My Mighty White 95 Z28

Whats up everybody, I am in the process of changing my sway bars to the 1LE front(32mm) and (21mm) rear sway bars I bought. My friend mention to me about adding endlinks that were alittle bit shorter than stock since my car is lowered. I have the eibach pro kit springs which they said it would approximately lower the car 1.25 inches but I think when they settle they would lower to about 1.5 inches. I was wondering which endlinks should I purchase? I do plan on buying polyurathane. If anybody has any suggestions or advice on which endlinks should I get please let me know. Also if you could include the part number also. Thanks in advance for your help.

LPEdave

Sure, they're easy to shorten, I'd do it. For parts, I'd just get the bushings from Energy Suspension (pn 9.8105G), then get the rest of the stuff (bolt, nut, spacer) from the hardware store. Then you can adjust them up and down yourself if you decide to do something else. Use a : 3/8-16-5" bolt, front and rear.

Dave

auto-Xer

I just changed mine and the spacer was longer between the links than stock. Does this preload the swaybar (forcing the ends higher on both sides)? Would the effect of this make them stiffer (since some of the 'play' has been taken out of them)? Also, is this what swaybar adjusters (as in 'in-car' that most TA series cars have) change to achieve the adjustablility?

Thanks!

LPEdave

It shouldn't preload the swaybar, there's nothing "forcing" it up if both ends swing up at the same time. The effect should be the same as making the swaybar thinner, since the force against the a-arm or body isn't directly into it, but at an angle now. I don't know how much of an effect this has, it's very small I'm sure. But that's the same reason you'd shorten them if you lower the car.

Dave

Dr.Mudge

The only load on the sway bar is from twisting action, and that is what happens in turns.

Norm Peterson

The reason that you want shorter endlinks is so that the endlinks are perpendicular to the control arm and the bar with the car at rest. Assuming poly bushings, that minimizes the bushing distortion required as the suspension moves (and minimizes the bending loads in the endlink bolts).

I'm not sure what the happens with effective bar stiffness as the angles between the bar and the endlinks deviate from right angles though. That probably depends on whether the axial stiffness of the bar along its fore/aft "arms" and the bending in the lateral portions of the bar back to the chassis brackets adds more stiffness than the reduced amount of arm bending subtracts . . .

Norm

auto-Xer

ok. Do the 'adjustable' swaybars then preload just 1 side to induce some twisting? My endlinks were a bit longer than stock, I got them from Spohn. They didnt make them, just sold them to me. Maybe it was a set that would 'fit' but not the best choice There was about 1/4-1/2" difference in the spacer between the endlinks (as in the aftermarket ones were longer).

Thanks for you help!
--Kevin

Norm Peterson

Preloading the bar with a twist is something that might have circle-track applications or if you're tinkering with corner weights but still have OE-style front springs. Not something that you'd normally get involved with, though, as the effects are not symmetric for left vs right turns. As long as both of your endlink spacers are the same length (and your chassis is square and the ride heights the same right vs left) you won't be introducing any preload.

Adjustable bars typically involve a means of moving the point where the endlinks pick up on the arms of the bar. The closer the endlinks attach to the torsional portion of the bar the stiffer the bar becomes.

A couple of quality minutes with a vice and a hacksaw will get your spacers to the right length.

Norm