I just got off the phone with John. The test bar is on its way. Hopefully I'll have it by the end of the week. The shipping label was just printed today so will be LATE this week or early next week. It seemed like I was one of the last USA guys to get it when the other bars were shipped.
Well. I received the bar Thursday evening and opened it immediately. Its still not right. I had a short list of corrections from before and they didnt do any of them. It looks like they tried to bend the end tabs down so that they are parallel to the frame rail but they only made maybe a 15* bend in it when it needed close to 45*. They didnt bend the end links IN to make them parallel with each other either. They still point out. I've already talked to John about it. He wants photos that he will send directly to the owner. I installed the bar today to make sure there were no other issues. Everything is still fine. I think I am going to ask that he make a slight adjustment to the design to accommodate my personal setup though. It will not have any impact on anyone else running the bar. See... the middle of the bar that passes in front of the oil pan is too close for my taste. In fact, because I have a drain plug on the front of the pan rather than bottom or rear, the sway bar could actually make contact with it. I am going to request that he extend that portion of the bar forward an inch to provide more room. The only downside might be less effective spring rate from the sway bar. But hey, we're going from 7/8" bar to 1.25, I think we have a little room for less spring rate. LOL I'll post pics on Monday.
still too bad about the bar, but John did say that it will not go back into production until you are fully satisfied with the fitment.......I wondered if he even looked at the email I sent with the pictures from posting #262 of changes which would be required to make our bar fit??? from the conversation you had with him, it sounds like he did not bend the bar and just passes on the info to the manufacturing division??? good luck with the next bar........ worst case, I may just rework the ends of the 2nd bar to fit my own set up, I did this already with the ends of a 67 Shelby to fit my Comet. Right now the 2nd bar is set up in the center hole and everything is working fine, so may also leave as is. Looking forward to your pics later though...........
Here is the email I sent John this morning Here are the photos of the bar. The first photo shows the side profile. The 2 red lines illustrate how they should be parallel to each other. The tab with the holes needs to be bent so that it is parallel to the other line and therefore parallel to the frame rail. Note that the line does not just bend down from the joint at the riser portion but pivots on the center hole. This is necessary to keep the center hole aligned with the lower control arm and also to keep the hardware out of the same plane as the brake line mounting tab on the frame rail. The green line illustrates how the riser needs to be longer and more vertical to make this possible. The second photo shows how the end links need to be made parallel to each other. They should not point outward as they are. Having them parallel will prevent addition angles being added and create a consistent clearence and length for hardware across the mounting holes. The green line is a request for clearence to the oil pan. With this larger bar, clearance is drastically reduced and in cases like mine actually interferes with my front mount oil drain plug. Moving out the center portion by an inch would be greatly appreciated and can be done without causing any issues anywhere else.
Just came across this thread today..from the looks of it, may be selling a few new/unused parts to upgrade for these upcomming jewels put me on the list wish we could get things progressing for the rear, but glad front components are rolling out
I could really use a pair of these, just going to wait a little bit for all the bugs to get worked out, Cant wait
These are special order only and will not be available to order individually later on. I'll ask him if he'll take additional orders. Maybe leave it open for a week before going into production. Just keep an eye on this thread.
I now have 30 days with the rear bar installed and I love it. It made a huge difference. I have not felt any issues with the upgraded bar plus four leafs while still running the stock front bar. This has been all in town driving. The ride is not too stiff for me. I cannot wait to see what it will be like with a Total Control front end installed and the upgraded front bar. Thanks again Chris for getting this off the ground. It certainly has had its issues but I think in the end it will be worth it. Micah
i wouldnt be surprised if afco would take more orders for the front bar. sense its not in production yet it should be easy to do. also it would enable them to help offset the costs of the first 2 bars being wrong.
Any news on further progress for the front bars? I'd also like to get in on a rear bar setup too if it's still open for orders.
so i just pulled my rear sway bar out of the box and it doesnt seem right. the ends point out not parelle to each other and the center line of the car. now have the people who have installed it been able to make this work or does addco need to redo the rear bar also?
