Can the Rear Sway Bar be Removed without Removing the Rear Shocks?

[Tidybuoy]

Can the Rear Sway Bar be Removed without Removing the Rear Shocks?

I just purchased a parts car that has front & rear swaybars (yea!). Anyway, I'm wondering if there is an easy way to remove the rear bar without removing the rear shocks. I'm not prepared to have the rear shocks removed just yet but the swaybar has a ball/socket connection that I can't seem to get seperated - is there a way or do I need to go the hard way and pull the shocks too?

Any advice would be great. Thanks..................Vern

[Tobra]

Yes, there are bushings in the short piece the connects the sway bar to the bolt.

Some kind of plastic, it was easy to get off on mine, as they were rotted. I seem to recall heating the piece up in hot water to make it easier to get together. I used a little gear puller with a quarter to protect the plastic when I pressed it on.

I don't know that you would want to re-use those bushings, block of wood and a mallet would work to get it off, there is a little ball on the end of the sway bar and on the bolt at bottom of shock that sort of pop in there. Probably a pic of it here somewhere

drop link, that is what it is called

[Tidybuoy]

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

I used a "pickle fork" ball joint separator and popped the drop-links off of the ball stud on the shock.

Note that if you're swapping the bar onto a car that never had one, you will need to weld on the nut plates for mounting the bar to the trunk floor, and hopefully the reinforcement plates there as well. And you have to swap the lower shock mounting bolts over.

--DD

[blitzer]

You might want to do some suspension research. Many 914 owners find their cars handle better without the rear sway. Including this one.