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Discussion Topic:
sway bar & panhard bar use
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Bud 32B |
06-12-2010 @ 11:11 AM
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Member
Posts: 15
Joined: Dec 2009
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what year did ford start using panhard(front & back) and front sway bar?
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supereal |
06-12-2010 @ 11:22 AM
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Senior
Posts: 6819
Joined: Oct 2009
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First installed on 1942 models, and were used thru 1948. The "stabilizer", which spanned the front, was used in '40 and '41.
This message was edited by supereal on 6-12-10 @ 11:26 AM
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42wagon |
06-12-2010 @ 12:14 PM
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Senior
Posts: 584
Joined: Oct 2009
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Just to follow up on what Supereal has told you. The "U" shaped bar at the front was called a stabilizer by Ford and was used on all years from 40 to 48 although it was modified in 41 and again in 42. The bars running diagonally across the car front and rear were called tracking bars by Ford although others might call them Panhard bars. Ford first installed these on the front in 42 and installed them through 48. The rear tracking bar was only installed on station wagons in 42. In 46 it was added to all cars and they were installed through 48. Ted
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kubes40 |
06-13-2010 @ 5:44 AM
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Posts: 3396
Joined: Oct 2009
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It was also modified in 1940. There were two very distinct front bars in 1940.
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supereal |
06-13-2010 @ 9:28 AM
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Senior
Posts: 6819
Joined: Oct 2009
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We always called them "sway bars", but I stood corrected when the guys from Chassis Engineering came over to measure and photograph the underside of my '47. They said is a "panhard bar". They were planning to manufacture a version for earlier cars. Whatever you call it, it did make a considerable difference by limiting the swing of the chassis on the spring shackles.
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wmsteed |
06-14-2010 @ 8:55 AM
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Senior
Posts: 613
Joined: Oct 2009
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I did an info seek on the term "Panhard"... Interestingly the term panhard came into being because of the use of a "tracking" bar on the Panhard automobile's which were made during a brief period in the early 1900's. Ford probably used the term "tracking bar" to avoid any possibility of a patent infringement.. In reading the definitions of a tracking and sway bars I found that a panhard/tracking bar is attached to the chassis and axle, where-as a sway bar is usually attached to just the axle/springs to minimize movement from long shackles or spring placement. The bar that was first used on the front suspension of the 40 Fords and other cars starting in '37 or so, is to control body roll... As cars progressed from the Model T/A period, they got faster which required better suspension... The early Fords were famous for the ease in which they would roll, because of the "buggy springs" and excessive body roll. The torsion anti-roll bar was a big improvement, most modern cars have them front and rear. Note!!! When adding a tracking bar to a vehicle, the vehicle must be sitting on the ground at "ride height". The bar is then located making sure the front and rear axles are in alignment. If the rear of the vehicle is lowered from weight, etc., the center point of the axle can shift, thereby causing misalignment and poor tracking... When we were dumb kids dumping the rear of our cars with lowering blocks or long shackles, we never gave any thought to these little technical difficulties.. Bill 36 5 win delx cpe
This message was edited by wmsteed on 6-14-10 @ 9:08 AM
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