Sway bar/roll bar bushing removal & install

[eldusto84]

Does anyone have a how-to guide for replacing the front sway bar bushings? It looks simple but I'm not sure how I can pull the end of the bar out of the LCA. The exploded diagram in the manual only shows one bushing on the bar but it definitely looks like there's two.

Any help, including photos, would be appreciated!

[Mark D]

Sorry these are kinda blurry.

You should be able to pull the sway bar thru the LCA bushings after you remove the two nuts on each end of the swaybar, and after removing the four bolts attaching the upper bushings to the frame crumple tube. There are two bushing halves in each LCA. Mine were stuck in there pretty good but you can eventually pull them out with a little wiggling.

Take care to note the order of the washers also as there are different sizes.

In the pics below I've reassmbled the bushings, washers and nuts in the correct order on each end of the swaybar. When you actually disassemble this from the lower control arms the bushing halves come out separately from the LCA.

[Rich]

The exploded diagram in the manual only shows one bushing on the bar but it definitely looks like there's two.

Confirming the bushing count as reported already here. Check the parts list on this diagram - it shows 4 bushings are used. Item #32.

http://store.delorean.com/c-296-5-1-...uspension.aspx

Yes, the diagram just shows one being there on the right side.

And a reassembly hint if you were not already planning it. Be sure to apply some silicone grease (not silicone spray) to the inside of the 2 front bushings before bolting up to the frame so as to prevent front-end creaking noises from at least those components.

[Jonathan]

Reviving an old thread to ask a related question.

I'm replacing my sway bar bushings, both the ones in the middle attached to the bottom side of the front frame extension and the donut ones in the LCAs.

The instructions I got with the kit (from Toby/DMC at the time) mention having the full weight of the car on the front suspension, i.e. wheels are not hanging but instead are resting on ramps or a lift presumably. I looked at the original safety recall bulletins regarding the front suspension, and it mentions raising the car to do sway bar work while having the front suspension at "full travel" which I understand to mean as wheels hanging (well, removed actually).

I don't have a lift at home, only ramps and jack stands. I don't need a ton of room under the car to do this as it's more in front of the car than directly under it, although to better access the nuts on the backside of the LCAs, it would be much easier for me to do so with the wheels off, i.e. front suspension hanging.

Is there a preferred way to do this or some consequences one way or the other? I saw a comment about preloading the suspension if you do things with it hanging in the air. Thanks.

[Josh]

I have done it on wheel stands and jack stands. Keeping the weight on the wheels would be ideal, but not the end of the world.

Whenever doing suspension work with the suspension unloaded I set the car down afterwards and loosen and retorque things just so the bushings are sitting at a neutral stat at ride height. You can not do this all the time but when you can you should.

[Bitsyncmaster]

With the original bushings the center is "glued" to the bracket it is made in so your do try to lock things down without any twisting loads on the bushing. With poly bushings the center collar is floating so locking it down unloaded is OK.

[eight8toy]

Jack stands too here. Installed DPI coilovers/LCAs with new bushings several months ago. Tightened everything while it was up on stands, then lowered and drove car around for a while and when I went back to replace my front rotors tried to tighten up those bushings again (didn't need much though).

Make sure to mark which side the sway bar ends go to passenger/driver to save you some time trying to figure out how to put the sway bar back on! Seems easy but I had to flip it over a few times to confirm...

[FABombjoy]

BTDT. Definitely easier with the weight on the wheels. That puts the bar in a neutral position and will come off and go back on easily.

If you remove parts with the wheels hanging the bar will be bent down and slightly inward and you may need a jack to assist with putting the bar back into position. You'll have to bend/preload it to put it back in to place.

[Jonathan]

Thanks for the replies.

I have it up right now with the front on ramps (wheels still on) and the rear on jack stands (just to have the car level while I work). It's safe and sturdy as it is.

I generally jack the car up and then set it down onto the ramps, never usually drive them up on to the ramps. Bad experience doing this with no helper/assistant and would rather avoid a repeat. I have the angled end of the ramp out the front of the front tires and so there is more room to get at those double nuts on the end of the sway bar from behind.

This was my main concern when asking. Most fasteners on my car have had a healthy dose of rust on them and so any time I go to do something on the car for the first time, it's usually quite the shit-show. I noticed that someone painted over much of the front suspension components with a black paint, which would be fine for the arms and whatnot, but they covered those nuts too. So I figure I'll be fighting some rust that's keeping them tight as well as a layer of paint.

The more access and leverage the better I've found with this, especially being able to keep the wrench or socket straight on to the nut you're trying to free. Ideally, it'd be on a lift and I can stand tall and use all my weight behind it, but it'll likely have to come off lying on the floor swearing and cursing as I go. Time to get the DeLora-sweara-saurus down off the bookshelf.

[dn010]

The PITA part comes in if one of the nuts welded under the radiator support bracket on the frame extension strip out or crack free, so you might use some PB Blaster or similar with the red straw to get in there and soak the components overnight. Otherwise, removing the bar is quite easy and fast. If you're going from the stock rubber to poly, I had an issue where the front bushings allowed too much side to side ARB movement and in that case a washer to take up the gap was needed. Hopefully this doesn't happen for you.

http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?16399