truss bar/kaffer bar

Does anyone use one of these setups?

Yes.
Love it! Got mine from Eyeball Engineering:
www.eyeball-engineering.net/TorqueBar.html

Terry,

I think I may have seen your comments on theSamba. The discussion there prompted my question here.

Can you comment on before and after?

Does anyone else use these?

Michael,
The main difference is felt while shifting or taking off from the line.
There's no butt-dragging or torque twisting with a truss bar installed.
The truss bar, along with the stabilizer bar, has improved overall performance that was well worth the cost/effort.

Any pichers of these thangs?

Thanks,

GG

Here is a link to the one Terry has:

http://www.eyeball-engineering.net/TorqueBar.html

Here is one I am considering:

http://www.fastfabonline.com/PERFORMANCE.HTML

Hey Terry,

Does this bar replaces the transmission strap? The transmission strap on my car is transmitting way too much gearbox noise to the cabin.

Eddy

Sorry Eddy,
It doesn't replace anything. It's in addition to.
The truss bar ties the shock towers to the frame horns, reducing torque flex.
Regarding gearbox noise; you might want to put a piece of insulation under the carpet on the back deck.

Hi Guys,

Thanks for posting a link to my website Michael. I noticed allot of your form members have looked at our truss bar, so I decided I would see what you were all talking about.

The truss bar works by tying your shock towers to the frame horns. Also, during the installation you pre-load the two bars that go from the cross bar down to the frame horns (Left side pulling right side pushing) this helps to eliminate the rotational torque on the transmission and puts the torque to the wheels where you want it.

Our kit was designed to be an easy bolt in product without the need for welding or extensive modification to the car. It is constructed of 1" diameter chromoly on the cross bar and tig welded for a top notch look. Then we powder coat each part in a mat black finish that will hold up for years of service. All hardware included.

If you have any questions about how it works or anything else please email me @ info@fastfabonline.com

All the best,
Robert Taylor
www.fastfabonline.com

I remember you, you were in a lot of great old movies and they still play on AMC and TCM.

You also took over the narration of Death Valley Days from Ronald Reagan when he decided to become Governor of California.

Somehow, I thought you were dead???

Hello,

Not the same Robert Taylor. But you could have seen me on Discovery Channels American Hot Rod, Motorcycle Mania 3 or a couple of talk shows I was on. How about yourself? where might I know you from.

Thanks,
Robert Taylor

Come on Robt, it was a joke.. I knew all along you weren't the famous movie star, afterall, he's dead and probably wouldn't be able to use a computer...

Actually, I like your proucts. Good luck

I knew you were joking, I was trying to joke back.

I got mine from V-Dub Engineering and it is a first class quality item. You may wish to stay away from units using rod ends and go with a fixed connection to the frame.

Commonly called a Kafer Cup bar and comes in both 3 and 5 point versions, with the extra links running both to the ends of the frame horn and above the trailing arm bracket.

Strongly recommended

Robert, I also saw some comments against using rod ends (heim joints) on theSamba.

How do you respond to this?

My bias against using rod ends in this application is a result of private correspondence with Lanner Khan of V-Dub Engineering. His arguement is basically that that the rod end has a small amount of clearance and that clearance will only increase with wear. However, to keep things in perspective, the amount of clearance is so small that in practice it probably doesn't make much difference.

Note how Eyeball strut transfers the load into the middle of the crossbar. Even with a stout crossbar, it seems to me that the better alternative is to transfer the load to the shock tower to frame horn.

As indicated earlier my set up has an additional bar running forward to a point near the IRS piviot.

Like Robert said above - correct pre-load during installation is critical. Somewhere around cyber space land is a website that covers these adjustments in detail and how it affects the handling - primarily aimed at the road racers.