I have a pretty stock '66 convertible with a 200 six cylinder and C4 transmission. Does anyone know the stock sway bar diameter so I can order new rubber bushings? RockAuto website shows different bar diameters.
I'm rebuilding my stock front end with full upper and lower control arms, strut rod rubber bushings, and poly bushings in the spring seats.
Is there a spring seat for the top of the springs I need to order?
I'm trying to keep things cheaper, and original to maintain the "sofa" driving experience.
Actually at first I was trying to remember that formula then thought there has to be an easier way! Was going to simply take a tape measure to the end of the bar til I saw that its flattened at the ends!
The bushings won't make make and significant handling difference, they just seat the spring, buffering it against the fender. I always install them, to me they seem to seat the spring a little better.
For a 67 (I know asked for 66) I had saved a page out of Ford Master Parts catalog a while ago, lists a 200 ci as a 3/4" bar. Perhaps this attached chart will be of help to others. It's a pdf file.
That's the stock OEM sway bar, correct? You'll feel a cornering difference with a 1" sway bar, as you would with anything you can do to stiffen up the front end, by adding an export brace and a Monte Carlo bar as well.
If you add the export brace you really don't need the Monte Carlo bar on a mild street car...
Combine the export brace with a bigger sway bar, (7/8 is good for a 6, 1" is really big and helps on FEs, but is overkill for a 6) ensure your springs are in good shape, and add some street valved Bilsteins and you won't recognize the car.
not true. My landlord , Dan Williams , and a couple of other friends worked for ford back in the day. My landlord if an FE expert and collects 427 engines. They all told me long that the FE line was named FE because its a heavy chunk of iron. They also said that people have assumed it stands for ford edsel. everyone that i have met that said it stood for ford edsel never worked for ford and said thats what they heard. the 3.85 ford engine family name comes form the 3.85" stroke of the 460. i have heard that 3.85 means the engine was born on march 8th 1965 but thats not correct either. FE > the symbol of iron. btw i know wiki says ford edsel but not everything on wiki is correct and anyone can add or submit stuff to wiki including me.
Seem numerous stories about the origin of the term.
But if you own one and want to restore it to factory it means F^&*%ing Expensive!!! :wink:
As for the fit, I'm not familiar with the 65-66s but I think they have welded brace ends on the shock towers which can be left in place and the export brace applied with then left on (they look kinda funny IIRC). I guess one could use both, but have never tried it.
On the 67-68s the flimsy OEM braces bolt under the shock tower cap and come out before installing the EB.
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