Rear Sway Bar Broken!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,450
Likes: 410
From: Portland OR
Rear Sway Bar Broken!
So,
I had noticed odd handling in sweeping off ramps, taken at moderate speeds. I thought maybe a bad shock, or something in the rear. I never pushed the car, and was going to see what was up when I remove the rear and trans over the winter. It felt odd from the very first time I took my favorite off ramp after buying the car a little over a month ago.
I come home tonight driving my other car and in the headlights, I see something hangin down under the Vette. Hmm, got out and looked, it was raining bad so didn't look real close. It looked like a hose of some sort had hardened and broken off from somewhere.
Closer inspection when the rain stopped, and it's the freakin rear sway bar! Being hollow threw me off, it looked like a hose at first glance. It broke right inside the rubber bushing. And the break is not fresh. The bushing had been holding it in place while broken. Aparrantly, it was rusted to the point of failure, the bushing trapped the water. Note the rust inside the bar.
Has this happened to anyone else?
Check this out.
Maybe the a$$wipes who installed the tires jacked the car up on the sway bar? Although it does look like it twisted in half.
Good thing I have C6Z51 bars from Gene waiting to install......
Ron
I had noticed odd handling in sweeping off ramps, taken at moderate speeds. I thought maybe a bad shock, or something in the rear. I never pushed the car, and was going to see what was up when I remove the rear and trans over the winter. It felt odd from the very first time I took my favorite off ramp after buying the car a little over a month ago.
I come home tonight driving my other car and in the headlights, I see something hangin down under the Vette. Hmm, got out and looked, it was raining bad so didn't look real close. It looked like a hose of some sort had hardened and broken off from somewhere.
Closer inspection when the rain stopped, and it's the freakin rear sway bar! Being hollow threw me off, it looked like a hose at first glance. It broke right inside the rubber bushing. And the break is not fresh. The bushing had been holding it in place while broken. Aparrantly, it was rusted to the point of failure, the bushing trapped the water. Note the rust inside the bar.
Has this happened to anyone else?
Check this out.
Maybe the a$$wipes who installed the tires jacked the car up on the sway bar? Although it does look like it twisted in half.
Good thing I have C6Z51 bars from Gene waiting to install......
Ron
Last edited by RonSSNova; Oct 11, 2011 at 02:19 AM. Reason: Forgot something.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,450
Likes: 410
From: Portland OR
Racer
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 418
Likes: 28
From: Evansville IN
There was a thread here a few months ago about the same thing.
I changed my bars out a couple years ago and the area under the bushings were rusted pretty bad. It seemed excessive to me but after a search on here I found it not to be a unique issue. There isn't any other major rust under my car so I didn't worry about it.
I am sure it would have broken eventually though. They are very light weight and this compared to what I installed.
I changed my bars out a couple years ago and the area under the bushings were rusted pretty bad. It seemed excessive to me but after a search on here I found it not to be a unique issue. There isn't any other major rust under my car so I didn't worry about it.
I am sure it would have broken eventually though. They are very light weight and this compared to what I installed.
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Joined: Aug 2008
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From: Oak Hill Virginia
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Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 2008
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From: Oak Hill Virginia
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,450
Likes: 410
From: Portland OR
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 2,902
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From: Oak Hill Virginia
Of course, as I say that I've had a set of LT headers collecting dust in my garage for several months
You'll love the upgrade; throw some C6Z06 shocks on there as well and you'll feel like you have a different car.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 1,163
Likes: 4
From: Concord California
Wow, never saw that before. I had a noise when hitting speed bumps, this forum helped me identified the sway bar bushings, sure enough, there were dry and made noise. I replaced them and lubed them fully, now there is peace when hitting those terrible speed bumps. Glad here in California they don't salt the roads, maybe in the mountains a little, but not where I live...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,809
Likes: 3
From: Yorktown Virginia
Your a far more patient man than I am. Anytime I get a simple-to-do mod in the mail it has to go on that day...
Of course, as I say that I've had a set of LT headers collecting dust in my garage for several months
You'll love the upgrade; throw some C6Z06 shocks on there as well and you'll feel like you have a different car.
Of course, as I say that I've had a set of LT headers collecting dust in my garage for several months
You'll love the upgrade; throw some C6Z06 shocks on there as well and you'll feel like you have a different car.
ALthough I do need to work on my camera mount a little bit I just done feel like working on it... plus Im kinda tired after deciding the help my friend install a head gasket on his jetta. Yea that took ~10 hours but that included 2 hours of breaks.
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 4,450
Likes: 410
From: Portland OR
You guys are good! In my defense, I have an S10 V8 PU project in my one car garage that is nearly complete. So it's taking my time, and the space for the Vette! A2 + year project. The Vette came along a month ago rather unexpectedly. 
The truck is my son's.
I have headers, bars, torque converter and a diff to install. All waiting....patiently. Once the S10 is gone, I'll get to it. Looking forward to the work, but not freezing my A$$ off in the process. Since my mid 50's, the bones creak a lot more than they used to!
BTW....with approx 420hp on tap and 3000lbs, the S10 is going to spank my Vette. I'll just have to fix that.
Ron
The truck is my son's.I have headers, bars, torque converter and a diff to install. All waiting....patiently. Once the S10 is gone, I'll get to it. Looking forward to the work, but not freezing my A$$ off in the process. Since my mid 50's, the bones creak a lot more than they used to!
BTW....with approx 420hp on tap and 3000lbs, the S10 is going to spank my Vette. I'll just have to fix that.
Ron
Im the same way, I even installed the PFADT Trans brace within a week and withing 30 min of the ups guy dropping off my headers I was unbolting the old system. Heck I just about had the UPS guy helping me out.
ALthough I do need to work on my camera mount a little bit I just done feel like working on it... plus Im kinda tired after deciding the help my friend install a head gasket on his jetta. Yea that took ~10 hours but that included 2 hours of breaks.
ALthough I do need to work on my camera mount a little bit I just done feel like working on it... plus Im kinda tired after deciding the help my friend install a head gasket on his jetta. Yea that took ~10 hours but that included 2 hours of breaks.
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Others say they have heard of this happening before, but this is the first I've seen something like that - good thing you didn't push the car hard out on the road.
