Jump to content
SAU Community

Removing front swaybar.


JimX
 Share

Recommended Posts

I had another look the other day but I gave up pretty quickly again. I can't get at the front mounting bolt because there's some sort of suspension rod in the way. This rod sits in a large bush pivot, and mounts onto the lower suspension arm with 2 bolts. I'm not sure what this rod is, it doesn't seem to do anything other than stabilise the forwards/backwards movement of the suspension.

Anyway, my question is, is there a way to get the swaybar off without removing this other suspension rod? I had a go with my breaker bar but it's on VERY tightly. I'd rather not remove it unless absolutely necessary. I also don't know what issues I will have trying to put it back in, like will I need a press or something to squeeze the bush back in?

Any advice appreciated!

Edit: I'm guessing this rod is the castor rod, but I could be wrong because I don't know much about suspension. Oh, and the car is an R33 GTS-t.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I pulled open the packets of bushes I got from Whiteline and read the instructions. Those rods are in fact the castor rods, or rather, the radius rods which control the castor. I think I can put the bushes in myself. The Whiteline guy mentioned needing a press to get them in but I think I can do it with my hands or maybe a rubber mallet :)

I'm going to pull the radius rods off this weekend and do the swaybar, as well as giving the bushes a go. But what I need to know is, what are the torque settings for the radius rod bolts? Does anyone have a list of torque settings for the various suspension bits?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey jimx,

the radius rods need to come off to get at the sway bar... easy to get off but as for the radius rod bushes... you will need a press.

torque settings...well mine are as tight as i could get em with a check about 500ks later....

hope this helps

lenno

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info Lenno.

So now it seems the biggest problem after undoing that really tight nut holding them on is putting the new bushes in. Could I use something like a vice or G-clamp to push them in? Just thinking of what I can use around home so I don't have to take the car to a suspension shop. I guess once I have them off I could just take the rods themselves in to be done on the spot, hopefully something that can be done on a Saturday morning without costing a fortune (that rules Midas out).

The rear bushes look to be a lot easier, because they are in 2 halves. I'm pretty sure they will go in fairly easily because I shouldn't have to push the "lipped" part of the bush through anything, unlike the radius rod ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no probs jim...

i tryed the vice, g clamp etc ended up taking them to my work to do on my day off (hate that). Just take the radious rods in to a workshop with a press if they charge any more than $5 a side they are robbing ***s.

Btw jim i got some awesome boot/bump kit yesterday should suit the shocks down to a tee... i'll let you lnow how they go

lenno

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oops, I forgot to take pictures :D

Last night I got all motivated and stuff, and got the radius rods out. I used various methods to undo the tightarse nuts and bolts, including using an old aluminium tubing bed head as an extension on the breaker bar. After the awkwardness of that I used the jack.

I got both rods out, then most of the swaybar off, then the LAST FRIGGEN NUT on the swaybar rounded off! I couldn't believe it. After much swearing I got my housemate's anglegrinder out and ground one side of the nut off. Thankfully I had a replacement nut the same thread (not the same shape tho'). The whole thing took about an hour longer than it should have coz of that nut.

Got the new swaybar in, then decided against trying to use a vice to get the old bushes out. I took both rods and new bushes to my local mechanic, who didn't have a press but referred me to a nearby one that did. I went there and it was done in about 20 minutes (I watched and helped in some bits). Pressing them out was no dramas, but the slippery urethane bushes kept popping out because they didn't have a metal sleeve.

They charged me $20 which I think is quite reasonable, their hourly rate was $60 which is pretty cheap already and 1/3 of an hour is $20 so I think it was entirely fair. Before he started he even warned me that he might not have a cone in that size and he'd have to make one, which would mean I'd be up for an hour's labour. But luckily he found that it was the same size as something on a Landcruiser which he already had the bit for.

Lenno, where did you get the boots and bumpstops from and how much were they? Got any pics?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got everything in the front back in, and now the car handles superbly! The extra castor angle makes the steering more steady. It wants to straighten up more so I guess it makes it feel a little heavier, but in a nice way. There's no body roll to speak of anymore.

The rear is still a bit sloppy, but that's because my tyres are pretty crap and I haven't installed the camber kit on there yet. I'm thinking of getting a hydraulic press myself rather than taking the arms to a suspension shop, there are 4 bushes to press out instead of 2 so I'm guessing it would be around $40 labour. I can get a press for not much more than that, so I should be able to do it at home and then have a press for future use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hey crazO.... if whiteline supply you the same boots and bumps i got, i don't recomend them. The best boot/bump stop combination i have found and fitted are monroe pk018. These bump stops require cutting but the boots fit a treat. $120 for a set but its good insurance

cheers

lenno

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share



  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Well I had 2 choices from then on. I either had to (reluctantly) move it on to another potential buyer and take the loss on the chin. Or I stick with it and turn it into a restoration project. I chose the latter. Project Snowstorm began! The frp body kit was the first thing to go. Turns out the original colour used to be silver. The Neo and gearbox were removed, along with the prop and exhaust system before it took a trip to the bodyshop, where I wouldn’t see it again for quite some time due to the pandemic hitting very soon after they took it away. Eventually, progress began and damage assessments made. Even the front chassis leg was in pretty bad shape!     Then the chopping commenced. For these guys it was just usual routine, to me it looked absolutely terrifying!   More to follow as I’m struggling to focus on my screen at 12:45 am!!!
    • That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. I would go cut bellhousing over that monstrosity of a flywheel all day, every day. It puts a lot more mass further from the last main bearing. I've had nothing but problems with Collins in the past and refuse to ever buy their products again. I would not trust anything they tell you. He's playing his salesman card.  I'm currently at 640whp on a mustang dyno (~770bhp) with the intentions of running E85 and a lot more power this upcoming spring. Cheers, 
    • Nah, it's not the reduced knock margin. It is a direct mechanical effect of having to initiate the combustion earlier, while the piston is still rising, which starts to exert combustion pressure on the rising piston earlier, making the rest of the engine work harder to finish driving the piston up to TDC where the combustion pressure stops being a negative and starts being a positive. Your modern engine that only needs ~10° to make MBT doesn't waste the other 10 or so degrees of crank rotation. That's almost all of it. The difference in knock margin might go either way. Remember that modern engines to which you are currently comparing the long tractor engine (the RB) are now running super high compression, direct injection, tricky cam control and maybe even cylinder pressure sensors. You're not comparing apples with other fruit. It's apples and sea weed, or some other evolutionarily primitive vegetation. And remember, squish only really comes into play at the very end of the stroke. It certainly does good things, but it is not the biggest contributor to what's going on. It is quite possibly much less important in 4 valve head than 2 valvers also, because there is so much less squish available to a 4 valve anyway.
    • Food for thought, a longer stroke motor would need less ignition timing vs. a shorter stroke motor requiring more ignition timing.
    • Thanks Duncan, HART is only 10 mins from me (I did my bike license there), it'd be awesome if it ran these types of things.  Sutton Road does look good and they take fewer cars than SMSP which is good.  Surely you have enough land to lay a few million tonnes of concrete and some sprinklers D? 
×
×
  • Create New...