What is the bar under the differential pumpkin of this Chevelle?Not four link!

[gadget73]

The other way of doing rear bars is to attach it to the axle tube with bushings and fix it to the frame at the ends. Basically it ends up looking like a front sway bar flipped upside-down. Two of my cars do it that way, one just bolts arm to arm across the rear. I can't say which works better, other than the one that goes arm to arm has no wear parts in the system. The other ones have two endlinks with rubber biscuts and two rubber bushings that fail.

 

[noogies]

Different bends also, that is why I said it was likely an axle truss, not a sway bar.

No, it's just aftermarket.

 

[grillebilly]

My 70 SS had the same bar, sway bar and was a factory piece. The picture with the car upside down was correctly identified as a panhard bar.

 

[noogies]

The picture with the car upside down was correctly identified as a panhard bar.

What picture? Must have missed that one.

 

[skippy_ps]

Op's pic doesn't look like a sway bar as it runs underneath the differential like this.

The link on the bottom of the car model is correctly identified as a panhard bar. Used on vehicles with trailing arm suspension to locate the axle laterally.

Panhard bar and sway bar.

 

[grillebilly]

What picture?

post #6

 

[noogies]

post #6

I see it now! Definitely not a sway bar. Looks just like the Panhard rod on my old '64 Chevy Impala.

 

[grillebilly]

The factory sway bar on my 70 looked just like this bar that is under the rear end housing in this picture

 

[noogies]

Yup, looks just like the setup underneath my '69 Olds 4-4-2. Which model, by the way, pioneered the use of a rear anti-sway bar back in 1964.

 

[pdm4606]

I think that the trailing arms of the coil suspension has very much "wiggle room" due to the rubber or soft plastic bushings that the car could have problems in handling. The control arms are part of the 4 coil suspension incorporated for handling control.
I have been a fan of GM cars from years ago because they use a 4 coil suspension. Many other car manufacturers are very cost conscious and for years used coils up front but only leaf springs in the rear. Leaf springs in the rear are notorious for snapping due to lack of the rear axle twisting under heavy acceleration. Leaf springs can be controlled from snapping simply by installing a pair of trailing arms attached between the rear axle and chassis. Simple. But it cost money. If you must use trailing arms why not finish the design and install coil springs also and get rid of the leaf springs entirely?
Many heavy hot rods years ago did the first thing to get the rear under control and installed trailing arms.
GM has been using trailing arm/4 coil suspensions off and on since the late 30's. By off I mean they also used conventional leaf springs from time to time.
A book could be written about the advantages of all coil over leaf spring rear end suspensions.

 

[skippy_ps]

The factory sway bar on my 70 looked just like this bar that is under the rear end housing in this picture

View attachment 1220021

Yep, there it is.

Murray

 

[usedto]

The one in the OP's photo looks a little light to be a sway bar. I'd like to look at it closer before I'd bet money
on it.

 

[Djcoolray]

Okay but I thought they were like this! View attachment 1219189

Stabilizer bar....

Stabilizer bars are a direct link swivel bar used in conjunction with a rear coil spring suspension. Sway bars are connected in the center to the bottom of rear axle gear hub while the ends of said sway bar are connected to bolts attached to the body of the car. Reducing body roll....

That’s a sway bar.....on the Chevelle !!

 

[philo426]

Way too thin!

 

[damacman]

Yeah that looks like some home made something or other. Given the size of the stock used it may be nothing more than a cosmetic enhancement.

 

[gadget73]

I have been a fan of GM cars from years ago because they use a 4 coil suspension

GM suspension was definitely a step up from Chrysler or Ford, especially in the 60s and 70s. Ford did catch up to GM's mid 60s designs in 1979 though. Better late than never

 

[Guest126]

Rear stabilizer bar, which was more common on the '70s vintage A and B body Chevys, and late 60's 442. That looks like a '71 or '72 Chevelle. I'd need to see the front grille to know for sure.

 

[grillebilly]

Here is a factory reproduction of the rear sway bar. Description says 7/8 diameter was stock, 1 inch available.


https://www.opgi.com/chevelle/ADDC938/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4d3yh8Dv2wIVyyaGCh3VjwGpEAQYAyABEgLHPfD_BwE

 

[noogies]

Here is a factory reproduction of the rear sway bar. Description says 7/8 diameter was stock, 1 inch available.

Yes, 7/8 was factory and 1 inch is OPG's upgrade. Also, don't try installing one on non-boxed control arms or you'll create some ugly (and dangerous) stress cracks.

 

[quaddriver]

Im 99% sure that is a thin sway bar. attached below is the 'cop bar' on my regency and see how it passes BEHIND the lower portion of the pumpkin. looks like it touches, but it dont

the GM sway bars fit into the soft U shaped (rounded corners) lower control arms and they were bolted to a hard U (square corners) channel that in turn bolted into the A arm, creating the boxing.

not sure about earlier years, but ALL gm rwd cars with a sway bar upgrade option from 72-on had the control arms predrilled and nuts welded to attach the bars.

A panhard would not be level at that point as it was frame attached and then to he housing, giving a noticeable slant (plus, in any car you might not like the annoying tendency for a panhard to deflect the axle to the low side attachment if you hit an equal bump with both wheels.) and I dont think it is an axle brace which you would only find on the street in a corporate 10 bolt which had pressed axle tubes. the 12 bolt housing was far stronger and by the time you got enuf HP to stress that, the 12 bolt was pulled for something else anyways.