Suspension & Steering

Devek swaybar

Mark wrote:
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Devek swaybar

What can I say. Easy to install, very effective, and I just need to know
how to adjust without jacking up the car and leaning one side attached and
then letting it settle before attaching the other end.

Has anyone done the sway bar ?? It handles like a monster now. should
be fun at Laguna next weekend.

mk
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I installed a heavy duty Devek front swaybar about a month ago. I agree it
was easy to install EXCEPT for trying to connect the drop links AFTER the
suspension has settled. It would be easy if I had a pit or a drive up ramp,
but I don't. I turned the wheels to one side and crawled under one side.
I'm not sure this allowed adjusting with no pre-laod, but it was the best I
could do. Do follow the instructions about using loctite and the correct
torque. I had to re-do mine as bolts loosened up. Again this was a pain
without sufficient clearance. The bar is beautiful, powder painted blue,
and all the hardware is top quality. Even comes with urethane bushings and
bushing grease. Drop links have heim joints.

WOW!!! The car is FLAT now and I still have some stiffening adjustment
left. Can't wait until spring when I get to try it out on auto-x courses.
Body roll is controlled and the rear seems to stay planted better when
applying power in corners. Mark, how is it on the track?

Curtis Eames - 91 GT
Vancouver, WA

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NO PROBLEM with the install of the drop links as I installed everything with the last bolt on the slide disconnected and as it settled, then I just reached under the car witht wheels straight, and turned the droplink to correct position, then screwed in the bolt. A little tough, but maybe you didnt have the drop link hanging down. Anyway, what bolts with out the lock tite came loose. I didn’t use locktite as the slide adjustment is an aircraft nut. (I think) and the slide bolt is a lot of threads and it wont matter if it comes loose, it will just fall out (eventually). Are you talking about the locking nuts for the drop link?? will it rota te and ruin the adjustment?

MarkKibort

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The bolt that came loose was the long allen head bolt that goes
through the lower heim joint of the drop link to the sliding
adjustable rod in the sway bar. It was fine for awhile, but starting
clunking after about 50 street miles as it worked loose. This noise
was quite obvious, so you will know if it gets loose. Part of my
problem was getting enough torque on the bolt because of the low
ground clearance and short lever arm on the allen wrench. With blue
loctite and a cheater bar on the wrench I haven't had any problems.

Curtis Eames - 91 GT
Vancouver, WA

Hmm, I may have cheated on my install. The instructions call for setting the bar with the suspension unloaded. I/we figured with both wheels off the ground that's about as unloaded as it could get? Did not notice any strangeness with tightening or loosening of fasteners, only thing is some tire rub at full lock but I'm not running stock rims, etc. Gonna' retorque next chance... Beginning to get some bushing noise
too, I never did get around to the zerk mod.
Phil


Phil,

I'm not sure you can count on the swaybar adjustment having no preload
when your car is setting on the ground after the suspension settled.
You set it to zero preload with the tires off the ground. My guess is
that the right and the left sides would compress different amounts
thus creating preload on the swaybar. If this happens then I would
expect the roll stiffness to be different tuning right than left.
I don't know how big this affect would be. May not be significant, but
I want to eliminate any affect if I can.

Curtis Eames - 91 GT
Vancouver, WA