dbartol1

Hello,
I brought the 1979 into a shop to get a 4 wheel alignment. My mechanic said that they were unable to do a complete rear alignment on the rear because they couldn't remove the bolts holding the stabalizer bar. He said they were siezed and that it would take time to get these bolts out.

I looked in my Haynes manual and it states that the stabilizer bar is optional. So my questions are: Why is the bar there? Should I remove the bar and leave it off? What are the pro's and con's of removing the bar?

I thought I read somewhere that the car actually handles better without this bar, but I'm not sure.

Thanks Folks

jnb5101

i don't understand why the rear sway bar woulf interfere with an alignment. toe is done at the front of the trailing arms, and camber is done by the differential. i think it was just an excuse used to avoid working on the rear alignment.
the rear bar was used in big block cars to help offset understeer caused by the heavy motor.
having a rear bar will increase the chance of sudden oversteer when driving the car hard. you'll find yourself suddenly in 'reverse'.

ezobens

I agree that the shop was giving excuses-
There is NO reason why you would remove the rear sway links in order to perform an alignment. Most modern cars today have rear sways and those never get removed either. I'd find another shop as these guys are obviously full of

If your rear sway is factory (Gymkhana suspension anyone?), I'd leave it on. Your suspension was designed to have it- Removing it may give you unexpected handling.

dbartol1

Let me start over. It was not the sway bar...it was the rear Lower Control Arm. Sorry for the mistake. Anyway, thanks for the help.

ezobens

Well that's different.... Nevermind....

If they can't break the bolts loose then they can't adjust or shim anything.

redvetracr

you need to do two things, first save some money, second find a shop that specializes in Corvette repair...