For reasons known to GM my 2.8 V6's radiator has the lower outlet on the driver's side- and it's angled downward. My radiator hose has a "U"-shaped curve- and that curve is right between my front sway bar and radiator. If I put the Wonderbar on, I'll have to mash it upwards into my radiator hose- and I'd rather not stress the poor hose out like that.

So... I was thinking! (laughs) I was planning on welding my own Wonderbar, until I found out how much the hose was in the way. Here's my idea- What if, instead of making a bar that went to the front sway bar mounting brackets, I mounted a bar between the lower frame rails themselves? I have more room to do that.. but it won't be in-line with the steering box. It'll be a little forward, closer to the radiator.

I could still make bolt-on brackets; I'd just have to drill some holes in the frame... probably just two on each side. I think this design might be stronger, since the "stress" would be on the tube itself. Seems like (and others told me) that the stress on the original Wonderbar seems to be on the mounting tabs, and the 90-degree weld between the tabs and center tube.

Sound good? Sound bad? I think the bar would be just as effective... do you think it would be more effective?

Oh- and what if I put the bar across the "top" of those main frame rails, instead of dead-center, and instead of at the "bottom" like the original Wonderbar. Would it be just as strong as the original?

I'd like to hear some opinions! I already have the steel; while it might not be the strongest, I can always upgrade it later. And who knows, it might be strong enough. The cross-tube is a 1" square, 0.0625 (1/16 inch) wall tube. I'd make the mounting tabs out of 0.125" (1/8) inch steel. Actually, I do have some 0.125" angle-iron; I could weld two together to make a 0.125" steel tube for the cross-piece. (All steel is Home Depot stock.)

Thanks! I'm just itching to weld something for this car already... this bar seems like the simplest piece to start with.

Wow, I can't spell anything right today

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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

[This message has been edited by TomP (edited August 07, 2001).]

 

The more I think about this...

The front of the radiator support, at the bottom, ties the main frame rails together- right? The idea of this thing was to brace the steering box... not the lower chassis... right?

So if the wonderbar just keeps that few inches of frame rail from flexing inward/outward on itself, and not in relation to the other framerail... it seems that any other placement of a brace wouldn't be beneficial. I'm thinking that part of the frame, where the steering box bolted in, had a "tin can" effect, and pops in/out until it fatigues and cracks. By bracing that small part of frame against the other side of the car, the "tin can" effect is stopped. And, by stopping the "tin can" effect, steering becomes a bit more accurate.

Which pretty much means: Any other placement of a brace between the two frame rails won't do the job. The brace needs to act on the piece of frame that the steering box mounts to. And in that case, unless I can mount a brace directly above the steering box, I shouldn't bother... correct?


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

[This message has been edited by TomP (edited August 07, 2001).]

 

What year did these cars come with a factory installed "Wonderbar" ??...

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'83 Trans Am clone;
700R-4, 3.42:1 rearend, Z-28 suspension, H.O. dual snorkel air cleaner, H.O. exhaust manifolds & system, 180* 'stat, stock ECM. Awaiting 350 swap with CompCams 212/218 --.444/.444 -- 110* LSA

 

you're completly right tomp.

 

The idea was actually to brace the frame attachment of the steering box to the frame attachment of the idler arm. For the steering to work right, it's supposed to make a parallelogram; one long side is the above mentioned distance, the other is the length of the center link between where the other end of the idler arm and the Pitamn arm attach to the center link. The short sides are the Pitman arm and the idler arm. The "wonderbar"'s job is to keep the one distance a constant.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
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