Anyone able to define what size bars were installed with the F40 & F41 suspensions in a '71 Skylark/GS? My Assembly manual may be missing the right chart. My GM parts book is from '81 & tends to specify replacement parts, most times part numbers only. Pretty sure the standard bar was 7/8". I've seen comments here about 15/16" & 1" bars. Cheers.
it was 15/16" on a GS anyway Steve. I have varified this against an Olds Manual that has a diagram that shows the ends of all the front bars. Each size has a different looking end that tells you what size it is. GS used same as a 442
Here is some more info for you Steve. The 71 assembly shows both 398498 which is 7/8" as noted in the Olds Assembly and also lists 399924 which is bigger than 15/16 at .970" The page for Heavy duty suspension(F41) for Buick noted that 401194 was used which according to Olds was 1". I am not convinced a GS came with the 1" but I could be wrong. My car has the .970 which I verified by the passenger end which has a rounded point. This is the same one used on the 442 which all had heavy duty suspension so I do not see Buick using a bigger one. I believe 7/8 is too small. The 7/8 has a sharper point at the passenger end. 1" has an offset rounded point and 15/16 has a flat end.
Hi Dave, What page(s) am I missing from my own manual? Can you scan & e-mail it? I just bought a NOS 15/16" front bar & contemplating putting it on the car. I currently have a 1.25" from a late '70's Trans Am. Car very stable on turns, don't want to detract from that too much. I pulled another 15/16" bar from a '72 GS350 parts car I have. Was curious as to the size. Thanks.
Steve, what is the part # on the NOS 15/16" The Buick parts book I have is a 76 printing and it odes not list a 15/16" for 68-72. The assembly manulas do not list a 15/16" either. The .970 is not listed in the parts book either as only 7/8 and 1" were listed. The .970 must have been an assembly line only. I can scan you the heavy duty page for 71 thta shows the 1" number. Strangley the same page for 70 does not show a # on the heavy duty page. It show only the same two part #s as 71 on the front suspension page. The 1" bar must have been added later. I can also scan you the Olds page that shows part #s and sizes and diagram fro ID. I think I have your Email address.
I added the same thing on my 72 GS350. Made a noticeable difference. came from a 73 Trans Am I believe. Picked it up for $20 at a swamp meet. My original was for sure less than 1"... seemed really tiny compared to the one from the trans am. My original was bent up.. like someone tried to jack the car up on it. o No:
I'll check the bar tomorrow, in the warehouse. I'm looking at Page No. 3-4.1 in the manual. Lists 39X490 & 399924, with a note #3. #3 states less F41 ride option, see rally pac info. drawing. Missing a few pages by the look of the manual. No outline page for either section 2 or 3. Once I can see those I can determine what else might be missing. The bar I took from the '72 GS350 was definitely 15/16". Wonder if it was just called 1"?
Had a look at the bar this morning. NOS 15/16", laid it on a bench beside one I just removed from the '72 GS350. Both are 100% identical. No part numbers visible on either. RH end link mount has a "C" cast into it. This area is completely round. LH end link mount has a small point cast into it on the outside edge.
Steve, the end with the point cast on it is the right side. This is specified in the Olds manual. I will be sending you this page because it show all possible types. IF yours has a small point it is 7/8" a rounded point is 31/32" The 15/16" has a flat end and no point so it is very obvious. Is your Sympatico email still valid?
Dave, E-mail still valid. LH..RH hand.... looked at it wrong. They each have a rounded point on one end but measure to 15/16" dia.. I'm away for the next week. Canada Games are here, eh? Oldest boy rowing single & eights for Team NB.
Dave, I have the swaybar sheets you sent. Thank You. Mine are both 31/32" per the legend on the mounting end. I'll be putting the NOS bar on the car in the Spring, might get a chance this Fall. Other news: Son brought home a Bronze Medal yesterday from the 2009 Canada Games.:TU: Men's 8-Rowing. Don't want to flood the site here but I was lucky enough to record an incredible video of a preliminary qualifying heat. 6 lanes, course is very short @ 1200 metres. (1m = 39") We (New Brunswick) are in lane 1, the near lane. Good start but very difficult to see too much detail at that range. All you can really see are 6 sets of 8 sweeps breaking the water at a very high rate. As the boats approach the last 250m stretch we are dead last. The boys pour on the coals & really open up. Before we cross the finish line we are within 1-2 metres of first. Two more strokes & we would have won the race, just ran out of track. The look on the cox in the winning boat, lane 2, is pure surprise. "Where in HE&& did these guys come from?":eek2: I was about 100 m from the finish line for the best view with the camera. They passed 4 other boats in less than that distance. Very east to see the speed was over-powering everyone else. At the finish we were well above the actual winner's speed. WE beat PQ & BC who were very strong favorites. Enough blabbing about my vacation!!:beers2:
