The 140/164 doesn't come with a rear rollbar standard. I've recently parted out a couple of 245 which do of course have the factory standard rollbar. I haven't done any detailed measuring yet, but at first glance it looks like it would fit. If it doesn't, I can always "persuade" it to fit. However, has anyone tried it and is it neccesarily a good idea to fit these, ie. does it improve stability? I'm not looking to build a super car with ultimate handling, just a tad less body roll when negotiating the roundabouts.

Bram

I Agree with Peter. I installed the IPD front bar and Front and Rear spring set and since the rear bar was a little more time consuming, I took it out for a drive to see how it felt. It was stiff, from the springs, but the body roll was much better. Then I installed the IPD Rear bar with the Blue bushings and I was shocked at how much more oversteer there was. I ended taking the rear bar out becuase with out a locked rear end, I couldn't stop the inside rear tire from spining coming out of tight corners. btw - I autocrossed this configuration and was pretty happy with it - Even with the stares from the other much newer import drivers.
scott

You need to be careful. I recently drove an 1800ES to which someone had added a rear anti roll bar. It felt really stable until I got it into a long sweeping left hander. At fairly low speed (50MPH) it flicked from mild understeer to vicious oversteer. Of course the 240 antiroll bar doesn't do this when fitted to a 240, all I'm saying is be a bit circumspect when road testing for the first time.

Regards


Pete

I have not retrofitted a bar from a 240 to a 140. I have installed the IPD kit in both a 140 and 164 and it does improve handling. The IPD catalog shows different part numbers for the 140 vs. 240. From the photographs in the catalog, it appears that the 240 rear bar is a very similar design to the 740 rear bar but distinctly different from the 140/160 rear bar. The 240 bar is a formed steel rod with a piece of square steel stock welded at each end. It is held in place on the car by two long bolts at each end which pass through the trailing arms and holes in the square stock. One is likely to be the shock absorber lower bolt. So, assuming the overall length of the bar allows it to slide between the trailer arms on your 140, it is a snug fit and you want to drill a horizontal hole through each trailer arm to accomodate one of the mounting bolts on each side AND the rear suspension will be able to flex vetically without hitting the final drive it may very well work out.

The IPD rear kit for the 140/160 gets bolted to the rear axle with large "U" clamps and has long threaded bolts which are attached, one at each end of the bar and pass through holes in the car floor. The only real work to this installation is removing the rear seat cushion and drilling a few holes in the floor to accomodate reinforcing plates and the long threaded bolts.

Hi Ira,

The 240 bar does indeed look like a 700/900 bar. The original doesn't seem to have welded pieces but is bent and flattened at the end instead. It has two mounting holes, one of which bolts to the shock absorber bolt, the other bolts to a little spacer plate, the other end of which bolts to the rear axle bolt, offsetting the bar about an inch or so downward from same rear axle bolt. That's why I mentioned "persuading to fit" - that spacer plate gives a bit of flexibility to pound it into fitting. I might just try it on a spare rear end/trailing arm assembly I've got, if it fits...

Bram

I recently got one of these bars that had been removed from a car.
I haven't even got under the car to see how it goes on yet, and
I'll have to get new rubber parts for it. It looked to me like the
floor reinforcing plates are kind of flimsy. Do you think they are
sturdy enough?
--
George Downs Bartlesville, Oklahoma

I use 4"X4"X.125" steel plates with holes drilled, 2 per side above and below the floorboards and throw the supplied plates away. For some models the plates may need to be formed a little to match the contour of the floorboards. Maybe it's overkill but destroyed floorboards are a bummer.