Rear panhard bar

D

don-wi

Senior Member
Should the rear spring mount be left loose before the panhard bar is installed? I installed my rear end and tightened the u bolts when I installed the rear end. Last night I went to install the panhard bar and found that its off about 3/4". Thanks for the help. Don
 
I realize that the spring has a center pin in it and the crossmember has a hole for the pin to locate into. Just wondering if it has some slop to move some. Thanks Again Don
 
Every time I look at those front and rear track bars, I always wonder how they compensate for the up & down movement of the suspension and I came to the conclusion that there is no way they can completely. It just ads some tension in the works when the spring moves from full compression limits to full decompression limits. They can also get bent a bit if the vehicle makes a hard contact against an object in a lateral slide motion incident. The rubber bushings were meant to cushion the tension that might happen there. The car has to have the proper shackles too. Any change in dimensions from stock will have an effect on the track bar dimension

If all the rear suspension components are correct and in correct working configuration and it's still off target, you might try compressing the spring with the vehicle weight and see where it aligns then. If your spring is centered it really should stay there to keep the car on good track.
 
A Panhard bar should be as close as possible to horizontal at normal ride height. This will minimize side to side motion when there's up and down motion. Yes, the spring center bolt does go in the crossmember hole and, no, the spring shouldn't be able to move sideways.
 
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The way I did it,(having the wrong length track bar),was to measure from frame rails,at the axle snubber,using a straight edge against the flat area of the brake drum,and measuring to frame rail with a square,against the straight edge.My rear end was off center 1 1/2 inches.With the rear disconnected from the track bar,I got it centered,then measured the distance between the mounts.Bottom line is ,I had the bar cut,a piece welded in,to the correct length,and with it installed,the positioning was right on.I lowered the jack a few inches,and the side movement was about 1/16 of an inch.I can live with that.
 
I am putting the original track bar back in the car. I removed the rear end to install a rebuilt transmission and new clutch. Now I'm having an issue getting the bar put back in. I'm sure that the spring center pin is in the hole in the crossmember. I'm going to look things over more today. Thanks Don
 
see if you can get a prybar in the shackle,and if they're not at the same angle on both sides,prying can move the rear,side to side,to equalize.Mine had long shackles,so I was able to get a piece of pipe in to pry rearend onto center.I measured from frame rails,to the flat surface of the rear drums.I'm assuming this is single spring,closed driveshaft.Shackles will allow rearend to move side to side,even after spring is centered,and bolted in,without track bar installed.center rear then check center to center distance between track bar mounts.
 
I got it installed. Thanks for all the help. I put a floor jack under the center of the rear end and jacked the car up, then I pushed the body of the car side to side gently. Once I did that I it was closer, then I used a pry bar between the shackle and the spring and moved it the last bit. Bolted up and now to finish the rest of the project.
Thanks Again,
Don
 
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