CamaroGuy719

My 1997 V6 Camaro has a severe sway to the left in right while turning. It also makes a grinding sound in turns. You can recreate the noise by pushing the rear tires in and out. I crawled under the car and noticed a fracture in some kind of bar connecting the rear tires. The fracture is on the left rear at the joint of the axel. I assume that the rear sway is the damaged part.

Is this part repairable by welding? And is it safe to drive the car to a shop?

Thanks

hot white z

If the bar has a bend toward the front on both ends with holes and bolts with spacers running vertically to secure the ends, this is your sway bar. It would be attached to your rear axle tubes by what look like two giant muffler u-clamps. The rear sway bar, if it is the culprit, should be replaced instead of welded and put back in. The sway bar out of a V8 fourth-gen is larger than the V6 bar,and ones from 88-92 f-bodies are even larger. All of these will fit your car and be more reliable than the V6 bar, just get the appropriate brackets and bushings that attach the bar to the axle tubes, reuse your bolts or get new ones that fit YOUR car, and you're golden. The bar shouldn't cost more than $10 from a junkyard and there's plenty of donors available. Hope this helps.
Michael

CamaroGuy719

Thank you for your help

Injuneer

You also want to check the panhard rod. That's the stamped steel bar about 43" long that connects the drivers side of the axle assembly to a long bracket sticking down off the passenger side of the body. The panhard bar "locates" the body over the rear axle. If the bar, the bracket or the bushings are damaged, the body will move side-to-side when cornering.