FordNut
08-21-2004, 02:17 PM
Got the Addco front sway bar installed today. A few tips that may be helpful to others (the clamps are still not the correct size):
Don't even bother trying to remove the old one without air tools. I tried and found that the clips that hold the studs/bolts in the frame will come loose from the heads and the bolt will just spin freely. Air tools spin the locking nuts off fast without any flexing, so they come apart easily.
The end links are not like any I've seen before. They are like tie rod ends, so poly end link bushings are out of the question. Not possible. The nut comes off and the stud pushes out of the sway bar easily.
The clamps for the sway bar bushings that come with the sway bar will not fit without modification. There are 2 clamps and 2 spacer plates. The oblong holes are not big enough to fit the studs. Tools needed to correct this are a 7/16" drill bit, a drill press, and a bench vise. At the outside edge of the oblong holes in the spacer plates, drill out to 7/16". Bend the curved clamps in the vise so that their oblong holes align with the oblong holes in the spacer plates. Drill them in the same places as the plates.
Now bolt it all back together.
Nice, balanced handling now. The watts link had made the steering feel a little twitchy, the sway bar balances it out. Flat around corners, like it should be.
Don't even bother trying to remove the old one without air tools. I tried and found that the clips that hold the studs/bolts in the frame will come loose from the heads and the bolt will just spin freely. Air tools spin the locking nuts off fast without any flexing, so they come apart easily.
The end links are not like any I've seen before. They are like tie rod ends, so poly end link bushings are out of the question. Not possible. The nut comes off and the stud pushes out of the sway bar easily.
The clamps for the sway bar bushings that come with the sway bar will not fit without modification. There are 2 clamps and 2 spacer plates. The oblong holes are not big enough to fit the studs. Tools needed to correct this are a 7/16" drill bit, a drill press, and a bench vise. At the outside edge of the oblong holes in the spacer plates, drill out to 7/16". Bend the curved clamps in the vise so that their oblong holes align with the oblong holes in the spacer plates. Drill them in the same places as the plates.
Now bolt it all back together.
Nice, balanced handling now. The watts link had made the steering feel a little twitchy, the sway bar balances it out. Flat around corners, like it should be.