Heinz57

Hey gang. I Installed a '92 Civic SI/EX front sway bar on my car the other day. Here's a basic HOW TO for it.

Parts used:

- 92-95 Honda Civic SI/EX front sway bar
- 94+ integra front lower control arms
- Energy Suspension Graphite Impregnated (black) endlinks
- Prothane sway bar bushings
- Honda OEM 92-95 Civic SI/EX front sway bar bushing brackets (D-bracket) (qty:2)
- Honda OEM 92-95 Civic SI/EX front sway bar bolts (qty:2) and nuts (qty:2)

Tools used:
- 1/2" breaker bar
- Impact wrench
- 17mm, 19mm, 12mm, 14mm sockets
- 17mm, and 19mm wrench
- cutting torch
- MIG welder
- Grinder
- ratchets

STEPS:
1. jack car up..blah blah blah.
2. take off the bolts for the F. LCA: the bolt to the chassis, the bolt to the front shock, and the castle nut bolt located if you look under the brake rotor.


***NOTE*** This is hellified important - if you don't want to have to use a cutting torch:
For the bolt that goes from the LCA to the chassis, DO NOT use an impact gun on it! Use a breaker bar, with a 17mm socket, and plenty of PB Blaster. When you go to loosen it, do not put too much torque on it. slowly apply torque to it, or the nut inside the chassis frame which is tac-welded on will break!!!

if it breaks, you'll have to do this: to stick a 17mm wrench inside in order for the nut to not spin.


3. Unbold the three 19mm bolts that are bolted onto the chassis. These bolts hold on to the bushing/bracket that you'll have to reuse. This picture is of the new and old LCAs with the new Integra LCA reusing the bushing/bracket I'm talking about.


4. Do this for the other side.

5. Put the new LCAs on the car, going in reverse step, bolting everything up. Make sure you just snug all the bolts to make sure the LCA is in place, and then impact/torque everything down tight.

6. unbolt the shift linkages

7. If your car's exaust flange to the exhaust manifold connector pipe isn't rusted to all hell and melted onto the exhaust piping, simply unbolt the exhaust so that you can put the sway bar thru.

- if your car is like mine, you're going to have to cut thru the pipe. preferably with a cutting torch. you can use a cutoff tool, or saws-all, but that'll take longer.


8. stick the swaybar bushings on the swaybar, put on the brackets, and bolt to the frame. (you'll see where to bolt it onto. its right there)


9. put on the enlinks and bolt them up.


10. bolt up the shift linkages

11. make sure all the bolts are tight.

12. if you cut your exhaust, get some exhaust piping from the auto store. Grind the ends of the cut exhaust piping to somewhat smooth it out. put the bought segment of piping and stick it inbetween the cut exhaust piping, and weld the ends shut......or just take the damn car to a muffler shop.


13. put the wheels back on, lower the car, torque the wheels. and you're done.


IMPRESSIONS/REVIEW:

This job was more on the tedious side rather than being difficult. If you have the tools, It won't be too hard.

My suspension set up before the front sway bar consisted of:
- ITR Apex'i Springs (not coilovers!) on stock ITR front and rear shocks
- ITR rear LCAs
- 97 Integra GSR front strut tower bar
- "type R" rear strut tower bar
- polished rear lower tie bar
- 14" alloy wheels w/ 195/60/14 yokohama DNA Grand Prix (same tread as ES100s)

NO REAR SWAY BAR.......yet.

after a test drive, I noticed that theres noticably reduced body roll, and the car being more responsive. It also helps that the integra LCAs i bought from someone where brand new..so it had new bushings.

worth it? YES. Will it probably work awesome with a rear sway bar, once i get one? YES.


Modified by Heinz57 at 12:39 AM 3/20/2006

handa

nice how to!

do a rear sway bar how to sometimes. it will probably be similar though.

JDM R

nice write up hey did you break that nut off the chassis frame? if so what did you do to fix it?

Heinz57

I didn't really break it..

I started on the drivers side, and I impact gunned that bolt, since I didn't know that the nut inside the chassis was tac-welded on. The tac-weld broke, thus making that bold just spin, and not get loose.

thats why I had to cut thru the chassis to get to that nut (since I guess when the car went down the factory line, they had some special tools to weld that nut on thru a small hole) and hold it still with a wrench, so I could get it lose with a breaker bar on the other side....tell me if i'm not making any sense..

its kinda hard to explain... theres a small hole with a plastic cap, right below where the nut is, inside the chassis. you take the cap off, and using that hole as a starting place, cut/expand it to see/get to the nut. I hope you can visualize that..heh

mike-y

I had the same thing happen to me, and I had to stick my little finger through that hole and somehow managed to balance the nut on my finger, and get it back on the bolt.

but it took like an hour, and about 5000 swear words, lol.

JDM R

ok i think understand. Im about to put swaybars on my ek and heard somethin similar about that nut breaking off.

Tad

cool, thanks for the writeup, was wondering how this went!

And Cali people again need to thank their lucky starts. there are some negatives to living here, but the way the weather treats our cars over the longrun is truly a blessing.

JapJunkie

iTrader: (1)

Nice pics

LSVtecEK1

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Heinz57 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I didn't really break it..

