Mods To Anti-rollbar

[Guest Mike Rhodes]

I'm not really sure which model S7 I have. I bought it in 95 and rebuilt it that summer. It is sierra based with inboard front shockers/springs. My problem is that I wanted to modify the Anti-rollbar (remove some metal from it) and I remember that there was a post that dealt with this on the old site about 4 yrs ago. Due to the anti-rollbar I don't appear to have any front suspension, rock hard! Does anyone have this post or does the old site still exist somewhere? I have read about the Tie bars mods, but am not clear about how or where they are fitted,are there any photos of these as fitted? As I am not in the UK I thoght that the ARB mod would be simpler and quicker for this summer.

Cheers,

Mike.

[Big Jim]

I remember that article, maybe Matt can find it. Basically the antiroll bar was 'slimmed' down in diameter along the straight bit. I believe that only the author of the article actually did it this way. The normal method is to fit tie-bars.

couple of photo's these need to be made from decent material, and the bodywork of the car needs to be strengthened to take the loads.

[Guest Mike Rhodes]

Thanks for the reply, Bl**dy quick!! and the pictures, I'll have a think about the tie bar end locations for the winter when I want to change the car to a left hooker.

I can't remember if the ARB was reduced in diameter or just ground to a semicircular profile over most of the straight section.

[Guest rizla]

this may be of some help to you

 

it has all the mesurments you require

[Guest Bazwaz]

Here is a link to Dave Andrews web page to go with the drawing from Rizla. It might be of some interest.

Barry.

http://hometown.aol.com/dvandrews/tiebar.htm

[Guest rizla]

thanx barry knew it was somewhere

[Big Jim]

I would suggest that you cut one out of carboard first to the measurements on the drawing and check it, i know of 2 people who have had them made, then found that they either strain the compliance bushes too much, or they're too short to give you any castor angle. Check first!

[Guest Liam]

As I am not in the UK I thoght that the ARB mod would be simpler and quicker for this summer.

Hi Mike

 

I´m also a non-UK based Hoodie (South Holland)

 

I´m probably going down the tie bar route for my Exmo. Because I´m not able to manufacture them myself I´m planning to order some (probably from RS Jigtec) and pick them up from the UK later this year.... I´m also going to Stoneleigh kitcar show early May - So if you want owt from the UK let me know - I can pick it up then ship it on to you.

 

In my job I can ship small reasonably heavy items anywhere in the EU very cheap (100% discount ) clogs, cheese, tulip bulbs, small windmills.... that sort of thing...

 

Good Luck!

[Guest mickmellors]

When John White modified his, he took the simple route !

 

He went down to the scrappy and got two mounting brackets which he fastened over the anti-roll bar as a second set.

 

Next he cut through the bar in the centre with an angle grinder ! !

 

Seems to work OK ! ! !

 

Mind you, he has since sold the car ! ! - Is it still Ok Stu?

[Big Jim]

He went down to the scrappy and got two mounting brackets which he fastened over the anti-roll bar as a second set.

 

Next he cut through the bar in the centre with an angle grinder ! !

 

That should work, although you'd need to strengthen up the area that each side was bolted to. There'll be a lot of shear forces in each one now, that are no longer being counteracted by the other side.

I'd also put a separate piece of angle iron across the bottom of the car to put back some rigidity to the body.

[Guest Mike Rhodes]

I don't know about the bit of angle, after all if Tie bars are fitted there would be nothing to increase rigidity of the body. Had some thoughts on the Tie bars and their body mounting, thought I would get a steel plate made up which goes right across the underside of the body with the rose joint mounts on the ends.It would be bolted to the body underneath and either side of the rose joints on the sides of the body. How much are the tie bars incidentaly? I'm not very close to Holland though, I'm in N Italy.

About 4 yrs ago I saw an exmo for sale in Belgium near Mons with Belgian plates.

[wirdy]

 

Next he cut through the bar in the centre with an angle grinder ! !

 

Seems to work OK ! ! !

 

 

I did exactly the same. It does work, in fact it works great!

 

Tried machining down the roll bar first but as most Exmo owners will tell you, this does diddly squat.

 

So I got some 24mm Inside Diameter 2mm-walled steel tubing and sleeved about 14 inches over the anti roll bar to regain the locating strength. All I can say is the car is completely transformed on the road and my fillings are no longer being shook from my teeth!!; the front end has now lost the bouncing effect over potholes and road imperfections. You can actually feel the front shocks working at last.

 

All I need to do now is take it on a track day to explore how it behaves when at the limits, but it feels so much better on the road which is where we do most of our driving, eh?

 

If anyone would like some of the steel sleeving bar, I have some left over, PM me. Measure your ARB first though, they come in various diameters so obviously you need to have a 24mm one.

[Snapperpaul]

The Sierra Anti-rollbar drops lower to go under the sump on the sierra, it was this section that I had milled down to half it's standard thickness.

This works very well giving me full movement of the front suspension.

Milling or grinding down the length of this section of the anti-rollbar also spreads the twisting force, I suspect that just cutting through in one small part would creat a stress point that could fatigue and fail over time.

[wirdy]

After a track day in September at Knockhill with a great bunch of (courteous, sensible & fast) drivers from TrackScotland, I can confirm the cut ARB and sleeve tube works brilliantly. Crisp turn in and good grip from the front end around the whole track.

 

I can also recommend the application of tyre softener for a couple of days on standard road tyres prior to a track day, instead of running Toyo's or other track-specific tyres- we had a super evening, even generating 'marbles' on the tyres, they were that sticky!

[Guest mower man]

The only sensible mod is remove it and throw it away!!! Fit tie bars no problems, also drop front spring rates by 20/30 % if still on 180 factory springs .I run 120 lb springs no problems .I believe that the probs with chassis cracks on mono cars are caused by too stiff suspension rates ! .I have run this set up for several years now and it works for me ,I can furnish more info if you get in touch mower man [mick]