Ok so I got my new sway bar and I'm having problems. It's 1 and 1/8 inch thick and I have clearence issues. I fliped it the other way and it fits but heres my question.

at each end of the sway bar a bolt is supposed to go through it with bushings. and that bolt passes through the a arm? I can't remember what it's called. Anyway do you guys know if the end of the sway bar is supposed to sit low enough for that bolt to go through without compressing my suspension or is the end of it supposed to sit high enough where I'd have to bring the arm up so I can get the bolt onto it?

If I dont make any sense let me know lol.

 

Those bolt/bushing/washer/spacer thingies are called 'endlinks'. Looking in side view, the bar arms should be approximately horizontal, and the car should be at rest with the weight on the wheels. Installing them may require the weight to be on the wheels, actually.

Understand that the control arm rotates about one axis while the sta-bar rotates about an axis that's about 90° different. So with the wheels drooping, it isn't going to line up very well. In fact, that's why you have bushings on the ends - so that it will permit a reasonably normal amount of suspension motion without breaking the endlink bolts. In an argument between the sta-bar, the control arm, and the endlink bolt about what's going where, the bolt would lose every single time if it was bolted down tight at either or both ends.


Norm

 

In other words because I have my suspension under no pressure and they are just hanging there it sounds like I have the sway bar in properly and once in either use a jack to compress it or set the car back down I should be able to manage to get it back together.

 

As long as it's the right part number for your year (and was correctly bent up during fabrication), it should.

Last time I had to replace endlinks on anything, I drove the car up on ramps (the kind where the ramps are tied off at the bottom to the vertical leg) to do the work. With new hardware, it isn't a physically difficult job, and does not require lots of torque on the endlink nuts.

Make that 'does not WANT lots of torque on the endlink nuts' if you're replacing the OE rubber-bushed endlinks with aftermarket poly endlinks. The poly is stiff enough that fatigue-failure of the endlink bolt is possible if you overdo it. This even happens at the OE-level, as Ford has found out concerning Explorers/Expeditions with the hard endlink bushing option.


Norm

 

Thank you very much.

 

Just my 2 cents, but a 1 1/8 is a mighty big bar. Lot of guys with track cars run the 1 1/8. Prob a little bit of over kill for a driver. It will be real stiff. And, if your frame is anywhere near as ruswty and rotted as those old control arms you just swapped out, it will be hard on the front frame rails. You may want to reconsider the size. Just a point to consider. The stiffness of the bar is not incremental with the increase in size, but increases exponentially. Some one posted a chart here once that explained it well. Maybe check the faq's. Not trying to discourage you, just thought i'd mention it. After doing some research ( I am swapping all my suspension as well, KYB gas adjust, 620 coils, arms etc.) I am thinking of going with a 7/8 bar or even 11/16. I want the car to handle well, but would like to keep my teeth.

Again just my 2 cents for what it is worth....good luck with your project. I am sure you will see a huge difference from what you removed whichever way you go.