ADDCO rear sway bar problems

-

superdart

Shade Tree Tinker Gnome.....
Joined
Aug 26, 2004
Messages
1,146
Reaction score
28
Location
DFW, Texas
WTH am I doing wrong?:banghead::banghead::banghead:

The locking blocks they include do not even remotely fit my application (8.25 axle). There is no way they will bottom out on the axle tube like the instructions say...the pic below is the best I can do. Is this actually correct? If so, then the end links are 1-1.5" too short.

My buddy had an old install kit from a past car he had, and I chopped up those blocks thinking I could get them shorter to rest on the tube. But when I tired that, the block no longer locked in to the u-bolts, and they could twist even when very tight.


2012-04-19_21-55-47_788.jpg
 
I installed mine just like that, after a few weeks they fell off. my 8 3/4 is a 3 inch tube so i went and bought two 3" muffler clamps and used the clamp as the base.
 
Really? Would have never thought of that. Guess I'll grab some exhaust clamps tomorrow.:prayer:
 
8.25 or 8.75 doesn't make a difference, the axle tube is the smae 3" diameter.

My car looks the same, I just kept tightening the the u-bolt until it was tight. I picked up as set of longer end links at auto zone for a couple of bucks to get the bar to set level. Been working good for a couple of years now.
 
Basicly it's a shitty design. Why would you want to rub of the paint and gouge the axle tube? Addco could have used a better design. I got some 1 inch thick aluminum and bored a 3 inch hole, cut in half, then drilled for the u bolts, works great.
 
I will certainly agree that the hardware of these Addco rear sway bars are Harbor Freight quality. Total thin/flimsy crap. The kits are cheap though.
 
Cut the "ears" on the locking blocks shorter so they will touch the bottom of the axle tube. Add 6 tack welds; one at each upper corner and two on the bottom. Touch up paint.

The Addco mounting kits certainly leave room for improvement.
 
-
Back
Top