Original rear sway bar?? or not.

[allcamaro]

Ok you tell me. This Z is getting torn down and baged for restoration and we need to know if the rear sway bar is original. The bolts holding it in are GM type and nothing looks hacked. Im pretty sure the front was aftermarket installed but again I need some ideas on this one. I do understand that it was a overthe counter item.

rear 1 (http://fototime.com/3A9D8207C1DE6B4/standard.jpg) rear 2 (http://fototime.com/99AA8395EC657DA/standard.jpg) rear 3 (http://fototime.com/37917D22DBB7868/standard.jpg) rear 4 (http://fototime.com/7052B3AEA646FD3/standard.jpg) rear 5 (http://fototime.com/20964EA56BAC744/standard.jpg) rear 6 (http://fototime.com/A83EC062F31ED9D/standard.jpg) rear 7 (http://fototime.com/FAFE9AA890D19CA/standard.jpg) front 1 (http://fototime.com/0A46D15A3ABD0ED/standard.jpg) front 2 (http://fototime.com/22485410D4ABD04/standard.jpg) front 3 (http://fototime.com/4C0B222ABF56C4B/standard.jpg) front 4 (http://fototime.com/504175F189285A9/standard.jpg) front 5 (http://fototime.com/17FD755F5380A64/standard.jpg)

[allcamaro]

The short history on the car is it looks to have some road race alterations small but evedent, support bars and such, lowered the springs ect but a low mile very original car.

[John Brown]

Rear sway bar wasn't available on 69 Camaro, to my knowledge.

May have been available "over the counter".

[Jeff H]

Definitely not the GM over the counter setup. It attached completely differently and the bar was shaped different. That looks like an early aftermarket setup.

[Rick H]

The rear sway bar and attachments are not original. The frame bracket looks homemade and the two support arms are from a late model Camaro/Firebird. I.E. Late 1970's, early 80's.

Rick H.

[1967Z28]

I believe the old Chevy parts books listed a rear sway bar set-up for the '70-'72 Nova SS. Something like that would work in an early Camaro. Could this be one of those? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

-Jon

[John Brown]

The Nova bar would work on a 69 Camaro, but it's narrower than the one pictured and uses wider shock mount/spring mounting plates that attach the bar end bushings. Also the upper "links" for the Nova bar attach to stamped brackets that are spot welded to the underside of the trunk floor, not the frame rails.

[iluv69s]

i have seen on other camaro sights that state that the rear sway bar was not available original on 69 camaro, but i definetly bought one years ago out of a junkyard that i am 99.9999% sure came from GM with the sway bar. The reason is that the upper link mounts were bolted up with a 'Ú'type bolt that came through the frame rails(as opposed to 2 separate bolts....I had to cut through the floor boards in order to remove it...I cannot see how anyone could have installed this Ú'bolt after the floor and frame rails were welded together...this was atleast 15 years ago and I wish I could have documented it...but who knew?? I did install the bar on my 69 SS camaro...maybe its still around...it was an original cortez silver car...then painted orange...I would know the car if I saw it because I also installed power windows...and put in a non-original big block...I sold the car in North Jersey somewhere...
....not that my opinion matters, but they never made a convertible 68 Z-28 either!!!

[budnate]

I would like to see a pic of your bar, I pulled one from a '69 bird in the '80s and it had the u-bolt you are refering to but if you wiggled it just right it could be pulled around and out one of the holes, I always thought it was JC Whitney piece??? never installed it on anything and not sure where it went??? it was a treasured piece in the '80's to have a rear bar... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/beers.gif

[iluv69s]

hey budnate...unfortunately like i stated, i sold the car years ago, (and cannot find a single photo of the car, let alone a photo of the eway bar)what I remember of the car i had....original silver ss 350..orig auto...now stick..now (when I sold it)orange..w black painted on hockey stripe and black vinyl....had i believe a 70 chevelle 396 motor w/67 vette oval port heads, (aftermarket intake,etc...rosewood, power windows, and that rear bar...sold thru want ad press to someone in north jersey...anyone know where it is???

also, i believe the U bolts were flat across the top and round where protruded thru frame...probably 2-3 inches wide...I dont think it was possible to remove them without cutting thru floorboards, but, hell, its been so many years...i think i would have tried that first....but i would never say anything is 100%....sites like this and others are discovering exceptions to every "GM never made it like that all the time"

i think that if it was available from GM over the counter, some GM exec could have had one made(just like the 68 conv. Z)

[budnate]

my u-blots were square also, after I had it all loose I thought how the h am going to get those out??? started wiggling and one kinda fell in the half way out position, grabbed it with the needle knose and wiggled them right out slicker than snot.