Rear Sway Bar Mounts for a 71T

jbell959 · 10-18-2007, 10:15 AM

I want to add a rear sway bar to my 71T and I read a bunch of threads that the pre-72 cars require some modifications to use the later mounts. My car currently doesn't have any sway bar mounts so I'm looking for some direction on which ones to buy and what needs to be modified to install them. The car is a daily driver/street only car so I don't need the bullet-proof ones.

pitargue · pitargue's Garage

You probably will have to get some sway bar mounts welded onto the chassis. My 71T has it's fuel pump in exactly the same spot that the driver side rear sway bar mount has to be welded onto the chassis.

So, you can buy either the factory or aftermarket (i.e., Wevo) rear sway bar mounts, move your fuel pump and then have the rear mounts welded in.

Or you can get the Weltmeister rear sway bar mount that clamps to your rear torsion bar tube. This probably is a suboptimal solution.

FWIW...

jbell959 · 10-18-2007, 10:46 AM

The fuel pump on my car is up front so I don't need to worry about that but it sounds like the 72-on factory and aftermarket mounts will not work on the pre-72 chassis without modification. I read in one thread that Tyson said the chassis on the pre-72 is narrower.

Flank · 10-18-2007, 11:57 AM

Hey Bell,
Does your car currently have the swing plates installed? If they are off the car, I made a locating jig that attaches to the swing plate cover bolt holes. That is the four holes that surround the rear torsion bar. By using this jig, you can be sure that the sway bar mounting brackets are located in a true line to the torsion bar. If the swing plates are still on the car, you'll have to come up with something else. For my 71 T, I bought the original design sway bar mounts for the early cars part number 901.501.180.20grv from Stoddard for under $30. each. To stiffin them up a little I boxed them in and added a couple of gussets. I could send you a picture of them if you want.
Later, Flank

RoninLB · 10-18-2007, 10:32 PM

wevo works for me

HarryD · 10-18-2007, 10:46 PM

I have a set of the Weltmeister ones that bolt over the torsion bar tubes. The have been in place for 4+ years with no issues. We AutoX 6-9 times a year. No welding is needed.

JohnJL · 10-19-2007, 12:04 AM

hold on i´ll take picsof mine. I dont I´ve never actually looked at mine.

JohnJL · 10-19-2007, 02:54 AM

Rears on my 72 targa

RoninLB · 10-19-2007, 05:09 AM

[QUOTE=JohnJL;3540174]

Rears on my 72 targa[QUOTE]

looks same as mine that ripped out.

jbell959 · 10-19-2007, 05:43 AM

Flank - I can take the swing plates off if that will make it easier to locate the mounts but first I need to get some mounts. I was told they are NLA (Stoddard shows them out of stock). I'll check again.

Ronin - I'm assuming you installed the Wevos on your 77. I don't think they will fit without modification on a pre-72 chassis

JohnJL - Thanks for the pics... Yours is a 72 so it has the later style as well. Apparently they changed in 72 which is why I have a little issue with my 71.

Jeff Higgins · 10-19-2007, 06:04 AM

Our host carries the Weltmeister adapter kit for early cars that do not have sway bar mounts. It's part number SB2900; sells for $78.30.

http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/shopcart/911E/POR_911E_SUSshk_pg7.htm#item38

I have been running one on my '72 for about 4-5 years now and it seems to work just fine. I think it may actually be more rigid than the stock location, wrapping around the torsion bar tube as they do.

Flank · 10-19-2007, 06:19 AM

Hey Bell,
If you were to take the swing plates off just to locate the sway bar mounts, you would be opening yourself up to the classic 'can of worms' sindrome. The swing plates and the ends of the torsion bars will not come off without a fight. Then you would end up replacing the suspension bushings. Then you would have to re-index the torsion bars, etc,etc. You just need to be able to mount both sides parallel to the torsion tube. The mounts fit the contour of the underside of the chassis. If you were to locate one side and have it held in place temporarily with 'clecos', you could mount a long straight bar that extended far enough out to measure both sides for locating the second sway bar mount. Then locate it and hold it in place with clecos also. Then you could exchange the long bar with your sway bar and make sure it moves with no binding. When you are confindent with the locations of both, then you could weld them in place.
Hope this helps.
Later, Flank

RoninLB · 10-19-2007, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbell959

Ronin - I'm assuming you installed the Wevos on your 77. I don't think they will fit without modification on a pre-72 chassis

yes

and i went to the wevo site for info on your car and it's under construction.
I didn't e-mail them asking for info.

jbell959 · 10-19-2007, 12:49 PM

Hey Flank, It's all coming off anyway. The bushings are shot. I'm going through front and rear suspension completely. I'm going to replace the spring plates with the later adjustable style with new Netrix bushings.

jbell959 · 10-19-2007, 07:58 PM

I'm checking to see if the pre-72 mounts are still available. If not, or if I decide I want to use the later/updated mount, has anyone modified the later mount for a pre-72 car?

74threeliter · 74threeliter's Garage

Not to highjack a thread but, Mr Higgins i see that you're using the weltmeister adaptor kit but are you also using a stock rear sway bar with it? or is it weltmeister adaptor kit with weltmeister rear sway? I cant seem to tell from the image. thanks in advance.
~Al

CurtEgerer · CurtEgerer's Garage

Here's my 71:

911pcars · 10-20-2007, 10:27 AM

Curt,
Interesting. Is that an Addco bar?

Sherwood

jbell959 · 10-20-2007, 05:51 PM

Curt - that is an interesting setup... Tell me more.

I know someone has installed the factory brackets on a 71 also.

Jeff Higgins · 10-20-2007, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 74threeliter

Not to highjack a thread but, Mr Higgins i see that you're using the weltmeister adaptor kit but are you also using a stock rear sway bar with it? or is it weltmeister adaptor kit with weltmeister rear sway? I cant seem to tell from the image. thanks in advance.
~Al

Yup, stock 16mm bar. The adapter kit uses stock bushings from the stock welded on mounts, so you can use any diameter sway bar that you can find bushings for. You still have to find a way to attach to the banana arms for the early sways, or just go to the eccentric bolt for the newer style or the Weltmeisters.

I elected to stay with the early style, so I made my own drop links to get a little adjustability so there would be no side-to-side preload. That, and I don't like how the original cups can pop off of the ball. So I cut the cup off of the drop link and welded a deep union nut to it, threaded in a piece of all-thread, and screwed a clevis onto that. In place of the ball on the banana arm is a heim joint. The one shown above actually hung a little low, so here is "rev A":