Should I go back to the stock setup?

[Scott S]

Hi All -
I have a hot rodded 1977 (3.2, flairs, some suspension work). One of the mods done to the car by the previous owner was to replace the stock under body sway bar with a bigger Weltmiester through the body unit - which makes noise. I have replaced the drop links, made sure everything is aligned and tight, and I still get a random knock on uneven surfaces. Per my searches here, it appears the next step is to replace the weltmeister cylindrical bushings with the factory cone shaped bushings.

However, being that my car did not come with a through the body bar, I am guessing that the Welt bar was installed using their nut backing plate - and chances are it was not welded to the inner fender. It is my understanding that means pulling the gas tank to replace the bushings, as the nut plate will fall off when the bolts are removed.

Would I have a better chance of getting rid of this rattle and would it be an easier fix if I went back to the factory front bar? The car handles very nicely - but it will never see the track. It is just a nice weather driver. Would going back to the factory bar cause big handling changes?

As an FYI, I am still running the stock rear bar.

Thanks for any opinions -
Scott S

[moneymanager]

Should be fine, unless front bar is huge to add even more understeer than stock. After all, that's the way they sold it.