Traction Bar? Non existant?

JonJon · Sep 17, 2004

My neighbor's dad was telling me about traction bars and how it's a cheap and easy traction mod. I told him I'd never heard of or seen them so I assume they don't exist for 99+ Mustangs.

Is that right or I've never seen it?

Dan_Soprano · Sep 17, 2004

I've never seen them for 99+ either.................

urban96 · Sep 17, 2004

i see em on all the old muscle cars around here

mcmmotorsports · Sep 17, 2004

Any fox Bodied traction bar should work since sn95 chassis's are almost identical.
I would try some Southside lift bars and aftermarket Lower and Uppers.

JonJon · Sep 17, 2004

mcmmotorsports said:
Any fox Bodied traction bar should work since sn95 chassis's are almost identical.
I would try some Southside lift bars and aftermarket Lower and Uppers.

Yeah, he had a Jeg's mag on hand to just show me what they looked like... They had traction bars for 73-1995 Mustangs but not after that. Really confused me since I couldn't figure out why it isn't just listed up to 2004.

Is it worth getting a traction bar? $99 is hard to argue with if it actually does something. My neighbor went on and on about how great it was on his 69 Mustang.

Southside lift bars? Link? I have Pro3i lowers, didn't buy uppers.

mcmmotorsports · Sep 17, 2004

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...tem=7922325930&category=33583&sspagename=WDVW

twogts4us · Sep 17, 2004

Old school - these were for leaf sprung rear axles. Today's equivalent would be control arms. The idea is the same...to keep the axle from twisting under torque load.
Damn, I feel old now. We did these on our cars in high school - 20 years ago. (They were Mustangs though...mine-1973 Mach 1 351C, and my friends had a 67 fastback (w/351W transplant), a 68 fastback, 70 Boss 302.
Those were the days...!

Indiana · Sep 17, 2004

Nice to see I'm not the only one here who was in high school 20 years ago! Maybe we can find you a set of Keystone Classics to go with those traction bars.

showstopper2 · Sep 17, 2004

there are many better control arms to choose from than Southsides. those bars are notorious for tearing torque boxes out since they change the axle geometry so radically. HPM Megabite Jr's are a much better choice.

Wayne S · Sep 18, 2004

showstopper2 said:
there are many better control arms to choose from than Southsides. those bars are notorious for tearing torque boxes out since they change the axle geometry so radically. HPM Megabite Jr's are a much better choice.

fox lowers will not fit our cars since they have 12mm bolts in back and ours are 14mm

JonJon · Sep 18, 2004

er, those lift bars look just like control arms but they raise the axle connection a little?

I guess it's not much of a difference if everyone seems to buy regular control arms

twogts4us · Sep 18, 2004

Indiana said:
Nice to see I'm not the only one here who was in high school 20 years ago! Maybe we can find you a set of Keystone Classics to go with those traction bars.

Whoa - scary! I had Keystone Classics on my Mach 1! And air shocks...remember those things?!?!

Hugger1974 · Oct 3, 2004

JonJon said:
er, those lift bars look just like control arms but they raise the axle connection a little?

I guess it's not much of a difference if everyone seems to buy regular control arms

Lift bars are a completely different set up then just control arms...do a search and read how many are running them and gain great 60 ft time.

I have the UMI lift bars on my 87, and wow! I couldnt beleive the way it hooks up. The lift bars change your control arm geometry and use your cars to torque to plant the tires into the ground and pull the front up, hense the name "lift bar"

As for the torque boxes, buy a set of the reinforcements and thats all you need. You can tear your stock boxes with a stock control arm, not just lift bars. I got the lift bars, adjustable uppers and my pinion angle at -6 degrees at the track. I am cutting some crazy 60 ft times.

PG98GT · Oct 4, 2004

Oh the memories...traction bars (we called them slapper bars), Keystones, Cragar S/S and dare I say it...Holley 750 double pumpers, manual chokes. Need more fuel? Change the jets, metering block, float level? Remember if the car backfired, you'd be out buying a new accelerator pump? Ya, traction bars are for leaf springs and the days when you could sit on the radiator support and work on the engine, comfortably.

JonJon · Oct 4, 2004

Hugger1974 said:
Lift bars are a completely different set up then just control arms...do a search and read how many are running them and gain great 60 ft time.

I have the UMI lift bars on my 87, and wow! I couldnt beleive the way it hooks up. The lift bars change your control arm geometry and use your cars to torque to plant the tires into the ground and pull the front up, hense the name "lift bar"

As for the torque boxes, buy a set of the reinforcements and thats all you need. You can tear your stock boxes with a stock control arm, not just lift bars. I got the lift bars, adjustable uppers and my pinion angle at -6 degrees at the track. I am cutting some crazy 60 ft times.

Aaah. When I asked about LCA's on Stangnet no one even mentioend lift bars... Interesting.

Rocketman · Oct 4, 2004

JonJon said:
My neighbor's dad was telling me about traction bars and how it's a cheap and easy traction mod. I told him I'd never heard of or seen them so I assume they don't exist for 99+ Mustangs.

Is that right or I've never seen it?

Traction bars are typically for leafspring suspension. I had lakewood traction bars on my 69 boss 302.
For 99+ mustangs you will need aftermarket upper and lower control arms and better coil springs

jstreet0204 · Oct 4, 2004

twogts4us said:
Whoa - scary! I had Keystone Classics on my Mach 1! And air shocks...remember those things?!?!

Oh yeah!!! Made it easy to jack the ass end up to get a good rake on it.

Hugger1974 · Oct 20, 2004

Rocketman said:
Traction bars are typically for leafspring suspension. I had lakewood traction bars on my 69 boss 302.
For 99+ mustangs you will need aftermarket upper and lower control arms and better coil springs

A lift bar isnt a traction bar, its a tractions device I guess you could say.

A leaf sprung car is different then a control armed car, there for each traction device is going to be different. A lift bar works with axle torque to load the rear lift the front and transfer the weight, hence the name "lift Bar"

Hope that helps!

AdRock · Oct 20, 2004

Indiana said:
Nice to see I'm not the only one here who was in high school 20 years ago! Maybe we can find you a set of Keystone Classics to go with those traction bars.

LOL, I have about 10 sets of Chrome Lakewoods in my dad's garage.

Hugger1974 · Oct 21, 2004

AdRock said:
LOL, I have about 10 sets of Chrome Lakewoods in my dad's garage.

ha..the $30 lakewood slappers from Pep boys are about useless I think

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