Do Gts Need Swaybars

[gtmaxx]

Do Opel Gts Need Sway Bars??????

[Dan-MI]

Good question. I was just looking at them on OGTS and thinking the same thing. Also, are they as easy to put on as the OGTS catalog suggests?

[deaner]

Sway bars on a GT make a world of difference. Will not effect strait line ride quality. The Euro cars came stock with them. Personally, I think it's the single best suspension mod you can do. Then springs and shocks. None of this will matter unless you have good wheels and tires.

[gtmaxx]

I have mag wheels on my 1970 opel GT; I don't know about my tires. Where would you get swaybars?

[Tru-Craft]

I agree with Deaner, easiest way to improve handling, they also keep the body roll down.

They do hurt the ride a little, and they transfer suspension vibration to the body. Buick always bragged about soft riding cars, probably why they didn't want them on the GT!?

Yep, easy to put on.
Lyle

[Tru-Craft]

Originally Posted by gtmaxx I HAVE MAG WHEELS ON MY 1970 OPEL GT.I DONT KNOW ABOUT MY TIRES BUT where would you get swaybars?

GTmaxx,
Opel GT source has them.
Lyle

[deaner]

Originally Posted by Tru-Craft I agree with Deaner, easiest way to improve handling, they also keep the body roll down. Buick always bragged about soft riding cars, probably why they didn't want them on the GT!? Lyle

Exactly why they were left off the U.S. Cars, as per GM. And I think They had different shocks than the Euro cars. Don't quote me on this, but ask me a Manta Question.

[deaner]

Originally Posted by gtmaxx where would you get swaybars?

If you can find them, early Kadett rear sway bars fit the GT. You will need to fabricate brackets to the rearend housing.

For front Bars, As tru-craft said.

[deaner]

Originally Posted by Dan-MI Also, are they as easy to put on as the OGTS catalog suggests?

Yes very simple to install. OGTS has a great set-up, and they take all the quess work out of it. A known product, how can you go wrong.

[opelgt73]

OGTS sells them. The front is a bolt on deal. For the rear you will need to have brackets welded on.

Addco used to make front and rear ones that required no modifications and weren't quite as thick as the OGTS ones, so they weren't quite as harsh, but I can't find them online anymore.

EDIT: I missed it on their page, but they do still claim to make them. http://www.addco.net/AntiSwaybars_List.htm#O

I don't know where to buy them though.

[nhopel]

Three or four months ago I ordered a set of front and rear for my 70 GT,had them on under an hour. Addco bar from my local Napa right around 350.00the differance was like nite and day


Dennis

[jmbinjax]

I ordered Addco ones, both front and rear, from performancecenter.com in April. Just received them last week. Not totally performance center's fault. Addco was behind and didn't have the stock in stock for either front or rear, I can't remember. Addco is very cooperative but you can't order from them directly. Then there was an issue with performance center not paying their bills from Addco, not necessarily from my order but in general. I don't know the details and don't care, all I wanted was by bars. I've installed the front. Very easy but you do have to drill a hole in the lower control arms and two holes on each side of the "frame" if that's what you want to call it. I haven't installed the rear one yet but looks even easier. It doesn't look like it can be installed with stock exhaust, which is what I have. I plan on replacing the exhaust in the near future and will install the bar prior to having the exhaust made.

[jlthunder]

I got mine from OGTS. The front ones bolted right on with only slight modification. The rear ones were easy but I had factory brackets on my GT.

I run stock size tires and it was a night and day difference. I went from sliding to riding on rails

Jeff

[jeff denton]

I found it very challenging to get rid of that "push" that GTs seem famed for.
The front sway bar was a big help. If you are taking the car to or beyond the limits of its cornering ability, you want one! If not, you still may like how it reduces the body roll, as mentioned.
A sway bar, in a turn, actually transfers outside weight to the inside, to put it simply. So both front tires are working together better. Two tires trying to steer the car work better than one!
Making a chassis work well is not easy, it is a very complex science. Especially on a GT. That goofy front spring setup is awful. But it can be made to work!
Try racing with one...

