Hello everyone,

I have no rear sway bar on my car and I was wondering what the hell the PO did that he would have left it off the car? Will a sway bar from a 300D fit? I had no idea that it was missing because the car rides great with new shocks and springs. Will the car be damaged riding without a rear sway bar? I really appreciate this site and all the helpful information it has provided me this past year. Thank you for any advise.

The rear end feels wallowy with the sway bar unhooked. So put one on there and it will feel much more stable. A 300d one should work fine, afik the only one different is the wagon bar which is thicker.

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

thanks Tom,
I have been doing a lot of work on this car and I just discovered that it was missing OK I will start my search for torsion bar and parts. I live in central VT and slim chance of finding a 123 series in the local junk yard. If anyone has one for sale please let me know.

talk with invicticus97 ( I think thats it) he has a 300CD non turbo he needs to get rid of... if you tell him how to remove it he can probably get you it.. if not.. I can always search for a torsion bar..

If my current leads don't pan out I will need help locating the sway bar, thanks

I think you guys mean "sway bar" or "anti-roll bar". A torsion bar is a completely different device - it was used commonly on old VWs and Porsches and it takes the place of a coil spring.

Running with no sway bar will not harm anything.

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'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo

thanks for explaining the difference. I was reading the Haynes manual this morning and realised I called it a torsion bar by mistake. I'm thinking about using a sway bar from a wagon to go with my Vogtland springs and HD Bilstiens

Most cars and trucks in general don't have rear sway bars or at least, they didn't used to. Without a rear bar, the vehicle will tend to understeer or "plow" when pushed hard into a corner. This is judged by the auto industry as a "safer" condition for the average driver. Adding a bar will "loosen" up the rear end. This term just means the rear will tend to slide earlier than it does now though, the car will feel tighter and corner flatter up until the point it starts to slide.

It's seems counter-intuitive but a sway bar doesn't reduce or increase traction available, (besides keeping the wheels and tires in more square contact with the ground) it just re-distributes it to other places.

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

thank you for the functional description of the sway bar, to sway or not to sway. I will have the opportunity to try it both ways and it looks like an easy DIY project.

I just remembered another name for it is "stabiliser bar" (common name and spelling in the UK).

Yeah, I have a 944 I use for autocross, and I've taken out the 23mm front sway bar, so now it only has a 14mm rear sway bar, so now it is more prone to oversteer.

Sway bars and how you use them can be applied in different ways. I.e. if you want more oversteer, you can either try to increase oversteer (thicker rear bar) or reduce understeer (thinner/no front bar). It's like a double-negative. Except overall, the more "bar" you have, the stiffer and more prone to sliding it will be, because more stiffness just puts more pressure on and makes better use of your tires, but it will slide when you pass the tire's limit. Anyway sorry for the tangent!

I haven't looked closely at my TD's sway bar but it seems simple enough to bend a custom sway bar and fab brackets. Might make a cool project.

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'82 300TD
'77 6.9
'75 280S
'74 280
'87 Porsche 944 turbo