Rear sway bar interchange, 92 Regal vs 96 Lumina

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

I have a question concerning a rear sway bar, in particular I'm wondering if the nice, solid, 9/16" or so rear sway bar out of a 96 Lumina will fit onto my 92 Regal (which has nada now). Visually, it looks like a go ahead; yeah, the Lumina has rear drum brakes and the Regal has disc. The hangers off of the frame to the sway bar look identical, as do the brackets on the rear spindle assembly. I also know that I will have to add the nutserts to the frame to allow the hangers on the sway bar to bolt up. So I'm wondering, will this be a simple bolt up and be done with it or am I missing something? Thanks in advance guys .

 

 

[White93z34]

you might have to change some bushings over, but it should bolt right up.

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

Thanks for the feedback . The only thing that had me wondering is....when you look on the w-body.com home page and go to upgrades>>sway bars, they throw a flag up for 95-96 Lumina/Monte. I *think* this is because the cars have larger sway bars than the other w-bodys; this includes the baseline suspension for those Luminas/MC's.

 

Any comments on this? Thanks in advance.

[lakefxgp96]

I tried a 99 lumina LTZ out on my 96. It didnt fit. The bar is spread out slightly wider and the bar is pressured up against the strut on both sides, no room. It was a 7/8" bar though.

[Guest TurboSedan]

Thanks for the feedback . The only thing that had me wondering is....when you look on the w-body.com home page and go to upgrades>>sway bars, they throw a flag up for 95-96 Lumina/Monte. I *think* this is because the cars have larger sway bars than the other w-bodys; this includes the baseline suspension for those Luminas/MC's.

 

Any comments on this? Thanks in advance.

 

it's because the rear suspension is completely different between the Gen-1 and Gen-1.5 W-bodies. '96 Lumina has rear coil springs and '92 Regal has a transverse monoleaf spring. like lakefxgp96 said - it won't work.

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

Uh-oh, I should have checked this thread before I ran to the junkyard late this afternoon. Looks like I've got a long, 3/4" paperweight in the back of my pickup . Oh well, $8 won't hurt too much and the crapsman socket I busted can be replaced for free . Maybe I'm making this upgrade harder than it should be, but if I cut this swaybar in the middle, narrow it, fab a splice tube and weld it in there is there a even glimmer of hope? Or must I resign myself to the 12mm or when available 14mm bar, neither of which really seem of much benefit (soooo small). I've got the $ for the aftermarket but I just dont want to go that road right now. Any other options?

[cutlsp]

i have the old style addco rear sway bar sitting in my room..... wanna buy it?

[94CutlassSLCoupe]

Uh-oh, I should have checked this thread before I ran to the junkyard late this afternoon. Looks like I've got a long, 3/4" paperweight in the back of my pickup . Oh well, $8 won't hurt too much and the crapsman socket I busted can be replaced for free . Maybe I'm making this upgrade harder than it should be, but if I cut this swaybar in the middle, narrow it, fab a splice tube and weld it in there is there a even glimmer of hope? Or must I resign myself to the 12mm or when available 14mm bar, neither of which really seem of much benefit (soooo small). I've got the $ for the aftermarket but I just dont want to go that road right now. Any other options?

 

Don't cut the sway bar, heat the bends up with a torch and adjust them until it no longer rubs on the strut. This can be done by adjusting the angle of the 4 90 degree bends

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I think I'm going to try heating and bending. I just need to find a buddy with a torch . If all else fails, cutlsp will be hearing from me. BTW, how much for that bar you've got and what diameter is it?