resizing sway bar?
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 35
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From: saint louis
resizing sway bar?
I need to shorten my rear sway bar for tire clearence, thought about cuttting some out of middle, slip a piece of pipe over it, welding back together. then put pipe over weld to help. not sure what heat will do to sway bar. anybody done this?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,668
Likes: 43
From: Eastern US XX
Originally Posted by deadvet
I need to shorten my rear sway bar for tire clearence, thought about cuttting some out of middle, slip a piece of pipe over it, welding back together. then put pipe over weld to help. not sure what heat will do to sway bar. anybody done this?
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 21,953
Likes: 1,445
From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
your not the first person
It's a perfectly sound idea. You actually end up making the bar slightly stiffer because the whole length of the long shaft is where it twists. You have to let it cool slow so you don't crystallize the steel.
It's a perfectly sound idea. You actually end up making the bar slightly stiffer because the whole length of the long shaft is where it twists. You have to let it cool slow so you don't crystallize the steel.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 424
Likes: 2
Originally Posted by deadvet
I need to shorten my rear sway bar for tire clearence, thought about cuttting some out of middle, slip a piece of pipe over it, welding back together. then put pipe over weld to help. not sure what heat will do to sway bar. anybody done this?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 2,668
Likes: 43
From: Eastern US XX
Originally Posted by gkull
your not the first person
It's a perfectly sound idea. You actually end up making the bar slightly stiffer because the whole length of the long shaft is where it twists. You have to let it cool slow so you don't crystallize the steel.
It's a perfectly sound idea. You actually end up making the bar slightly stiffer because the whole length of the long shaft is where it twists. You have to let it cool slow so you don't crystallize the steel.
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 21,953
Likes: 1,445
From: Reno Nevada
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
It's been many years ago like 15+ when I used stainless steel rod to weld my sway bar. I did a normal weld where you grind the bars to a angle. My bar is a 3/4. So the first weld pass is down in the v-groove. The second two passes side by side are not much more in diameter than the original bar diameter.
Also many years ago I worked as a certified high pressure welder on air systems and steam.
It's not a big deal to weld spring steel. You can weld it so it doesn't break, but like I said before you will change it's properties without using correct retempering, inert gasses, rod type.
You could have a professional shop tig it for you.
Also many years ago I worked as a certified high pressure welder on air systems and steam.
It's not a big deal to weld spring steel. You can weld it so it doesn't break, but like I said before you will change it's properties without using correct retempering, inert gasses, rod type.
You could have a professional shop tig it for you.
Premium Supporting Vendor
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 4,312
Likes: 70
From: Clearwater FL
No one as far as I know makes a shorter bar. I think the reason no one offers a shorter bar is b/c Addco wants something like 20K to make custom bars. It's hard for a lot of people to invest 20K in sway bars. Addco makes most of the bars for other companies as well,ie Hotchkis so most of the other sway bar vendors are out of the ? anyway.
I believe coleman racing sells solid straight bars and custom brackets. Give that a shot.
I believe coleman racing sells solid straight bars and custom brackets. Give that a shot.
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Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2006
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From: saint louis
Originally Posted by gkull
It's been many years ago like 15+ when I used stainless steel rod to weld my sway bar. I did a normal weld where you grind the bars to a angle. My bar is a 3/4. So the first weld pass is down in the v-groove. The second two passes side by side are not much more in diameter than the original bar diameter.
Also many years ago I worked as a certified high pressure welder on air systems and steam.
It's not a big deal to weld spring steel. You can weld it so it doesn't break, but like I said before you will change it's properties without using correct retempering, inert gasses, rod type.
You could have a professional shop tig it for you.
Also many years ago I worked as a certified high pressure welder on air systems and steam.
It's not a big deal to weld spring steel. You can weld it so it doesn't break, but like I said before you will change it's properties without using correct retempering, inert gasses, rod type.
You could have a professional shop tig it for you.
I planned on using a tig
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 758
Likes: 14
From: Ville de la Baie Quebec. A winner is just a loser who tried again.
Originally Posted by vetteaddic
Dont be scared to modify it your self,if it breaks nothing will happen.and when you cut ,cut at an angle,then bevel the ends and use the piece of pipe over it.
No bigger deal than busting an end link, I didn't notice mine for quite a while, mind you I don't race eather.