Continuing from post #69 - installation of the front Eibach front sway bar...
8) Slide the greased bushing onto the sway bar.
9) Assemble the the u-brackets and loosely thread the front bolt to the thick mounting bars so that the bushings and u-bracket stay assembled.
10) Attach the two mounting bars (that the u-brackets and bushings with the now-captive sway bar are attached to) the car. The two bolts that are welded to the mounting bars drop into holes in the aluminum crossmember of front suspension. Attach the back holes in the mounting bars and the u-brackets using the cap screws removed earlier. (Cap screws require 8 mm hex wrench). Leave all fasteners loose.
11) Grease the split bushings and install them into the end loops on the control arms.
12) Slide the crush bushing through the holes in the split bushings.
13) Adjust the end links so that they are of approximately equal length. Eibach cautions not to lengthen beyond 80 mm from eye to eye. (This corresponds to about 8 threads showing.) I set them initially with about 4-5 threads showing, which makes the eye-to-eye distance about 73 mm, and leaves room to adjust in either direction if needed.
14) Slide a fender washer onto the longer of the bolts supplied with the Eibach kit, then slide the bolt through the crush bushing (from the front side, with the threads extending rearward). Then slide on another fender washer, a spacer bushing, the eye of the end link assembly, another spacer bushing, washer and nylock nut. Put a couple of turns on the assembly with 17 mm wrenches. Don't tighten completely yet.
15) Assemble the supplied large cap screw through one of the holes at the end of the sway bar. Slip on a spacer bushing, other eye of the end link, another spacer bushing, washer and 17 mm nylock nut. You may need to muscle the sway bar around a bit to get the bolt through the hole.
Note: The supplied instructions reverse the order of 14 and 15, but I found it difficult to get the lower eye lined up with the bolt. It was much easier to mount the lower end first, then fit the upper end to the bolt on the sway bar end. Finally, torque all the fasteners.
16) Once both ends of each end link are attached, torque the fasteners on both ends of the end links using 8 mm hex wrench, 17 mm socket and 17 mm box wrench.
17) Replace the belly pan under the cross member. (11 mm bolts and 17 mm nuts)
I had planned to use the softer setting of the front sway bar, but found that the angle of the end link would be such that it would hit the end loop on the control arm with the suspension at full droop (when the sway bar end extends farther forward than at normal ride height). I worried that this could bend or fatigue the end links if the front end was jacked up too many times. In the photo below (taken from the front side of the control arm) you can see that the end link is forward of the end loop on the control arm. But the lower end of the end link mounts to the
back side of the bolt through the end loop. That would be difficult.
This probably would not be an issue for cars with stiffer T-bars, because the suspension would not droop as far. For this reason, I ended up using the firmer setting. I may need to revisit this and see if I can adjust things to eliminate the issue.
Update: With the car sitting on the ground at normal ride height, I have tried to move the end links to the softer (forward) holes on the front sway bar. At least with my car, it does not seem to be possible. With the lower end of the link in place, the middle of the end link hits the fender washer on the half-bushing before the upper eye can be moved far enough forward to bolt into the softer setting on the front sway bar. I was hoping to try that setting in hopes of reducing understeer a bit more.
The rear sway bar goes on tomorrow. It should be a simple replacement of the OE bar and brackets.
Zeusdog