Rear Sway Bar on a K-series

[Doppleganger]

Has anyone here has installed a rear sway on a 4WD square? I have a Hellwig rear sway - got a great deal a couple years back between ebay-rebates, a factory rebate and a dealer clearance. Very impressed with the quality of the bar itself....not at all impressed with the collection of scrap they call "installation hardware." Everyplace I look online, anyone installing these are doing so on 2WD C-series, most of them lowered. My guess is the "bracketry" they came up with was geared (and tested on) a 2WD, otherwise it looks like a quick hack-after thought. Hellwig says these are for both C and K series.

The install instructions are a 50th generation copy with 5 very small b/w pics (and type) on a single sheet of paper. I'm not assembling a Saturn 5 rocket, so its not that they are needed, but when they allude to using holes that aren't there, did they want you to drill them? It was already missing some bolts and such - which wasn't a loss really (all grade 5 fine thread - which for the price I think is a cheesy detail to skimp on). So I called their tech dept - nice fella who said right out of the gate that their instructions are worthless and that "these old rigs are all different year to year, so what we have there is kind of a universal idea of how to install them." Sounds thought out and worth a premium price.

Included in this 'kit' is an L bracket.....1/4" thick, about 8" long with the bottom 2" bent in at a 90. Idea is to bolt the bracket to the frame (somehow) and then the bent 2" has a center hole that you drop a 5-6" long 7/16" fine thread bolt (make do end link) and bushings through that to go to the end of the sway bar itself. In addition, they have a threaded bolt with the head cut off, bent back on itself like an elongated hook - which goes over the frame edge and then back through this L bracket with a single nut. I'll get some pics.

Instructions say to adjust the bar til these 'end links' are perpendicular. Impossible. The bar is about 1-2" too narrow so closest it would come the end links are buckled backward and to the outside. I cant see them surviving a heavy tow - OR, what it might do to the frame. Plus, at that angle, the bar almost touches the diff (no doubt it would hit on any bump).

I have an idea of a new bracket I'm going to make for this that will square those end links up and allow me to use some 'real' end links. I found some pics online from a decade ago of someone who had a similar idea, but his was a "lifted 2WD" and still would have some of the shortcomings I think the ones in this kit has.

I intend on posting pics of the setup it came with vs the new brackets (and dimensions) if anyone wants them, unless someone has a better idea.

 

[Snoots]

Can't wait to see the pix. I went to their website and couldn't find squat for a 1973 GM 4x4.

 

[nvrenuf]

I’m not familiar with the Hellwig kit for a square body but years ago I put a factory rear sway bar from a square body dually on my SRW V3500 crew cab, seemed to work well.

 

[Doppleganger]

I’m not familiar with the Hellwig kit for a square body but years ago I put a factory rear sway bar from a square body dually on my SRW V3500 crew cab, seemed to work well.

Wouldn't happen to have any pics or idea how they mounted them would you? Cant see GM using what came with this.

 

[nvrenuf]

I don’t have any good pics. 1 ton ubolt as go down with a cradle under the axle tube, there’s a flat plat that goes against the underside of the cradle and the ubolts go through both. The flat plate has a “wing” that the sway bar bushings/straps bolt to.

 

[nvrenuf]

This is my only pic, you can just barely see some of the sway bar.

 

[Doppleganger]

I don’t have any good pics. 1 ton ubolt as go down with a cradle under the axle tube, there’s a flat plat that goes against the underside of the cradle and the ubolts go through both. The flat plate has a “wing” that the sway bar bushings/straps bolt to.

Anything like this? They specifically say to point the u-bolts straight ahead like this, but I think the clearances would be better if they were underneath (and could be if the rest of the bracketry was correct).

Thanks btw.....you're the first I've found to have had an original.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[nvrenuf]

No, nothing like that. Mine piggy backed the leaf spring ubolts.

 

[nvrenuf]

I’ve seen pics of sway bars like yours on 78-79 Broncos, I think they were factory. Hellwig probably made them for Ford, nothing wrong with them.

Mine was like this (pic stolen from google)

 

[skysurfer]

I have the Hellwig kit on my Suburban. Installation was pretty straight-forward, at least I don’t remember any huge obstacles but it’s been about twenty years. Only issue I had was the cheap quality end-links bent and I had to make my own. I’ll take some pics after Xfinity wraps up.

 

[Doppleganger]

Only issue I had was the cheap quality end-links bent and I had to make my own.

THIS is what I told their 'tech' would happen with the angles and materials they used. Did your bar look like my pic above?

THX.

 

[skysurfer]

THIS is what I told their 'tech' would happen with the angles and materials they used. Did your bar look like my pic above?

THX.

Maybe if you turned that one over. Mine is mounted over the pumpkin because I didn’t want it hanging down since it’s 4wd.

 

[Doppleganger]

Maybe if you turned that one over. Mine is mounted over the pumpkin because I didn’t want it hanging down since it’s 4wd.

How I have it (every bolt has -maybe- 2 threads holding it on) is how they show it to be installed, but at this point anything is possible as I dont trust anything about what they show or claim. lol

 

[Mr Clean]

I had my bar on top of the axle. I have a stock GM one from a dually. I went to Autozone or some auto parts like that and bought Energy Suspension end links. They use to sell different end link lengths. Mine has to plates that bolt together and tighten up and sandwich the frame. The end links attach to the frame that way, than the holes on the sway bar. The way you have it in your pic is for 2wd...

 

[Doppleganger]

I had my bar on top of the axle. I have a stock GM one from a dually. I went to Autozone or some auto parts like that and bought Energy Suspension end links. They use to sell different end link lengths. Mine has to plates that bolt together and tighten up and sandwich the frame. The end links attach to the frame that way, than the holes on the sway bar. The way you have it in your pic is for 2wd...

Makes sense. Here is their installation pic:

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Clearly 2WD.....and they say nothing-nada-zip-zilch about anything different for 4WD. Tomorrow we're supposed to have Earth like temps again so I'll go out and flip it to see how things line up then. I still think the brackets they include are 2WD/worthless so will make my own. Once I have a mock up I'll know what lengths I want the end links to be. UFB.

When you say on top, do you mean the bar was sitting on the top of the axle and not just the bar's general position? Also - does the OE bar look like this one? Wouldn't have any pics of your setup would you?

THX