Topic: Sway bar brackets and bushings

[sgl66]

Jim and I have been discussing sway bar brackets and bushings for the 13/16" GT bar and wanted to throw this out to a larger group.

The 13/16" bushing (B) in the pictures has no shoulder, measures 1 1/2" wide and is 1 1/4" deep. Shown in picture (A) is a 1" bushing with shoulders on each side that measures 1 1/4" (inside the shoulders) and is 1 1/8" deep. The 5/8", 11/16", 3/4" 7/8" and 15/16" styles made by Drake also have the shoulder and I'm guessing are 1 1/4"

The brackets on my car have some minor pits and bends and I was going to swap in another set and discovered the dimensions are different. Apparently there is only one part # listed for brackets in 66 - C3DZ-5486-A. The 13/16" Drake bushing is exactly 13/16" and fits my brackets but is 1/8" to fat to fit in the other bracket and 1/4" wider. The bushing with with shoulder doesn't fit the 1 1/2" bracket so my question is were the brackets for the 13/16" bushings different than the standard 5/8" or whatever else was used in 66 or did Drake make a totally wrong bushing and my brackets are also wrong?

[jwc66k]

Extracted from the 60-68 and 75 editions of Ford Car Parts (aka MPC):
Front Sway Bar: (All numbers are service replacement parts. No dimensions were shown, except as noted.)
C5ZZ-5482-B - Standard, all.
C5ZZ-5482-A - GT/HP (aka Special) (75 MPC - 13/16)
Sway Bar Bracket: (Two required)
C3DZ-5486-A - All
Insulators: (All numbers are service replacement parts. No dimensions were shown, except as noted.)
C4DZ-5493-B - Standard, all (Also  used in 1967)
C5ZZ-5493-A - GT/HP (aka Special) (75 MPC - 13/16)
From all three of my current Mustangs, 65 GT Fastback, 66 Hardtop and 66 GT Fastback HP, all have 1 1/2 inch wide brackets. All are San Jose built. As far as I know, the 65 GT Fastback (purchased 1993) and 66 Hardtop (purchased 1988) have their original sway bars, insulators and brackets. All I did was replace the end links.
The 66 GT Fastback had the entire front end "reconditioned". After that process, I put the original brackets and hardware back on.
I have a GT/High Performance 13/16 inch diameter sway bar I got several years back from a Mustang shop that closed. The two insulators are still on it. They have the "telltale" raised ridge from the brackets imprinted in the rubber, but the imprinted marks from the brackets are 1 1/4 inch wide. What do I have?
Jim

[jwc66k]

Pictures:
Pic 1: Standard Ford, 64-66 Mustang (C3DZ-5486-A);
Dim "A", mounting holes (13/32 inch dia) - 2 5/8 - 2 3/4 inch apart (it's difficult to tell on a car with the brackets mounted - incidental, date code on the RH mounting plate on the car is 9 29 2D, which is within the time frame of the car's scheduled build date of 10-18-65);
Dim "B", bracket width - 1 1/2 inch.
Third arrow at top shows the outward stamped "hump". It should leave a raised hump on the insulator when removed.
Pic 2: Aftermarket, "universal";
The insulator hole is 9/16 inch dia, the insulator has a mounting slice (red arrow) for installation and has "lips" on each side for retention.
Note the mounting "slots" on the aftermarket vs holes on the originals. The slots will enable bracket mounting from 2 7/16 to 3 5/8 inch, center to center, holes. Also note no "hump".
Jim

[J_Speegle]

Sorry for the delayed response. Don't have any cars around that fit this category to measure. Do have some pictures that might or might not help with the bushing type and style for different applications. Of course over time and with age the bushings can distort so take that into consideration


Examples

T Code




C code




A code GT Given the condition of the bushing in the upper left it may have been replaced




K Code

[jwc66k]

Jeff,
Any idea about a 1 1/4 inch wide bracket? I have a 1 1/4 in wide imprint on a 13/16 inch dia rubber insulator.
Jim

[sgl66]

Thanks Jeff for the pictures.

I can't confirm what the 1 1/4" bracket came from. It may or may not be from a Mustang or Ford product so take that for what it's worth.

I did find another set which are 1 1/2" wide but only 1 1/8" where the bushing goes in. You can see how the bushing deforms without the bar in it and I don't see how it would fit with the bar. The mounting holes on all of these are are between 2 5/8 and 2 11/16 center to center. It may just be that the bracket needs to be forced open 1/8"

In the side by side, you can see that the hump on the 1 1/4" bracket takes up about 33% of the width and each of the sides is about the same width. The hump on the 1 1/2" seems a little narrower and is not equal to the space on the sides. This is what I think I see in your pictures. The hump is also stamped a little different.

Still doesn't answer the question about 2 styles of bushings, maybe more details will turn up in the future

Steve-

[Bob Gaines]

Thanks Jeff for the pictures.

I can't confirm what the 1 1/4" bracket came from. It may or may not be from a Mustang or Ford product so take that for what it's worth.

I did find another set which are 1 1/2" wide but only 1 1/8" where the bushing goes in. You can see how the bushing deforms without the bar in it and I don't see how it would fit with the bar. The mounting holes on all of these are are between 2 5/8 and 2 11/16 center to center. It may just be that the bracket needs to be forced open 1/8"

In the side by side, you can see that the hump on the 1 1/4" bracket takes up about 33% of the width and each of the sides is about the same width. The hump on the 1 1/2" seems a little narrower and is not equal to the space on the sides. This is what I think I see in your pictures. The hump is also stamped a little different.

Still doesn't answer the question about 2 styles of bushings, maybe more details will turn up in the future

Steve-

The bracket on the far left in the upper row without the middle rib is the same as used on the 65/66 GT350 with a 1 inch bar.