Replacing front (Weltmeister?) through the body sway bar bushing. What to use?
 

Need to replace the creaking, groaning front sway bar bushings.

This is the early through-the-body style bar.

Installed by the previous owner, so I'm not sure of the size or the make. Was probably installed 10 years ago or so.

Looks like a Weltmeister, though. Rough measuring shows it to be 19mm. No numbers on it, except "9071" stamped on the bar.

What's a good bushing to use? For a street car, just want it to be quiet. Anyone know what the 9071 means?

I used stock Weltmiester when I replaced mine on my old SC. I ended up getting them direct from Weltmiester.

I can't help but I've got a question for you since it looks like you have already removed your swaybar. I've got the same setup but it looks like the sway bar is off-center, sticking out further on one side than the other. Can I just smack it with a BFH (ok maybe a LFH) to center it up or is there something inside that positions the bar? I would hate to screw up somethng by hammering without knowing, but I'd have to remove the gas tank to find out for sure. Thanks!

Bill,
There is nothing in the gas tank area to worry about. When I installed my front sway bar, I centered it as well as I could, measured each side and tapped it with a hammer until I got the same measurement on both sides.

Thanks Marv! This place is great!

Matt, did that work ok for you? I got new bushings from Weltmiester also, but the bar still rattles! Arrgg. Perhaps it's the bushing holder or the bar that's worn. I know it's the bar rattling because if I remove the bar completely, all is quiet, but the front end is mush! :)

Bill - I suggest you loosen both side and put them in until you have an equal amout of the bar sticking out each side. A previous owner had intalled mine at the very end of the bar. This allowed the whole sway bar to move from left to right at time. When all the way over to one side or the other, the strut "dust cover" could hit the sway bar assembly; making a horrilbe racket on each bump. There is nothing inside to "center" the bar or limit it's movement. G'luck...

I just installed te same kit with the same noise results. What about using a cone rubber bushing?

My bar is not moving side to side, it's moving up and down fractions of an inch and causing the rattle when the bar is not "twisting" i.e. the car is not cornering. I thought about your rubber cone idea but figured when the bar "torques" , it might smash the rubber too much. My next idea was to have our local plactics shop machine a hard plastic cone (very slight taper) that would fill any gaps no matter which part may be worn.

Anyone else have other ideas?

I recently had the car cornerbalanced. My mechanic knew I was going to install larger sway bars when I got the car home so he told me not to use the cylinder shaped weltmeister bushings that came with the kit. He orderered me a set of weltmeister cone shaped bushings which are hard plastic. I installed the ones from the kit anyways because I forgot what he told me to do to get the ones he ordered me to fit. He also mentioned that I should use my original triangle brackets but I had already sold those. I'll go back and talk to him.

Talked to my mechanic. He said to use the factory original triangle mounting brackets and the aftermarket weltmeister bushings for the factory original triangle mounting brackets. You can also substitute factory rubber bushings. I'll be doing this tomorrow night after work.

Front sway bar rattle
 

Bob,

Did you eliminate the rattle?

I have the cylinder shaped hard plastic bushing. Is the cone shaped a upgraded bushing?

Thanks,
Jim

I did what my mechanic recommended. It eliminated the rattle/noise from the weltmeister bushings but if I listen closely I can hear what I can assume are the drop links. Not enough to bother me but not as quiet as stock.
The "cone" shaped bushings are not an upgrade but rather the factory rubber bushings. You will need to use the factory triangle chasis mounting brackets and not the supplied weltmeister brackets.
Hope that helps. Keep us informed.

Bob,

Thanks for the info! My rattle has been a source of frustration. I replaced the drop links which helped..... but I still can hear the bar rattling. I will give the factory bushings a try. Thanks again!

Jim