Installing a rear PI sway bar

[85crownHPP]

its not on upside-down is it???

mine went right on my 85 no prob, put one on an 87 that needed some sqeezage... havent put the one on the 91 yet... Im skurred to drill...

[mercuryhead]

I figured I'd post some pictures of my rear sway, maybe it'd be useful to someone. My car already had the holes and fit perfect, no bending to the LCA's. My car looks bad underneath compared to DuceAnAHalf's .

you seem to have more room between the axle tubes and the RSB compared to "DuceAnAHalf".....interesting

To "LTDMan83":
another guy on here is parting out his Vic and after I didnt hear from you on Friday, I went ahead and made a deal with him. Im kinda nervous about my old LCAs and how much longer Ive got with them, so I had to act fast......thanx anyways though, I appreciate it.

I have a pic of the ones I bought off of the guy's Vic.....check it out:

It has the needed holes with the pre-bent lip like the PI LCAs, but it's a civi Vic with the skinny civi RSB...very odd indeed!!

[88grandmarq]

+1 on having the RSB installed upside down.

I've drilled holes in the control arm before.... never had a problem.

[mercuryhead]

+1 on having the RSB installed upside down.

I've drilled holes in the control arm before.... never had a problem.

Im 1000 percent positive I didnt install it upside down, I just drilled the holes a tad too high.

[Freshmeat]

This helps me if I ever get around to installing my PI rear bar. I'll save myself the hassle and get a set of LCAs from the junk yard.

[85crownHPP]

Dangit now I wanna install mine... what kinda drill bit did you use?? whats the hole size??
I only have cheap bits so Ill have to buy one good one...

[mercuryhead]

This helps me if I ever get around to installing my PI rear bar. I'll save myself the hassle and get a set of LCAs from the junk yard.

some yards have them and some dont.....alot of yards cut them to make it easier to pull the rear ends, being that they are usually what people ask for.

.......as far as your concerned, drilling the holes needed should not be an issue, just make sure you drill the holes as low as possible on the LCAs. What Im trying to say is, no need to buy LCAs, your current ones should do the trick.

[DuceAnAHalf]

Dangit now I wanna install mine... what kinda drill bit did you use?? whats the hole size??
I only have cheap bits so Ill have to buy one good one...

i think its 1/2" but you will want to use a slightly larger bit

[mercuryhead]

Dangit now I wanna install mine... what kinda drill bit did you use?? whats the hole size??
I only have cheap bits so Ill have to buy one good one...

1/2" drill bit....buy a new one, trust me, you will need a fresh bit.
look for grade 8 bolts 1/2" X 3" and grade 8 nuts.
1/2" X 1" steel spacers and 8 1/2" flat washers.

New hardware is recommended.....the old stuff is.....OLD

[mercuryhead]

i think its 1/2" but you will want to use a slightly larger bit

you wont need a bigger bit. Bits are a fraction bigger then there listed size to allow said bolt sizes to slide in with ease.

[88grandmarq]

Im 1000 percent positive I didnt install it upside down, I just drilled the holes a tad too high.

even if you drilled the front holes a tad high, all this would do is pitch the bar down in the back, around the axle.
If the bar was installed upside down and holes were drilled high, then you would have axle contact as you are describing.

Read the FSM page and look at the picture posted here.
Depending on the condition and cleanliness of your bar, there should be a yellow paint mark on one side of the bar on the mounting tab, this goes on the passenger side facing towards the inside.

[Lincolnmania]

they fit upsidedown too.....i did it back in the cvn days
and look under regis's 85 sometime hehe

[mercuryhead]

even if you drilled the front holes a tad high, all this would do is pitch the bar down in the back, around the axle.
If the bar was installed upside down and holes were drilled high, then you would have axle contact as you are describing.

Read the FSM page and look at the picture posted here.
Depending on the condition and cleanliness of your bar, there should be a yellow paint mark on one side of the bar on the mounting tab, this goes on the passenger side facing towards the inside.

the back hole is what gets drilled, if you drill it too high, it lifts the bar up....and since the bar goes under the rear end, the higher the RSB, the more likely it will make contact.....
I experienced this first-hand.
I know the bar can easily go in the wrong way, but this is not what I did......I know which way is the correct way, not to mention the pics on this thread which show the bar the way I installed it.

The bar didnt make contact when it was level on the ground(although it was pretty damn close), only when the back was leaned one way or the other.
I tested this out by putting one rear wheel of the car on a curb and I noticed that the RSB would touch the opposite side of the rear end just past the pumpkin.

[85crownHPP]

remember scott the 1st time I pm'ed you was to tell you your bar was upsidedown lol

If the most forward bolt hole was too high, this would make the rearmost bolt a pivot point, making the other end of the swaybar go down, unless you car defies physics...
Do you have pics of the bar on the car?? They would help to try and figure out exactly wassappening.

[mercuryhead]

remember scott the 1st time I pm'ed you was to tell you your bar was upsidedown lol

If the most forward bolt hole was too high, this would make the rearmost bolt a pivot point, making the other end of the swaybar go down, unless you car defies physics...
Do you have pics of the bar on the car?? They would help to try and figure out exactly wassappening.

the foward bolt hole is already there from the factory....it's the rear bolt hole that gets drilled....and if that's too high, it lifts the bar.

I took the bar off as soon as I noticed the problem......so I cant take pics of it.
I didnt imagine the problem, I admit I fucked up when installing the 1" RSB(I was in a huge rush to get it done).
Thanx for everybody's input, but I got it covered.....I bought another set of LCAs that are PI and have the all of the holes and factory bent lip and are stronger then the civi ones.