Topic: 1970 Boss 302 sway bar markings

[app01]

May 15 1970 Dearborn Boss 302

I looked in the archives and could not answer these specific questions.

Rear sway bar.
See my pictures below. If you look at the original green paint markings, the left side had a 1.5" wide paint mark  and the right side about 5/8" with a clear edge on this side. These are normally not a detail that can be seen on most pictures. I have seen in some other postings that the ends were actually dipped, but I do not see any evidence of green on the eyelets. What should those makings look like?




Front sway bar:
On this Dearborn B2, do the green and yellow stripes go completely around the bar? The reason I ask this is that on this B2, there is only evidence of it being on the top of the bar (of course cold be worn off, but would have expected some paint on the back side), where as on m 70 Metuchan Mach 1, it was clear that the original stripes went around the bar and I was wondering is there is a difference.


Thanks again for the help,
Tony

[J_Speegle]

May 15 1970 Dearborn Boss 302

I looked in the archives and could not answer these specific questions.

Rear sway bar.
See my pictures below. If you look at the original green paint markings, the left side had a 1.5" wide paint mark  and the right side about 5/8" with a clear edge on this side. These are normally not a detail that can be seen on most pictures. I have seen in some other postings that the ends were actually dipped, but I do not see any evidence of green on the eyelets. What should those makings look like?

Never seen a sway bar with an original paint mark applied by dipping. What I see is a brush mark applied (in this case green) with a brush. IMHO the worker (at the plant/company making the sway bar) was likely instructed to mark it around the dia of the sway bar so that the bar could be identified quickly on the line by that worker in a way that the mark could be seen no matter how it sat in the tray waiting installation. But by examples of course the worker fell shot of the request and really got paint on one, two or three sides. Of course getting all four sides took additional effort. I would reapply (since you have documentation from your vehicle) the paint mark with some forest or kelly green paint on a 1/2" brush quickly drug around the three surfaces of the sway bar in that location after you have restored the bar

Front sway bar:
On this Dearborn B2, do the green and yellow stripes go completely around the bar? The reason I ask this is that on this B2, there is only evidence of it being on the top of the bar (of course cold be worn off, but would have expected some paint on the back side), where as on m 70 Metuchan Mach 1, it was clear that the original stripes went around the bar and I was wondering is there is a difference.

Think this is just another example of what I wrote above. Adding to that that you likely had multiple workers - one that drug the brush across a bunch of bars all at one (hitting them all only one the one surface while another too more care to wrap around each. With that said it appears that your marks are not well preserved so you may be missing 20% or 80% more of the original mark.

Nice thing is that we have allot more examples of front sway bar marks (especially the green and yellow since that color combination was used for many years) than the rear sway bars since they came of very few cars. Looking at my pictures I see that most years they were marks most the way around the dia typically but I have more examples of 70's with a quick one sided application - likely due to a specific worker applying the marks during the 70 production period - just what I'm seeing

One addition thing noted is that the way that the "just one side" paint application guy had the sway bar sitting when he applied the mark produced bars where the marks are on the bottom of the bar once its installed. Just what I've got in my current collection

Hope this helps

PS - will get to the seam sealer post hopefully today. Lot more stuff to write and pictures to post but been out inspecting cars for people last couple of days and I'm playing catch-up and doing follow up reports

[app01]

Jeff,

Thank you so much for all of your help and your responses make complete sense to me.

My restoration that was initially just going to be a freshening up  has turned into a complete restoration project. Interior is gutted and I am restoring those pieces when I am not in the mood to get dirty. Original chrome is out being replated. The rear is completely  restored, underside from firewall back stripped and primed (including the faux galvanized plating at the dolly points), and front suspension/steering is just about completely out. I was also lucky enough to find enough of the batch primer protected on the underside to match the greenish color. In fact it is pretty close to the Lime Gold Metallic of the 69 I recently sold.

Tony