hi all,
i was planning on installing my combo sway/tie bar that i bought used a couple months back and wanted to see if anyone out there can offer any tips or critical advice to make the install go smoothly.

i've look over the helm's manual along with comptech instructions carefully and doesn't seem like i'll need to replace any nuts or bolts.

- is "Teflon string seal tape" the same thing as "Teflon tape"? i bought some of the former and it doesn't seem to have any sticky backing, but rather just wrap it to whatever surface i'm trying to protect/lubricate. is that correct?

- i hear the endlinks may need replacing, but is there a way i can tell?

- if there is anything that easily breaks under there, please let me know too.

- do i need need a new bushing? the used one still looks ok, no cracks or anything.

- the rod end seems to ends seem to be a bit dry and don't glide in the socket very smoothly. is this an issue?

sorry for all the questions...i'm just paranoid about these kind of things.
TIA!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ee-gsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">- is "Teflon string seal tape" the same thing as "Teflon tape"?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Yes, it is the same.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ee-gsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">- i hear the endlinks may need replacing, but is there a way i can tell?</TD></TR></TABLE>
I believe Comptech's kit comes with endlinks. If it comes with them, replace them with Comptech's, if they don't come with them, don't worry.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ee-gsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">- if there is anything that easily breaks under there, please let me know too.</TD></TR></TABLE>
The rear LCA bolt is known for seizing up and snapping. Give it a good shot of PB Blaster the day before you do the install.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ee-gsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">- do i need need a new bushing? the used one still looks ok, no cracks or anything.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I'm not sure which bushing you are referring to, but Comptech's kit comes with all the bushings you will need.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ee-gsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">- the rod end seems to ends seem to be a bit dry and don't glide in the socket very smoothly. is this an issue?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Are you talking about the spherical bearings in the endlinks? If so, I would make sure those are good and lubricated before you put them on the car.

 

You might want to remove the muffler to make the installation a little easier, however it's not manatory. Theres a bolt thats hard to get in because of the tight space between muffler and the tie bar. Make sure both endlink are adjusted equally. Also like what Wiggie said the LCA bolt can be a bitch to get back in, especially if you don't have any power tool. Heres a picture of mine painted black to reduce the bling factor.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WiggiE &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Are you talking about the spherical bearings in the endlinks? If so, I would make sure those are good and lubricated before you put them on the car.</TD></TR></TABLE>

hi WiggiE: thanks for all the good info. gives me lots more peace of mind.
and yes, it's the spherical bearings in the endlinks that i was referring to. the instructions didn't really label everything clearly.

so silicon grease should be good enough or do i need something else?

thanks again!

 

hi LostGsr: thanks for the visual!

i'll probably go pic up an extra set of the LCA bolts just in case (hopefully they aren't super $$$ like some of the other bolts )

one thing. i notice that your sway bar still has the small black rings held on with a metla clamp (e.g. the lil black piece to the right of the bushing/bracket on the left). are those just for alignment or does it actually prevent the sway bar from shifting around (if that's even possible when everything is tightened down)

my used bar had both of those pieces broken off and was wondering if it was critical or not.

thanks!

 

You are correct, those black rings are suppose to be used to prevent the sway bar from shifting. To be honest with you, I'm not sure how much the bar will shift while cornering without them. I can't believe it makes that much of a difference because there are many members here that upgraded their sway to the R one without using that ring. Goodluck

 

one thing I had trouble with was installing the tie bar.. make sure you dont tighten up the bolts on one side first.. do everything evenly.. (ie. like screwing lugs on a wheel) I had to learn the hard way.

but other than that the information provided above is pretty much it.. just follow the instructions http://www.comptechusa.com/instructions/ins023.pdf in case you don't have them

 

y is my sway bar is colored in silver, while everyone else has black sway bar..............................

just follow the instruction.

 

The inner lower control arm bolts are usually fine, they don't have the seizing problem that the outer or shock bolts have. Remove the muffler, you're gonna want to do it half way through if you don't do it in the first place. When reinstalling the control arm bolts the hole will not line up, use a deep 14mm socket over the bolt and hammer it to get it to line up. That's why the bolt is pointed on the end. Give yourself plenty of time.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by integrasi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">y is my sway bar is colored in silver, while everyone else has black sway bar..............................

just follow the instruction.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Newer kits come with a silver bar to match Comptech's silver lowering springs.

 

thanks for everyones' comments and inputs!

so i luckily i started at noon on saturday and slooooowly took my time to complete this. took it out sunday morning for a test drive finally and i was like .... and was giddy for most of the day. i only have it on the medium setting cuz i don't want to have to deal with removing both ends of the endlink in the future (so i have the tapered spacer in the med/hard setting position). it's really amazing how much tighter the rear feels now with the bar in place. the only thing surprising so far is how the car reacts when letting off the throttle in a turn (i know...i know...this was at low speeds and i was only doing this to test out how it behaved) and it rocks back to the opposite side quite quickly. will need to work on controlling this a bit better. also, i'm still on stock shocks/springs and the car feels taller or has a higher center of gravity with the bigger sway bar. is this my imagination or is the car just not squatting as much anymore. anyways, might install my new shock/spring setup earlier than expected to fix this maybe...

some notes:
definitely remove the exhuast first (and i did). no seized bolt issues, but the endlinks were definitely a biotch. since i got this setup used, the dude who had it previously put together the endlinks in a really poor manner. i think any and every permutation that you can think of (in terms of mixing up the spacers, etc.), he did that. pb blaster is da bomb. i originally used liquid wrench to loosen up some of the bolts first, but when i go to the pesky endlinks, pb blaster saved the day.

integrasi: that's a good tip about getting the 14mm bolt back in.
i noticed the alignment issue so i got my kid sister to push the bottom of my tire in towards the center to give me the space i needed. hehe...

only bad thing happened, which was one of the top bolts that holds the sway bar on does not tighten completely AND it will NOT come off .
i don't remember if that bolt was damaged or not, but it won't stop turning. it's on pretty tight, but i can't torque it to spec. also, i can't get it back out anymore. i see the thread sticking out on the other side (inside the bottom of the subframe).

QUESTION&gt; Anyone have any ideas how to get it back out or what might be wrong with that bolt?

 

wanted to see if anyone has any solutions for the bolt problem.

only bad thing happened, which was one of the top bolts that holds the sway bar on does not tighten completely AND it will NOT come off.
i don't remember if that bolt was damaged or not, but it won't stop turning. it's on pretty tight, but i can't torque it to spec. also, i can't get it back out anymore. i see the thread sticking out on the other side (inside the bottom of the subframe).

QUESTION&gt; Anyone have any ideas how to get it back out or what might be wrong with that bolt?

 

The welded nut on the back of the subframe may have broken free, I'd wouldn't leave it as is since this is one of the more critical bolts. Your swaybar brackets being loose is not what i'd call safe. Imagine if your carving a nice turn and the rear sway bar breaks loose, this would definitely unsettle the car.

Solution, I think you're gonna have to pull the control arm to get access to the nut through the subframe. Put a wrench on it and torque to spec.

Good luck.

 

hmm... so does that mean the welded nut is missing? if it popped off during install, i didn't see fall or anything. if the nut is still on the bolt thread, then it should stop turning when it try to take it out, so does that mean only a few threads in the subframe is holding it in?

i'll look into this asap.