C2: Rear Sway Bar on 67 Small Block

[Roger Legge]

Re: C2: Rear Sway Bar on 67 Small Block

Put me in the same category as Tim. Between the knowledge of this forum and me finding out the option details of my car, I would not have deviated from stock beyond something like tires and shocks. Having said that, I have a '68 327 (w/ A/C) and have 550# front coils that are one inch lower than stock, a 360# fiber rear spring and poly bushings and mounts throughout the car. It currently has the stock front bar and no rear bar. I use this car more often than not as my daily driver and it has had these springs and the poly in it for about three years. It is a firm ride, but it isn't what I would call harsh. I don't believe there has been a lot of wear with the poly, at least not as far as I can tell. It is an Energy Suspension kit and I did get the graphite impregnated bushings, if that means anything. The shocks are KYB low pressure gas shocks and the rears are supposed to be valved for a fiber spring, but they are horrible - needs much stiffer valving. To maybe help with my perspective, I have undercar chambered exhaust on the car and I like the sound. I like a firm feel and I like to hear the exhaust. It sounds like the bushings and springs are in the car, so I would suggest you get the sway bars squared away, then drive it and have some fun!

Roger

[Roger Legge]

Re: C2: Rear Sway Bar on 67 Small Block

Put me in the same category as Tim. Between the knowledge of this forum and me finding out the option details of my car, I would not have deviated from stock beyond something like tires and shocks. Having said that, I have a '68 327 (w/ A/C) and have 550# front coils that are one inch lower than stock, a 360# fiber rear spring and poly bushings and mounts throughout the car. It currently has the stock front bar and no rear bar. I use this car more often than not as my daily driver and it has had these springs and the poly in it for about three years. It is a firm ride, but it isn't what I would call harsh. I don't believe there has been a lot of wear with the poly, at least not as far as I can tell. It is an Energy Suspension kit and I did get the graphite impregnated bushings, if that means anything. The shocks are KYB low pressure gas shocks and the rears are supposed to be valved for a fiber spring, but they are horrible - needs much stiffer valving. To maybe help with my perspective, I have undercar chambered exhaust on the car and I like the sound. I like a firm feel and I like to hear the exhaust. It sounds like the bushings and springs are in the car, so I would suggest you get the sway bars squared away, then drive it and have some fun!

Roger

[Roger Legge]

Re: Source For Spax Shocks?

Where might one be able to buy Spax shocks? Are these British shocks?

Not trying to be difficult here, but I wonder how many anti-poly people have real street mileage on poly bushings. I simply have not had any filligs rattled out, etc. And I have more gray hair than I'd care to admit.

Roger

[Roger Legge]

Re: Source For Spax Shocks?

Where might one be able to buy Spax shocks? Are these British shocks?

Not trying to be difficult here, but I wonder how many anti-poly people have real street mileage on poly bushings. I simply have not had any filligs rattled out, etc. And I have more gray hair than I'd care to admit.

Roger

[Duke W.]

Re: Source For Spax Shocks?

They are not highly marketed in the US, but there are distributors and off-the-shelf front and rear shocks for C2/C3s that have nine way adjustable rebound. That will allow you to tune the damping for anything from boulevard cruising to serious track work.

There's an online catalog and list of US distributors at:

www.spax.co.uk

Duke

[Duke W.]

Re: Source For Spax Shocks?

They are not highly marketed in the US, but there are distributors and off-the-shelf front and rear shocks for C2/C3s that have nine way adjustable rebound. That will allow you to tune the damping for anything from boulevard cruising to serious track work.

There's an online catalog and list of US distributors at:

www.spax.co.uk

Duke

[Duke W.]

PS

Spax can be adjusted "on the car" with a screwdriver. No need to remove them like Konis.

Duke

[Duke W.]

PS

Spax can be adjusted "on the car" with a screwdriver. No need to remove them like Konis.

Duke

[Michael W.]

Mileage on poly bushings?

Me, for one.

Car had a frame off in '96, have done about 20K miles since then, including Montreal-Bowling Green KY and Montreal-Galveston TX for the Nats.

The car will be at Windsor this year. You'll probably hear it coming, so to speak. Worse first thing in the morning, like all us grey hair pharts. I just couldn't muster the effort to take it all apart to re-grease again this year.

[Michael W.]

Mileage on poly bushings?

Me, for one.

