Absolutely, it is one of the best things you can do to these cars. I went with a 1" front bar, huge difference. I think that it is the best size for a street car but you can go with a 1 1/8 bar.

Having said that it is more the handling than actually the ride quality that will change. The general ride quality should remain approximately the same.

 

Absolutely, it is one of the best things you can do to these cars. I went with a 1" front bar, huge difference. I think that it is the best size for a street car but you can go with a 1 1/8 bar.

What improvements have you noticed?

 

The vast majority of early Mustangs got a very puny sway bar at the factory. I don't know the specific sizes, but they varied depending on the trim and the engine. Installing a larger sway bar eliminates that "boaty" feel while driving. I would also recommend a 1" sway bar. Be sure to order a good quality sway bar. We have seen multiple posts here about cheaper sway bars which do not fit.

You can go with urethane or rubber bushings. Urethane bushings are more stiff, but you must lube them with dielectric grease to keep them from squeaking. And oh, do they squeak...

 

What are “good” brands?

 

I have a hollow tube front sway bar from Cobra Automotive. Its way lighter and works great. The center of a solid sway bar doesn't provide any stiffness only unnecessary weight. Competition Sway Bar 1967-70 Hollow 1-1/4'' (Small block only)

 

Call John @ Open Tracker or Shawn @ Street or Track, neither will steer you wrong.

 

No pun intended I’m sure 🤣

 

Larger sway bars have a negative effect on ride quality. They help transfer weight from one side of the car to the other...this makes for a stiffer riding car when going around a turn or changing lanes quickly....a stiffer feeling car is a direct downgrade on ride quality, but at the same time it improves handling(or at least has the potential to improve handling depending on the details of the car). Since a sway bar only comes into effect under cornering though, it will not affect your ride quality driving straight unless one tire hits a dip while the other doesn't. From a practical perspective you can also accomplish a similar result with stiffer front springs(though stiffer front springs affect ride quality at all times, not just in turns)

 

If you are on a budget, find a mid 70's Granada. It's the same sway bar as a 67 GT Mustang handling package.

 

If you can find a 70s Granada from which can remove the front sway bar, you should play the lottery.

 

In the vast majority of cases a larger front anti-sway bar is a "feel good" item that doesn't actually IMPROVE handling but the driver equates less body roll to "better handling" even though the end result, when the car is pushed to its limits, is oversteer at a lower speed.

 

This would be a rare, "disagree". Certainly, a sway bar can be too large. But I have never seen cars with small, factory sway bars do well in autocross events, for example. The early Shelby GT350 didn't have a larger front sway bar so the driver could "feel good".

 

No bigger than 1” in front for what you are describing that you want to do. What you are doing is increasing roll stiffness. You are going to get some benefit because the majority of vintage Mustangs are under-sprung by several pounds at each corner. So…… the car will still plow/push/understeer/be tight at the limit. For “extra credit” you can do an Arning drop on the upper control arms and that will make what you have in front a bit more responsive to steering wheel input….. in other words, you’d get more pleasing results with less sweat, to a point.

ex-Global West GM
1991-1995

 

Arming?…same as Shelby? If so it has already been done. Thanks for the tips.

 

I race with the Scott Drake 1" sway bar. You can buy it from the aforementioned forum supporting vendors. It was at one time a rebranded Addco sway bar for less.

 

The Addco is what I have, but I didn't know that it was sold under a Scott Drake part, might have recommended it before.

 

Turn in is much better...like you don't feel like you'll scrape the door handles when turning. My car is low in the front but the sway bar was a night and day difference. For me the export brace seemed to build on that.

 

It's a balance between the grip gained by keeping the car flatter and therefore the tires more perpendicular with the road and the grip lost due to more roll stiffness in the front (i.e. a larger difference between left and right tire loading).

 

Well, the stiffer 1" bar, combined with the "Arning Drop" keeps the car flatter in turns (bar) and the tires more perpendicular with the road (drop).
Another critical item is the excellent export brace from Drake, a nice copy of the Ford unit. Many of the cheaper ones are just junk. This brace stiffens the front end to better handle the lateral forces the car will now be capable of delivering. Keeping the tires more perpendicular to the road basically "radial tunes" the suspension, and I'm assuming you are using radial tires. Even without increasing tire size, you'll find it holds the turns better.

 

I say skip the larger sway bar and direct that money to a @zray Crossmember. You’ll ‘feel’ better results.

Then, just be sure your sway bar rubber is good and update if needed.

 

What’s that?

 

I have a 67 vert 200 /c4.

It has had everything on the front suspension changed to non oem type replacement parts other than the springs .
I think the factory bar may have been a 5/8" . I replaced it with a Scott Drake 1 1/8" bar & put a Scott Drake heavy duty export brace on her .

The ride may not be as stiff as it could have been because of the opentracker rollerized spring perches & lower arms & the adjustable Koni's . I also have tubler upper a arms with the 1"
Drop made into the mounting shaft . That sway bar may be a feel good mind thing but my vert went from wanting to hit the ditch or other lane to sticking like glue to the road .

So far I have not had her come loose from the pavement in any turns no matter how spirited I get to driveing her .

I guess I could have just said no it won't make the car ride better ( in my opition) but it will handle better because you won't have as much body roll .
You want a better ride ( in my option) replace those rubber bushioned suspension parts with rollerized parts to free the suspension up & the ride quality will go up .
Keep in.mind unless you have actually pulled those parts & checked them some of those ok looking rubber bushings can be junk . Many of mine were .

 

After reading this thread, it looks like the overall consensus is that for most people a 1" sway bar is probably the best bet.

Also just want to say I support getting the z ray crossmember, I have it and I really love the jack pad. Also I had some issues with install and Z ray was extremely helpful and responsive.