Just curious...is my 72 Cutlass Supreme supposed to have a rear sway bar? I saw a 70 Buick Skylark today and noticed it had one...

 

I can't say how your car was supposed to be from the factory, but probably no.
BUT
If you want to make a huge improvement in how your car corners and generally handles get some big sway bars. Here is a cheap place to get them;
http://www.muscle-factory.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?page=1&id=253
I recommend the 1.25" front and the 1" rear, you WILL notice a difference in your car.
Their bars look and fit exactly like the factory equipment. I have done business with them and have been well pleased every time.
You can get the bars as a kit, front and rear, you get everything you need to install them. The rear lower control arms require a insert to be welded in it. This allows the rear bar to be bolted to the control arm without crushing it. I am no welder, but I did mine on the car. You can also buy boxed rear lower control arms and then everything is a bolt on installation.
Boxed rear arms;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/64-72-Cutla...from=R40&rt=nc

 

Your Cutlass Supreme came from the factory with a 455/400. You have an SD rear axle and limited slip. There's a chance your car may have had a rear sway bar when it was new. Check the lower control arms. If they are open (U shaped) instead of boxed in (welded plate on the bottom) your car never came with a sway bar. Cars with the sway bar had a welded insert to stiffen the LCA and not collapse when the sway bar was bolted in.

 

The L75 engine option did NOT include the rear sway bar. Unless the car was ordered with the FE2 suspension package, there would not have been a rear bar.

 

Thanks for the response...my car has aftermarket rear contol arms (see pic), but would the CSM answer my question?

 

You didn't like the answer I gave you from the SPECS booklet?

 

i ask because i dont know what going on here ?




Unless you have the build sheet I dont think you can verify if your car came w FE2. It doesnt look like the typical factory style rear sway bar will bolt to your control arms. But a hotchkis$ style one may work.

 

The aftermarket arms on the OP's car look like the old Southside Machine lower rear arms. I also have a set of these. They are designed to lower the rear mounting point at the axle to improve off-the-line traction at the drag strip. The two holes in each arm will accept the factory style rear sway bar. These are aftermarket arms. The CSM is irrelevant. Whether or not this car originally had FE2 is also irrelevant since the factory-installed lower control arms are long gone.

 

FE2 suspension would also have the front stiffeners.

 

OK, I gotta ask what those are.

 

Kenneth, they bolt from the front of the lower control arm to the frame. I should have called them braces instead of stiffeners.

 

Unfortunately, since the OP's suspension has obviously been apart, there is no way to know what was on the car from the factory.

 

That's the sad truth about buying a car that's been modified. Joe, have you seen the OP's car? It's a U code 72 (duh, well I guess that's as redundant as giant whale) but has some mods He's working at getting it back as close as possible to factory specs, hence all the questions. BTW, he's a newbie to Olds and he's from Vah jen ya like you! . He already knows the hood is wrong, missing trim, and no wing ever on a 70-72 CS.

 

My original response to the OP's original question still stands. The rear sway bar was NOT automatically included with the L75 motor. It was an extra cost option. There is no way to know if this particular car left the factory with one or not.

 

I'm not disagreeing with you. I fully appreciate the FE2 is an RPO, not standard equipment - unless the W29 with L75 or W30 (obviously the L77 which this car isn't) packages were ordered. Otherwise it had to be a checkbox on the order form.

 

I wasn't suggesting that you did. My statement was for the benefit of the OP.

 

So judging from this diagram it looks like installation is pretty simple, right? Also if I have he front suspension braces then can we assume that my car was equipped with FE 2 suspension, and therefore, it originally had a rear sway bar?

Either way, I only stand to gain if I install one, right? Plus it adds a nice touch😀

 

Even if the car has the braces, there is nothing to prove that they came from the factory. Again, since the rear suspension was apart to install those aftermarket arms, you have no idea what else was done. If you want the bar, add it. Those arms aren't even close to being correct for a restoration, so who cares if there was one there originally or not.

 

No, your car has been modified, and the FE2 suspension can be added by anyone at anytime so you can't assume anything about it being originally equipped with it, unless you find your build sheet.

Point in case - my 72 is now equipped with an FE2 suspension that is comprised of OEM parts that have been reconditioned. The FE2 suspension also included an upgrade to the front sway bar, and heavy duty springs/shocks. It will stiffen up the entire car a lot, especially on cornering.

EDIT: Looks like you were typing faster than me Joe.

 

Check on that Allan...thanks.

So if install one, recommendations?
Thanks.

 

Get a set of period correct boxed control arms, period correct sway bar, braces (which were added to the 455 cars due to torque, not 350), HD Springs and shocks and period correct (and diameter) front sway bar. All that information should be in your 72 CSM, or if you can't find it there look in your 72 Cutlass Assembly Manual.

That's all assuming that you want to put the car into 72 period correct parts? There's no crime in using aftermarket parts to improve your ride, after all it's yours and very few people look under the car. honestly it's whatever you want to do with it. I just happen to like keeping my car wearing period correct parts.

 

I got a package from the parts place 1.25" fr bar, 1" rear bar and boxed LCAs. I added the FE2 frame stiffners IIRC TPP sells those too.