Can a sway bar be modified/bent?

[curtis73]

My buddy and I are working on an 84 TransAm and we scored a front sway bar from PST. The problem is that its too wide by about 3/4". It contacts the struts. Since I'm not a metallurgist... Can it be bent to make it right? How does one do such a thing?

[drdisque]

since sway bars are made not to bend, you'd have to heat it up (a lot) in order to bend it, this would noticably compromise its strength. if possible, you may lose less integrity by griding it or notching it than by softening and bending it.

[Moppie]

Try it and See

I know of people bending them to fit race cars.
I know sometimes its worked, and sometimes its snapped.

Can you not cut it shorter?

To bend one I think you would have to heat it up (red hot) and then bend it.

[Moppie]

Originally Posted by drdisque

since sway bars are made not to bend.

Actualy a sway bar works by bending, if it didn't it would simply lock both wheels together accross the chassis.
They are however made from a metal that retains its memory, i.e. once bent it bends back, like a spring. This "spring" is what controls the weight transfer accross the chassis.

That does not mean they can not be bent to shape, infact I have never seen a totaly straight sway bar.
There is a point you can bend them to that they will not spring back from, and if you add lots of heat to the equation you alter the structure of the metal making it much easier to bend it, and much more likely it will hold its new shape.

[sracing]

Originally Posted by curtis73

Since I'm not a metallurgist... Can it be bent to make it right? How does one do such a thing?

Curtis. Yep. You can bend it all you want. It will retain all properties. However heating, excessive fatigue or kinking it of course, will change it.
We bend and twist torsion bars all the time. Works, fine.

It will however, take a LOT of force to get it beyond its yeild point to make it keep a shape.

Jim
SR Racing

[drdisque]

I know they come bent, however, I'm pretty sure they extrude it to get it into that shape.

[curtis73]

Originally Posted by Moppie

Can you not cut it shorter?

No. Its straight across the car, then bent 90* back, then about 30* out to the control arms. Cutting it shorter wouldn't quite do the trick.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. The bar in question is most likely too stiff anyway so we might experiment with a torch. The bummer is, its only too wide by about 3/4". It hits the struts.