There are suspension upgrades that can be done to make a truck not handle like a truck. In the case of the '57 Chevy seen here, the owner brought it to Kevin Francis at KA Custom in Huntington Beach, California, because any time he drove around a curve the rear tires would rub inside the bed to the point the paint on the wheelwells was burning off. The handling characteristic that caused this problem is known as excessive body roll, or sway, and is cured with an anti-sway bar. Don't get confused when you hear someone has installed a sway bar, and think they installed it to increase sway, it's just the anti portion has been dropped from the part's description. Beyond curing tire clearance problems, the main idea behind installing a sway bar is to improve a truck's ability to corner flatter, which means it will be able to corner faster, which means the truck will be safer and a lot more fun to drive.
In a perfect world when a guy buys a classic truck customized by its previous owner there should be a master list included of every part installed complete with its brand name and part number so replacement parts can be found when the need arises. In the real world, as with this '57 Chevy with a Mustang II type frontend and air ride of unknown origin, attempting to install a sway bar to fix a problem meant a way to adapt to it would have to be devised. As a starting point to equip the '57 with a sway bar Kevin and Steve selected one from Total Cost Involved intended to bolt directly onto one of their Mustang II type frontends.
The top of this photo correlates...
The top of this photo correlates with the front of the truck, and is how the Total Cost Involved sway bar would install in relation to a Total Cost Involved Mustang II frontend.
Once they were sure they had...
Once they were sure they had determined the right spot (position) to install the sway bar, Steve drilled mounting holes into the left and right framerails.
The first step the guys at...
The first step the guys at KA Custom took was to see if the sway bar would install on the '57's unknown frontend in the same manner as the Total Cost frontend.
Kevin and Steve agreed the...
Kevin and Steve agreed the aluminum pillars (mounts) for the sway bar should be placed as far outward as possible, and with a strong platform to be bolted onto.
In doing so, it was discovered...
In doing so, it was discovered the sway bar wouldn't fit on the backside of the crossmember as intended, but would work (fit) if it was flipped to the front side. With the sway bar temporarily clamped into place, Kevin and Steve lowered the truck up and down throughout its suspension travel to make sure nothing interfered.
Steve cut two pieces of steel...
Steve cut two pieces of steel into the shape needed, and out of stock heavy enough to be drilled and tapped.
A pneumatic air grinder with...
A pneumatic air grinder with a coarse disc was used to trim off the rough spots and round the edges off of the mounting plates. The next step was to drill and tap holes for the mounting bolts.
As opposed to a drill-press,...
As opposed to a drill-press, Steve used a handheld Snap-on pneumatic drill, and to avoid misalignment (mounting bolts screwing in at an angle) made sure he was drilling at exactly 90 degrees into the steel plates.
It is a bad practice not to...
It is a bad practice not to use a cutting fluid and cut threads dry. There are a lot of good cutting fluids such as Relton Rapid Tap available on the market. KA Custom prefers to use Tap Magic because of its heavy foam.
As with drilling, it was equally...
As with drilling, it was equally important to ensure the tap was held at exactly 90 degrees and then threaded in a half-turn at-a-time and then backed out to clear the new threads of shavings. Notice how the Tap Magic foam adheres to the area being tapped.
Another good practice that...
Another good practice that helps to eliminate future problems is to check everything bolts together properly before attempting to install it on the truck.
This is how the hole in the...
This is how the hole in the left and right lower control arms appeared after being located and drilled.
Steve bolted the endlinks...
Steve bolted the endlinks into the left and right lower control arms, and then was ready to handle attaching the mounting plates he fabricated.
Steve tack-welded the sway...
Steve tack-welded the sway bar into place at every point before moving forward and completing the welds.
The best way to prepare for...
The best way to prepare for tack-welding the mounting plates on was to be able to do the job hands-free and use an adjustable stand to position the sway bar into place.
As Steve completed each weld...
As Steve completed each weld he double-checked the sway bar to make sure nothing had moved due to welding.
Notice the aluminum pillars...
Notice the aluminum pillars were rocked in at an angle and then clamped down tight upwards against the frame.
A quick cleanup with a grinder...
A quick cleanup with a grinder and blast of black spray paint and the job was done. A test drive proved installing the front sway bar cured the problem. If there was still too much body roll the next step would have been to install a rear sway bar.