Sway Bar Fitment

Mike.....Is that a rubber floor in your garage ?  I've often thought I'd like that blue rubber dimple matting in my garage................Bruce

Mike, how much room do you need? You can grind the grub screw a little for clearance if you need just a little.

@aircooled posted:

Mike.....Is that a rubber floor in your garage ?  I've often thought I'd like that blue rubber dimple matting in my garage................Bruce

Yes it is but they are just repurposed from a garage where I installed checker board tiles in a clients garage. I cut them to fit under all my vehicles (5) as a vapor barrier and I role them up when we expect flooding.

I put pieces of carpet under my jack stands to prevent cutting into the rubber material.

The garage this came from was a over sized 3 car and was used as a queen garage, not a working one.

@DannyP posted:

Mike, how much room do you need? You can grind the grub screw a little for clearance if you need just a little.

I'll have to take another look and see but I also believe the lock nut has a pretty thick shoulder as well. I'm modifying the bumper supports this weekend to accommodate this bar.

I don't know what the thinking behind changing orientation of the set screws as the drivers side is located on top. I would have liked to install what Aircooled use to offer with a drop links on either end to the bar.

https://vwparts.aircooled.net/...table-OTT-p/bwf8.htm

interesting, seems to make it easier to install.

@IaM-Ray But it's no longer available, so? Ray, are you going to manufacture these for us?

Well the post seems to indicate an easier way to hook up a sway bar to a beam front end.  I thought it might generate some ideas even if the unit is no longer available there.

You mean, like this? This is the one I made with input from Jim Gilbert. LennyC made one too. See the frame rail under the beam that's totally in the way of the factory style bar?

Danny......I really like your sway bar !  It's mechanically designed to do what it's supposed to..... No lateral twisting and torquing, no interference with anything, no tire rubbing and substantial supports.  It will be fun to come up with something for my new ride when it gets here.............Bruce

I re-purposed an old through-body early 911 bar for mine. Tig welded collars on the end then welded to the 3/8" water jet cut arms.

I figured the 911 bar was already heat-treated. The little bit of heat from the Tig didn't alter the bar much, if any.

Designed for the Spyder. Works on a Speedster too.

Jim............Is just the clamp around the bar insufficient ? Did you mill a flat area on the bar so it won't slip ?................bruce

Jim put splines on both the bar and the lever arm.

Lenny had his bar milled square on the ends, and square holes of course in the levers.

I just welded the ends on, no slippage for me. It was a tight squeeze in front of the beam, for sure.

We all had the same idea all at once. I took a 15mm Subaru rear bar, cut it and had the ends milled square. I made some levers from 3/8th aluminum.  That's as far as I got before I just went with the 12mm stock VW bar, courtesy of Dan Piperato Performance. I'm still going to do the 15mm bar at some time, but running the 12mm bar will give me something to start with.

Yes, my stock bar is all up in that grub screw's business on this side.

This little bar, the limit straps on the rear, and Sportracs all around, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Now to tackle some of the other stuff on the list.

I modded a stock Bug bar (12mm) for end links and regular sway bar bushings. The car corners flat but does not seem to plow. I say "seem to" because I've never yet pushed it into a corner.

@Jim Gilbert - Madison, Mississippi posted:

Designed for the Spyder. Works on a Speedster too.

Some nice drawings Jim, real nice.

Carlos G, you're actually the one who got this started for me with your sketch 3 or more years ago. I think I may be the first one on the list to build this type of sway bar. DannyP followed pretty quickly with his. It was easier to build than my overly engineered design. They work great. I'd build another one for my Speedster but have added the "Weight" modification to the front beam.

I remember those weight bars, with Covid the price just went up for them

@Jim Gilbert - Madison, Mississippi posted:

Designed for the Spyder. Works on a Speedster too.

Jim, have you ever thought about producing a few of those?  If you ever do, put me down for one.

No. They're too much work. Cutting the splines is tedious. On the bar they need to be aligned at each end with each other. The internal splines also need to align so that the bar will lay flat on a table when assembled. One spline is 10 degrees. A little difference can be adjusted out with the turn buckles. With the drawings and description I provided you will be able find someone in your area to build it. Danny's bar would be much easier to build.

That's what's great about this group. We share ideas and every one has their version or improvements. Everyone benefits in the end.

I have yet to really test the stock 12mm bar I installed. I agree with Danny that a 15mm bar would be the perfect size, for a Spyder at least. More testing is necessary. Finding a bar around 15mm or 5/8s is the trick.

I just got my Sportracs installed, time to go do some testing.

@Jim Gilbert - Madison, Mississippi posted:

No. They're too much work. Cutting the splines is tedious. On the bar they need to be aligned at each end with each other. The internal splines also need to align so that the bar will lay flat on a table when assembled. One spline is 10 degrees. A little difference can be adjusted out with the turn buckles. With the drawings and description I provided you will be able find someone in your area to build it. Danny's bar would be much easier to build.

Yeah. The place I know wanted too much to build it from your drawings.

Custom work is expensive as heck.

Yeah. Combined with the fact that other than one old Bridgeport (that they never use,) it’s a CNC shop. If I had a program, it would be about $150. It’s the programming that costs a fortune. In the old days, it was the setup fee.

This is the same place that told me they could make me replica Alfins for $800-$1000/set if I made 10 sets. But that’s a pretty simple program to write apparently.