Installing Ridetech's MuscleBar

Anyone who’s come upon an unexpected corner in the road in their tri-five has undoubtedly experienced one of the classic downfalls of these cars; you go for the brakes, saw the wheel to follow the turn, and your trusty Chevy feels like the Queen Mary navigating the turn, as the body roll is sure to make the car feel like it’s only inches from capsizing. Even worse, the excess body roll possibly unloads the suspension, and

has the bow trying to swap ends with the stern. The real problem is, many folks out there fail to realize just how easy it is to remedy their sea sickness and get their vessel handling proper. Ok, enough nautical references, I give you… Ridetech’s “MuscleBar” front sway bar!

Essentially, the MuscleBar ties the two control arms together, helping prevent body roll. The lack of body roll keeps the car flatter through the turns, increasing stability, all without the adverse effect of a harsher ride. Now, The MuscleBar shown in this article is specifically made for Ridetech’s StrongArm tubular control arms, so our install will follow such. But have no fear, those who prefer a stamped control arm! Their “StreetGrip” sway bar is made specifically for stock arms, and installs essentially the exact same way.

So let’s go ahead and stop that ship from rockin’, shall we?

As with any Ridetech kit, good instructions and a full parts breakdown are included. They make the installation as simple as can be, and if you do run into any trouble, their tech line is more than happy to assist.

What a spread! The MuscleBar is a 1” diameter monster capable of handling any driving style, from the average person looking to conquer country backroads, or the most die-hard autocross enthusiast.

Ridetech’s PosiLink Sway bar endlinks are part of what sets this kit apart from the other sway bars on the market. Think of these as miniature tie rod ends on the end of your sway bar; no binding, no unwanted noise, and much longer life than the average bushing setup. They simply thread onto the sway bar, and bolt through the control arm tab.

The StrongArm control arms have a mounting tab built onto them, made specifically for the MuscleBar. Again, stock control arm guys, the StreetGrip bar comes with mounting tabs that are easily installed to your controlarms. Note the use of Ridetech’s Shockwave air-ride setup.

Once your PosiLinks are assembled onto the sway bar, they are then bolted through the control arms. Simply bolted through, no pesky bushings to hold together.

Ridetech’s one and only Johnny Merder was on hand to walk us through the install.

On our ’56 wagon test mule, the frame bracket for the sway bar indexes off the rivet in the bottom of the front frame horn. Once the rivet is ground down, you can drill the hole to the required 3/8”, bolt it in place. Note the use of clamps to ensure everything stays put.

Once your reference hole is drilled, your other two mounting holes are next.

Your third bolt will bolt through the frame, the bracket, And just like that, you're finished! A simple, easy install and the sway bar mount as well. Using the mounting makes an absolute world of difference on any tri-five, bracket as your guide for the drillbit will help keep no matter what its purpose. To get things lined up.

To order your MuscleBar kit, visit HERE.
For a printable version of instructions, visit HERE.

Brought to you by the American Tri-Five Association.