Strut Bars for 68 1600.

[m4dzl]

Without the benefit of anti roll bars (as in the 2002) my 68 1600 rolls quite a bit in the corners.

Are there any 1600 (or 2002) owners out there that can share experience of how strut bars enhance the driving experience? Is it overkill for a street car?

Since I have a stock air cleaner, none of the straight bars will work. Elefant makes a set for front and rear which I am considering.

All comments welcome.

P.S. I read the thread from a year ago about the TEP strut bars.

Thanks.

Chris

[ziff73]

You can put sway bars up front, the mount points are there. I'm restoring my 69' 1600 and will be adding them up front and maybe in back, too. Just a strut brace won't make much of a difference on handling, especially without sway bars. Good luck! Hope to share my pics soon on my progress!

[2DUB02]

I have a 69' 1600 with the racetep sway bars front and back. I had to swap out the rear subframe with a 2002 and the matching trailing arms so that I can put in a 3.91 LSD and rear swaybar. I also had the racetep strut tower brace bar but traded it for the smaller one sold on this site.

Check some pics here:

http://www.bmw2002faq.com/component/option,com_forum/Itemid,50/page,viewtopic/t,360949/start,0/postdays,0/postorder,asc/highlight,/sid,991ae8eb21291d00b37ca28a4e4779e0/

[NickVyse]

I put a Tii front anti-roll bar on my otherwise stock 1967 1600-2 and it transformed the handling, even without a rear bar. Feels just right on twisty mountain roads.

[M3M3]

strut bars will not help your body roll at all. they just prevent the front strut towers from flexing. in the rear they are eye candy.

you need to install sway bars front and rear. just get the bars off of an 02 when someone upgrades to aftermarket ones...or get some aftermarket ones yourself.

[m4dzl]

Appreciate all the comments.

[eurotrash]

Yeah. Just find someone with a stock front bar and brackets, get new body bushings and urethane end links, paint it up, and you can have it bolted on in a half hour.

[Mike Self]

if your car still has its original long-neck diff, the rear subframe is gonna be different from the later 2002s. What you may have to do is either find a rear subframe from a '68 or early '69 (VIN below 1664761) take some measurements from an '02 subframe and weld the sway bar mounting tabs onto your subframe.

cheers

mike

[NickVyse]

if your car still has its original long-neck diff, the rear subframe is gonna be different from the later 2002s. What you may have to do is either find a rear subframe from a '68 or early '69 (VIN below 1664761) take some measurements from an '02 subframe and weld the sway bar mounting tabs onto your subframe.

cheers

mike

ie it's a PITA. Try with the front bar only, you might just be surprised.

[m4dzl]

Will the front sway bar and brackets from a 74 2002 fit my 68 1600 without modification?

[NickVyse]

Will the front sway bar and brackets from a 74 2002 fit my 68 1600 without modification?

yep