Trying to put a factory wonderbar on my 83 Firebird base but the holes are about a half inch off... I'd have to oval the mounting holes on one side.

What gives? Were the early models slightly different or is my body twisted?

 

I installed a factory wonder bar on my '83 Z28 with no issues. Perhaps being a base model the mounting for the sway bars is slightly different?

 

I didn't think it was any different... I must be missing something here.

It hit my fan shroud one way (but I knew that'd happen) and 180^ around it hits my steering linkage so I know I have it right!

 

Sounds like your car is already bent up there.

Put a hydraulic bottle jack in between the "frame" horns to spread them back apart where they belong. Loosen the "bumper" bolts first.

Insect the car CAREFULLY for crash damage; instinct tells me, you'll find some.

 

I would think if the front frame is pushed in that far the idler arm and Pittman arm would be off and would have horrible steering. I wish I had a picture of mine to make sure you have it correct

 

I must be doing something wrong... once I get my electric fans in I'll try the wonderbar again and post pics! Can't run it with the clutch fan... hits the shroud bad. Far as I can tell the car was never hit.

 

The one in the link below fits all 82-92 cars.

http://www.top-downsolutions.com/cha...or-firebird-(a

My bad, I see your car is an 83.

JamesC

 

82 is different. I though 83 on were the same. Given yours is an 83 is it at all possible it was early and had 82 front sway bar mounts??? Post up a pick and let us take a look.

 

Dunno if these help, I'm at work so I can't crawl under it haha

 

Here's pics of mine, stock bar(just powder coated) on my 83 Z, I'm running a clutch fan as well (17") with the stock fan shroud and have no clearance issues.

 

Wow weird, maybe the V6 fan shroud is way bigger? Mine hit so much the fan would've scraped!

 

Maybe? Perhaps the V6 shroud is "wider" or something to be able to pull the air to the engine, sits it sits farther back that the V8 does, that's the only thing I could think of.

 

V6 shroud? Yeah, I have one on my V6 and it was a tight fit with the rad hose. You might want to check the wonder bar to make sure the edge of the metal in that area doesn't wear through your rad hose.

I'm guessing that if the distance between the frame rails has changed, you would be able to see the wear pattern on either side of the bushings. (That is if the sway bar wasn't bent along with it, or if it happened long ago.)

 

Um, if something bent the frame it could have happened 30 years ago... you're probably not going to find it by looking for wear and I hope it would have been re-aligned since then.

I would also go with the frame being tweaked. If I had an easy way to do it I'd crawl under my car and measure from bolt to bolt just so you can determine if it's the bar or the car (it's raining right now and i'm too big to get under my car at all without putting it on ramps). If someone else can get to it before I do that might help you figure out what is going on.