DIY: Installing a Daox rear sway bar

[Mark]

ive never heard of an umbrella car insurance policy. Probably just doesnt exist in my part of the world. My insurance contract won't let me make changes to the vehicle that modify the structure, handling or safety features in any way. Without their express permission in writing. Otherwise I could make cooler youtube videos

My umbrella policy gave me the option of including my vehicles. My understanding was it would supplement court costs related to vehicles. Overall, umbrealla policies aren't that expensive to add. Adding the vehicles to it did up the cost, however. It's really protection against lawyers who are out to make a buck more than anything.

[Mark]

Sure.

Nice to see you back. Were you on vacation or bored with the topics lately?

[Wallythacker]

So I've parked the idea of 3d printing a turbo for a bit, although the small turbos sold for Mirage kits seem to be $2k USD from various sources, a little rich for me for 30 extra hp. So, my attention is turning to a sway bar. I see the original Daox is a tube, of what exactly?, 4130 Moly? CR steel? Thickness looks to be .0325 or 30 thousands. I don't think a solid bar is the answer but I think a bar of tougher thicker material might be the answer. So that's the beginning point I have in mind.

[Mark]

So I've parked the idea of 3d printing a turbo for a bit, although the small turbos sold for Mirage kits seem to be $2k USD from various sources, a little rich for me for 30 extra hp. So, my attention is turning to a sway bar. I see the original Daox is a tube, of what exactly?, 4130 Moly? CR steel? Thickness looks to be .0325 or 30 thousands. I don't think a solid bar is the answer but I think a bar of tougher thicker material might be the answer. So that's the beginning point I have in mind.

I've had one of Daox's original rear sway bars, & I had one of his updated rear sway bars. I actually bought his last one. My second one failed a couple months ago. His sway bars were not a solid bar (pipe-like).

I believe a solid bar that is thinner & will actually flex is the answer. If I get a third rear sway bar, it will be the Ultra Racing model. I believe this rear sway bar will flex some, & I think that is critical to longer life. The installation of the UR rear sway bar is not as simple as the one Daox designed, however. I can provide a clip that shows why, too.

I have never seen the UR rear sway bar on Amazon before, and they are currently cheaper than the eBay price. $248 + $10 shipping versus $288 with free shipping.

https://www.amazon.com/Anti-roll-Mit...10764017&psc=1


https://www.ebay.com/itm/12489219452...saAhj0EALw_wcB

A forum member (MrFixIt) has you tube clip on installing the UR rear sway bar -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnGjkWQOabs

If anyone is interested in adding a rear sway bar to their Mirage, I think this is where things (options & installation) are currently. The current Amazon price is the best price I have seen for the UR rear sway bar in recent years.

[Wallythacker]

hmmm, the UR seems tempting but for $3 Benjamins I can make 2 or more sway bars, one 19 mm solid and one of 4130 moly. Top fuel cars are all made entirely of 4130 Moly as it is amazingly strong. If that stuff can take the stress and twisting of a 10,000HP top fuel supercharged hemi it should handle a 2000 lb. 78hp car. should

[Mark]

hmmm, the UR seems tempting but for $3 Benjamins I can make 2 or more sway bars, one 19 mm solid and one of 4130 moly. Top fuel cars are all made entirely of 4130 Moly as it is amazingly strong. If that stuff can take the stress and twisting of a 10,000HP top fuel supercharged hemi it should handle a 2000 lb. 78hp car. should

If you make your own sway bar, that is great! Most of us probably wouldn't go that route, but it's great if you can.

I have seen a pic of the UR rear sway bar breaking off of the bracket at the welds, too. If the rear sway bar is doing its thing, it's under a lot of stress at times. The rear axle of a Mirage is designed to flex. A rear sway sort of works against that. It's a tough job for them.

[Christopher_B]

Wally... It would be great to see another bar option out there. I was trying to replicate the DAOX bar but the sources I had for fabrication dried up.
I bought a used bar from AriesK with unknow miles and installed sway bar link bushings between the bar and the spring seat mounting points. They seem to have been made out of hard rubber. See post #132 in this thread.
It has been on my Mirage for over 20,000 miles and is still intact.
I believe the flex of the bushings has kept this bar alive and if you could produce a flexible bar maybe that would serve the purpose as well although maybe consider bushings. Most if not all OE bars have bushings of some sort.

[Wallythacker]

I have a small fab shop, well, when I muck out my garage that is, I can weld all disciplines, plasma cut, bend pipe/tube/sheet, press etc. I just lack a mill but then I have a friend with a commercial shop.

[Fummins]

I toyed with the idea of rigging up a rear sway bar. But I never had time and lost ambition. My idea was to just start with a part that’s built to twist. Find a sway bar from a car and fab up some brackets. Sounds easy enough(ish). I Went to my old work(auto wrecker) and grabbed a bunch of random front sway bars, found a cavalier one that may have worked ok. That’s as far as I got.

Plan was to mount bar to trailing axle with bolts and flat bar then mount the end links to the lower shock bolt. I might give this another go in the new year if I don’t have too much other stuff on the go(doubtful)…

[Wallythacker]

I think I may have determined why other bars are snapping. It's in the attachment to the bracket. A right angle weld around the circumference of the tube or bar is guaranteed to break as that is not the best idea for something under torsional stress.