Rear sway bar

zoegrant

zoegrant

Well-known member
I am trying to upload a picture of a rear sway bar I have to the FordBarn forum but I am thinking the file is too large. How do I shrink it down to correct size ?????

I have had this rear sway bar for a number of years. When I purchased it believed it to fit a full size ford. It does not seem possible to fit this to my 55 sedan.

This a heavy duty sway bar, 1" diameter. The bar ends that are supposed to attach to the frame are curved inward instead of being parallel to the frame.

If I can find out how to load the picture you will see what I mean.
What could this sway bar fit ???
 
Aside from your question regarding how to upload a pix of a "sway bar" you have, I wonder what is the point of wanting a "sway bar" on the rear of a '55 Ford?
Do you really understand what a sway bar is, or are you confusing the term with an anti-roll bar.
Since the '55's have parallel rear springs, there is very little need for a sway bar. The front of a '55 has coil springs which came factory equipped with an anti body roll bar.
 
I thought the "sway bar " and the "anti roll bar to have been the same as they are shaped the same.
I wanted to install one on my 55 sedan because I had installed one on my 56 T-Bird a few years back and it made what I considered an considerable difference in the handling of that car.
Any idea on how to make the pictures smaller so as to upload my pictures ?
 
In everyday language, they are the same. The latter is the formal name. There are computer programs that can reduce picture size, but can't think of one right now.



If you email me the picture I can reduce the size and send it back to you in a smaller size..


zoegrant said:
I thought the "sway bar " and the "anti roll bar to have been the same as they are shaped the same.
I wanted to install one on my 55 sedan because I had installed one on my 56 T-Bird a few years back and it made what I considered an considerable difference in the handling of that car.
Any idea on how to make the pictures smaller so as to upload my pictures ?
Click to expand...
 
I can’t help with what you’ve got, but Larry’s lists a 1”” rear bar for the full size ford. No picture unfortunately. But I know the Dana rear end from a 56 wagon is a bolt in for a 55-56 thunderbird (except for the spring perch height).

Here’s a picture of the bird bar, so I think a 56 pass car would be similar.

Edit. I tried to put the link to Mac’s in, but it redirects to Ecklers Corvettes who bought them. You’ll have to search it on Mac’s site.

Do a little research about what that 1” bar is made to work with, stock or a larger front bar. I mixed bar sizes one time, and while it was fine in the dry, the car would spin like a top in the rain. Fortunately, no one was in the way when I learned that lesson.
 
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Do a little research about what that 1” bar is made to work with, stock or a larger front bar. I mixed bar sizes one time, and while it was fine in the dry, the car would spin like a top in the rain. Fortunately, no one was in the way when I learned that lesson.
Click to expand...
There are formulas for matching bias.
 
Sway Bar: (track bar Panhard Bar) A bar usually attached to the rear of a vehicle that makes a solid connection between the axle and the frame. Common on coil spring suspensions.
Roll Bar: Common on front, rear coil spring suspensions and modern vehicles with parallel rear springs.
The purpose is to control body lift/roll on turns, the bar is connected to the frame and axle via movable links in lieu of a solid connection.
Ford started to use Sway Bars on the rear of '46-48 Fords/Merc,s, roll bars on the front starting on the Delux '40 Fords.


Pix attached of the '48 Columbia under the rear of my '36 with a factory sway bar.
 

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Thanks Kultulz, I know the purpose and the proper name and the "common" name for the anti-roll bars. I am a retired mechanic, and have installed many front and rear bars over the years, but had always ordered them for the correct application from the manufacturer , and never had to do the "hard" work as far as using a formula to get the correct bars
 
Alaska Jim said:
I am a retired mechanic, and have installed many front and rear bars over the years, but had always ordered them for the correct application from the manufacturer , and never had to do the "hard" work as far as using a formula to get the correct bars
Click to expand...

It's sorta like brake bias. Ultimately you need a skid pad or a wet WALLY WORLD parking lot.
 
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