Front sway bar drop link setup Options

[draganc]

Hi guys,

Looking for advice and experience with setting up a oem front sway bar.

Everything fits and looks ok, however, when I install the drop links,
it appears that the two eyes are twisted.

If I remove the new rubber bushings and put one end flat against the
mount, the other end is not "flat" against its mount. It looks like it's off
by about 5-8deg.

I can install the bolts, but when moved up and down, you can see that
the rubber bushing is squized, by the 5-8deg offset.
Both side have the same symptoms and I also swapped the rods.

Questions:

1) is this normal, hence the rubber bushing used to compensate for potential
tolerances and movements?

2) Did anybody install adjustable drop links from Weltmeister or Tarret on
setup? Any pros or cons?

3) Any other solutions/suggestions for my "issue"?

Thanks in advance for your feedback,
D.C.

[Mark Henry]

You might have 911 drop links, I know there is long and short drop links. I "think" the longs are 911 and that looks like what you have. You won't know for sure till you put the car on the ground and the suspension is loaded.
It's an easy fix (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[914_teener]

Believe Mark is correct. Those look like 911 drop links.


Also you will need to index the bar...meaning weight the suspension and then index the swing arm from the bar once the suspension is weighted. Otherwise you will preload the bar.

In my experience I would go with the Tarrett adjustable drop link unless you are going for a concours car.

Nice work...looks great!

[914forme]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

You have 911 drop links. It is impossible to index the bar with out modifications to the drop links. you can buy adjustable drop links. Or you can make your own. You can buy premade stock for the drop links a couple of rod ends and a jam nut you in business.

If it is a concourse car, you will need the 914 drop links.

Nice looking work you have done there. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/drooley.gif) Very clean, would love to see the rest of the car. You have a build thread?

Answer a few of your other questions:

The stock drop links are designed to have the rubber be the compliance part of the equation. As it would be very hard to take a solid object and make it perfect to the rotational axis it must travel between the suspension arm and the swaybar arm. Rubber is your friend here.

The only issue with the adjustable drop links and lots of people have used them is that you will pickup some extra noise in the suspension. You could modify your 911 drop links into a set of custom adjustable drop links. That would allow for the adjustments you need, and science some crave. That would be at the lose of immediate directional changes. Unless you changed the bushing material at the same time.

[bdstone914]

How do you index a bar with no adjustment? Measure the drop links. 911 are 3/4 inch longer. I have both and car check. i think 914 are 8-1/4 inches long.

[draganc]

Thanks for all the input!

I just verified the length and the rods are c-c 195mm and about 220mm total length, hence it would match what bdstone reported with 8-1/4.

@bdstone, can you please verify your measurements?

@914forme, sorry no build thread. I'm too slow for a weekly/monthly update.
However, here is a pic of the completed rear end., sorry, it's a bit dusty.

[914_teener]

Thanks for all the input!

I just verified the length and the rods are c-c 195mm and about 220mm total length, hence it would match what bdstone reported with 8-1/4.

@bdstone, can you please verify your measurements?

@914forme, sorry no build thread. I'm too slow for a weekly/monthly update.
However, here is a pic of the completed rear end., sorry, it's a bit dusty.

It looks like you are doing a great job and looks like you are running the same shocks that I decided to go and the adjustable perches.

Are those 140# springs? Noticed that you are planning on running a rear sway bar as well.

What are you planning to do with the front end? Bilstein Sports on the front? Are you planning on running the car lower with respect to the stock ride height? What tires are you running?

Again..nice looking work.

[draganc]

It looks like you are doing a great job and looks like you are running the same shocks that I decided to go and the adjustable perches.

Are those 140# springs? Noticed that you are planning on running a rear sway bar as well.

What are you planning to do with the front end? Bilstein Sports on the front? Are you planning on running the car lower with respect to the stock ride height? What tires are you running?

Again..nice looking work.

Thanks man!

The rear are 125lbs and the front stock. I chose the 125 over the 140 since our roads in NJ suck and I modified the front and rear arms with hard bushings from Tangerine racing.
Yes, Bilstein Sports all four corners with front and rear stock sway bars. I'm not planning any track days, that's why I have my bike for, hence, "only" a firm street weapon.

I sourced a set of 6" ATS and are planning tires around the 195-205 width, but are still open about the tires.

Last but not least, as soon as I'm done updating my tranny, I will start working on my Megasquirt upgrade with ITB. Im aiming/hoping for about 140HP, from my 2056 and Tangerine headers and exhaust.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) hopefully done for spring 2017.......

PS: I have ordered some adjustable drop links today, stay tuned for an update.

[914_teener]

It looks like you are doing a great job and looks like you are running the same shocks that I decided to go and the adjustable perches.

Are those 140# springs? Noticed that you are planning on running a rear sway bar as well.

What are you planning to do with the front end? Bilstein Sports on the front? Are you planning on running the car lower with respect to the stock ride height? What tires are you running?

Again..nice looking work.

Thanks man!

The rear are 125lbs and the front stock. I chose the 125 over the 140 since our roads in NJ suck and I modified the front and rear arms with hard bushings from Tangerine racing.
Yes, Bilstein Sports all four corners with front and rear stock sway bars. I'm not planning any track days, that's why I have my bike for, hence, "only" a firm street weapon.

I sourced a set of 6" ATS and are planning tires around the 195-205 width, but are still open about the tires.

Last but not least, as soon as I'm done updating my tranny, I will start working on my Megasquirt upgrade with ITB. Im aiming/hoping for about 140HP, from my 2056 and Tangerine headers and exhaust.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/driving.gif) hopefully done for spring 2017.......

PS: I have ordered some adjustable drop links today, stay tuned for an update.

Nice!

Keep us posted.

[draganc]

As promised, a update about my drop link "project":
The adjustable Weltmeister links were easy to install
and fit well with the original setup.

The heim joints do their job w/o any binding, like the
original rubber bushings. Definitely a upgrade over the
stock links.

Only complaint, the mounting hardware is not metric.

[draganc]

Some more pics, compressed and extended.

[914_teener]

Looks good.

I used the Tarret drop links and went out and bought high strength metric cap screws,washers and nylock nuts.

[Mark Henry]

How do you index a bar with no adjustment?

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sawzall-smiley.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Dave_Darling]

Only complaint, the mounting hardware is not metric.

That has bothered me about WM products from the first time I used them. It would have only cost them a few more pennies to use metric hardware, why not do that so it fits with the rest of the car?

Oh well...

--DD