sway bars for Vintage speedster

Has anyone installed front and rear sway bars on a vintage speedster. If so, what brand or brands were used?

SueZ -

I use the Empi sway bar in front and rear of my VS. Make note that you'll need to slightly modify your frot bumper brackets for proper fitment. My good friend Ricardo B. of Puerto Rico gave me the same tip and pic examples. Here's my set-up...

Ditto for me, I used the "Bearga fix" on my VS also...
In the rear I used this... http://www.cbperformance.com/catalog.asp?ProductID=463
I'm now pretty well "glued to the road".
Good Luck SueZ!

Susan--you are on the right track---these devices will amaze you with the improved ride and cornering you wil have. My car rides like it was on rails and it's just as smooth a ride as it always was.

For the front I used the EMPI Sway Bar which needed zero modifications, cutting or welding----just bolt that bad boy on. The price was $73.00 and Empi uses 4 part numbers---all for tye same item; 9594, 9595, 9596 and 9600. The trick I learned on this forum for installing is to get a large pair of channel lock pliers (REAL large) to use to squeeze the clamps together to get the nut started onto the bolt.

For the back I used the camber compensator from C. B> Performance, part # 2819 fot $54.95. This is a real safety improvement and will keep your wheels "straight" going around corners rather than the familiar "VW wheel slant" which can easily cause a flip going around corners----shivver!!

Good luck with your car. Improving them through these items makes a great difference in enjoyment. ---Jack

Glad to be of help, guys. Here's a photo of our mod....I also installed the EMPI camber compensator and it's a quick bolt-on too. Both great additions for not a lot of money; well worth it in terms of safety and ride quality.

Thanks, guys. You read my mind. This was going to be a winter project for my car as well. This should be all the info I'll need,but I will probably check in again before I do it. Al

Jack,

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of your installation? I just spent the last 4

You don't need a HD sway bar on the front, it's overkill.
best to use a stock VW Beetle bar with the oem rubber grommets . ~Alan

Rich - check my post on your other request on this sway bar. Here's some pics.

It would be interesting to see pictures of Jack's installation because he didn't have to notch the bumper brackets.

I bought the same bar Jack used and have been hoping I too would be able to install it without modifying the bumper brackets. I haven't tried yet.

I recently installed drop spindles. This will change the angle of the trailing arms for a given ride height. This will probably make it less likely that I can avoid bumper bracket modification.

Michael,

I believe this is the same bar Jack used (EMPI 9600) I just installed it on my 2003 VS and did no cutting or other modifications and it seems to work just fine.

Rich---I have been away---I drove my Cadilac to Miami and gave it to my brother---I just got home and of course the first order of business upon my return was checking out the new posts on this great site.

Rich's photos are exactly what I would be posting for my installation.

This requires zero cutting, welding, modification or anything beyound attaching the bar. Maybe it is better designed than the other brands or whatever, but it attaches easily without any mods and works like a champ. Of all the stuff I have done to my Speedster this is the #1 best thing. It is actually a huge safety feature and makes the car as stable as any top of the line sports car available.

Get with it! Get yerself one and install it per the simple instructions supplied. I do wish I had known the secret to an easy installation and that is that you need to use the largest channel lock pliers you can find to squeeze the whatchamacallet in order to get the nut started on the bolt. (Sorry about the technical terms.)

---Jack

I would love to see a picture with the car on the ground.

Thanks,

Marty

Skimming through this topic, I assume that you know that there are 2 versions of this swaybar.
One for lowered beams, and One for Not-lowered beams.
The ones in my photos are of the one for lowered ball joint beams.
Notice how the front of it has an upward bend to add ground clearance.
The Speedster in my photos are of a ball joint front end with lowered spindles and lowered beam.
The photos show the modifications I used to clear the typical front bumper brackets.

Greg

Marty,

Ask and you shall receive! Here are some photos of my 2003 VS with the new anti-sway bar installed. I did no cutting, welding or any other modifications. When installing, you will want to have the front wheels on ramps putting the weight of the car on the suspension to keep everything as flat as possible. I used a large C-clamp to compress the bushing clamps far enough to get the nuts started.

Good luck, Rich

I am a bit confused on the outcome of this thread

Is it that:
Lowered sway bars need cutting the bracket but give greater ground clearance due to the upturned leading edge of the bar; while the non-lowered version of the bar may fit, or just require notching of the bracket

I've had both types of anti-sway bars on the same JPS chassis. The chassis was lowered via beam adjusters only. The sway bar for a lowered chassis required a very deep cut in the front bumper brackets (4 or 5 inches). The sway bar for a standard chassis also fits just fine, but it also required a notch in the front bumper brackets of about one inch.

Ground clearance is the same for either sway bar if installed correctly.

