Hello all,

As some of you know by now, I'm the proud owner of one of the slowest chevelles on this board :D. At least out of the ones that see track time.

Anyway, last week I was at the track and I was trying to figure out why cars running the same MPH as mine are consistently quicker. I narrowed it down to 60ft times a long time ago. Now, I know, I will possibly never get good 60fts with a peg leg 2.73 rear, but I'm working on fixing that in the future.

Anyway, my neighbor/friend runs a sort of similar 70 Malibu, but it does run a couple MPH higher than mine. I decided to see how the firmness of our suspensions compared to each other. My rear suspension was a little stiffer, but not by much. The big difference is in our front suspensions. His is the 30 year old stock stuff that's pretty tired and it is a whole lot less firm than my 2 year old replacement stuff (all rubber in the front except the sway bar stuff.). His also seems to allow more travel.

I'm not going to drag out my 30 year old pieces, I like having a safer street car. So I have to see what I can do to loosen up my front suspension at the track. I've read here that most of you had good luck with removing the front sway bar, some say it won't help at my power level but I want to try it anyway. I might try that shock-nut trick too.

My question is, can I just remove it from the end-link attachment points while still having it attached to the frame? (Of course, assumingthe sway bar doesn't hang down and scrape.)

I don't really want to completely remove it because this is pretty much a STREET car I like to have fun with, and I like it to handle well on the street. Plus, the more times I remove the bolts going to the frame, the more likely I'll end up stripping the threads. Not to mention is a PITA to remove/install a bigger than stock bar (2nd Gen T/A bar.).

So, will removing the bar from end-link attachments have the same basic effect I'm looking for by removing the bar?

Thanks,
Enrique.

Yep, removing just the endlinks will give you the same benefit as removing it alltogether. Except for the weight savings.... :)

Make sure you secure it so it won't rotate on it's own and bump into stuff it shouldn't. I also remove just the endlinks, and once i had it break a couple zip-ties I had holding it from rotating down. I've been more careful about how I tie it up.

chris

Even with my old motor, removing the sway bar made no difference, but I did and still do have SSM liftbars,3.73 posi....havent removed the swaybar with the new combo yet, don't know if it would improve much on the 1.51's anyway. My ball joints,control arm bushings, tie rod ends, drag link, center link are all new, but I am using 30 yo sway bar bushings on the ends and the frame.

Enrique,buy a convertor! :D

..and watch your 60 ft. times improve

Enrique,buy a convertor! :D

..and watch your 60 ft. times improve

All in good time, sir.

I don't have a job right now because of my "contract" with my parents. The agree to pay for my schooling as long as I agree to dedicate myself to school and not work. Basically they want me to get good grades if they're paying for it, so they want the least amount of interference. Fine by me, I wouldn't be able to pay for school otherwise. :D

I'm hoping to get summer job and the two go-fast items that are on my list are a converter and a powertrax unit. I can't afford to use an eaton posi (2.73s are 2 series, Eatons only come in 3 and 4 series. So if I want an eaton, that means a full rebuild.) right now so I think a powertrax is my best option for getting both tires properly so that I can justify buying some stickyer tires like somekind of Drag Radials. And of course, the convertor should give it a little more "umph" at launch.:thumbsup:

The swaybar and shocknut things are free though. :D So they fit into my "budget" (a.k.a. don't eat lunch, keep the money.) better, lol.

-Enrique.

Is your current problem tire spin? If not, then forget about wasting your time unbolting the sway bar for the track and then bolting it back up for the ride home. All that does is help loosen up the front end travel for a tiny bit more weight shift to the rear tires. If traction is not your issue, forget it. If traction is your issue, start by tossing the 2.73 pegleg rear. Unbolting a sway bar won't even come close to band-aiding that problem.
For what it is worth, I have a sway bar and I have never unbolted it. So if I can get a 1.72 second 60' time with it on there, so can you. Listen to Chris, get a good convertor and a posi. I know it is tough on a student's summer salary, but this hobby isn't cheap. Besides, what happens if you end up going fast? You'll have to change your username from Slowpoke to something else. :D

front bar on or off.....made no real diff. on my car so it stays on. If I were you I would leave it on especially at your power level.

You can seach the bone yards for a posi and a street stall isn`t all that expensive. Why not ask your parents to pay? After all, they said "no work" right?

