Do I need to keep the upper rod when I put in the new Spohn adjustable panhard bar?
Anyone have a rust free one if i need to keep it?

 

You need to keep it. It doesn't really get in the way so you can leave it be. If yours is that rusted and shody I would look for a slightly less rotted one from a junk yard. Yours may just have surface rot on it and may still be good. You can buy an aftermarket one to replace it all together if you choose.

 

The panhard rod mount on the body is one of the most stressed parts of the unibody during cornering. I would not get rid of the upper panhard rod since it braces that. Also, it's kinda like a wonderbar for the rear frame rails. It spans from framerail to framerail.

 

Where do you buy an aftermarket one?

 

i would try a search on that one.

 

BMR makes a nice one that'll allow enough room to run duals out the back. Granatelli Motorsports also maked one.

 

I'm surprised that more aftermarket guys are not making this peice. Guess there is not a high demand for them.

 

The upper bar is still available from GM as well. Replaced mine when I rebuilt my suspension.

 

the bar on top, since where talking about it, mines fine and not rusty but would it be wroth me makeing a tubler one since im aready doing everthing i can to mine suspension?

 

I haven't checked clearances between the bar & other components, but yeah...tubular would be good...or you could do the easy trick that I did to the panhard bar & LCAs and just weld in a piece of tubular steel along it.

BMH, if you need one, there's a salvage yard about a mile away from me that always has about 30 Camaros/Firebirds and I can pull one if you still need it.

 

Thanks for the offer, but I ordered one from house of camaro. Go figure, he sent the panhard bar, not the upper. Around we go . . .

 

Hey there guys,

Finishing up my suspension and chassis rebuild. Today I'm installing a new Moog centerlink, there goes $80.

Anyway, I was unbolting the top rear panhard bar so I could install my Iroc fuel sender/pump and lines yesterday and two of the 3 bolts that bolt the top panhard bar snapped off at the head even after I had PB soaking in them for a while.


Seeing as this bar takes a lot of stress in cornering... and I plan on some hard fast cornering with my new setup, (boxed the lower panhard bar & control arms and full poly kit for the car) I think I have a problem.

Am I right in thinking that one bolt may not be enough to keep the bar in place. Ok guys on your mark, get set, go!

Thanks in advance!

 

GM being as cheap as they are, would have only used 1 bolt, if it was sufficiant.

I would tap/drill/heli-coil or whever you need to get those bolts out, and hit the hardware store for some new ones.

 

yeah...If you corner hard enough to break off the one bolt, you're probably going to have enough stored potential energy in the car to rip/seriously break the panhard bar brace...much easier to fix now. Hope it's not complete hell to do.

 

Now I ahve looked for aftermarket upper panhard, and only found factory ones that have been boxed in?! Been thinking about this for a long while! Any companies sell new original stonger versions?

The BMR one is nice and what I had in mind, except for the fact that it relocates as well on the chassis side! I have a lowered car and do not need the chassis side moved lower! I need to lower the axle side! thought i guess one could get the BMR & the Jegs relocation bracket for the axle side adn lower the whole shooting match, though I would think that would think that would just be a chance for more possible weakening!

 

Bringing this post back to life, I drilled the holes out, tapped the holes in the chassis, and drilled holes in the bar so I could get the oversize bolts in. was able to get one hole tapped, and threads tight, the other bolt that had to be tapped worked, but doesnt go in real super tight. I have 2 real tight bolts and one thats semi tight, hope it works, but I may end up going under the car and welding in a plate of steel that I can rethread. A 1/4" wont make much a difference in the height of the bar.