Help Needed..Sway Bar Problem, A Picture is worth a 1000 words.

[mtmilam]

Hi Guys,
I just recently got a 65 230 SL with a 280 sl engine and auto...I just had one of my patients, who happens to be a Ferrari, Masseratti race team mechanic for 8 years, Look at my car....This guy is from Germany and seems like he knows his stuff...Some Rich guy in Houston hired him to go over and work every other week on the guys collection of concourse Masseratt's and other exotics.........BUT, anyway, He drove my car and said the engine and all is really good, But there was a Clunk he heard every once and a while.....

He looked under the front at the SWAY BAR and Said, Something just doesn't look Right...Its to narrow on the right side and its rubbing on the Frame flange, making that noise.....He asked me if I could check to see if this is the Right Sway bar and if Its not, Where could I get the correct one.  Remember, the body is a 65'230 SL....but the engine is a 280 SL....it is a peppy little thing :D. It handles fine and corners good, about like what I've read they should...just have that clunk every so often..OH...the Sway bar is 24.0 mm in Diameter, which I thought odd, since I read during the "Search" feature on the forum that it should be 22 and the 280's were 17.0... 

Here are the Pics.......Is it correct,, Close  to correct...or "What the Hell is that under your car"  .

[Benz Dr.]

It looks like somone changed this bar to a larger one. I'm pretty sure the frame isn't notched out on the bottom like yours is and this was done to clear the bar.

[mtmilam]

Thanks Dr. Benz....Kind of what I thought,  NOW, should I notch it out a little more on the right side where its clunking some...OR, get the correct sway bar for a 230???   It drives fine, but there is a reason MB put the original on ....the Problem is "Where do I find a 230 Torsion Bar"??   I've searched on the Web for 2 days now....I can find lots of Rubber, Kits, brackets, ...everything else but the dang Torsion bar.....anyone know of a source in the States??   Also, I guess I'd have to change out the brackets and rubber mounts also, or could I keep the ones I have...4 mm difference Diameter.....ummm.

Thanks again.

[ja17]

You might try shortening the spacer tube on the link hardware. That should lower the bar giving you a more clearance.

[ejboyd5]

Shorten the spacer on both sides or further relieve the frame flange, either will serve to eliminate the interference.  In any event you might consider replacement of the rubber bushings while you have it apart.  BTW, a good series of pictures that clearly explained your problem - thanks for that effort.

[GGR]

Looks like someone fitted a sedan sway bar. The Pagoda sway bar has a different shape to clear the chassis rail. Some sedan sway bars were fitted on Pagodas for their bigger diameter but then neccesitated grinding the bottom lip of the chassis rail like on your car. You can grind it further to get everything work at the correct angle or shorten the spacer as suggested by others though this may slightly change the angle the system is working at.

[zoegrlh]

Last time I looked, the originial bars are still available from MB Classic Center.  When I bought my 280SL some 11 years ago, mine too had a sedan bar placed on it, and it too had a noise when turning etc.  Bar did not have the correct bends in it.  I changed it out with original bar for 280 SLs and replaced all rubber bushings.  Part number is : 113 323 02 65 Stabilizer, 22mm dia. (mind you this is for a 250/280 SL)
Bob

[mtmilam]

Thanks Bob,
Seems like I have what you had.  When you went back to the 22mm, did you notice any difference in handling??
I'm also assuming the brackets for the 230 mounts are at the same location for the 280 ?? Does anyone know if that is correct??

Mark

[mtmilam]

Umm.. Just talked to MB Classics and according to them, all the Torsion bars are the same for the 230/250/280.  All are 22 mm in dia.  Searching the forum I found some folks saying the 230 was 22mm and the 280 was 17   

The bad news is the torsion bar is NLA.

[mdsalemi]

Mark,

I believe the Classic Center is wrong on this one.  Others will weigh in here, but I believe the 230SL anti-sway bar was a few MM thicker than the later 280SL.

Probably should not be too hard to find one used, make a posting in "Wanted".

They are also pretty easy to duplicate if you have one that firms can copy.  There was some topic talk on this a few years back.  Maybe a search of this forum might yield some insight.

[rb6667]

Great pictures!  The one that really caught my eye was the one that shows the bar's bend under/over the fan shroud.   That alone would want me to replace it with the correct bar.   You would have a real challenge pulling the radiator or shroud out with that bar installed the way it is now. 

As mentioned, place an ad in the parts wanted section.  Someone will have the correct bar for you.

rb6667



   

[GGR]

The 230 sway bar was originally bigger. But the following models had some modification made to the suspension to correct the tendency of the car to spin abruptly. Putting a smaller diameter was one of the modifications that had the driver feel the limits of the car earlier. It may well be that the smaller diameter sway bars were then standardized as a replacement on the 230SL also.

[mtmilam]

Thanks,
I'll post on the wanted section.....I think there was two sizes, at least thats what I gather from a forum search...I just wonder what brackets I have??  Hopefully I can find one with the right brackets, unless the brackets are all the same.
Mark

[DaveB]

I believe the brackets are the same but the internal diameter of the rubbers will differ to match the bar diameter.

[mtmilam]

Dr. Benz,
I found something interesting about the Notch in the Frame...apparently they were notched, at least here is a picture of a car that is suppose to be 100 percent original, at the "morningstar site"....I shows the notches on the frame....interesting!



Here is what its suppose to look like with torsion bar



Here is mine......I need to do a little painting and Sprucing up....but I'm afraid of what it will lead to......

[Jonny B]

Just went and looked at mine, 280 SL, and original. It has the notches as shown in the motoring investments photo.