rear sway bar

i was wondering what it would take to put a rear sway bar on a regal that didn't have one from the factory. i would like to stay with a factory sway bar from another regal or other g-body if possible(tight budget). also, did all the regals come with a 1" front bar? was there a handling package available, or maybe the t-type or monte ss had bigger sway bars? just got my regal a few months ago, and have begun to work on it but dont know much about them yet. o No:

Thanks in advance, Marcus

oh yeah another question.....my regal has the gm 7.5 rear end. i have heard from people w/ s-10's and camaros that they suck.(the vehicles and rearends) :grin: did the t-types/gn's or factory v-8 regals come with perhaps the 8.5 rear? if so would it be a bolt in swap

 

Hi Marcus,

When I bought my '84 GN 8.5" to build and put under my '86 Regal it came with the original rear sway bar and attaching hardware. I still have it and it's bolted to the lower control arms still. Unfortunately, before it was shipped and I'm sure to make it easier, the lower control arms were torched in half. I can post a pic tomorrow of what I have. It's in good overall shape with the normal surface rust that will clean right up. I've since bought the HRParts-n-Stuff rear sway bar set-up to replace it. Let me know if you are interested and we can work something out I'm sure. BTW....As long as it is the shipping will be more than you probably think due to the "Oversize catagory" it will fall into.:TU:

As for your 8.5" question....yes, the Turbo T's, GN's and Olds 442's had the 8.5" under them NOT under any Monte SS's though. When switching from a 7.5" to an 8.5" you will need to shorten the driveshaft too as the 8.5" is bigger overall.

 

i was hoping to find the parts at a local yard if possible, but i may be interested in the sway bar itself. which brings me to a few more questions hopefully someone can answer.

first, do you need the lower control arms from a car with a factory rear bar? or could i make mine work? im not afraid of some fabrication. i planned on boxing my factory arms anyway, along with installing poly bushings.

second, if i did swap to an 8.5 rear, could i use my current upper and lower arms? or would they need to come from the donor car? are the 4 link geometry the same with the different rears? other than shortening the driveshaft, what else needs swapped/massaged to get the 8.5 in?

also, anybody know if the 8.5 rear out of a mid 70's cutlass (a-body) would bolt into a regal? i know a yard that has a couple of those sitting.

 

I've heard Rich George who runs the B4Black Web Site indicate 7 1/2 inch differential is good for down to a 1.6 sixty foot time, if built correctly. There is a TA carrier that is a good posi upgrade with 28 spline axles. Stock 7 1/2 inch carriers are for 26 spline axles.

There are three holes in the lower control arms. The sway bar bolts into the back two. There are clips that comes with the rear sway bar to keep the bolts from collapsing the lower control arm. If you box the lower control arms have the welder put sections of pipe between the holes so that you can add the anti sway bar.

The G Body 8 1/2 differential only came in Turbo Regals and Olds 442 so they are in great demand and probaby will not be a junk yard item unless you are extremely lucky. A non-posi unit is typically $500 and one in good shape with a posi carrier would be a minimum of $800.

Unfortunately the A body differential is different and will not mount in a G Body without changes to the 4 link system and living with odd ofset wheels.

 

thanks for the enlightenment guys! :TU:

maybe the 7.5 will be worth sticking with afterall. that will save some headaches. i doubt the car will ever see enough motor to run a 1.6 60. im planning on building it for top speed and corner carving rather than straightline acceleration, the ultimate goal to be able to run in the silver state classic or similar type of race. hopefully the modified v-6 will build enough steam to push the car to the 140-150 mph range. if not, in goes a 350 or 455.

now to hit the yards before the snow flies and find me a rear bar! maybe ill just get lazy and buy the hotchkis sway bars.

 

Is it me or is it just everyone else here, but why the heck did GM put those junk control arms back there....... o No:

 

It is a lot easier and cheaper to push that brick at high speeds with torque than horspower. I say find a big motor say a 430ci or larger. Get the bigger rear sway bar from a junk yard MCSS, 442, GN, Ttype. I think some regular g-bodys were ordered with the f-41 handling package and also had the thicker rear bar. For the front the last I checked you could still get the 36mm hollow front sway bar for an early 90s WS6 trans am which is a bolt on and is reasonably priced compared to some aftermarket bars. Moog has a 5660 spring for the front that is cheap that will also help handling a lot and will support a big block. If you have the front suspension rebuilt get factory replacement bushing for a 442 etc as oppossed to the polyurethane aftermarkets. Polyurethane is good for sway bar mounts, end links, motor or transmissions mounts etc but not good IMO for other suspension parts.