Car had a frame off in '96, have done about 20K miles since then, including Montreal-Bowling Green KY and Montreal-Galveston TX for the Nats.

The car will be at Windsor this year. You'll probably hear it coming, so to speak. Worse first thing in the morning, like all us grey hair pharts. I just couldn't muster the effort to take it all apart to re-grease again this year.

[Roger Legge]

Re: Mileage on poly bushings?

I also have about 20K on my poly stuff. I do live in Phoenix, so the streets are smooth, which helps one not get beat up by bumps. It also doesn't get very cold here. The only time I hear a squeak is if the car is cold, it's in the 30's or low 40's and I go over a speed bump - one of the front control arm bushings. Like I said, I have the graphite pieces, plus I bought extra grease prior to the install because I hate squeaks and the amount of grease that came with the kit seemed minimal. If I ever have to take it apart for grease, the poly is gone. Actually, it'll be gone someday anyway because the car's going back to pure original.

Roger

[Roger Legge]

Re: Mileage on poly bushings?

I also have about 20K on my poly stuff. I do live in Phoenix, so the streets are smooth, which helps one not get beat up by bumps. It also doesn't get very cold here. The only time I hear a squeak is if the car is cold, it's in the 30's or low 40's and I go over a speed bump - one of the front control arm bushings. Like I said, I have the graphite pieces, plus I bought extra grease prior to the install because I hate squeaks and the amount of grease that came with the kit seemed minimal. If I ever have to take it apart for grease, the poly is gone. Actually, it'll be gone someday anyway because the car's going back to pure original.

Roger

[Gerard F.]

Re: C2: Rear Sway Bar on 67 Small Block

Thanks, Tim and Roger for the info on your experience with the kits. I really wasn't trying to start a war, just looking for others who had the same experience.

The 67/327 is still in the shop and after reading the rest of the thread, I decided to chuck both new stabilizer bars and had them put the original 3/4" front bar back on (with poly bushings). The bushings, front and rear springs had already been changed, and it was a simple thing to swap the new 1-1/8" with the original 3/4". The car will now have 460# front springs, KYB-GR2 gas shocks (all around), 3/4" front bar, new 9 leaf rear spring with no rear bar, all poly bushings, new redline Coker radials.

I'll pick up the car tomorrow, and with all the removed parts as usual. If I don't like the way it handles, I'll change it, either back, or with some new system. You should see my garage, I have nearly every original part taken off this car, boxed and labelled. Some fundamentalist is going to have a good time after I'm gone.

I bought this '67 in '68 from my roommate in the Navy (Norfolk,Va). I traded him a Renault 10 because he was getting married and needed a family car (Ha Ha).
When I drove to California from New York in 69, I had everything I owned in the
back of the car. I have only really started restoring and changing things on it in the last three years. It sat in a garage for the previous 20.

I really love this forum. In a day, you can get six different opinions on any topic or problem.

Jerry Fuccillo
Sonora, California

[Gerard F.]

Re: C2: Rear Sway Bar on 67 Small Block

Thanks, Tim and Roger for the info on your experience with the kits. I really wasn't trying to start a war, just looking for others who had the same experience.

The 67/327 is still in the shop and after reading the rest of the thread, I decided to chuck both new stabilizer bars and had them put the original 3/4" front bar back on (with poly bushings). The bushings, front and rear springs had already been changed, and it was a simple thing to swap the new 1-1/8" with the original 3/4". The car will now have 460# front springs, KYB-GR2 gas shocks (all around), 3/4" front bar, new 9 leaf rear spring with no rear bar, all poly bushings, new redline Coker radials.

I'll pick up the car tomorrow, and with all the removed parts as usual. If I don't like the way it handles, I'll change it, either back, or with some new system. You should see my garage, I have nearly every original part taken off this car, boxed and labelled. Some fundamentalist is going to have a good time after I'm gone.

I bought this '67 in '68 from my roommate in the Navy (Norfolk,Va). I traded him a Renault 10 because he was getting married and needed a family car (Ha Ha).
When I drove to California from New York in 69, I had everything I owned in the
back of the car. I have only really started restoring and changing things on it in the last three years. It sat in a garage for the previous 20.

I really love this forum. In a day, you can get six different opinions on any topic or problem.

Jerry Fuccillo
Sonora, California

[Gerard F.]

Re: C2: Rear Sway Bar on 67 Small Block

Thanks Roger, please see my reponse to Tim