I started on the drivers side, and I impact gunned that bolt, since I didn't know that the nut inside the chassis was tac-welded on. The tac-weld broke, thus making that bold just spin, and not get loose.

thats why I had to cut thru the chassis to get to that nut (since I guess when the car went down the factory line, they had some special tools to weld that nut on thru a small hole) and hold it still with a wrench, so I could get it lose with a breaker bar on the other side....tell me if i'm not making any sense..

its kinda hard to explain... theres a small hole with a plastic cap, right below where the nut is, inside the chassis. you take the cap off, and using that hole as a starting place, cut/expand it to see/get to the nut. I hope you can visualize that..heh</TD></TR></TABLE>
I did the same ****, it sucks. Very good advice though, DO NOT USE IMPACT GUN ON IT.

Heinz57

yea, thanks guys.

chicago will definately do a beating on the nuts and bolts.. but thank goodness to PB-blaster, torches, impact guns, and breaker bars!

Tad

where do you get pbblaster at anyways?
I should probly get some of that stuff just in case..

kKdARIAN

wow... good write up... sucks you had to go through so much trouble...

my welds look like that too... heh

Heinz57

you can find PB-blaster at autoparts storts (I just saw some yesterday at Murrys) and I'm pretty sure at hardware stores (i think)

yea! the welds look like poo...and I have an exhaust leak now..cuz my buddy who welded it couldn't get to the top part of the pipe on one side..it really stinks..now I guess I gotta go to the muff shop sometime and get it sealed.

OH, BTW, someone asked about part numbers..

Energy suspension endlinks for 92-95 civic/delsol: 16.8104G
Honda OEM swaybar brackets: 51308-SR3-000 (qty 2)
Honda OEM swaybar bolts (for d-bracket): 95701-0801608 (qty 2)
I dont have the number for the sway bar bushing or the Honda OEM nuts...sorry

sceg

holy crap, i thought i was the only one. i broke that nut off thursday night while putting on a lower tie bar. used a small magnet to hold it up to the bolt and start the threads, then held it with my pinky and finally a screw driver until it was tight. so many swear words that night....
my impression of the subframe is that it started out as a bunch of different plates that is then welded together...and the nut ends up inside after all is said and done. and i couldnt find a hole to get inside that was larger than a dime.
and for the record, my carbing tie bar was off by at least .25" and had to be bent in order to fit.

Heinz57

Front sway bars make on/off ramps a tiny bit more fun

spock_rocker

i just keep going back and forth on whether i want/need one or not

sohcvtec66

time for a catback exhaust...lol

suspendedHatch

When I did mine I didn't have to cut/weld/drill/fabricate anything. I remember it just being a straight forward bolt off, bolt on swap.

Heinz57

did you do it on a 92-95 civic? here in chicago, the weather/snow/salt puts a beat on all the metal underneath..i dont know about you californians

Built B16A

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Heinz57 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I started on the drivers side, and I impact gunned that bolt, since I didn't know that the nut inside the chassis was tac-welded on. The tac-weld broke, thus making that bold just spin, and not get loose. </TD></TR></TABLE>
yes... this was a complete bitch on my crx.. but.. i was working on the rear upper control arm.. basicly adjusting the camber, andyways.. zipped it off.. and became fucked..

i also learned the nut was tack welded from the inside.. so i got out the tourches, and burned it out.. lol.. it fell in side..

so.. to get a new nut behild.. without cutting a new section and plating it.. i used what we have at work, and call a "nutsert" .. these are soo kewl.. imagine a riviet with threads... it has a flaring sholder, with threads behind it.. i can take pics of it, when i go to work tues if you guys want.. but helped me out royaly..

my .02 cents.

JDM R

yea post some pics of that "nutsert" sounds interesting

Built B16A

yeah.. i got them at work.. i have this thread in my watched topics.. so i'll hit you guys back up on tues.. they really do rock.. just you wait.

Heinz57

do you think because I cut that section out to get a wrench to hold onto that nut, I have to weld a plate back on, over the cut I made? I just spray painted that area where the cutting torch cut the metal, so it wouldnt rust...then I sprayed some undercoat over the area...shouldnt that be enough? let me know your opinions...

sceg

i was considering making the hole larger (large enough for a wrench at least) and then welding a ring to the bottom of it for strength, but ill probably worry about that when i have to do something else in that area...

Built B16A

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDMar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yea post some pics of that "nutsert" sounds interesting </TD></TR></TABLE>

as promiced.

basicly the "nutsert" is based on the concept of a rivet. it take a hole, and flares the shaft to grip from the inside out.

this is the nut sert. basicly a rivet with threads. BTW.. they come in all sizes.. american threads, and metric.

this is the tool.. just like a rivet gun, but with threads on the end. the threads is what you grab from the inside to make your flare.





now.. this is the sert. like i said, they come in all sizes, but i chose a 10MM for this tutorial..



the tool assembeled.



give it a nice grip on the tool, and you form a little wave that will flare behind your hole. notice the little lines in the sert.. they grip very well.



now.. keep in mind.. the hole you have, might not be the exact size, so if you used this, you might have to drill your hole out just a tad bit more.. but these puppy's should be in there pretty snug. and its a done deal.. even if you tighten the **** out of htem, they'll only get tighter in the hole.. (flare even more)



so.. from my experiances.. and my 89 CRX's rear upper controll arms with those bitch *** "tach welded from the inside nuts" these little jems get a from me!

how you enjoyed!!!