Has anyone installed a 939 rear bar on their "A" body? How did you like the installation brackets?

I didn't like that method of attachment. It will get the job done but I personally don't like how it looks. I have Hellwig bars on my 68 and they bolt up like factory.

I agree. The bar I put on my coupe many years ago really does a nice job, but I don't like how it attaches to the control arms. Why they couldn't have simply made it like a factory bar so it could attach in the same way a factory bar does is beyond me. There are plenty of aftermarket bars out there that do attach like a factory bar. If you simply want a rear bar that is bigger than a GM bar (which is 7/8 inch I believe), OPGI sells nice bars in a kit that are ready to bolt on with all the parts you will need for a very reasonable price. They don't look like a factory bar (they are bent differently) but fit to the control arms in the factory location.

The kit:
http://www.opgi.com/product.asp?ProdCode=CH2232&topcatid=28&grpcode=27612&yearrange=&chapterid=804&topvalue=

The bar alone (good choice if you already have boxed factory arms or aftermarket arms with sway bar mounting accommodations):
http://www.opgi.com/product.asp?ProdCode=ADDC939&topcatid=28&grpcode=27612&yearrange=&chapterid=804&topvalue=

To be honest, I think OPGI's bars are made by Addco, so why not buy it from OPGI and get the same thing at a better price?

That OPGI bar looks just like my Hellwig bars, but the OPGI is a better price.

I installed the 939 bar in the early 90's, wasn't all that difficult. Didn't like those brackets hanging down so I boxed the rear arms and went with a stock bar a few years after that.

I have to ask the question: is it about form or function?

Now I have no idea how the Addco bars attach, I have not seen them. But the vigor which people are defending the stock bar setup, in particular the attachment, strikes me as blind and looking only at how something looks rather than considering how it actually works.

The factory sway bar setup on A-bodies is really sub-par when it comes to controlling body roll. You have a torsion bar spring working through very long, in this case 22", lever arms that greatly reduce the effectiveness of the spring. Thus you need a lot more spring to get the same affect. Yuck.

Give me a bar that actually has pivots on the axle and short arms with links similiar to the front. The bar can be much smaller and provide the same function with a lot less weight.

The Addco bar attaches to the lower control arm also but uses u-bolts and bracketry to do it. If you saw the addco attachment vs the factory you would choose factory style every time. I chose the Hellwig bars because they were larger than factory and mounted like factory. The OPGI bars look like an even better deal. I don't know anyone who is doing a bar for the A-body like you describe for a street application but it would be effective. Most of the ones I know of are for Drag racing which use larger diameter bars (1 1/4+) than i would feel comfortable running on the street.

do the hellwig bars hug the rearend closer than the addco bars? on my 67 it hangs down more than the stock look . thank you Mike

THe Helllwig rear bar I have looks just like the OPGI link L-79 posted. It doesn't seem to hang farther down than stock but it doesn't look like stock either, but that doesn't bother me. Actually it seems to fit a little tighter to the center section on the sides from the way it is bent.

Thanks for the replies. I was watching one on ebay and I couldn't figure how it attached. I think I will pass.

If anyone cares, here what the OPGI rear bar looks like installed.

http://heartland.chevelles.net/RCstorage/framefullrearlow.jpg

http://heartland.chevelles.net/RCstorage/framerearsusp.jpg

I have Helwig front and rear. They installed easily, and look fine. My rear hangs lower due to my SSM bars, but I haven't had any clearance problems so far.

I have the P.S.T. bar and it is basically identical with Rich-L79's bar. Wouldn't be surprised if its manufactured by the same people.

I have to ask the question: is it about form or function?

Now I have no idea how the Addco bars attach, I have not seen them. But the vigor which people are defending the stock bar setup, in particular the attachment, strikes me as blind and looking only at how something looks rather than considering how it actually works.

The factory sway bar setup on A-bodies is really sub-par when it comes to controlling body roll. You have a torsion bar spring working through very long, in this case 22", lever arms that greatly reduce the effectiveness of the spring. Thus you need a lot more spring to get the same affect. Yuck.

Give me a bar that actually has pivots on the axle and short arms with links similiar to the front. The bar can be much smaller and provide the same function with a lot less weight.

Be that as it may Steve, when you add a bar where there was never one before the difference is dramatic. It changed my car from a plower to a relatively neutral handler. I am way more comfortable at speed in the corners. My car feels predictable where before it was scary.

Rich L79 - That looks just like my Hellwig rear bar.