What was the diameter of the front sway bar on later C3s equipped with RPO FE7? I have just sourced a factory 7/16" rear sway bar and wish to have the proper size on the front (currently 7/8"). If relevant, my 1979 came with RPO F51 heavy duty shocks (GM Canada data for my car).
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
Chevrolet Power Manual says 351596, 1 1/8". The next smallest is the 7/8", 3871318. This is a very big increment when you consider that the anti-roll bar's contribution to roll stiffness is a function of diameter to the fourth power.
Duke -
Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
the 1 1/8" dia. may be a tubular bar.Comment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
Not positive, but I think its solid. I don't think hollow section tubular bars started until the eighties. I'm sure Joe would know.
DukeComment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
Thank you for that answer. So I have the non-FE7 front bar. As noted, I will soon have the rear 7/16" sway bar. I just checked Richard Prince's book and he states that the rear bar was 9/16" in 1979. I think he is wrong on that. It was my understanding that the 9/16" rear bar was for pre-1975 BBs and FE7/Z07 applications. It should be interesting to see how the 7/8" front and 7/16" combination works for street driving. If it does not I will find a 1 1/8" for the front.Comment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
Duke and Clem-----
The 75-82 FE-7 front bar, GM #351596, was a solid bar. It's precise, "official" OD was 27.55 mm.
Also, there was a PRODUCTION Corvette sway bar which was between the GM #351596 and the 65-74 standard suspension big block front bar, GM #3871318, which was the 7/8" bar. That bar was the 63-74 F-40/F-41 front bar, GM #3831972, which was 15/16" OD or 1" OD, depending upon where you measure it.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
Paul-----
Richard Prince is definitely incorrect on the OD of the 75-82 FE-7 rear sway bar. All 1975-82 Corvettes with FE-7 used a solid rear sway bar of 7/16" OD and GM #351597. It's precise, "official" dimension was 11.12 mm.
The 9/16" OD rear bars, of which there were at least 2 slightly different configurations, were used for 1965-74 big block applications, regardless of whether they were standard or F-41 suspension. The 9/16" rear bar, or any other rear bar, was not part of F-41 HD suspension packages used from 1963-74.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
Thanks Joe. Much appreciated. One of the reasons I went for the GM 7/16" rear bar was originality. The second was that I perceived overkill in the aftermarket packages: the smallest bar available seems to be 9/16".Comment
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The dimensioning of the bar to the absurd 0.01mm. They certainly weren't manufactured to that kind of tolerance. Gee, I get out my trusty HP41CX (my slide rule isn't too good at decimals) and I find that dimension is to less than half a thou. 400 micro-inches, actually. Did they surface grind those puppies?
GeezerComment
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Geezer----
I expect that the "official" dimension was actually a conversion from the english system of dimensions performed by someone that didn't understand the concept of "significant figures".In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Yup.
I am continually amused that our car, on the Bonneville Salt Flats, was "clocked" at 622.407 mph using a timer that was good to 0.001 sec. Thus, as the flying mile took something less than 6 seconds, the clock was good to one part in six thousand. But, they reported the speed 100 times more accurately than that.
For those who are curious:
The Blue FlameComment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
Any predictions as to how the car will handle with this hybridized set-up?Comment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
If it oversteers, install a larger front bar!
DukeComment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
I'll give it a try and see what happens. My major dilemma now is the the frame bracket bushings (#351600) are GM-discontinued. The link bushings (#3872955) are still out there. I confirmed this today (I work at a GM dealership). Joe L. pointed me to Dr. Rebuild and they do show in his catalogue as #7242207 at $15.00 each. So that is one route. If he has them. Our GM parts people say there may be a work-around with more recent bushings but that is a compromise. Anyone with a couple of those bushings available?Comment
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Re: Post-1974 C3 FE7 Front Sway Bar Diameter
I would recommend urethane link bushings if originality is not a big concern as they will make the front bar more effective by eliminating compliance at high roll angles, which can cause many cars to transition to oversteer at the limit.
I would also recommend the OEM type rubber pillow block bushings to maintain harshness isolation.
DukeComment
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