Custom FD rear sway bar end links (how to)
 

I’m sure most of you have noticed that the FD rear sway bar end-links are plastic. Although they seem to work well enough, this cost-saving feature has bothered me over the years. It became more than a bother when I mounted coilovers with a machined aluminum yolk. The wider yolk legs when compared to stock and cheaper stamped steel coilover sets prevent the lower shock bolt nut from threading all the way onto the end of the bolt, a potential safety issue. So I set about trying to design a solution. I’ve probably spent 8 hours searching websites and on-line catalogs to put this together. I had initially considered selling completed rear end-link sets but as none of the components have to be custom fabricated, I’ll just post were I got them and how to assemble them. If anyone does decide to sell this kit, I expect compensation.

One of the biggest problems is that the shock bolt is 12 mm and the sway bolt is 10 mm. It is impossible to get off-the-shelf 10/12 links or 10/12 custom studded links for anything like a reasonable price. I went with a 12 mm shoulder bolt but bushing the link to 10 mm is just as good an option (I did this on the front – another post).

Here are the items you will need

http://home.comcast.net/~crossa/rear_components.jpg

McMaster CarrPegasusSpeedwaymotorsboltdepot.comLaying aroundTotal cost = $147.22

You can obviously get this stuff elsewhere, and probably from fewer vendors but I had ordered a bunch of stuff to see what would work and this is where the final components came from.

Here is what the link will look like assembled (note I’ve got the cone spacer on the wrong side) I used the crush washer to prevent potential contact between the link and the bar. It works perfectly but you can probably find other solutions.

http://home.comcast.net/~crossa/rear_assembled.jpg

Here is it mounted on the left side of the car

http://home.comcast.net/~crossa/rear_mounted.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~crossa/rear_mounted2.jpg

In addition to looking better, being stronger, and allowing use of wider yolks, this will allow you to adjust out preload and to use the RB adjustable rear bar which would interfere with the shock yolk.

Alan

Awesome! Thanks for doing the R&D here. I've been wanting adjustable rear bar end links for a long time, just never had the time to really try stuff out. I will definitely be following in your footsteps on this one. :icon_tup:

Awesome indeed. And thanks for contributing freely to the community. Its been a while since anyone has shared info like this. It seems like every year that passes by on here it feels ever more like a flea market where everyone is selling something.

nice writeup Adax! This should be stickied by the moderators.

No problem,

I forgot to mention that M12x1.25 rod ends are available from Pegasus for finer adjustability but I don't think it's needed and they cost twice as much.

See my Tri-Point post if you want to bush the sway-bar end and use a regular 10 mm bolt.

Alan

Excellent info, thanks Alan.

Got my end links installed today, and I was finally able to zero preload on my rear bar. I also re-confirmed zero preload on my front TP bar. The car already feels better on just a quick test drive on the street. Feels more solid, but that may just be a result of the preload taken out (the rear bar was a bit off zero).

I used the exact same parts, except I substituted 10x1.5 flange nuts for the swaybar (shoulder) bolt, and had a thicker steel cone spacer spun by a local shop. Very happy with the results!

pictahhhsssss

Nice work!

This is totally awesome. I have been thinking of doing this myself but had so many projects. Just one problem. PICTURES! If possible you can e-mail them to me and I can post on my server and link here. silverbulletrx7@yahoo.com.

Again, great work.

Umm, can you not see the pictures in the first post? Thanks for the praise, a flange nut on the sway-bar side is a good idea. I'll replace mine next time I go hardware shopping.

oh now they are showing. Something is a bit strange I think with the links maybe.

The pictures disappeared for me too. This is weird, because they were here a couple days ago and the HTML still looks good.

Anyhow, click below:
Components
Assembled
Installed 1
Installed 2

strange... if I click on one of the pictures linked or paste in the html and view a picture, I can see it. Then I refresh this page and I can see all the pictures normally.

Part 3068-08 might be a good sub from Speedwaymotors to Pegasus.

Fantastic Alan!

Crispy

Do you think the mazdatrix front adjustable sway bar links would be a good way to get some of the parts cheaper? $75 bottom of page: http://mazdatrix.com/h93-95b.htm
maybe just get a few bolts for the attachment.

http://mazdatrix.com/pictures/h-susp/93barlink.jpg

You can get cheaper rod ends from www.marylandmetrics.com.

Sorry to bring up the old thread, but it looks like there's a bit more clearance for the wheel from these pictures.

My stock links hitting the wheel:
Attachment 704367

Wanted to follow up on this thread, as I have Alan's (Adax) old drop links featured in this thread, along with the JRZ's pictured.

After a problem on track, I did some further investigating by jacking the suspension through it's travel range without the shock, and discovered there isn't NEAR enough rotational movement in the lower rod end (that bolts through the shock mount). It looks fine while you've got the car on stands, but if you go through the movement to full compression, the sway bar takes a more abrupt angle towards the back of the car, well past the degree of misalignment available. This would be way worse on an aftermarket bar with a "stiffer" rearward setting. The factory link has MUCH greater misalignment range.

The ideal solution would be to build a block for the rear of the mount that would allow you to attach the lower link rotated 90 degrees, and allowing 360 degrees of rotation, but in the interim, it needs a spacer on the shock bolt of about 3/4 to 1" to the rear.

I'll post pics of both the problem and solution once I have it worked out, but wanted to mention to those who may be using this setup as a caution.

Here's my solution:

A longer (130 mm) grade 12.9 bolt, with a smaller allen head end (for clearance), with a steel 1" spacer and a couple small shim washers for maximum misalignment angle. Finished off with a washer and nylock nut.

Thoughts?

I got those same MazdaTrix end links for the front, and after 2k miles, their shot and the sway bar has all kinds of slop/play. I guess their only for the track, not the street, where normal driving tears them up...didnt know there was a reliability issue with these... So, Im going back to oem. Maybe other home-made style end links last longer, idk.

I have the MazdaTrix ones sitting in my toolbox... they're crap... they're pretty loose even brand new. Not all rod ends are created equal.

In received a kit from Improved Racing that they sent me on a warranty issue that's almost identical to your set-up. I plan to install this weekend.

^^^

Post a pic? I called improved about a kit, and they said they were discontinued.