So just last week I installed my new and shiny Prothane swaybar mounting bracket bushings. My bar is an Addco 1 1/8" and I bought the bushings to match. When I had originally installed the bar I used the Addco setup: inner part of old bracket, metal spacer, bushing, new bottom bracket, long bolts with slipcovers*?, and a couple washers. Well that setup only lasted a year and the bushings were messed up due to improper length endlinks.
So I replaced the endlinks with the appropriate ones and switched back to old style mounting brackets per general consensus. One problem has arisen, the new bracket bushings are approximately 1/8" too short on the topside. I tried putting in metal shims to make up the difference, but they weren't enough and popped out on my drive back home. Now the bar occasionally thunks/thuds when hitting the right type of bump (for obvious reasons). Does anyone have any ideas on a good permanent solution to this problem (looking in your general direction Chuck!). I was told possibly putting jb weld between the inner bracket and spacer might help, but something tells me there's a better way.
Any takers for this? Kinda stuck on it still. :confused:
Guess not :( !!!
When I installed my Energy Suspesion sway bar bushings I had the same problem. Mine was about 3/16" too short. Well I needed the car the next day so I had to come up with a quick solution... Get ready to laugh... I found some pieces of plywood of roughly the right thickness and cut out a couple of shims. I've had 'em in there for around 9 months and they're still tight as hell. When they wear out I might weld in some steel but the wood seems to still be doing fine...
Maybe the wood stays in because it compressed when I tightened it down.
What happened to the old topside of the original bracket?
The factory brackets are in 2 pieces, with the top part being what compresses the bushing.
2 options, either find a set of factory brackets (shouldn't be too hard to do) or do what dogcharmer did and get something to shim the top of the bushing, but make sure it's thick enough and gets compressed when you tighten everything down.
EDIT-
I see you have both parts of the original bracket.
Your choice is to either shim as above or get some bushings that actually fit....like the Energy Suspension ones.
My energy suspension bushings were "supposed to" fit but didn't. They're probably for a Mustang....
Been there, won't go back! I did try the shim idea, but it failed on the way home. I'm thinking either go back to stock rubber, or find thicker metal to use as a shim. Would JB weld be a good idea for between the shim and upper bracket?
I've never had a problem with my swaybar bushings not fitting properly...I believe mine are prothane but I can't remember, got em awhile ago.
jbweld wouldnt hold up well against it.
I've used ES sway bar bushings in all my cars with the stock brackets......no problems.. Mustang/Tbird bushings are the same...
Take a pic of what you are using.....