[roger1]

I have questions about this 1-1/4" sway bar that came off of a 1972 Firebird Formula 400. It was an Arizona car so it is in really good shape.



The guy in Phoenix that I bought my '69 GTO convertible project from gave me this sway bar with the purchase. He said he intended to use it on the GTO when he still thought he would be keeping the car. I didn't use this bar when I re-assembled my GTO. I went ahead and put the original bar back on. I'm going to use my GTO for more for just cruising instead of spirited driving so not sure I want to even try this huge bar on my car assuming it fits.

Anyway, my question is about selling this bar. Is it a desired item and worth trying to sell? If so, about how much is it worth? Better here on the website or on ebay? Finding a box to ship it in might be a challenge. I'm a member of ShipStation and they give me pretty good rates for UPS so it might not be too expensive for somebody.

[242177P]

Originally Posted by roger1

I'm going to use my GTO for more for just cruising instead of spirited driving ...

The bar makes a difference, even on a cruiser.
I never saw a downside, and the install is less
effort than shipping it. "Near miss" beats "my
GTO got wrecked today".

[roger1]

Originally Posted by 242177P

The bar makes a difference, even on a cruiser.
I never saw a downside, and the install is less
effort than shipping it. "Near miss" beats "my
GTO got wrecked today".

Maybe I should hang on to it then and at least give it a try.
It will be a while since I still have a few things left to do on the car before I will be driving it much.
In the very few miles I have driven so far, I really like the ride and don't want to negatively impact that.
I do have a stock sized bar on the rear, boxed the lower control arms and installed AirLift bags in the stock rear springs. I put KYB Gas Adjust shocks on it all the way around.

[78w72]

The bigger bar will make a difference in cornering & handling feel, it wont change the ride quality or cruising feel. It should fit your car, Ive sold a lot of these 2nd gen firebird sway bars to guys with lemans/gtos.

if you decide to sell it, its worth about $100-125 for a fair priced quick sale... there are a few yahoos on ebay that try to get $150-200+ but they rarely if ever actually sell. If you sell it on ebay, factor their ~13% selling fee in to the price.

For shipping, you dont need a full box for it, Ive probably shipped 15-20 of these over the recent years and always just wrap it in some cardboard taped up good, it will still be the same shape just wrapped up. A long piece for the center area, then 2 separate pieces for the sides all joined together with tape at the seams. Measure for total dimensions & it should be able to ship anywhere in the country for $30-$50 using fedex/ups, ship station gives a nice discount but having an account with fedex/ups gives a decent discount too. I wrap lots of odd shaped parts to ship, the best are driveshafts... when you drop off parts they usually ask what youre shipping, i carry it in on my shoulder & ask if they will ship rocket launchers!

I would try it out on the car first before selling it.

[Trevor78]

X2 it's not worth shipping, if it fits, use it.

[roger1]

Thanks guys. I'll tuck it away for the time being and plan on putting it on sometime down the road after I've been driving the car some.

[kpbrown31]

Originally Posted by 78w72

The bigger bar will make a difference in cornering & handling feel, it wont change the ride quality or cruising feel. It should fit your car, Ive sold a lot of these 2nd gen firebird sway bars to guys with lemans/gtos.

if you decide to sell it, its worth about $100-125 for a fair priced quick sale... there are a few yahoos on ebay that try to get $150-200+ but they rarely if ever actually sell. If you sell it on ebay, factor their ~13% selling fee in to the price.

For shipping, you dont need a full box for it, Ive probably shipped 15-20 of these over the recent years and always just wrap it in some cardboard taped up good, it will still be the same shape just wrapped up. A long piece for the center area, then 2 separate pieces for the sides all joined together with tape at the seams. Measure for total dimensions & it should be able to ship anywhere in the country for $30-$50 using fedex/ups, ship station gives a nice discount but having an account with fedex/ups gives a decent discount too. I wrap lots of odd shaped parts to ship, the best are driveshafts... when you drop off parts they usually ask what youre shipping, i carry it in on my shoulder & ask if they will ship rocket launchers!

I would try it out on the car first before selling it.

Agree. I used to sell several things on eBay, but by the time you factor in their cut and then an additional 4% to paypal it makes me primarily stick to in person sales these days.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by kpbrown31

Agree. I used to sell several things on eBay, but by the time you factor in their cut and then an additional 4% to paypal it makes me primarily stick to in person sales these days.

Just an FYI, ebay doesnt use paypal anymore, they started handling all payments themselves about 2-3 years ago, so that payment fee is part of the total ~13% they charge on the total sale, including the state taxes all online sellers charge nowadays.

theres been a few threads on ebay selling recently, i agree their fee is a little greedy but in todays world it isnt that bad considering the nation/world wide exposure it gets, i always factor in their fees & add shipping cost to my sales... most times things sell for more than you would get locally or on forums, just have to deal with shipping which isnt a big deal when the buyer pays for it.... plus, all the fees ebay charges as well as shipping/office/shop costs are deductable if you file taxes as a business or self employed.

[roger1]

I've found that it's better to sell and offer free shipping but don't specify how you are going to ship until after the sale. They offer discounted rates and it's reasonable. If you choose which shipping service you are going to use and enter in the weight and dimentions at the time you list, I find the rates quoted to be inaccurate.

[78w72]

Right, I always just select the "economy shipping" & decide the rates myself, never let ebay determine rates... after doing this for 20+ years I have a pretty good idea what any given part will cost to ship based on weight & dimensions, works out the same if you add that cost to the sale price & offer "free" shipping, or just state the shipping price in the auction. i usually break even or make a few bucks and since i dont charge "handling" fees that works out in my favor, i get boxes for free at local stores that recycle them & tape etc is deductable as an expense.

using ebay to ship offers a decent discount but its usually close to what shippers offer if you have an account with them... or use one of the 3rd party shipping services like ship station that offers good discounts with all the big carriers.

[android 211]

I put one on my '69 GTO and my '72 442. Both cars also have GM rear bars. The '72 442 came with one; I installed one on the GTO with boxed control arms. I really like the handling and I don't think they give a poor ride quality. Buddy did the same thing with his '67 Lemans convertible. Car handled great.

[Jeff Hamlin]

Same here added a 78 TA bar along with boxed rear arms and sway, years ago.
Also added the frame stiffeners just to help my old frame on the '66.
They made a very positive and noticeable difference.