Help with front sway bar - aftermarket

[Terry Gaudet]

So I bought a new 3/4 inch sway bar for my 56 bus and have been struggling with getting it on. It seems that the clamps that came with the kit are not working. See photo and let me know if you have had the same problem and how you solved it. I might have to buy one of those stainless steel clamps.

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Terry Gaudet

1950 Beetle Standard
1955 Canadian Custom
1956 Kombi w/SO23 kit
1965 Kombi walkthrough
1965 Double Cab

[quartermilecamel]

That looks like you have the king and link pin stock front end, so my question is: Is that sway bar also for a link pin bus suspension? Also, It appears as it bolts through the lower control arm as does mine. Do you have it bolted in place? If the sway bar isn't in the right position in relation to your lower suspension arm it will be hell to get that clamp on. I have a 68/69 ball joint front end from a bay window, so not sure if the split window aftermarket sway bar bolts onto the arm also. It also appears as if you have the red urethane bushings on backwards.
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Waiting for santa to drop off funky green. I can wish can't I????

[schnidlee]

I installed one of these on my bay and it was an absolute pig of a job. I found it easier with the wheels on the ground, it just mad the angles nicer. You will need a pit or alternatively, try parking with one wheel on a curb. Good luck, you will love it once it's on.

[quartermilecamel]

that's odd as mine went right on. I don't remember if I did it front end raised or not.
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Waiting for santa to drop off funky green. I can wish can't I????

[earlywesty]

I wonder if it has to do with it being a wolfsburg bus? Don't quote me but it seems that I heard that the wolfsburg beams were slightly different shape in the mount area. Maybe that is a factor. I think most people say its a bugger to get the clamps on. Hope you are enjoying the bus.

[RPGreg2600]

who sells aftermarket sway bars?

[Terry Gaudet]

Thanks for all the comments. The packaging said that the sway bar fits both k&L and b/j front ends. There is not hole however on the ends to bolt to the lower control arm like on the b/j beams. This is why I suspect this is for a k&L beam. I will try to fit it with wheels on the ground and see if it makes a difference. As for being a Wolfsburg bus, not sure if that is the issue. I bought this sway bar from CIP.

Eric, I'm driving this bus almost every day. Getting it ready for a Texas road trip in October....;0)
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Terry Gaudet

1950 Beetle Standard
1955 Canadian Custom
1956 Kombi w/SO23 kit
1965 Kombi walkthrough
1965 Double Cab

[earlywesty]

[earlywesty]

See bloogy's post here: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3...p;start=20

[Terry Gaudet]

Hey Eric,

Just read that thread and i'm going to just buy a couple of stainless T-bolt clamps. I might even try to source the smaller brackets for the end. I'm sure they are there for a reason....;0)
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Terry Gaudet

1950 Beetle Standard
1955 Canadian Custom
1956 Kombi w/SO23 kit
1965 Kombi walkthrough
1965 Double Cab

[Riff Raff]

It looks to me like a 7/8" sway bar and clamps for a 3/4" sway bar.

I recall having a devil of a time mounting the aftermarket 7/8" sway bar on my bus and wound up strategically shaving some of the urethane to get the clamp to fit.
This was on a late beam in a 61 bus.
I also recall vehemently cursing the perfect void of any aftermarket engineering on the product and the utter contempt the designers, marketers, distributors and profiteers had for their customers on that job more than just about any other I have done on my bus.
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The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge
- Daniel Boorstin

[earlywesty]

[SambaUser1M]

[RobzKombi]

I have a sway-bar (like the one pictured above) installed on my bus and unlike some of the OG sway-bars mine did not come with end clamps like the ones pictured below. Are these clamps available aftermarket? I've done some searching and can't seem to find any. Are they even needed?

[chippuller]

I am tagging on to this old link... I purchased an anti sway bar from JBugs. It was a nice heavy duty (7/8” dia.) bar. And for another $40 I purchased the “installation kit”, just to save myself some hassle… or so I thought!
When the box from JBugs arrived, it contained the sway bar, two loose rubber bushings, two pre-packaged sealed plastic bags, (from a Brazilian supplier) each containing one entire installation kit (a rubber bushing, a sheet metal U-shaped bracket and a tapered clip to lock the bracket closed. Also loose in the box was a small sheet of “instructions”.
What was really interesting was that the Brazilian kit had several stickers on them. One was JBugs', under that was a West Coast Metric tag, and the extremely vague instructions were from EMPI!?!?
After spending several hours attempting to install the brackets, it became clear to me that there was no way the clamp could be closed enough to install the tapered clip. It also became clear that JBugs just sent the Brazilian installation kit (which is for a stock diameter bar) and threw in a larger bushing that fit the 7/8"dia. bar. They obviously didn't think far enough ahead to realize that the stock metal bracket would not fit over the larger bushing!?!?
I decided to fabricate my own brackets to fit the large bushings. I realize this is a bit of overkill, and not something everyone would want to try, but thought some would find it interesting...
I made a model of the brackets in blue insulating foam, rammed them up in molding sand and made an aluminum "lost foam casting".

Then cut the casting apart to make two pieces, and fitted the rubber bushings and U-bolts.

And successfully installed the sway bar

It is a bit 'clunky looking', but looks like it will hold up well. I do plan to make some thicker close out plates for the U-bolts, the ones that came with them are pretty thin and you can see in the installation pics that they have deformed. You may also notice that I have already made one thicker plate and it worksmuch better.
You can also see that for the "unobtainium outer bracket I simply used a smaller u-bolt.

[panel]

Looks great ! I guess if there is room maybe if you made another pair you could cast them wider , then just drill four through holes ?
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My '65 Bus~Subaru EJ20 Megasquirted Turbo conversion

[chippuller]

Thanks Panel,
I thought of that but as you said, I was afraid of interfering with something.
Besides, it would look even "clunkier" !?!? :-0

[imtb]

I always use the T strap clamp and nut driver to get them tight. Much easier than the stock. I was also able to reuse the end one, I had a to use a longer bolt to so, I could get it form to the new sway bar.