Stock 15 mm swaybar install, Drop link and bar Options

[sholman5]

Installing a stock 15mm swaybar, but before I snug everything up. The drop links are angled at one end, does the angled end attach to the arm that goes on to the bar and the straight end to the control arm? I did notice that the drop link is the same perpendicular angle as the strut. Logically it seems correct just wanting to make sure. Also, how much of the swaybar should be sticking out from the arm?

Thnx Chris

[iankarr]

On my install, the drop links clearly fit better one way over the other. Sorry but I don’t remember which and I’m 2000 miles from my car.

However I do know that the bar should protrude 3mm from the bracket. More important is that it’s equal on both sides.

[914_teener]

You should index the bar when the car is on the ground btw....

Otherwise you will preload the bar if you are using the stock drop links.

[xperu]

Installing a stock 15mm swaybar, but before I snug everything up. The drop links are angled at one end, does the angled end attach to the arm that goes on to the bar and the straight end to the control arm? I did notice that the drop link is the same perpendicular angle as the strut. Logically it seems correct just wanting to make sure. Also, how much of the swaybar should be sticking out from the arm?

Thnx Chris

Look at YouTube “914 sway bar install” I think you will find your answer. Ian made several great 914 videos.

[iankarr]

You should index the bar when the car is on the ground btw....

Otherwise you will preload the bar if you are using the stock drop links.

Is that necessary when there are no adjustments on the stock drop links?

Thanks for the kind words mike... here's the link...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2-iOhb-4Gw

[914_teener]

Yes.

[iankarr]

Hmmm. The shop manual makes no mention of wheels needing to be on the ground (pages below). Not really sure how it would matter since everything can only bolt up one way...but def open to learn if there's a better method.

Anything to add?

[914_teener]

If you have noticed the stock droplinks are a fixed length. The sway bar is a torsion bar.

The sway bar should be "clocked" so that the bar is as neutral as possible, when it is in a weighted "neutral" position with respect to the lower bracket on the a-arm.

Suppose you could simulate this with a car jack underneath the a arm if you wanted to when installing this. That is what I remember doing.

Don.t forget, the stock droplinks were meant for stock suspension and tires.

When I added a stock bar to my car I ditched the stock drop links for Tarret adjustables because my car is lowered in the front and runs 205's all around.

When I tried using the stock ones they preloaded the bar way too much and I couldn.t clock the swing arms enough not to preload the bar.

So, lesson learned and which the manual doesn't say, is to consider all the suspension geometry when installing the sway bar. I also had to re-consider the rear spring rate, which isn't something I considered prior to putting the front sway bar. Everything just like the engine components work together.

That said, done right, the front sway bar on a 914 make a huge handling difference.

That.s what I learned and the manual didn't tell me that.

[914_teener]

I think the other thing that I was concerned about was the ability over time of the bushing to wear and the arm to hit the brake line like the manual states. I was concerned about this so I added a split collar on each side of the bar inside underneath the gas tank. I quess mostly so that I could sleep at night.