Trade in/trade up?

[Stidman]

OK, so I have an '89 Colony Park. I got a 5/8" rear axle sway bar from a U-pull it place. My question is will I benefit enough, or will it make a noticeable difference on a street driven car to go up to the 1" police rear sway bar? I am in the process of changing over to air bags with KYB gas-a-just shocks from air shocks, so I am going to get a boost in the fight against body roll with that combination right? Please advise!
I also have an extra Wagon front sway bar to sell/trade up if anyone is interested.
Thanks!
BTW anyone want two teenage girls? Mine are calling my car "Large Marge"! GRRR!

[Mainemantom]

I noticed a difference when I switched from my HD factory sway bars on my Mercury and Lincoln. I went to the police sway bars. The biggest difference was at higher speeds on twisting roads. You need to add the front Police sway bar as well as rear. Add to that Police car springs for maximum benefit. I also have had cars with Air Lift air bags. Much less body roll than stock. Just don't over inflate the bags.

[gadget73]

The bigger bar helps, but anything is better than nothing.


The wagon front bar is very comparable to the police one. Slightly larger, but its hollow. its probably a wee bit less stiff overall but I wouldn't worry so much about it. I've actually been running a wagon front bar and a police rear bar for years on my car.

[Stidman]

Thank you for the input guys! I am going to install the air bags and new shocks at all four corners and see how she feels. Tires are General Altimax RT 237/75-15's They are probably my weak point after the shock/air bag change. Not going to do anything about that though. Got my mind set on the Big Brake conversion next spring! New 16" rims are going to be part of that upgrade.

[pantera77]

I've yet to see a "baby" rear sway bar in person. I wonder how many are out there, since the majority of boxes out there left the factory with no rear bar.

My 91 wagon had no rear bar factory, I put a PI rear bar and PI lower control arms and it made a huge difference. Later on I swapped the stock wagon front bar to a PI bar with new bushings and poly end links, but honestly it didn't make much a difference, granted the rest of the suspension is really worn out.

[Stidman]

So that brings up the question of how do I get my hands on a PI rear sway bar for a box? Sounds like they are getting to be a hard to come by part? Also, with the Big Brake upgrade is there enough difference in the aero sway bars to switch to that set up?

[slack]

I've yet to see a "baby" rear sway bar in person. I wonder how many are out there, since the majority of boxes out there left the factory with no rear bar.

My friend's 83 Tudor has the "baby" rear sway bar. Honestly, when I've been in the car, I never really noticed it. His front endlinks and bushings are shot so the front has so much roll it's hard to tell there's anything in the back.

So that brings up the question of how do I get my hands on a PI rear sway bar for a box? Sounds like they are getting to be a hard to come by part? Also, with the Big Brake upgrade is there enough difference in the aero sway bars to switch to that set up?

Box PI sway bars pop up on here from time to time. I think about three of them just popped up in the past two months. (Where I got mine). PI front and rear bars really helped keep the car level on turns. I think with the aero style you need to swap a bunch of stuff in the rear end... not really sure how that works.

[mcninetyone]

From what I've seen Aero rear sway bars, even PI bars tend to be rather small when compared to the box CVPI bar.
If I had an Aero I think I would still look for a box bar.
Box sway bars are getting hard to find but it's not impossible yet.
To put a box rear sway bar on an Aero you'll need to swap your rear trailing arms to box CVPI arms.
But thats no big deal since you would have to do that on a box too.
Unless it originally had the baby sway bar to begin with.
A big brake swap plus the box CVPI bars do make a huge difference.

[gadget73]

the way the aero bars fit up, they can be smaller and still be as effective.

[Stidman]

My wagon has the K code rear with the "Baby" bar so I am not looking to do any axle changes. Was asking more if the aero set up the way it is linked to the spindles was a step up from the PI bar and old style links to the lower control arms. Sounds like mcninetyone favors the old style. Anyone have a daily driver with the big brakes and the newer bar setup? Likes/dislikes? Thanks!

[gadget73]

the new style you'd need to add the connection points on the frame for. I would not put a box bar on an aero, but without a welder you can't put an aero bar on a box either. We're talking about rear control arms here, the front is different in a different way.


I've got big brakes on mine, but a stock type front bar. I've driven one box with a later style cop bar and I think it handled a bit flatter but that car also had all new springs and such. If I weren't too cheap to buy the endlinks and too lazy to put forth the effort it might be an interesting experiment to try swapping my bar for a later bar of the same size to see if there is any difference, but I kind of don't think it would be enough to really be obvious.

[mcninetyone]

I know of a 97CV with box CVPI sway bars, front and rear.
I also know of a box with a whale front bar, big brakes and a box CVPI rear bar.
And I've read all the arguments as to which is better on what car and why.
I think it all comes down to what works/feels best for owner of the car.

[jaywish]

Any difference will be all a matter of degree after you get anything decent in there. I saw a bar for sale on the site today.

The big brakes are the best upgrade. No more warped rotors. Plus it forces a lower profile tire. Ummmm New Tires Ummm.

[slack]

The big brakes are the best upgrade. No more warped rotors. Plus it forces a lower profile tire. Ummmm New Tires Ummm.

The only thing is the turbines don't fit AFAIK.

[Stidman]

I agree with that slack! Love the turbines on my wagon, loved them on the CV sedan I had! But the idea that I can get the wagon to stop faster than Fred Flintstone is too good not to go with! And the General Altimax tires the PO put on there SUCK in the snow!