Re:swaybar installation

[randy mangum <rmangum@domain.elided>]

  well james, perhaps i can be of some assistance. it is my belief that the manufacturer has never installed this kit. most after market saw bar kits smell about the same, rotten!

But I am still confused as to how your suppose to use the original sawyer hardware on the 1" bar.
I also learned that I am supposed to re-use the center brackets. However the 1" bushing won't fit in the lower center bracket. correct me if i'm wrong, but the bushing are not anything like the original, and, not even close to the shape required to fit the brackets. this leaves two options, make new brackets, not very practical. or, make the bushing fit the bracket. this may be easy to say, but in reality, a little difficult. but with a little practice, doable. my solution was to dress the old grinding wheel, and grind away. using the original as a template.
a dust mask is recommended. carefully grind until the new bushing closely matches the original. test fitting often, so as not to remove to much material. it is important that the hole for the sway bar remain as close to the original position as you can. this may require additional trips to the parts store for a new set of bushings. i was able to do this on the first try. lucky me.

And if I could get it to fit, the top bracket won't butt up against the
bushing because it's larger which leaves about a 3/4 " gap between the the two.

if the bushing can be ground so that the bracket can be fitted together close enough, say within 7 or 10 mm, the retaining nuts will force the bracket into place. make sure you use the grease included in the kit, as urethane does not flex, and, will prematurely wear the bushing. plus it will squeak.

I tried using the original center bushings but they don't work very well
because they are too small to wrap around the sawyer.

it is possible to drill the originals with a slightly smaller that 1" hole saw, but not recommended. the
bit could grab, so be careful should you try it.

The second problem is the end brackets. I was told to use the new brackets
on the ends. The original brackets are contoured to the control arm and the
new brackets are flat which means they will be sort of crooked if I use them
there. Will this make a difference?

i was not pleased with these brackets, but they will work once torqued. the
alternative is the same as before, grind them to fit the stock bracket. the latter
is the route i chose, after grinding the centers, i felt the outers could not be anymore difficult.
wrong, the notch at the bottom was quite difficult to match.
 are you useing a rear bar? if not, you should reconsider, as it will make a big difference. more
than the front bar alone. good luck, email me if you need additional information.

randy mangum
'71 124 coupe
'77 scorpion



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