Any words of wisdom on re installing my front 7/8 sway bar with urethane bushing on my Tiger after I have rebuild the front end. With the new urethane bushings used in the front end rebuild my car sits lower and I am not able to get the bolts back in that hold the sway bar. Any suggestions??? First tried car off jacks and then tried off ground. Used a c clamp to get one in but the others won't quite go.
Sway Bar installation after front end Rebuild
- Thread starter zuluking
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Straight & Level
The hard bushings make it a bit tough, BUT. I always place the front tires on blocks w/chocks and sometimes raise the rear to level the car. I then blanket the car to protect the paint and load the front of the car with sand bags until the lower A-arms are dead level to each other. This allows the sway bar to mate without angled strain. Seating the hard bushings is still a bit of a tussle, but with a little grease & patience . . . .etc. You will notice that keeping the ends equidistant helps a whole bunch. Count yer fingers . . . .
The hard bushings make it a bit tough, BUT. I always place the front tires on blocks w/chocks and sometimes raise the rear to level the car. I then blanket the car to protect the paint and load the front of the car with sand bags until the lower A-arms are dead level to each other. This allows the sway bar to mate without angled strain. Seating the hard bushings is still a bit of a tussle, but with a little grease & patience . . . .etc. You will notice that keeping the ends equidistant helps a whole bunch. Count yer fingers . . . .
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- 907
My 2 cents: a well built bar (one that exactly parallels the front edges of the lower control arms) makes the job so much easier!
A guy who owns a very large bending shop once showed me how he "adjusts" bends. The basic idea is that with a little persuasion, most any bend wants to straighten. Bang it hard in the "straighten" direction on a concrete slab and the bend will open a little. You might give this technique a try. (I've used it on 1" CrMo bars for Tigers and have been able to get the arms of the bar to fit perfectly along the front edges of the control arms.)
I install the bars with the front end weighted, as close to possible to ride height. However simply doing the work on the ground doesn't give much room to work underneath the control arms so I drive the car up on ramps. 6 inches is a good target.
I've used crummy V-blocks with a C-clamp to roughly position the end of the bar I'm not working on while I work on the opposite side. A jack stand in the center of the bar also helps.
good luck,
bt
at the beach
A guy who owns a very large bending shop once showed me how he "adjusts" bends. The basic idea is that with a little persuasion, most any bend wants to straighten. Bang it hard in the "straighten" direction on a concrete slab and the bend will open a little. You might give this technique a try. (I've used it on 1" CrMo bars for Tigers and have been able to get the arms of the bar to fit perfectly along the front edges of the control arms.)
I install the bars with the front end weighted, as close to possible to ride height. However simply doing the work on the ground doesn't give much room to work underneath the control arms so I drive the car up on ramps. 6 inches is a good target.
I've used crummy V-blocks with a C-clamp to roughly position the end of the bar I'm not working on while I work on the opposite side. A jack stand in the center of the bar also helps.
good luck,
bt
at the beach
sway bar
Just another $.02. I have found large Vice-grip pliers-the type used by welders-and a center punch works well for getting the clip into position. Use the center punch to lever the clip into position then position the Vice-grips on each edge of clip so the bolt hole is clear. The bolt should drop into position. The washers need to get in there too before getting the clip too tight.
Charlie N
65 Tiger
59 Hillman
Just another $.02. I have found large Vice-grip pliers-the type used by welders-and a center punch works well for getting the clip into position. Use the center punch to lever the clip into position then position the Vice-grips on each edge of clip so the bolt hole is clear. The bolt should drop into position. The washers need to get in there too before getting the clip too tight.
Charlie N
65 Tiger
59 Hillman
- Messages
- 333
I'm reviving an old thread here but I read it before installing my 1" sway bar with new urethane bushings from Sunbeam Spares in the U.K. The bushings are a very good fit in the clips which means no wiggle room. I got the job done with techniques mentioned here and a couple of improvisations done on the fly so I wanted to add yet another $.02.
First was to grind a tapered lead onto the bolts to make it easier to get them started. I ground about a 30 degree taper about 3/16 - 1/4" on the end of the threads. With a 1" bolt I had AN washers on both sides, a ny-lock nut still got all the way onto the still threaded part of the bolt.
Second was to use a "Compound Channel-lock Method" I used a giant pair to get the clip close to where it needed to be and then used a regular sized pair to squeeze the handle of the giant pair even tighter. You get a ton of leverage this way. Doing this I was able to get the tapered bolt started and let go with the pliers and thread the bolt in. Washer and nut on and tighten up.
This may not be necessary in all instances but I don't think I would have gotten mine together without it or some other cheat.
First was to grind a tapered lead onto the bolts to make it easier to get them started. I ground about a 30 degree taper about 3/16 - 1/4" on the end of the threads. With a 1" bolt I had AN washers on both sides, a ny-lock nut still got all the way onto the still threaded part of the bolt.
Second was to use a "Compound Channel-lock Method" I used a giant pair to get the clip close to where it needed to be and then used a regular sized pair to squeeze the handle of the giant pair even tighter. You get a ton of leverage this way. Doing this I was able to get the tapered bolt started and let go with the pliers and thread the bolt in. Washer and nut on and tighten up.
This may not be necessary in all instances but I don't think I would have gotten mine together without it or some other cheat.
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