Step By Step Install of frnt sway bar, tons of pic - Suspension and Brake Forum - j-body.org

Step By Step Install of frnt sway bar, tons of pic - Suspension and Brake Forum

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Step By Step Install of frnt sway bar, tons of pic

Monday, May 05, 2003 8:12 PM

howdy i got my FE2 sway bar installed, below are the complete list of directions to install, this install should also work with any front sway bar that you choose, CAUTION!!!, there are about 20-30 pictures with each around 150k in size, I highly recommend, almost on verge saying require that 2 people install this bar, i would say doing this by yourself greatly increases the level of difficulty and boredom. Allright let's start, lift the vehicle and secure it behind the front suspension allowing the suspension to hang free
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000302.JPG">
 
 
in the next two photo's u will see the bolts that need to be removed, on both sides
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000303.JPG">
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000304.JPG">
 
allright pull the wheels
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000305.JPG">
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000306.JPG">
 
the bar will be sliding through here, this is also where the d-clamp and bushing go
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000307.JPG">
 
the hole near the dust boot(black circular thing) is where the endlinks will go
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000308.JPG">
 
allright we need to take the bolt out of the steering linkage, this is what the gearbox looks like the bolt is underneath this rubber seal
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM0003048.JPG">
 
pull the rubber up to reveal the bolt u may have to turn the steering wheel to position the bolt to line up correctly
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000347.JPG">
 
this bolt is quite far inside the car u will need a tool of equal length to reach it easily, the bolt is meteric i can't remember the size offhand right now, but everything is done in metric on the subframe, this is what i used to remove it
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000318.JPG">
 
allright pull the bolt out
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000317.JPG">
 
now its time to start removing the bolts on the subframe
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000309.JPG">
 
i put up a jack with a block of wood to hold up the subframe up while removing the bolts
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000310.JPG">
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000311.JPG">
 
don't remove this bolt! lol i did its for the a-arm and not needed to be removed
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000312.JPG">
 
this is the last set of bolts up near the brake lines
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000314.JPG">
 
allright now the sub frame should drop, now let me explain a little bit, when i dropped this; the frame only dropped a half a inch at most, in the directions i followed, it didn't say to remove the exhaust which i didn't but i couldn't get the frame to drop more then a inch,i actually think i need to remove the hanger from the cat but.... and to get the inch i actually had to pull down on the frame a bit, so maybe one of the guys that actually has taken the frame off can explain maybe what i did wrong.
 allright now we need to remove the bolt on the passenger side, that was allready in the subframe, there is a nut on top of the bolt its 10mm, remove it and then move the brake lines and power steering lines off the bolt
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000322.JPG">
 
once u remove the nut, remove the bolt with a 15mm socket, here is what the bolt looks like removed
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000324.JPG">
 
allright now you are going to have to wiggle the bar in place, WATCH the brake lines and power steering lines that u removed because it took some will power to get the bar in and u actually rub up against these lines, make sure the bar goes in under the two tie rods at the same time because u will not have the room to move it, if you only get one side under
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000319.JPG">
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000321.JPG">
 
allright this what it should look like when u get it in
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000325.JPG">
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000326.JPG">
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000327.JPG">
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000328.JPG">
 
allright now get the bushing's for the bar and put grease on them, i used ball bearing grease, slide them over the bar, then take the d clamp and turn it at a 45 degree angle and find the slit near the bolts for the bar. It should lock in the front, and will just need the bolts to lock it down. This is what the passenger side looks like after everything is done
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000332.JPG">
 
allright on this side ur going to need to use one of the bolts u ordered, 15mm, sorry about the blurryness
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000333.JPG">
 
allright lets talk, this bolt took me an hour and 20 minutes to screw in, yes over an hour for a bolt that should have taken less then 30 seconds, well let me give u alot of advice if u take the frame off or are capable of getting a tap set on this defintely regroove the threads, my friend below along with Mr. brake cleaner couldn't help
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000336.JPG">
 
there are a couple reasons as u can see below there is no clearance at all, i was working with one click on a ratchet, it then got too hard, and i ended up using a wrench in combination,after about getting the bolt halfway down, i lifted the suspension to get the wrench under the tierod, take a look
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000335.JPG">
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000338.JPG">
 
finally got that f'in bolt in this is what it looks like
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000341.JPG">
 
well time to bolt up the suspension, cus we are almost done
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000343.JPG">
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000344.JPG">
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000345.JPG">
 
alright after thats all tight and looking good, oh forgot to mention i didn't use a torque wrench although i did have one at the time, because the directions said to torque the sway bar d clamp bolts and there was no way in hell i was a getting a torque wrench in there, just remember what it felt like when u removed them,
 
allright lets connect our steering linkage, hope u didn't move your steering wheel :-), use your hand to get it back on the bar then bolt it back up
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000346.JPG">
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000347.JPG">
 
don't forget to push the seal back down on the gearbox so no dirt and crap gets in there
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000348.JPG">
 
allright cool were doing well, time to install the endlinks in the picture below,the left side goes up and the right side goes down, man my hands are dirty!
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000349.JPG">
 
make sure a bushing is above and below each piece of metal
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000350.JPG">
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000351.JPG">
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000352.JPG">
 
make sure u put both sides on before tigthening, these didn't compress like the poly on the back sway bar, so i tighten till they actually got hard to turn, they both almost stopped turning so i think i did it right
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000354.JPG">
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000356.JPG">
 
allright put your wheels on and get a beer, because your done, allright any questions let me know, i did my best on this, it may have not been the best way but it was the way i did it so, i hope it helps
 
<img src="http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/z/wzb100/fsway/IM000360.JPG">
 Its not how fast your car goes....its how much nerve the driver has to push it that fast.