I don't have the exact measurements to compare them. You are far better off using the whole package from one manufacturer.

We installed the whole TVS system on my wife's 73 Camaro and it's almost perfectly balanced.

We installed the whole TVS system on my wife's 73 Camaro and it's almost perfectly balanced.


David - what shocks did you use on your wife's 73? Would you use the same a '67 vert with TVS and GW tubular upper and lower control arms?

THANKS!

Thanks David for the information. The car has no engine or transmission in it at this time. I was looking to get the suspension done so I can at least roll it around. Then I will be doing some body work and then the engine and transmission way down the road. This is of course a longer project then I would like, but the money tree only gives out so much at a time.

Thanks again for the info.

Strick,
We used the Bilstein shocks from Hotchkis. I believe they are valved to Hotchkis specs but I'm not sure about that, It's just what I heard.
We found them to be lightly valved for a good ride, but a bit too soft for autocross use with the Kumho V710's (slicks) we used. We are now using the QA1 adjustables.
For a street tire car, the Bilsteins are fine, but I do like the ability to adjust the QA1's
David.

I did it Davids way,,,back in 1969. I just replaced the old Addco bar with a new one. They sent it for free. Note the stone-age mounting system of the old bar. It's in 'shear'. Bad.
http://epitomesrebuild.com/images/142.JPG
Here's the new bar. It has 100 yards on it. I drove it to the end of the driveway and back last fall. But that was long enough to know that the 'clunks' of the old bar are gone. Oh, the new mounts are properly engineered. Remember: match the rear bar to the front bar! Vital.
http://epitomesrebuild.com/images/145.JPG

how did you get the bolts in the frame rail???

David, even Hotrod asked that question in 1970. They were installing one of these bars in a new Nova and they lost the instructions.
Those bolts are really a U bolt. Just hold it against the frame in what appears to be the right spot, then mark and drill. The U bolt is then easily passed into the frame from one hole and wiggled into the other. Done. But for guys like me who like to 'use' their car, the frames' sheet metal will start to tear and the bolt loosens. That's why that welded plate is attached to my frame and the reason for those wide shims seen under the forward mount.

Sounds like a good idea that didn't turn out to be so good.
Is the center part of it straight or does it bend around the diff?

What's the diameter of that bar?
David

I thought a rear bar was not recommended on a first gen and if so a very small one. I did my original suspension about 10 years ago with Hellwig bars and heavy rear leafs. The car was so stiff in the rear you couldn't budge the rear end. I ended up keeping only the front bar then going with Hotchkis front and rear springs because I didn't want to have to cut springs, etc. The front was topped off with GW uppers and delrin bushings. Get this I am still running 14inch wheels but the handling is night and day. The car does not feel any stiffer just different. My back end goes up and down now but the ride is actually smoother. So far I have not seen the need for a rear bar especially on the street.

Whether you need a rear sway bar depends on the size of the front sway bar. If you slap an Addco 1.250" solid bar on the front and have no rear bar, it's going to push insanely.

Wag the dog's tail, as David stated above,not a good feeling having the rear want to pass you...Happy Motoring

Sounds like a good idea that didn't turn out to be so good.
Is the center part of it straight or does it bend around the diff?

What's the diameter of that bar?
David
David, it's 7/8" and matches the front heavy duty bar. It 'spec's' the same as the old bar and was designed as such to match the front bar by Addco. Yes, it curves under the diff pumpkin. (did I date myself with that term?)

I thought a rear bar was not recommended on a first gen and if so a very small one. I did my original suspension about 10 years ago with Hellwig bars and heavy rear leafs. The car was so stiff in the rear you couldn't budge the rear end. I ended up keeping only the front bar then going with Hotchkis front and rear springs because I didn't want to have to cut springs, etc. The front was topped off with GE uppers and delrin bushings. Get this I am still running 14inch wheels but the handling is night and day. The car does not feel any stiffer just different. My back end goes up and down now but the ride is actually smoother. So far I have not seen the need for a rear bar especially on the street.
Eric, bounce and rebound are not a function of a properly installed swaybar. (when the car is parked) You should not be able to tell it's there when pushing down on the bumper.
I can't speak to your installation. My rear is stiff but always was. The rear bar was THE single best handling addition I've ever put on my car. And there are a lot. I'm always looking too.:yes: Like at those camber-changers and solid subframe mounts,,,,,