front sway bar woes.... any idea?

[Turbo6Smackdown]

My front sway bar on my gn (stock) broke free of the passenger side mounting bracket. So, in replacing it, I thought I'd go to a larger bar as well. (1 & 3/8ths dia)
I did so, using energy suspensions mounting brackets, and end links. (the gold brackets with the red bushings you so often see) and after say, 200 miles, the same passenger side bracket, broke at the exact same spot again. (at the bend) The CS guy on the phone from ES says it may be, that my end link spacers were the wrong length, making the sway bar not parallel to my lower control arm, putting it at an improper angle. I checked it, and it was indeed correct. According to their diagram on their website http://www.energysuspension.com/pages/endl.html, mine is squared away. I guess mine is the 3 & 3/8ths long version. Any of you have this problem, and if you never did, what length are you little end link spacers? Anyone? This has been plaguing me for some time....

 

[salvageV6]

3 9/16" should work. 9.8124

 

[Gary Wells]

I had the same problem a few years back with a stock suspension turbo-T. Not to confuse the issue, but I thought that the stock front sway bar was 1 3/8" to begin with. I also tried to resolve my issue with Energy Suspension, and it did not reslove the problem. It seemed to me that the mounting holes on the passenger side are too close together, and also not parallel to each other, and 1 mounting hole was not perpendicular to the frame member where they bolt up to. As a result of this, the bolt puts too much strain on the bracket, and will not bolt down tight due to the bolt head hitting the radius of the bracket before mounting flat. It also seemed to me that the Energy Suspension bracket was too small for the Energy Suspension bushing and the factory sway bar. Hit a junk yard and maybe try another stock set-up? I really don't remember if I ever fixed mine and how I did it, but I don't think that the Energy Suspension components will do you any good in this instance. Also, I think that the bracket is undersize and the radius oversize so that the radius in the bracket interferes with the bolthead when tightening down the bracket. HTH

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

yep, i agree now.... i do indeed see that the passenger bracket holes are not straight across. theyre ever so slightly angled... which makes it a btch putting it back on.. and it does stress it out each time. for some info though, no car came stock with that thick a sway bar i believe. (not any plain old normal g bodies or late 70's cutlasses/montcarlos anyway) its about the thickest bar ive ever seen for sale for our cars.. but at any rate, i have to ditch it, as it is just simply too big for my particular car... anyone want to buy it? i paid about 165 for JUST the bar... i will sell this next to brand new bar, with new mounts, for a hundred bucks... anyone? its either atr or h and r part. i cant remember which.

 

[Gary Wells]

yep, i agree now.... i do indeed see that the passenger bracket holes are not straight across. theyre ever so slightly angled... which makes it a btch putting it back on.. and it does stress it out each time. for some info though, no car came stock with that thick a sway bar i believe. (not any plain old normal g bodies or late 70's cutlasses/montcarlos anyway) its about the thickest bar ive ever seen for sale for our cars.. but at any rate, i have to ditch it, as it is just simply too big for my particular car... anyone want to buy it? i paid about 165 for JUST the bar... i will sell this next to brand new bar, with new mounts, for a hundred bucks... anyone? its either atr or h and r part. i cant remember which.

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Fwiw, my statement up above regarding the size (dia) of the front sway bar is incorrect. The factory size (dia) of the front sway bar is 1.250", or 1 1/4", but given their standard size tolerancing to the minus side, all that I have measured (factory) measure in at about 1.235 or so for all turbo Buicks, or at least '86's & '87's. The factory rear sway bar measures in at .875, or 7/8". Upgrading to a 1.00" rear sway bar will improve your handling characteristics considerable. However, there is nothing in between the aftermarket 1.00" rear sway bar, and the aftermarket rear ATR or FTS&S bar at 1 3/8". Good info, though, as I did not know that anybody made a 1 3/8" front sway bar for our cars. I would love to find a 1 1/8" or a 1 1/4" rear sway bar for our cars (solid). HTH, and good luck selling your front sway bar.

 

[Turbo6Smackdown]

both my sway bars are 1 & 3/8ths. try hr parts n stuff.

 

[Gary Wells]

.................................... However, there is nothing in between the aftermarket 1.00" rear sway bar, and the aftermarket rear ATR or FTS&S bar at 1 3/8"................................ I would love to find a 1 1/8" or a 1 1/4" rear sway bar for our cars (solid). HTH, and good luck selling your front sway bar.

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I believe that HRParts & Stuff's Super sway bar/anti roll system at $ 500 might be a 1 1/4" dia bar, but I am looking for just a standard rear swar bar configuration for my car. Thanks anyway.