UNIVERSAL LAKEWOOD TRACTION BARS ON A II

Apsychotic · May 25, 2004

YEP, IT CAN BE DONE EASILY. NO NEED TO SPEND $160 ON SPECIALLY MADE TRACTION BARS. I BOUGHT A PAIR OF THE UNIVERSAL LAKEWOOD TRACTION BARS. AT FIRST THEY WOULDN'T FIT BECAUSE OF THE SPRING PLATE/SHOCK MOUNTS, BUT AFTER LOOKING AT IT, I GOT AN IDEA. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS BUY A SET OF RUBBER 2" COIL SPRING "SPACER BLOCKS". 4 BLOCKS TOTAL. INSERT THEM BETWEEN THE LEAF SPRING AND THE TRACTION BARS ON THEIR SIDE WHERE THE U BOLTS GO THROUGH THE TRACTION BARS TO ADD THE EXTRA SPACE TO CLEAR THE SPRING PLATE/SHOCK MOUNT. IT WORKS GREAT, LOOKS GREAT, AND ONLY COSTS ABOUT $ 40 BUCKS TOTAL INCLUDING THE TRACTION BARS AND THE SPACERS! NORM

jeffnoel · May 25, 2004

Post a picture please.

jshcobra · May 25, 2004

As I recall, the Lakewood bars even though they are called "traction" bars are actually "lift" bars. A traction bar would physically be connected from either the top or bottom of the axle housing to the frame of the car at the foreward end, like on a GT-350. If I understand you correctly, I wonder whether those rubber bushings between the spring plate and the bar wont simply absorb the axle twist instead of transferring it to lift the car.

Mstng2 · May 25, 2004

I'm sure they do absorb some of the twist detracting from the functionality of the bars, but I bet they still do a pretty good job.

Apsychotic · May 25, 2004

I've got pic's, don't know how to list them.

Can anyone explain how to put the pictures into the thread? thanks! Norm

Apsychotic · May 25, 2004

traction bars

Apsychotic · May 25, 2004

pics-'75 Mach 1

here's a few more i took today.

jeffnoel · May 26, 2004

Love the hood scoop, but how well are the Lakewood traction bars going to work with the snubber located so far from the spring. The bars I picked up from Stumpy place the snubber about 3/4" from the front spring eye.

74ProII · May 26, 2004

Did yours equl out side to side, or is that just a 74 thing? That was my problem on mine, everything else was okay. Looked good except for the inch or two difference, and snubbing at the spring mount, vice spring. I always liked mine, and ran the dual chrome stabalizing bar with the lights,all the way till the tub job.

jshcobra · May 26, 2004

jeffnoel said:
Love the hood scoop, but how well are the Lakewood traction bars going to work with the snubber located so far from the spring. The bars I picked up from Stumpy place the snubber about 3/4" from the front spring eye.

I agree. Great looking car and I'm not meanin' to be disrespectful or nuthin-- just trying to help-- but there's simply no way that setup is going to do anything other than add a touch of purple to the colour scheme of your chassis. In order to be effective, the front of the bar has to actually hit something in order to stop the spring from wrapping up. With that much clearance between the snubber and the spring, your axle could rotate almost 45 degrees before the bar actually starts doing anything.

I'm all for finding creative, less expensive solutions to things, but in this case, stumpy's bars are worth the $$$-- because they actually will work.

Apsychotic · May 26, 2004

Snubber distance

The distance between the snubbers and the spring eye is 1 1/4". I'm not sure how far the spring actually wraps, but it must make contact, because after I put the traction bars on, it does make for a good firmer launch than before. If a person wanted to, all they would have to do is put washers under the snubber to raise it. I may do this to see if there is much of a difference.

Apsychotic · May 26, 2004

equal?

74ProII said:
Did yours equl out side to side, or is that just a 74 thing? That was my problem on mine, everything else was okay. Looked good except for the inch or two difference, and snubbing at the spring mount, vice spring. I always liked mine, and ran the dual chrome stabalizing bar with the lights,all the way till the tub job.

Both of mine are 1 1/4" off the eye, maybe you didn't space yours enough. If the rubber blocks I used had have been thinner by 1/4" I would have experienced the same thing as you speak of.

74ProII · May 26, 2004

What I was talking about was the lower spring perch/shock mount. When I mounted them up a waaaaay long time ago, my snubbers were right up close, worked well. However the bars were physically positioned with one ahead of the other a inch or so. I had to space the sway bar to be straight to look right. The only way you could tell was to look straight from the side under the car. It used to bother me visually. A. Rentitive don't you know. I have some pics at home. won't be there until after Carlisle if you are curious. The bars for me hasn't mattered since late 90 or 91 I forget. When my car was tubbed.

74ProII · May 26, 2004

I did love them though. As a matter of fact they saved my car! long story short... towing frontwards on a two wheel dolly, moron cuts us off in snow in TX, car/van/dolly do about 360 or so. Unbeknownst to me at time really screwing up wheel studs. Driver change, roomate hits big NM pothole, away goes Crager rim with brand new eagle st off into the desert somewhere. Anyhow while I was asleep Moron #2 drags car down highway long enough to scrap, melt traction bar down to spring mount. His story was he never noticed! lucky for me I woke up in time. Not a good day! Still don't know why i left him live.

UNIVERSAL LAKEWOOD TRACTION BARS ON A II

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