Hellwig Sway Bars/Krawlers Edge - Updated!

[aliensecretion]

Just got my front end bar installed and was able to get a test drive in so I figured I'd let everyone know how what kind of difference it made.... Wow!

This thing finally has some decent road manners now! I'm running a 2.5 lift with every steering component gone through and fixed or replaced but, until now the body would sway so much going around turns the carb would cut out (street carb). During my test drive, there was hardly any body roll at all and steering (at both town and highway speed) was very nice and smooth. I'll know for sure Monday when I do my usual commute but, it definitely feels like it's a huge overall improvement. I'm very, very happy so far. I wont say the handling feels like driving a new car but it reminds me of trucks I drove in the late 80's. Like it's actually meant to be driven at modern highway speeds.

BTW, I'm using the Stock-2.5" sway bar with the end links set to the middle holes on the bar.

Also, thanks to Bknaus for answering all my questions and the excellent customer service. My kit arrived with a wrong piece so I sent him a PM and the correct piece was delivered the very next day! Granted, we're both in CA but still, that's awesome service. Much thanks!

 

[Fireball05]

Hellwig Sway Bars/Krawlers Edge

You know what the diameter of that bar is?

 

[aliensecretion]

you know what the diameter of that bar is?

it's 1 1/8.

 

[dnewman9]

Here are some pics of my front install. Had to make lower mounts and extend the links to work with my set up. I modified a few things. Worked out perfect.

My coilover mounts are 1-2 inches back from yours and stick out from the frame 3".

How far out does your coilover hoop posts stick out? Or another way to ask the question is how far from the frame is the inside of the sway bar?

I might be able to trim it back to 2" first.

Let me know, I would like to put a swaybar on the front of my truck. With the coilovers and the 3.5:1 steering box I could use a little stability.

 

[jzpdx]

Had mine for 6 months now. Best bronco investment ever made. I can actually make a high speed turn on the freeway now. 3 1/2" lift, dual shock.

 

[roundhouse]

I gotta get me one of these

 

[nvrstuk]

X8 on that...

I'm seriously looking at running mine through the frame rails almost exactly where the body mounts are.
this would get the bar up and out of the way...I'm moving the driver side body mount anyway as I want to move my soon to be installed 4 by 4 by 2 PS box forward approximately 1 inch due to clearance issues...

 

[Bknaus]

I'm really glad you guys are liking the sway bars! I saw a bunch of them on EBs out at SEMA last week! As always, let me know if you have any questions.

 

[dnewman9]

I'm really glad you guys are liking the sway bars! I saw a bunch of them on EBs out at SEMA last week! As always, let me know if you have any questions.

If you could, give me your thoughts on the question I posted a few up? I was at SEMA too, I was hoping to see the Hellwig Bronco there this year?
Dennis

 

[Ethansdad73]

I am looking to put these in my budget. I am running fw 78 bronco axles with Wild horses 5.5 lift with front hoops and tie rod over steering with gm ends. WH states you have to modify the front hoop to use the front sway. Do you have pics of this? And do you think that running full width axles be an issue?

 

[Bknaus]

My coilover mounts are 1-2 inches back from yours and stick out from the frame 3".

How far out does your coilover hoop posts stick out? Or another way to ask the question is how far from the frame is the inside of the sway bar?

I might be able to trim it back to 2" first.

Let me know, I would like to put a swaybar on the front of my truck. With the coilovers and the 3.5:1 steering box I could use a little stability.

dnewman9, it's hard to relate it to gravy's coilovers since I don't have his dimensions either but the inside to inside of the coined ends of the sway bar is 37.25" and the arm length from the center of the shoulders (where the D-bushings go) to the center of the last hole is 15.25". Since the steering box is usually mounted on the outside of the driver side frame, usually the installation has the sway bar offset more to the driver side so make sure to take that into account since there may not be an exactly even distance from frame to sway bar on both driver and passenger side.

Additionally, since the lower bracket usually mounts underneath the coil using the threaded holes in the top of the radius arms, you'll have to make sure that mounting location is still available or be willing to figure out another way to mount it to the axle. Let me know if you need any other specific dimensions and I'll be able to get those to you.

I am looking to put these in my budget. I am running fw 78 bronco axles with Wild horses 5.5 lift with front hoops and tie rod over steering with gm ends. WH states you have to modify the front hoop to use the front sway. Do you have pics of this? And do you think that running full width axles be an issue?

