Two anti-roll bars in front? Or am i crazy?

[moss0031]

Hello all, I've been a wedge owner for about a year and a long time lurker on the forums here. Thanks for all the great advice!

While overhauling my front brakes today, I came to the realization that my car may have had an extra roll bar added to the front suspension at some point by a previous owner. I couldn't find it pictured in my Haynes manual and the construction on it (big stack of bushings and washers) seems to be a bit, well, non-OEM.

So am I crazy or do have two? If so, is there any reason I should leave it on?

[Bobbieslandy]

Yes it does appear you have two anti roll bars fitted! i'm a bit unsure as to the advantage due to the excessive rubber bushes on the non standard one.

From personal experience i have one (standard) fitted along with polybushes to locate it and i've found this to be more than enough even on our twisty country lanes. If that was my car i'd ditch the extra anti roll bar to at least save weight, then i would polybush the original one and only if that wasn't enough i'd uprate it to a thicker version. I can see why someone would of wanted to fit it but to be honest, uprating the original one is good enough.

hope this is of some use,

Rob.

[busheytrader]

Hi,

That's definitely non standard...........Thicker bars have been fitted by some.

Have you any zoomed out pics that show more of the linkage? Is full steering lock achievable without fouling this extra stuff?

Cheers,

Adam



TR7 V8 DHC Jaguar Solent Blue. 9.35cr Range Rover V8, Holley 390cfm, JWR Dual Port, 214 Cam, Lumention, Tubular Manifolds, S/S Single Pipe Exh, 3.08 Rear, 200lb Spax & PolyBushes all round, Anti- Dive, Strut-Top Roller Bearings, Capri Vented Discs & Calipers, Braided Hoses, 4 Speed Rear Cylinders, Uprated Master Cylinder & Servo, AT 5 Spokes and Cruise Lights, S/S Heater Pipes, Replacement Fuel Tank. No Door Stickers. Mine since July 1986, V8 from 1991

[FI Spyder]

I would ditch it. My standard roll bar with hard black poly gives very little body roll even on the heaviest cornering. I keep thinking of a turbo Integra I saw on autocross in Kelowna and it had very little body roll but the inside front tire would visibly lift so he was going around on one front tire, severely limited his cornering traction. More is not necessarily better.


TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[Underdog]

Addco make aftermarket anti sway bars in the US. I remember the one they offered for the Wedge was in addition to the OE since the OE one also locates the lower pivot arm. My guess is that is what you have.

A much neater approach is an uprated bar from TSI. I have Ted's frt bar on mine with the stock TR8 rear. Tends toward understeer but can balance it with throttle.[}:)]

Jim Underwood
72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

[Beans]

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by busheytrader</i>

... Is full steering lock achievable without fouling this extra stuff <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
This ARB is very close to the wheels i.m.h.o. (or should I say dangerously ...)
Looks like a score mark left by the wheel/tyre touching just left of the arrow.
So remove as soon as possible ...

While trial fitting compression struts last year, I foud out they need to be angled fairly steeply inside to avoid fouling the wheels on full lock.

<center>
<font color="blue"><i>1980 TR7 DHC (my first car, currently being restored)
1981 TR7 FHC Sprint (better known as 't Kreng)</font id="blue">
<b>[url="http://www.tr7beans.blogspot.com/"]<u><b><font size="2"><font color="red">My Weblog</font id="red"></font id="size2"></b></u>[/url]</b></i></center>

[moss0031]

Thanks for the replies (and the reality check), everyone.

I never noticed it rubbing before, but I guess I haven't done a lot of full-lock parallel parking. I have the hubs off refreshing the bearings and installing new brake discs, so I can't check the steering clearance right now.

I'll be taking the bar off today, so if anyone is looking for a fully customized dual-ARB setup, I'm accepting offers! I'll include the bushing and washer stacks at no extra charge ...

[Bendder]

Underdog,

I was under the impression that the one made by Addco was mounted and clamped in some way to the original bar? I could be wrong. I think maybe David Huddleson had One at one time but not sure maybe it was just something he mentioned in conversation. Either way if it was me, as others have said I would remove it and see how it makes the car feel. If it seems to be better with it on and it's not fouling anything... I might leave it on. Moss0031 by chance did you imediatly turn around to see if there were 2 out back??



Mark
1977 TR7 FHC
1978 TR7 FHC
1980 TR7 DHC
1980 Rover SD1 4.0L

[Underdog]

That could be. I have never actually seen one.

Jim Underwood
72 MGB BRG
80 TR8 Persian Aqua
If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

[moss0031]

Well, looking for some brake parts online and my mystery is solved, at least somewhat. It's the performance sway bar kit sold by Victoria British:

http://www.victoriabritish.com/icatalog/tr/full.aspx?Page=82

All of the hardware (including the huge bushing stack) exactly matches what is in their picture on the bottom half of the page.

So, what I thought was just a crazy bodge by a previous owner is, in fact, a commercially available crazy bodge. I'm still accepting offers!

[FI Spyder]

I think with all that rubber, any benefit will largely be lost (if there's any to be had in the first place). Better to spend the money on fuzzy dice to make the car go faster (no offense to whomever had the fuzzy dice.[:)])

If you must have more anti roll bar effect than hard bushings supply better to get the larger anti roll bar to replace the original.


TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra