Hey guys, BklynsmoeVE got his hands on a used Addco front sway bar with poly mounts from a good source. The guy had it on his 3rd gen that he got rid of. Thing was heavy as ****. Twice as heavy as stock and beefier in a few places. So we went ahead to throw it on today. Thats when all hell broke loose. No matter how we tried to put it, we could not get it to line up with the stock end links. We tried everything. Flipped it every way possible, even removed the end links and tried installing it with them. No good. It was always a bit off. We can only get the tip of the studs on the links to come through the hole. Obviously not enough to get a nut on. From my experience, this thing needs special end links made for this sway. As you can see in the pics below, its just not gonna happen. Maybe the angle of the pic is bad, because it sorda looks possible, but no matter how we twisted or turned that end joint to get into the hole, it wasn't happening. And it looks like we have it mounted as good as its gonna get it. Funny thing is, it looks almost exactly like the stock one. Had us going crazy. Maybe we had to jack something up to put pressure on those control arms ??? I think it needs different links. Are we missing something here? Thanks.

 

I think I had the same issue when I was replacing my worn out sway bar end link bushings. One side didnt seem to want to go on. IIRC u have to loosen the middle enough to where you can at least get the studs on the end links.

 

I dont think that would help. We had a mini jack underneath the center of the sway, so we were able to adjust it as needed but the holes were just not linining up anywhere near the end links. Do you think the tires have to be on the ground? I was reading that in some Addco sway thread last night.

 

Go back to your source for the endlinks that work with the swaybar.

 

Thank you Augustus.

Not always, but sometimes I know what Im talking about.

Edit: btw, where can we get those if this guy doesnt have them anymore?

 

(1) hope he still got em
(2) post a WTB in the classified section
(3) try contacting Addco
(4) do like I did and keep it stock

that's the best I could do.

 

http://www.energysuspensionparts.com...-End-Links.asp

You will need to get the correct measurements in order to get the right links.

 

Thanks but it seems the guy has them somewhere. Lets hope he finds them.

 

Autozone sells the poly donut bushings and new washers in a set of 8. they're $10 or 420 a set. then you need a long 3/8" bolt and a little bit of sleeve for the middle. voila.

You can probably also get them at Advance, Checker, whoever your local place is. just call them and ask if they have energey suspension sway bar endlink bushings. they're usually just handing on a card on the shelf in the store. foreget where they usually hide them though.

they might even have the full kit you need, but like I said, you can just put the kit together with those bushigns and a couple bolts from the hardware store and a tiny section of 3/8" tubing/pipe/whatever.

Also.. if the bar is that hard to rotate without the endlinks connected (i.e. just the center bushings in place), then you need to remove the bar and grind some of the urethane off the bushings to produce less bind. you should be able to easily rotate the bar by hand with the bushings bolted in place. If you cant, then it causes the suspension to bind and handling gets worse instead of better.

 

Leave it to Matt to be able to concieve suspension parts out of simple hardware laying around the shop
We will definitly try that if this guy can't find these links.

Also thanks for the sway bar tip. Had no idea that can cause an issue. We were able to turn it by hand with it mounted up and everything.

 

You'd be amazed how much of a real race car is built from stuff found on the shelves @ Lowe's....

underbody aero and radiator ducting? check- aluminum sheet metal
sway bar links? check- nuts & bolts and some short sections of tubing.
driveshaft hoop? check- metal shelf again.
rear parcel shelf blockout panels? check- more sheet metal.
chassis brace? check.
brake ducting? fiberglass resin and section of 3" pvc.

etc etc etc.

 

I saw a set of those poly bushings for the sway bar in Advance auto parts, and I was thinking of getting a pair. I was hoping they would have a set for the control arms.

 

Wow amazing.

I wonder if I can get some of that aluminum sheet metal for the under carriage of my Bimmer. I had all my plastic under covers removed during my head gasket repair, and I left them in my parking spot for a few days. They were gone when I came back. For all 3 crappy plastic covers they want almost $200 bucks. Expensive mistake. Would be cool to get some of this sheet metal under there Probably would be a pita to get all the measurements down. unless i made exact alluminum copies of the ones available at the dealer.

 

OMG! Front and rear sways installed and let me tell you.. In the twisties, this car controlled physics tonight. Handeled like an LMP1 car on soft racing rubber. I just hope we have the end links installed correctly. Those bushings and washers got a bit confusing at one point. Augustus, you wouldn't happen to have the underneath shot of that pic would you? Like under the control arm? Also for some reason we had a dowel pin looking thing left out. Is that what goes in the center of that endlink contraption? We dont have that. Just washer, bushing, washer...(no space) washer, bushing, washer.. Does that maybe raise the sway bar up a bit? Cause it looks really low to the ground.

 

yeah, the dowel pin goes between the inner set of bushings & washers.
that's why I said some tubing or pipe from the hardware store would come in handy.

you don't want to waste your time with sheet metal under the car like I did. first bump and you tear it up. fine for a track car, not fun for a street car.

And Nissan wants about $160 each for those damn things. I wound up buying a full set at a u-pull-it yard for like $15 or something.

 

We actually have those dowel pins except when I tried to slide it on, it was way too tight to do it by hand so I figured it didnt belong there. What do they do there anyway? Just raise the sway bar up a bit?

Yeah makes sense. The plastic is so much more flexible. Nissan has some expensive parts too. I would go to the yard for that, but rarely any keep newer BMWs and if they do, they are trashed and stacked on top of other cars. No way the plastic under covers would still be in one piece. I should still check though. Probably a good idea to get for the upcoming winter.

 

Wow you had to be joking!!!!! You want the bar with the proper endlinks to form a 90* angle for the most effective position!

 

I'll to take one...but remember my sway bar setup is stock.

 

yeah, the dowel just spaces the bar up a bit so it doesn't hit the suspension at full compression/droop.
so the dowels don't slide onto the bolts, or the dowels are too long to make everything fit together?

stick them in a vice and drill them out a hair to enlarge them if you need to (then be sure to coat them in anti-sieze to keep them from rusting to the bolt), but if they're too long, just trim some off until they're the right length. that stuff is universal so they just give you a really long bolt and dowel and you can trim it down as necessary.
you're really making this harder than it needs to be.

 

hm? dont think i know what you mean. doesnt look stock to me

To answer your question, I think the dowels dont fit onto the bolts but I can make them or find something else to replace them with. Also we have yet to see if everything can fit together and still be able to be bolted down from the bottom of the control arm.

But yeah thanks for the tips, and your right, this all coulda been alot simpler for sure. I just also heard that he wont be able to go to most car washes with his intrax drop and now this sway

 

I installed an ADDCO rear sway,awesome results...but it snapped off the sheet metal frame anchor..... :-( now I gotta get some angle iron and have them welded onto the frame!

 

Here's what the endlinks look like taken apart....very simple guys!

http://www.google.com/products/catal...ed=0CEkQ8gIwAA#

 

thanks C.. i dont think our bolt is that long tho. a tad shorter i think

 

They don't need to be that long. mine were about 4" IIRC, but it's been years since I've been under the car.

 

That's not intended to show you what size you need but merely what you need as far as style and the pieces required for that assembly!!!!!!

 

hey thanks a lot guys for the feedback i really appreciate the help, im always having internet issues at home so i rly cnt org much .

Thanks on the tip for the special endlinks aug those pics rly helped, and thanks a lot matt for all that sweet suspension info thats whats i love to hear i wish everyone wrote with that much detail while sneaking in cool tips lol. Im gonna get right on putting those dowel pins in when i get a chance. The car does feel like sway is touching suspension..

I wish there was something I could do about that clearence tho with the sway bar..could i possibly get a shorter bolt or maybe use some other kind of technique that way i could still have this awesome SB but not have it just a few inches off the ground? ( due to my intrax drop...1.75") or am i pretty much assed out from going to car washes?

thanks again guys really appreciate the help!