Whiteline Swaybar Installed

DZFord · 06-11-2010, 05:21 PM

Took advantage of a spare weekend and some nice weather and installed a whiteline rear sway bar today (22mm, non-adjustable).

Overall, it's not a bad job to do, especially with the help of a mate or two. I followed the guide posted on the XR5 turbo forums here: http://www.fordxr5turbo.com/forum/in...ic,7256.0.html
Thanks to the original author.

The only real problem was a siezed nut on the left connecting link. We actually had to take the whole swaybar-conn.-link off the control arm, then remove the nut.

Jacking points are really important. Make sure you use a block of wood just adjacent to the sills, with jack stands:

Old vs New:

Installed pic:

I took it for a quick spin afterwards and I was very happy. Put me down as another forum member who says that this one of the best bang for your buck mods around.

**DJM83** · 06-11-2010, 05:24 PM

I have the adjustable varient in my XR5T they definately work wonders over the factory ones

casabonka · 06-11-2010, 06:15 PM

it is a good mod for not many bux..
I found it easier to do with the rear wheels on ramps.
oh and nice weather... its crap in sydney!!!

Velociraptor82 · 06-11-2010, 09:43 PM

I bet you wanna take it for a spin in the dandys now??

did you go for the 22" or 24" one??

I did the fronts as well and put an adjustable on the rear. 24" all round. I noticed more of a difference with the sway bars than I did when I put in the coil-overs.

DZFord · 07-11-2010, 12:47 PM

The weather was good yeserday, not so good today!

I got the 22mm swaybar.

ah-see · 07-11-2010, 10:37 PM

i also got my 22mm whiteline read swaybar installed a couple weeks ago and i am also very happy with it

In Focus · 04-12-2011, 07:17 PM

So I've developed an intermittent thump which seems to be coming from the back of the car (I'm almost deaf in one ear, so it's hard to pinpoint, especially as sound seems to carry through the car in these situations). Not all of the time, not over every bump, but I think it's when only one of the back wheels is going up or down relative to the other. It sounds like something whacking the car. I haven't touched the spare wheel stuff lately, and I shifted things around in case that was the problem, but it doesn't seem to be.

My first instinct was either the lowering springs or swaybar I had fitted recently, particularly the swaybar. When I checked the fittings I noticed a nut on the right side, a nut that gets screwed onto a horizontal bolt, if that makes sense - you can see the LHS one in DZ's pic, right at the top left with yellow goo on it - isn't super tight. I tried tightening it, but it seems to go round and round without getting much if any tighter.

Two questions.

1. Could the swaybar be the source of the thump?

2. Do the nuts need to be really tight? It doesn't look like it's going to come off anytime soon, but I'm wondering if it needs to be tight enough to stop anything shifting around, whether or not it causes thumping.

marg99 · 04-12-2011, 09:01 PM

Cannot recall what the mounts are like on focus rear sway bars but on the falcon they have links between sway bar and suspension like two little knuckles. If one goes it makes a clunk sound on bumps. Unless the top shocker mount is loose that the most likely cause.

DZFord · 04-12-2011, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by In Focus

I tried tightening it, but it seems to go round and round without getting much if any tighter.

Two questions.

1. Could the swaybar be the source of the thump?

2. Do the nuts need to be really tight? It doesn't look like it's going to come off anytime soon, but I'm wondering if it needs to be tight enough to stop anything shifting around, whether or not it causes thumping.

To tighten that nut you'll need to insert an allen key into the end of the bolt part first to hold it still. Have a look at the end of the thread and you'll see where the allen key will fit (it is partly visible in that above pic).

Russ · 04-12-2011, 10:51 PM

You would be meaning where the yellow arrow is pointing ?

sysh · 04-12-2011, 11:05 PM

.. where did ya get the Whiteline sway bar in Vic?

DZFord · 04-12-2011, 11:25 PM

From the whiteline website!

And spot on Russ, exactly where that yellow arrow is pointing. Thanks.

In Focus · 05-12-2011, 12:29 AM

Thanks, boys. I didn't realise Ikea made swaybars!

In Focus · 05-12-2011, 09:08 PM

Turns out the the bolts on the brake calipers were loose. The thing is, the brakes haven't been touched, unless it was at the last service - back in June...

Russ · 05-12-2011, 09:19 PM

That's a bit of a worry

In Focus · 05-12-2011, 11:34 PM

Indeed. The funny thing is, I'm hoping it was someone's negligence. The alternative is that the things worked loose all by themselves.

Russ · 06-12-2011, 09:04 AM

I once had a front wheel leave me on a FWD car '79 Subaru wagon, it would appear that the tyre fitter who'd put my new tyres on a couple of weeks earlier got sidetracked and forgot to tighten the wheel nuts. Needless to say the car felt a bit weird for a while and I couldn't work out where this strange noise was coming from until the front wheel came off and I watched it roll past me in the opposite direction

Surprisingly it caused no real damage, I gathered up the wheel nuts I could find (3 of the 4 at least) chased the wheel back from down the road, jacked up the car, put the wheel back on with the remaining nuts, drove home, found a spare suitable wheel nut in the garage to replace the missing one and that was it all fixed

I didn't use the same tyre place ever again though

baxtc1 · 06-12-2011, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Russ

I once had a front wheel leave me on a FWD car '79 Subaru wagon, it would appear that the tyre fitter who'd put my new tyres on a couple of weeks earlier got sidetracked and forgot to tighten the wheel nuts. Needless to say the car felt a bit weird for a while and I couldn't work out where this strange noise was coming from until the front wheel came off and I watched it roll past me in the opposite direction

Surprisingly it caused no real damage, I gathered up the wheel nuts I could find (3 of the 4 at least) chased the wheel back from down the road, jacked up the car, put the wheel back on with the remaining nuts, drove home, found a spare suitable wheel nut in the garage to replace the missing one and that was it all fixed

I didn't use the same tyre place ever again though

This could be a thread of it's own, I'm sure there are plenty of stories out there like that, I have a couple myself.

dazFX · 28-06-2014, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DZFord

Installed pic:
image

Is this clamp meant to sit flush against the car? I think the bushing whiteline supplied me is a bit too big, The car is a LV sedan.

Also I had to get the stabilizers from a wrecked mazda 3 because ford charge $160! for one!

pajoda · 28-06-2014, 06:58 PM

Now that's a thread revival

dazFX · 29-06-2014, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pajoda

Now that's a thread revival

I bought one because of this thread : )

Ended up cutting around 2.5 mm of the bushing to make it fit

Franco Cozzo · 30-06-2014, 11:08 AM

I got this on my car too, had my trusted mechanic install it.

He left one of the links loose...

I had to use whiteline rear links though, unfortunately they hang low as.

DZFord · 30-06-2014, 12:29 PM

Damo, the whiteline links are height adjustable if they hang too low: http://www.whiteline.com.au/docs/ins...ides/Z5146.pdf

Franco Cozzo · 01-07-2014, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DZFord

Damo, the whiteline links are height adjustable if they hang too low: http://www.whiteline.com.au/docs/ins...ides/Z5146.pdf

Excellent I didn't realise that I might have to adjust them a bit.