How to: Install your new sway bars!

[mrmike]

I just installed the bar, I put the part of the bushing I cut off back on and this time everything fit perfectly. Maybe I was just in a rush yesterday? If you cut the bushing it WILL bottom out and make a clunking noise.

[Mike The Canadian]

So... anybody near mid michigan wanna help me? lol

[i4g3t]

Anyone know of a company that sells aftermarket swaybars for our cars or if ones will fir from grandam or cav? I just got new springs struts strut bars and cai would like to dow sway bars also

[sleepyalero]

only place you'll get em.

http://www.aleromod.com/forums/showt...highlight=pfyc

[<woj99>]

Originally Posted by 03Sleepr

now you can remove your rear bar and replace with your new bar/bushings starting with the inside mounts. for the two mounts you have to slide the tab on top into the slot then bolt it down. replace end links, DONE.

Is there a trick to bolting down the brackets with the new bushings? I know the bushings are a bit taller than stock, but I cannot fit the brackets back in! When I insert the tab in the slot and line up the brackets, I cannot push up the bottom of the bracket to clear the bolt and sit on top of it. I've been trying and trying and not getting anywhere. Anyone have a tip on how to reinstall? Thanks

[03Sleepr]

Originally Posted by <woj99>

Is there a trick to bolting down the brackets with the new bushings? I know the bushings are a bit taller than stock, but I cannot fit the brackets back in! When I insert the tab in the slot and line up the brackets, I cannot push up the bottom of the bracket to clear the bolt and sit on top of it. I've been trying and trying and not getting anywhere. Anyone have a tip on how to reinstall? Thanks

You haven't bolted up the end links correct? Make sure you are getting the tab all the way in. It's been a while, maybe you can post a pic..

[<woj99>]

Correct, I'm doing the rear bar, wheels are off and car is in on stands so I haven't bolted up the endlinks. I also unbolted the charcoal canister/evap box to give me plenty of room to manouever the bar.

I'm just trying to bolt down the brackets as pictured. I just took a quick pic holding the bar up with one hand so the bushing isn't fully seated in the bracket. But what you can see is that when I insert the tab at the top the whole bushing and bracket is at an angle and I can't clear the bottom bolt into the slot in the bracket. Even with a lot of force I can't push it up into place. Is there any method to get it seated properly? Thanks.

[happyisthealero]

Looks like you will need to smack it up there just to get it on that bolt, I could be wrong though?

Do you need an alignment after this is done both front and back?

[03Sleepr]

Get you a hammer and try to tap it into place, and yea. An alignment is recommended any time you do anything with your suspension.

[<woj99>]

Spend yet another hour on it...tapping it with a hammer isn't helping. It just gets jammed at an angle, there's no way I can get it to sit flush in position to put the nut on. The bushing just doesn't fit well, it's too tall to rotate the bracket into place...they pieced together something from the shelf and it's a nightmare to get it seated properly.

[<woj99>]

Originally Posted by happyisthealero

Looks like you will need to smack it up there just to get it on that bolt, I could be wrong though?

Do you need an alignment after this is done both front and back?

You won't need an alignment after doing the rear, you don't remove any pieces of the suspension that would change the alignment. For the front, since you need to drop the subframe it might be good to get an alignment after, but also unlikely that there would be any major misalignment after bolting the subframe back up.

[tw0123]

If you have a vice put the bushing into the bracket before installing... this way it can be done at perfect angles then it should help to install on the car... with the vice you can go slowly to ensure you aren't damaging anything at the same time ...

[<woj99>]

Thanks for the tips. That's how I've been trying..you don't need a vice, you can just push the bushing in with your hands completely into the bracket. Or, do you mean to put the bracket on and then try to make it sit flush in place with a vice rather than tapping it with a hammer. That might work, would just have to go back and see if there's a possible way to place a vice.

To those that installed the bar, how did you reinstall...Did you put the bracket in the slot then brought up the bar/bushing and rotated the bracket down over the bushing (i.e. sort of closing it over the bushing like a clamp)? Or, as just mentioned did you put the bracket over the bushing first and then try to place the bar up while fitting the bracket tabs into the slot?

It seems like the first way might work better for me, I can't get the bracket to sit flush if I put the bracket on first. I just need to wait for an extra hand to try it out. Also there isn't really any risk of damaging anything..the polyurethane is strong and it doesn't cut or gouge at all. Only thing is dings in the paint on the bar.

[Starglow]

I don't see any silicone lubricant on the bushings that will help the bracket slide on. I had no problems installing mine.

[<woj99>]

I coated the bushings and the brackets with the silicone grease, they slide in and out of the bracket freely. Do you remember the exact steps you went through reinstalling the bar, mainly did you put the bracket tabs in the slots first and then pushed the bushings into the brackets, or were you somehow able to fit the bracket into the slot with the bushing already in it?

Originally Posted by Starglow

I don't see any silicone lubricant on the bushings that will help the bracket slide on. I had no problems installing mine.

[03Sleepr]

I pushed the bushings in as far as I could first, the bushings are taller than stock so it won't sit flush, you have to put the tab in the slot then get it down far enough to get your bolt in, then let the bolt do all the work

[<woj99>]

Ok, thanks. Going to try this again today. Might use Tim's suggestion of using a vise clamp just to help line things up.

[tw0123]

Goo luck man... hope it works out!! I still have to get mine on too... hopefully now that the weather is warming i can work on mine again!!

[<woj99>]

Sway bar is installed. Clamping the bar to hold it in place helped a lot. I was then able to slide the bracket on over the bushing all the way and push it in place and screw on the nut to make it sit flush. In terms of tips, the key is pushing up on the bracket/bushing, don't really need to try to push in, just fit the tab into the slot and push it up as much as possible. It takes some muscle, but this let's you put the nut on about half way and screwing in the nut the rest of the way will force the bushing to sit flush. I guess the other tip for the install is for bolting the endlinks back in, they need to be lined up exactly with the hole in the spindle, the bolt should not have any resistance and you should be able to turn it by hand almost all the way. Torque specs are 39 lb/ft for bracket nuts, 37 lb/ft for endlink bolts.

The rear bar alone doesn't make a huge difference, but it's a noticeable difference and definitely worth it. It keeps the rear end a bit more flat and it guides the front end through turns, which is nice for driveability.

I have a slight clunk when driving over large bumps. Not sure yet if that's from the bar or from my exhaust pipe hitting something as I have one less hanger that I had to cut to install the bar. Will have to see when I have my muffler and hangers welded back in.

[tw0123]

awesome man!! glad you finally got it on there... now for the front bar hahaha!!!