I don't have any pictures of a modified WH shock hoop unfortunately. I have heard of people doing it but never seen it in person. I have also heard of people grinding off the last 2 holes of the three holes adjustment in the end of the coin to get an extra couple inches to allow it to work. Once again, I have not tried that personally so no guarantees that would work but have heard it could be done.

As far as the full width axle, the way the bar mounts to the axle is a bracket that sandwiches under the coil. As long as your coil mounting point is the same width on the axle as an EB axle (the top of the radius arms usually) and the hole spacing is the same, there shouldn't be a problem. If you want to send me some pics and dimensions for me to double check it you can email those to me at bknaus@hellwigproducts.com

Here is a link to the PDF instruction sheets for the front bar (P/N 7868) to make it easier for everyone to see how it goes together: Instructions

Keep the questions coming!

 

[KyddsPly]

I'm running a Extreme shock hoop from wild horses. Will this fit them out without modifying that?

 

[Bknaus]

I'm running a Extreme shock hoop from wild horses. Will this fit them out without modifying that?

For the front, the Extreme hoop interferes with the sway bar since the hoop moves the shocks in front of the coil where the end of the sway bar goes. It shouldn't cause a problem if you're running the hoop in the rear.

 

[ajonesny]

When are you going to make a rear swaybar similar to the ICON bronco available to the general public?

 

[Bknaus]

When are you going to make a rear swaybar similar to the ICON bronco available to the general public?

We don't plan on ever making a frame mounted rear sway bar (like the Icon) for the public. That was our initial plant but with the variety of leaf springs and link suspension, we can't mount underneath the frame since there's not a good spot. To mount on top of the frame (like Icon) it has to have a body lift to fit the bar under the body and the install would require removing the body to allow access to the top of the frame rails. There's just too small a market of people willing to do all that to install a sway bar.

Everyone I've talked to who is using our current, axle mounted rear sway bar seems happy with it and that's how we do 99% of our rear sway bars for different applications.

 

[ralls]

I installed the front kit with disconnect on a 73 with a 4x4x2 box with drop pitman arm with no problems. I have the duff arms, their 3.5 springs and have gone through numerous shock combos with the last being 9000rs adjusted all the way firm. Still wandered and drove terrible. Installed the swaybar and it took away the bodyroll and is alot more stable while breaking hard now. Thanks to Thomas for having passion for broncos and being helpful no matter what.

 

[BLAZEOFGLORY]

sway bar

Keeping for later

 

[TheGanzman]

A big tip o' the hat to both Krawler's Edge & Hellwig! I installed both F&R Hellwig bars on my '69 "Street Bronco" this week, and took it for a long, twisty test drive on Friday; in a word - REMARKABLE! The Bronco corners "dead flat" to the limits of tire adhesion, then "breaks free" very predictably, neither understeering nor oversteering - it's like driving a go kart! Within the last 60 days, I replaced virtually the ENTIRE suspension with Wild Horses stock ride height springs, Bilstein shocks, new bushings everywhere, new drag link, tie rod, tie rod ends, and a stock '73-Up pitman arm to complement the Borgeson PS box. I was extremely pleased with the outcome after that, especially in the resultant caster #'s of L=5.7 degrees and R=4.7 degrees, thanks to the WH 7 degree C-bushings. I also added "The Cure" drag link TRE bushing...
Back to the Hellwig's: The front anti-sway bar went on easily and "to spec" per Hellwig's EXCELLENT instructions. On the rear, we ran into a bit of a problem due to the fact that my Bronco had dual shock mounts. Although now "vestigial", the brackets were still there; as such, they were DIRECTLY "in the way" of mounting the rear sway bar "parallel to the ground" per Hellwig's instructions. I contacted my dear friend Brent VanDerVort of Fatman Fabrications in Charlotte NC, showing him my quandary. He suggested that we could mount the upper link mounts to make the links parallel to the shock absorbers; however, due to the laws of trigonometry, we would reduce the effectiveness of the rear bar by 40% by doing so. I figured that ANY rear anti-sway bar was better than NO rear bar; I also figured that the front bar does most of the "anti-sway work", so we forged ahead. Here's how it came out - this is the driver side link:

An added benefit of the rear bar, which I had hoped for and which turned out to be true: the softer WH rear springs were a bit "bouncy", even with the Bilstein shocks; not on the compression cycle, but on the rebound cycle. The rear anti-sway bar has completely removed this effect - bring on the pylons!