Flat sway bar?

[Tinker1980]

I've got a strange idea. Where I work, we cut parts out of rolls of .095" spring steel with a laser. There's 3-4 feet left over at the end of the roll, that we just toss. The pieces are 5 1/2 inches wide.

I could bolt legs to it, spring perches on the ends of the legs, and have a flat sway bar. A stiffener could be added to one edge to keep it from bowing in the middle. There is plenty of room under the car near the rear axle for this to fit.

I'll have to see what I can make this weekend.

[VegasMirage2]

subscribed.

[Dontee]

^^^ Same. I would be willing to pay for that scrap metal completed.

[Tinker1980]

I did some testing of the spring material. Clamped it in a vise, and tried to twist part of it three feet from the vise. It resists twisting, and is fairly strong. I have a six foot section I'm going to try and get home (in the mirage, lol) I figure if it's not strong enough, I can double the spring material up.

[uheym]

Let's see some pictures when it's good enough for the public

[MysticMirage]

I did some testing of the spring material. Clamped it in a vise, and tried to twist part of it three feet from the vise. It resists twisting, and is fairly strong. I have a six foot section I'm going to try and get home (in the mirage, lol) I figure if it's not strong enough, I can double the spring material up.

If it works... I'll pay you to make another one and meet up with you to pick it up... If you're interested.

[fc321]

Sounds like it would make a great business idea for you on the side. Dont forget to patent your invention online.

You dont want some copycat to steal your ideas.

[Tinker1980]

I've made it home with materials and tools from lowes. I needed a hole saw for the little plates that go under the coil springs, bolts, and some angle iron. Looking at the existing aftermarket sway bar from Ultra Racing, it looks like it bolts to the spring perches using angle iron, with plates that sit under the springs themselves.

My plan is simple. Angle going forward from the spring perches, bolted to the strip of spring steel. I wish I had measured the car at work the night before, it would have been far easier to make the rings that sit under the coil springs if I had been able to cut them out on the laser. Once the daughter hits the hay for a nap... it's on.

[Tinker1980]

I started a bit of work, did some cutting.

Here's our patient. A 33,000 mile 2015 Mirage 5 speed.



Some tools. My wife took the truck to work. With a great many of my tools, and all my wrenches. I have to see what I can piece together today.



So of course, it starts to rain.



I get the car jacked up a bit, and get under it. I haven't looked very closely at the rear suspension until now... and I notice something interesting. I may be able to use this as a mounting point.





I drilled the two circular bits of scrap I have to put under the springs. Did this with a 2 1/8" hole saw. My new porter cable cordless drill is AWESOME. It drilled through this 1/8" thick hot rolled plate with a hole saw with no problems. Other than it would hang up and snatch the drill out of my hands.

Here are my materials, and my basic idea. The blued-looking wide flat strip is the spring steel. It comes off a roll 1,000 feet long, that weighs almost as much as my Mirage. The roll itself is DANGEROUS. Think of a gigantic watch spring. If you were to cut the bands, all 1,000 feet and 1,700 pounds of it would then attempt to straighten out. Violently. We have a fixture that we put the rolls in, to keep them held down so we can cut strips off them.



That's all for now, probably until Saturday or Sunday. Hopefully I can dodge the honey-do busywork this weekend and finish this project up.

[namco]

Do it up, see if it works.

ADVICE: It may or may not work. 5.5" of flat material might be too bulky, you also have to think about wind flow/resistance once its under there as air does move by. if the angle is from front to rear, top to bottom (as in "\") it will cause air lift like a rear wing pushing the rear of the car up off the ground at higher speeds. Judging by how the spring angles are, this wont work. But i could be wrong because I don't have the car in the air this instant to look....



In this picture, left is front and right is rear of car right? The angle in this instance with a flat 5.5" metal bar is going to cause lift.....