Swaybar with BMR control arms

[85monte]

Got a quick question for you guys. I have a set of BMR tubular rear lower control arms and I just bought a rear swaybar from Suspension Techniques. When I tried to bolt up the sway bar it seems to be to long by about 3/4" to 1". If I bolt up one side and lift the other side up it hits the under side on the control arm almost dead center. This is the first I have ever heard of this and was wondering if any of you guys have heard of it. I am wondering if the bar is to long or if it just don't work with the tubular arms. Please let me know what you guys think. I wish I had a stock rear swaybar to try but my car didn't come with one. Thanks for the help.

Brian

 

[J-B Racing]

Good to know. I will be installing the BMR lowers and I just got a 1 3/8 Bar to go with it. I will make it fit. I don`t send stuff back.....:tongue:
I will let you know how mine will go


Joe

 

[Renthorin]

Where are you located Brian? I have my stock bar sitting in the shed you can try if you are near AA Michigan.

I had to wiggle my ATR bar in with my tubular lowers but it was a very close fit. Sounds like you are in for a battle.

Does that bar fit with the stock lower arms? If it does I would say there is a problem with the tubular arms. If the new bar won't fit on the stock lca's I doubt it is sized correctly for your car.

 

[85monte]

Thanks for the replies guys. I spoke with the Techs at BMR and they said that the most swaysbars should fit with no problems. I think it maybe the design of the one from Suspension Techniques. The bar has plates on each side. I assume that the plates would fit inside on the stock lower control arms and then you would add the spacers. Looks like I am SOL again. It wish I live closer but I am down in the Florida panhandle or I would take you up on your offer to see if it fits.

See the link below for a picture of the bar.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r192/85monte/P1010009.jpg

Brian

 

[Renthorin]

That is a crazy way of attaching unless that plate is designed to fit inside a stock "hollow" LCA.

Hopefully they will take it back

Unless that bar is much thicker than a stocker you might as well put a stock one on there or get the "ATR" style bar from Full Throttle or if you have the money the HR bar.

 

[85monte]

Yes the plate fits inside of a stock arm. I wish I would have known before I bought it. I dont have the box. I think it got trashed already. Looks like I may try to sell it cheap and by another from another company.

 

[J-B Racing]

I had never seen that Bar before. I guess mine should fit OK. I got it from FTS
Can`t you Cut the Plates off and Drill New Holes on the Bar?

 

[85monte]

I dont think I want to try that. As it sits it can be used by someone else. If I cut it and try to do that there maybe problems and then it maybe trashed. JB Racing,where did you find the 1 3/8 rear bar at?

 

[J-B Racing]

Full Throttle Speed.
But make sure if you get it from them it`s well packed.
UPS lost the Hardware and FTS did not credit that...

 

[85monte]

Seems to me Full Throttle Speed would have stepped up and sent you new hardware. I have had things like that happen to me before and the company took care of me. Makes you think about customer service!!! Anyway, now I am in search of another rear sway bar but I think I only want to put a 1" in the rear. Let me know how the 1 3/8" handles.

 

[Renthorin]

I have the ATR bar on my GN. I think it is the 1 3/8 but not sure.

It handles just fine on the street and freeway and all that.

We have some bad off ramps in the Ann Arbor area, the kind with speed bumps built in it seems. The Gn handles them just fine with no loss of control.

 

[J-B Racing]

Monte85
The Sway Bar does not fit directly with the BMR Bars. I will have to shave off the 4 ends of the Tubes to where the Saw Bar Bolts on. Then maybe I will be able to install the 1 3/8 Bar.
Did you get yours on?
I will post later on how much work I will have to do to get this Bar on.

Seems to me BMR or the Company who made the Bar miscalculated...

 

[85monte]

I have sold my rear sway bar. I sold it to a guy with stock lower control arms. I am now in the market again for a rear sway bar. So your bar seems like it is also 2 long for the bars? How much is it off?

Brian

 

[Real-T]

I have the ATR rear bar on my car with the BMR Boxed control arms.

There is indeed some grinding needed to make it fit, but overall once it's done you won't regret it.

My thought is that they basically followed the pattern of the stock sway bar, and then just increased the diameter.

Increasing the diameter affected the overall width (control arm to control arm). But this is only on the mounting points on the control arms.

Not sure what the stock bar was but I am going to guess that it is 1". So that since the new bar is 1 3/8" in diameter, this means that there is 3/16" of excess material on each side of the bar where each control arm mounts. It's not that much to remove, and doesn't affect the strength of the bar.

Make sure you use Grade 8 or better hardware, and I think the BMR arms are drilled to fit 1/2" bolts.

HTH....

 

[Renthorin]

From side to side the ATR bar is not wider than the stock bar.

I took my stocker off and slid the ATR bar in without and grinding or hammering.

The stock bar is 7/8th's in diameter.

Here is a comparision picture I took during the install:

ATR vs Stock swaybar pictures from hobbies & interests photos on webshots

If you get the UMI tubular control arms the bar should slide right in. I know you have the BMR bars....just sayin'....

 

[Real-T]

Renthorin,

Thanks for that, now that I think of it, my theory about the bar has no meaning whatsoever.

It's been about 3 years, but I do recall grinding the bar mounts to make it fit, and now I think it is because the BMR control arms are slightly larger. I think they are made from 2x3 boxed tubing.

 

[10SECONDVSIX]

Grinding

Not sure how much to remove. My guess so far would be about 1/2". Just about the amount of the extentions on the BMR's.
If that will not be enough, then I will remove some metal on the Sway Bar..

 

[Renthorin]

Another possibility is the stock LCA's have mushy rubber bushings allowing them to move and make installing the big bar easier.

The BMR have metal bushings right? I almost got some a few years ago but don't recall.

With metal or the Poly bushing like UMI uses there isn't a lot of play in the LCA's so the install 'seems' harder.

In any event, that big bar will definitely tighen up the handling on the car.

For that matter, if you don't have ANY swaybar back there even a stock bar is better than nothing.