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UUC SwayBarbarian Sway Bars
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Written by:
Izzy330i |
December 8, 2001 |
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Tools Needed:
Ramps and/or stands Floor jack
Phillips Head Screwdriver
Ratchet
13 mm socket
16 mm socket
Two 16 mm wrench
17 mm wrench
Anti-seize thread lubricant (type 13, Hi-Temp copper formula)
Valvoline Multip-purpose grease (Xtreme pressure, high temperature protection)
Torque Wrench (a short one)
Two 13mm wrenches
Note: Gray Arrow indicates front of car.
Estimated time: 2-3 hours
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1. Put the front tires on ramps or jack stands. I always place blocks behind the rear wheels to prevent the car from moving (just as a precaution!). |
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2. Remove the underbody engine cover. Mine was held in place by 6 screws with Philips heads. After removing all screws, slide the cover towards the rear of the car to clear the front lip. |
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3. Locate the stabilizer bar. First remove the nuts connecting the bar link to the strut assemblies. On my car the nut was 16mm. It requires a good amount of torque to loosen the nut. |
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4. Once loosened, you will notice the mounting ball joint starting to turn with the nut. Using a 17 mm wrench to counterhold, finish unscrewing the nut and remove it. The space is tight, but if you have a short 16mm socket you maybe be able to use a ratchet. Repeat for the other side. |
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5. Locate the bushing brackets. Using a 13 mm socket and ratchet, unscrew both screws of both brackets (one on each side of the car). As they become loose, the bar will start to lower and eventually fall. Be careful it's heavy! Here I placed a few 2x2 and 4x4 blocks to keep it from falling on me or directly to the ground. Remove the bar completely. |
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6. Remove the bushing brakets from the bar. Make sure the new bushings pattern match the bracket pattern before installing. Grease the interior of the bushings generously using a mix of copper anti-seize compound and Valvoline bearing grease. This recipe comes from a reputable mechanic and SCCA racer. |
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7. Pry open the bushings and install them on the new bar. We were able to put the bushings on the bar using 2 sets of hands prying together (couple effort!). Place the brackets onto the new bushings. |
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8. Installation is reverse of removal.
Here, the Bentley service manual suggests:
22 Nm (16 ft-lb) torque on the bushing brackets
65 Nm (48 ft-lb) torque on the bar links (replacing the M10 self locking nut) |
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9. Jack up the rear of the car. Here I followed someone else's instructions which suggested jack stands. First, I used a floor jack to lift the car. I placed it under the frame bracket right in the center of the car. Then I placed each jack stand under the jack points on either side of the car, just forward of the wheels. It would be easiest to remove the bar while the car is on a lift. Before working on the car, make sure it is stable and steady. |
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10. Locate the rear swaybar. First you must remove the endlinks. The support bracket holding the link is located just behind the spring (behind the wheel hub). Remove the bolt and nut using two 13 mm wrenches, one to counterhold the bolt and one to unscrew the nut. |
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11. Repeat on the other side. |
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12. Once the endlinks are removed, remove the bushing brackets. The bolt/nut is located above the swaybar. I used a ratchet with a 13 mm socket and a 13 mm wrench to counterhold the nut. |
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13. The brackets have a notch that fits into a slot to hold them. So once both bracket bolts and nuts have been removed, lift up the swaybar slightly to free the brackets. The swaybar will drop. |
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14. Now removing the swaybar is the trickiest part of this installation. There is little room to move the swaybar around to free it. After a lot of wiggling, we were able to remove it through the driver's side rear wheel well. This is where more room under the car can be helpful since you'll be able to move the bar vertically to shift it around. |
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15. Here is what the OEM rear swaybar (black) looks like compared to the UUC swaybar (metallic). |
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16. Prepare the bushings by greasing them. The bushings for the rear swaybar are smaller than the fronts and much easier to pry open to fit on the bar. I've tried to put the bushings before getting the swaybar in place, but they ended up being in the way. So I would suggest to start by placing the swaybar. Figuring out how to get the old one out was difficult and so will putting the new one in. |
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17. With the swaybar in place, install the bushings and brackets on the swaybar. Prior to refastening the bushing brackets, you must place the endlinks. Here we opted to make the new endlinks the same length as the original ones. But UUC advises to adjust them according to the height of the swaybar after tightening the brackets. |
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18. So with the endlinks attached to the swaybar (using a 17mm wrench the counterhold the nut of the 16mm bolt), place the bushing bracket notch into their respective slots. Refasten the nuts and bolts for both bushing brackets. Here I had a difficult time getting both brackets back into their original position. The swaybar kept hitting the muffler. The only way I was able to get the brackets back in palce was to compress the suspension on the passenger's side. This was done using the floor jack. |
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19. With the bar in place, fasten the top of the endlinks (using two 13 mm wrenches, same as the removal process). Here is where you need to adjust the heigth of the endlinks. Now mine were adjusted prior to installation. To tighten them at the appropriate length I used two 16 mm wrenches. I would suspect that tightening them while in place might be tight. Good luck! |
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20. You are done! To determine the appropriate settings for your UUC swaybars, consult the guide.
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