CUSTOM BUILT ANTI ROLL BAR
The making of an Anti Roll Bar which can stand the roll power
of Jeezus torque in the overweight Blackout SS.
...and improve the 60-foot...
This is a kit that Mike Harris made in John Conley's 9C1 clone. It's tight under this SS too, since
he has his original springs left and the exhaust pipes going over the rear end.
The attachment points are quite narrow. We want it as wide as possible and we think it needs
to be more sturdy because of the weight/torque in Blackout. More about Conley's kit here.
Dr Al Holt was over to the Blackout pit and cut an Anti Roll Bar
dummy real quick in cardboard and a 1 5/8" plastic tube.
He set the direction for our Anti Roll bar.
It can be made in different ways in the Impala SS, like (to the right) with the torsion tube on the rear end
housing. Or more normal between the frame rails behind the rear end. It's also nice
to have the weight of the kit on the suspension side.
Then we went through all kinds of bearings and bushings to begin the build from there. Also looked
through catalogues and searched the internet for the right choice for our needs. We decided to
go for the simplest, strongest solution and yet not too heavy. As always.
Look what I found via nice contact Gunzilla at TeknikProdukter and these hydraulic pipe/tube clamps
are really price worthy! Axle diameter is 42 mm (1 5/8") and the clamps are made of "shock resistent"
Polypropylen but you can get them in same dimensions aluminium as well, just in case.
The clamps will be welded to 0.12" (3 mm) thick serious steel plate which will be welded to the frame
like the dummy shows in the picture below.
For the moment I believe in this layout. I've also promised Kent Edin to make double of everything so he'll
have a kit for Gentle Giant as well, but I'm not so sure this will fit Kent's SS since he hasn't moved the
fuel tank and the floor backwards like we've done here...?
The torque tube will be over 40" wide (1 meter) and still in between the frame rails. Diameter 1 5/8"
and 0.12" thickness. And that will be in 4130 Chrome Moly.
And here it is! Hopefully this tube can stand the torque created - in the heavy car - in a split second?
The arms will be water cut out of this luxury .125" (3 mm) thick sheet of 4130 Chrome Moly. All steel is
bought from Arigo Teknik in Stocklahoma, a very customer friendly company with quick service!
To Dennis Palm,
Dennis "Water Man" Palm, Gothenburg can't be without him! He'll make these brackets with some
precision water cutting. Click drawing to get an actual size drawing.
I would need two brackets like this in whatever 3 mm material just for checking everything before I have
them made out of 4130 chrome moly. Since Kent Edin also needs an Anti Roll Bar I need 8 pieces.
Behind every successful project there is a cardboard dummy! This one is created by Mr Al Holt
in 35 seconds and it actually survived to the final fabrication. Luck or experience?
Found some standard machine steel M12 mm uniballs, both rights and left threading (red marked are
of course lefties), to make the final linkage between bar and rear end housing. If these won't handle it
it's easy to step up in quality over time. However, Center-to-Center at 11 cm is too long for being the
shortest adjustment point.
Therefore, I shortened every uniball thread 5 mm.
10 cm is just perfect. That's the figure I got when measured under the car. Top Fuel Thore will make the
42 mm long connecting steel socket, threaded both right and left, to make adjustments easier.
Look what Dennis "Water Man" Palm delivered for me to test! I'm now only waiting to get the uniballs
back from Top Fuel Thore to continue to make the brackets mock up before Dennis can make the real
deal in chrome moly metal. Thanks for a job well done Dennis! Thore made the 1 1/4" strengthening
rings of chrome moly. Thanks Thore! And of course Jonas Al Holt who gave me the 1 1/4" tube =)
Tommy Aga and Top Fuel Thore discussing the TIG-welding, with or without reading glasses. Tommy is
now all for +1.50 reading glasses when welding. Thore refuses still. Thore made these sockets and
Tommy welded on the adjusting nuts.
This is the total adjustment length we'll have. Uniballs and the sockets are both right and left threaded
to make adjustments really quick. Yes, the sockets will be polished and chromed.
I think I will do that with the whole kit.
Mocking up the parts and now it starts to look heavy duty! It looks like a...an...an Anti Roll Bar kit! I'm
now trying to find suitable stop rings to mount on the axle against the inside of the clamps to
lock the axle sideways.
It's getting closer and closer to its place under the Impala SS. I finally decided to use this location, so
all other plans (described above) are scrapped and forgotten. Now for designing the last brackets which
will be welded on to the strengthening bar on rear end housing. Note those aluminium clamps which are
on for the welding heat. Brake lines must of course be relocated to the top of the rear end.
Here they are, the last brackets for the Anti Roll Bar.
You see I need two designs that differ a little because of the angle of the strengthening bracket on the
rear end. Click it to recieve a copy for your computer Dennis!
The clamp's holes are slightly oval, since they are designed to really tight down hydraulic pipes. But we
want the Anti Roll Bar to turn freely. With shims (made by Dennis) the holes becomes perfectly round.
At last I could tack weld it to the frame after some measuring. Take a look at the Anti Roll Bar
in Patrick Wikström's Pro Mod Camaro. It's made by Top Fuel Thore and Jonas Mr Al Holt
and polished by Thomas Ödlund and finally chromed. The detailing and finish will
be awesome in Patrick's "new" ride!
At well sorted firm Wiberger I found a lot of good things that I searched for, like "stop rings"
but they were made for 40 mm pipes so Top Fuel Thore had to grind them to fit
the 1 5/8" pipes (41,28 mm)
Yea! Water cut in 3 mm (0.12") 4130 chrome moly by Dennis Palm. Thanks!
Now for some welding...
I have tack-welded the brackets for the Anti Roll Bar with some 3 mm steel wedges so it will be easier
to weld-melt these into the frame. I have turned on the aluminum brackets very hard onto the bar to keep
it as straight as possible during the welding.
Tommy made Chevrolet out of the brackets with his MIG. Ouch! Hot rain!
1 - 2 - 3. Clamp brackets finished.
First, welding of the strengthening rings in the arms. Then using Mother Earth's gravitation to have both
arms hanging straight down while just tacking them to the bar, and then using the stop rings as a fixture
so the pieces won't bend of the heat.
Tommy is so happy for being able to see "what he is doing" again, thanks to + 1.50 reading glasses!
Look what a pair of reading glasses can help the progress of the drag racing sport. Now awaits
to find a good finishing method for this bar which can withstand some mechanical wear (stop rings,
rotation in clamps). Chrome may not be that smart. Maybe some kind of anodizing?
We will soon find out.
Yeaza! Just waiting for the TIG-welder to come back.
This is what it's gonna be. I'm quite proud at this moment actually.
A very welcome TIG-welder! He came all the way from Vetlanda to finish the welding of the last brackets
on the rear end. This weekend it had to be done, since I'm away in Europe working during the weeks.
Good friend Lars-Inge Johansson! Cool Miller welding helmet! And look Tommy, the Miller helmet has
a prisma holder so Lars-Inge is using +1.50 just like you!
Lars-Inge didn't ask, he just started to make strips of chrome moly to box the arms. And I didn't argue.
This shows the finished brackets and the new layout of the brake line.