Removed the swaybar on my 70 chevelle. Maybe a very slight improvement but not worth it for a car that sees the street. Made my car very unstable. My swaybar is going back on!
I seen a post where a guy said open up the frame mount bushings so they fit loose around the bar. You will get better weight transfer but keep the sway bar stability. I may try that.

Thanks for all the advice guys. I guess the front bar is staying on as well as the shocks in normal configuration.

Junkyard posi diffs aren't really that easy to find. It has to be from an 8.2 as far as I know. And the vast majority of rear ends out in the junkyards are 8.5 and 7.xx inch 10 bolts and then the truck 12 and 14 bolts. I've popped open just about every 8.2 I've come across at junkyards and none have been 2 series posi rears, although I've come across a few 3 series ones, unfortunately in rears that won't bolt-in.

As far as asking my parents for the parts, I don't think so. I feel like they're giving me enough by not charging for rent or food and still putting me through college. Even though I do contribute with scholorship money, they still provide the bulk of the money I use.

Presuming that traction is a problem rather than your highway gearing...

A cheap, I mean "budget" :), work around for the pegleg diff is to pick up a set of screw in spring preload wedges and install them on the left front. The idea is to add some extra weight onto the right rear tire with a little weight jacking. May also work to add into the spring for the right rear.

lol...vroooms on the right track (budget track)...i dont know what the wedges cost but, following the same idea you might try to get somone to go half's on a pair of coil spring air bags and use one to preload your passenger side spring

Why are you so concerned about bolting another carrier into your rearend?
Toss the whole rearend for a junkyard unit or find a POS car out of the Recycler. There are still alot of cars out there with rearends applicable, not everybody knows what treasures are hidden in that rusted out wreck on the side of their trailer.

I see 2nd and 3rd gen A bodies with no eng/trans/title/HOPE, for $200-500 all the time. There are plenty of 10 bolts laying around that nobody gives a sh!t about, most are going to have 3 carriers in them. In fact, my old butchered
66 has a 10 bolt in it, only there to make it mobile. I'll check the ratio (maybe tomorrow), if it has something applicable, your welcome to it. The only thing I ask, put something (your old rearend) under it, just so it rolls.

I also have a 10 bolt posi with 3.73 gears, Moser axles and long studs sitting out in the backyard (stock control arms w/ poly bushings attached too). This I may be willing to negotiate a deal on (under a grand but over 6bills I'd expect). If I remember correctly, this may even be a '65 rearend. It originally came in '66 #3, but was removed in favor of the 12 bolt previously in '66 #2 and #1 before that, which is now in #4. The 10 bolt under the '66 (#3) in the backyard, originally came under '66 #4 (my current driver). Got all that.

What this means to you? If your interested in any or all of it;
1.A reason to come to Las Vegas for a weekend.
2.A possible step in the right direction, even if it's a pegleg with better gearing.
3.Plenty of room for bigger rear tires, '66 rearends are 1" narrower, I think 65's are narrower yet, but both will bolt right up to your existing control arms.
4.I have a 9" converter that came in '66 #3, very little actual usage before I bought the car and I swapped in my old th400/10" right away, worked fine at the time. It's been capped and boxed in the garage for a year and a half. You can have it or a song (almost literally).

I'll tell you what, if you can rustle up the gas money, you could effectively swap the rearends in my backyard, I have everything your gonna need, except the time or desire to do it myself. So bring a friend if you think that your gonna want help. You can even crash for the night in one of the motorhomes out back, all brand new with A/C and cable T.V. That last part is contingent on whether they are out on location or not. Regardless there is usually a trailer or ten out back, all are reasonably comfortable and easily hooked up to power. I have a buddy living in one now, has been since New Years. Trust me, a place to hang your hat for the night is not a problem.
I don't see how you could refuse, never say I won't help a kid trying to better himself (and to do it quicker, E.T.'s of course).

On the 19th there's a local T&T, as well as, Midnight Mayhem (street racers) at "The Strip" (Las Vegas Motor Speedway). Yellow68ss (Kyle) is supposed to be dragging his Camaro in from New Mexico in hopes of running into the 9's that weekend (his dad lives in Vegas, so you won't have to bunk with him).Just a little incentive, but I guess it all boils down to which gears are in the 10 sitting under #3. That info, I shall try to have for you as soon as possible.

On that note, I bid you good night. All this generosity has made me sleepy.