Gernby

Do any of you have a part list for building adjustable end links from the local hardware store (mainly bolt sizes and lengths)? After looking at pictures of the links, I went to a hardware store, and found that they have all the necessary parts in many different sizes. If I can't find a list of parts here, then I'm going to create one and post it...

My second question is about the requirement for an adjustable link on BOTH ends. Is there any reason why both end links would need to be adjustable? It seems to me that you could keep the OEM end link on one side of the car, and just put the adjustable link on the other side to remove any preloading of the sway bar.

My third question is about how to remove the preloading of the sway bar once the end link is installed. I don't have a lift available, so I can't reach the end links while the car's weight is on the wheels. My thought is that I can raise one end of the car from the center jack point (jack #1), then lift the other end of the car where the adjustable end link is (jack #2), and remove the wheel. Then I would put another jack under the lower control arm (jack #3), and lift it until I can remove jack #2. Then all the weight at that corner would be on jack #3. I would lower jack #3 until the car is level side to side. Then I think the load on the sway bar would be about as it would sitting on the ground with the wheels on, so I would adjust the end link to have no load. Is this right?

Gernby

Forget about the 3rd question. I realized that the car would need to be level side to side AND front to back, with me sitting in the car, and have only 1 wheel (on the other side from the adjustable end link) touching the ground. I will just pay the extra $5 to have the alignment guy do this when he does my alignment.

jzr

Get parts #60745K64 and #60745K84, 2 of each, from McMaster-Carr, catalog page 1043. Credit to Jason Keeney for the original spec'ing out of these parts.

Full droop is going to be pretty much equal side to side, so it's not really worth fretting over it past that point.

Adjustability isn't really needed on both sides, but something stronger than the stock plastic dealy-bobs is.

Gernby

Thanks for the info! However, I don't have any idea what you are talking about in this statement.

jzr

[QUOTE]Originally posted by gernby
[B]

Thanks for the info!

Gernby

I see. Since I don't have a perfectly level, flat surface, I was thinking I should balance the front of the car from the center jack point, while I rested 1 of the rear wheels on the floor and lowered the suspension of the other wheel until the car was level, then adjust / connect the end link. If both front wheels were on an unlevel surface, then I wouldn't have any way to get the rear loads balanced.

Anyway, I think it is pointless for me to go through all the effort of adjusting the preload of the bars, when it would be so easy and cheap to have the alignment guy do it...

Gernby

So 2 of each of these would give me 1 end link for the front, and 1 for the rear?

jzr

Guess I made some ASSumptions here - namely, that you were putting a larger front sway bar on for autocross or whatever, and were looking for the adjustability to compensate for some sort of innate pre-benditude in the bar.

Since instead this sounds like an exercise in corner-weighting and you aren't restricted by stock-class auto-x rules, may as well get 4 of each. You could get by with 2 and run one front and rear, but it's not a good idea to mix endlinks. Jamb nuts with nylon inserts would be a good idea to keep everything held together.

IMHO as long as you have your front and rear coilover pairs at the same relative height, corner balancing and the resultant fretting over swaybar preload is overrated as an activity and a waste of time and $ on anything but a full-bore race car. IMHO, of course.

vtecing

Do you happen to know if these rod ends will work with the Gendron bar?

s2k2fast4me

On my Gendron bar, you will need to bore out the 5/16" holes to the 3/8" stud size from the MC ball joints. You will also need to machine down the thickness of the arm about in half so that the stud can reach all the way through with enough room for a nut to grab properly. I wouldn't worry, those arms are way overbuilt.

I say "my" Gendron bar, since I had heard he has since changed the endlinks that come with the bar (don't know the details).

-Andy