David,

I installed a standard anti-sway bar (Empi part #9600)on my non-lowered VS with no modifications to the bumper brackets. See photos above.

Rich

Rich---did you notice improvment to the ride and handling?--Jack

Jack,

Yes I notice a pronounced difference in the ride. My VS now feels like a much heavier car. Since installing the sway bar I've also installed a rear camber compensator and a second set of caster shims. It's starting to feel like a real car.

Rich

Rich; I'm glad everything worked out well for you; just make sure the sway bar doesn't hit the bottom of the brackets while going over uneven surfaces.

got my rear sway bar from jc whitney(or maybe MAM), IRS, my bar is 3/4 and the bushings that mount to frame have a 7/8 hole, the bushing was angle-slit so i squished it down and it looks and acts OK, is this normal?

Rich,
...what are the wheels?... the spinners are a nice touch on the flared speedster~ Do you have a side view pic? Alan

drclock,

The wheels are Centerlines and I just added the Porsche crests yesterday.

Rich

Rich - that looks pretty dang good! Are you going to lower it a bit for a more aggressive stance/? Awesome car.

Jim,

Not sure if I'm going to lower the car at this point. I

I am curious about the wheels on your car. Those are the ones I am about to order from a shop in Socal.

Are they 15x7's? if so, what are the offset on them.

Did you need to adapt to the 5z130 or are your rotors drilled for the proper pattern. I am trying to figure out the proper backspace for my application.

Cheers.

Eric,

The wheels were on the car when I got it and they are 15" but I'm not sure of the width. Thsy are a 5 lug with a 5-1/2' bolt pattern and I'm not sure of the offset. There are no adapters or spacers and the wheels are a direct bolt up. If you could tell me how to determine the offset, I would be glad to check for you.

Rich

Rich---lowering might just help that "mind of it's own" feeling when driving.


I don't believe I have seen a Speedster as high as yours---it just makes a different look altogether. I'd say lower it anout 6" minimum.

Jack,

I've had several low cars in the past and always hated hitting speed bumps with my exhaust, power brake booster, front sheet metal, etc. I think I'll opt for the tie rod end flip kit to see if that helps the steering. Since I installed the second set of caster shims it is a bit better at higher speeds but is harder to turn at low speeds. Fare trade off though.

Well, Rich, I agree about the lowering. If you aren't going to listen to people's advice, why bother asking the questions?

I would lower it at least 2-3", then I'll bet the problem will go away, and the back is too high too. Don't lower it into the weeds, but please, it's a sports car!

Thanks Rich. I bet they are from a domestic car with that offset, so the options are endless. I found there are only two options for the metric patterns and was hoping yours was one of them.

As to the comments posted. It does look like your wheelbase is a bit affected by your ride height (rear) if you have a IRS car then you might get a inch or so back and that would help the high speed stability.

Cheers.

Dr.
In my life I have found that everyone has an opinion, some good, some not so good. Some I agree with and some I don't. I ask questions to obtain different points of view. I then consider those viewpoints and make my own decision. I do appreciate the input/advice but I don't necessarily feel obliged to follow it. For you, a lowered car is what you want, me...not so much.
Thanks, Rich

Rich, I think you misunderstand me. I don't really care what height your car rides at aesthetically, but I think the fact that it is so high IS the problem. What I am saying is surely there is a compromise between dragging ass and a rally car that offers a good ride AND handling. As they say, EVERYTHING in life is a compromise.

Dr.

I would lower the car if I knew it would help. On this site and others, it seems that I read one post that says do this and another that says to do the opposite. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar problem that WAS corrected by lowering.

What I don't want to do is go through the drill only to find that it did nothing or worse, caused other issues such as interference with the anti-sway bar I just put on.
Thanks again for your input, I really do appreciate it.

Rich

Hey Jack,

How high off the ground is your car? I just measured mine at the door handle and it's 9-1/2" from the bottom of the body to the ground. It may be that the round wheel wells and the 225/R50-15 tires make it look higher than it really is. The car was set up by Vintage Speedster and I don't think the previous owner raised it.

Rich

Rich,

My factory built VS 2007 Superwide is just under 8 inches to the floor. How many miles do you have on your car. My car sits a tad lower now, I have put 5000 miles on it. You should be able to go lower like stated. I have added a larger motor with a super deep sump and A-1 headers. The only thing that scraps on occasion is the muffler.

Slam it Rich. It will handle better and look better. You will have to learn to take driveways at an angle, but it's really no problem at all. I very rarely scrape my nerf bars.
Troy

How about a consensus measurment? What is the distance from the ground to the bottom of the body on your car at the door handle? My problem with ride heighth is a 1/4 mile long gravel drive. Lowering it turns me into a plow. I'm at 8" and it does seem to float a little at 70 mph plus not bad though. I am curious what "slammed" really is photographs can decieve.

Richard