[deaner]

Originally Posted by jeff denton Making a chassis work well is not easy, it is a very complex science. Especially on a GT. That goofy front spring setup is awful. But it can be made to work! Try racing with one...

Jeff, Your not allowed to have ground control set-up?

[jeff denton]

What is ground control set up?

[deaner]

Originally Posted by jeff denton What is ground control set up?

Basically, Coil over shocks. That are adustable. Like what Rodger Lee used on his GT.

[spamseptictank]

Here's a question that ya'll may know the answer to: Since the Chevy Chevette has some of the basic running gear as the GT (rear end, most notably), could the anti-sway bay on the front of a Chevette (if there is one) possibly fit the GT?
Just pondering...
Grace and Peace,
Dave

[GT Tim]

I ordered the ADDCO's they took 3 days to get here.$130 each from ADDCO with poly bushings and all hardware.That was about 4 months ago.No welding requiered.A little POR they look great.However not as thick as OGTS.

[RallyBob]

Originally Posted by spamseptictank Here's a question that ya'll may know the answer to: Since the Chevy Chevette has some of the basic running gear as the GT (rear end, most notably), could the anti-sway bay on the front of a Chevette (if there is one) possibly fit the GT? Just pondering... Grace and Peace, Dave

Not without some creative modifications. But it's nearly a direct fit to a Kadett C. I used to have a Suspension Techniques Chevette front sway bar hanging around (for some reason). Ernie Bello in Florida (he has a 1978 Opel Kadett C he vintage races) bought it from me. It was not 'quite' a direct fit, it needed custom spacer blocks where the bushings mount to the chassis, but I fabb'd some up and he's had it on his car for about 10 years now. The general bends and width seemed to fit the car well however.

[jeff denton]

I think coil over shocks would be a simple way to hugely improve the GT, after installing Legere shackles and positively centering the stock spring to the crossmember. Other threads go way into all this, no need to re-do it all here... Alas, coilovers aren't allowed on my kind of car though, it would make adjustments way to simple!
So, how much thicker is the OGTS sway bar than Adco's? I sure wish I knew this before...

[GTJIM]

Here is a Thread with some of the answers:

http://www.opelgt.com/forums/group-3...t=Sway+Bars+GT

The OGTS front sway bar snuggles in along the engine support cross member and is a bit harder to fit. Their rear bar requires brackets to be welded on to the diff housing in the place 'real' GTs .. in Europe! ... had them mounted.

The Addco bars are much easier to mount with just angle brackets bolted to the lower A-arms in the front and the spring buckets at the rear.

A few pics added:

[jeff denton]

Way to go, Jim! "Everything you want to know about sway bars but were too lazy to search for." It's all there. This thread should be merged with that one.
I see how the OGTS front bar mounts to the crossmember instead of the "frame" like the Addco.
It should be added that the harder, more solid the mounting bushings and end link bushings are, the more responsive the sway bar is. Even the smallest amount of "squish" that happens when the bar is pulling up on the A-arm will slow down the effect.

[GTJIM]

Jeff - Just sharing the 90,000 Posts and 10,000 Threads which I have read .. and remembered. Plus the extensive "Opel" picture library that has been built up since getting interested in GTs!

[bosco]

A couple years ago I bought front and rear swaybars from Addco. The fronts went on unbelievably easy and made a big difference (and especially after I installed the lowering spring). I tried a couple times to install the rear and was never able to do so without the bar hitting the body. It seems like the "v" in the bar is offset to one side but might fit better if it was in the middle. I talked to the Addco people and they claim the bar they sent me is the correct one. I talked to someone else on here at the time that was having the same problem but since then have just forgotten about it and it's collecting dust in my garage.

Wondering if anyone else is having or has had this problem with the Addco bar and, if so, how they resolved it????

Thanks,
Mike