so what cars do i need to be looking under to find a rear sway bar to fit my car? I'm very confused. i don't even know the difference between b and c body cars other than they are a different body style. i also don't know what the Pontiac and olds versions of these cars are either. i know my car is an e body and that its the same as a toronado and an Eldorado. but other that that i don't know what to look under when i get to the yards. so if someone would please explain all this to me i would be very grateful.
so i went to the yards today and found a lot of 70's monti carlos with rear sway bars. will these fit? i also found a 73 lemans luxery and a 73 caprice classic with rear sway bars. will either of these work?
don't bother with the toro or eldo suspension stuff. they're FWD and you're RWD so everything from Buick to Caddy/Olds is practically useless. B bodies may have far different sheet metal but they share rear end assemblies with the C body cars and the Riv (see the sticky threads in the Boat forum). i would assume that the bar would also be swappable.
The Monte Carlo and Lemans are an A-body which is what a Skylark/GS is. They would be to narrow for your application.
I think it might be best to post a thread in the Boatload of Fun section. But I'll do my best working off the top of my head. If I'm wrong you're more likely to get a response from someone elseou: I believe the e body was only from 66-70 for the Riv. This has a 3 link rearend. I THINK the boattails shared the G body. A four link rear, right? Which was also the Pontaic Gran Prix, Chev Monte Carlo... that's all that comes to mind. Look for the same years 71-73 as your body style. GM changed bodies but kept the same names in '74 and again in '78. Hope this helps. I'll keep digging around for the info that I have that crossreferences all the GM bodies and the model names. Can't find it at the moment.
1971-1976 B Body BUICK LESABRE, LESABRE CUSTOM, LESABRE LUXUS, ESTATE WAGON, CENTURION CADILLAC None CHEVROLET BEL AIR, IMPALA, BISCAYNE, CAPRICE, CAPRICE CLASSIC OLDSMOBILE DELTA EIGHTY-EIGHT, DELTA EIGHTY-EIGHT ROYALE, CUSTOM CRUISER, DELTA EIGHTY-EIGHT CUSTOM PONTIAC CATALINA, CATALINA BROUGHAM, BONNEVILLE, GRAND SAFARI, GRAND VILLE, GRAND VILLE BROUGHAM C Body BUICK ELECTRA 225, ELECTRA 225 CUSTOM, ELECTRA 225 LIMITED CADILLAC CALAIS, DEVILLE, FLEETWOOD BROUGHAM CHEVROLET None OLDSMOBILE NINETY-EIGHT, NINETY-EIGHT LUXURY, NINETY-EIGHT REGENCY PONTIAC None
so off i go to get the rear sway bar from the 73 caprice!:TU: thanks for all the replies. i appreciate it very much Curtis:beer
so while Ive got the rear suspension of the car apart should I box the control arms? bottom only or top as well? and what do you recommend for new bushings? polygrafite or stick with the rubber that the factory put in there? Ive heard some people complain about squeaks with the poly so I'm just wondering what most people use?
if you're serious about the G-machine treatment you'll go with poly's, box all the control arms and set the front tires to ~1/8" of toe OUT. if you want a cruiser, the poly's will not only make more noise, they're harder riding. i'd just go with boxing the arms in that case.
well im just wondering. i was just trying to say that it is such a heavy car and i thought that might make a difference between a skylark and a big car like mine thats all
You'll have a more harsh ride with the poly, not that the seats won't still be comfortable, more of an annoyance. Same for the noise. Some guys have said their poly's are quiet. I've experienced squeaks. Inside the car it won't bother you, but the folks turning their heads to see what's squeaking just might. Definately box the arms while you're at it.
